Buffalo will host the 2026 NHL draft on June 26-27, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Monday, putting the city and highly-touted prospect Gavin McKenna in the sport’s spotlight.
The two-day event returns to KeyBank Center, home of the Sabres, after last year’s Los Angeles debut at the Peacock Theater. Bettman, flanked by Sabres owner Terry Pegula and club executives, praised Buffalo’s hockey culture ahead of the team’s game against Florida.
“This is a great sports town, a great hockey market. The reception we get here is always terrific,” Bettman said. “Fans are knowledgeable and passionate. We’ve got a great organization with great ownership. All the factors that you would take into account, the boxes are checked in a first-class way.”
The league will again use a decentralized format: prospects and families attend in person while clubs submit picks remotely from their home markets.
Buffalo’s Draft History
This marks the fourth time the Sabres have hosted the draft, tying them with New Jersey for second-most among NHL franchises; only Montreal has hosted more, with 27. Buffalo last held the event in 2016, when Auston Matthews went first overall to Toronto.
Since 2015, Buffalo has also staged the league’s annual pre-draft combine and will do so again this spring.
McKenna Takes Center Stage
All eyes will be on Gavin McKenna, the Penn State freshman forward long projected as the 2026 No. 1 pick. The 18-year-old from Whitehorse, Yukon, tops NHL Central Scouting’s mid-season ranking of North American skaters, ahead of North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff. Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg leads the international list.
McKenna chose the NCAA route last summer, leaving the Canadian Hockey League after two-plus seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers. The switch became possible when the NCAA lifted its longtime ban on CHL players, allowing him to join Penn State.
At Medicine Hat, McKenna compiled 289 points (91 goals, 198 assists) in 158 games. Last season he posted a 45-game point streak, registering 32 goals and 100 points during that stretch and finishing with points in all but four outings.
Through 18 games with the Nittany Lions, McKenna has four goals and 15 assists for 19 points, ranking fourth on the team and seventh among all NCAA freshmen. The college game is considered tougher; most players are 19 or older compared with the CHL’s 16- to 20-year-old range.
“He’s a generational talent,” scouts have said since 2024, when he first emerged as the presumptive top choice for 2026.
Pegula Connection
Penn State ties run deep in the Sabres organization. Owner Terry Pegula, a university alumnus, donated more than $100 million in 2013 to launch the school’s men’s and women’s hockey programs and build the on-campus arena that bears his name.
“When we opened the arena, I remember part of my speech was maybe someday the next Sidney Crosby will come out of this arena,” Pegula said. “So I don’t know where Gavin’s going to get drafted. I’m not making any predictions. But he’s a great young player and it’s nice to prospects like that starting to come out of Central PA.”
McKenna recently helped Canada win bronze at the world junior championships, finishing second in tournament scoring with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games.
Event Details
At a Glance
- Buffalo will host the NHL draft for the fourth time, second only to Montreal’s 27.
- The decentralized format keeps prospects on stage while teams pick remotely.
- Gavin McKenna, the projected top pick, plays for Penn State after leaving the CHL.
- Why it matters: A generational talent on a unique NCAA path will hear his name called in a city already entrenched in hockey tradition.
The draft will unfold over two evenings at KeyBank Center, capping a spring that also brings the league’s combine back to Buffalo. Ticket information and broadcast details have yet to be released.
Michael A. Turner reported from Buffalo; News Of Philadelphia distributed the story.
