2026 NHL Draft Recap: Biggest Winners, Steals & Takeaways

And then round one was on Friday, rounds two through seven was on Saturday.

The biggest storyline for this was obviously Gavin McKenna going to the Toronto Maple Leafs first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft.

First player actually from Whitehorse UConn to get drafted to the Toronto Maple Leafs as well.

We all knew this was coming.

Gavin McKenna getting drafted.

first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs, just like Austin Matthews got drafted first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, 10 years later in Buffalo, which the 2016 NHL draft was in Buffalo when Austin Matthews got drafted.

And now 10 years later, Gavin McKenna gets drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL draft in Buffalo, New York.

Justin Bieber made an announcement to draft him.

He was there at the draft and, uh, He kind of, you know, made the announcement for the Maple Leafs to draft Gavin McKenna.

And another fun fact, Gavin McKenna became just the fifth NCAA player ever selected first of all in the NHL draft.

Of course, the other ones were most recently Macklin Celebrini in the 2024 NHL draft when he got drafted by the San Jose Sharks at the spectacular season at Boston University for the BU Terriers where he won the Holby Baker Award which for those who don't know that goes out to the best top college hockey player.

And then Owen Power who got drafted first of all by the Buffalo Sabres.

And in 2021, NHL draft after playing at the University of Michigan, he won the Tim Taylor Award as the top freshman before being drafted.

And then Eric Johnson, who's now analyst for ESPN, former Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche.

In 2022, he was drafted first overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2006 NHL draft.

After his freshman season at the University of Minnesota, he became the first active player taken number one overall in the modern era.

And then Rick Pagnolti, hopefully I said that name right, who was drafted first overall by the LA Kings in the 1967 NHL draft after playing his college hockey at the University of Notre Dame.

Although he was drafted out of junior hockey, he later played college hockey.

So some NCAA traits to there as well.

But yeah, going back to Gavin McKenna, the superstar, the phenom, one of the next players, or probably one of the best players, I would probably say one of the next players of the next generation, I should say.

A lot of kids are going to be watching Gavin McKenna on the Toronto Maple Leafs which hopefully he has a good hockey career down there highly unlikely I know some fans are saying his hockey career is going to go down in the drain like he's going to be terrible in Toronto I want the Blackhawks to get the first overall pick to draft Gavin McKenna to play with his cousin Connor Bedard that would be an unreal tandem in the Windy City but unfortunately not the case But hopefully, I know we just, you know, three years ago, 2023 NHL draft, we won the draft lottery.

We drafted Conor Bedard first of all.

But I'm hoping while we still suck, and I know we're going to get better in the near future, but I'm saying while we still suck, we just need to win the first of all just one more time.

Just one more time.

win the first overall.