Saturday, June 27, 2026
Top Overall Pick McKenna Begins Historic Draft for NCAA Hockey
Penn State Winger Selected No. 1 by Toronto Maple Leafs
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The city of Buffalo is renowned for its famous wings. The most celebrated wing here Friday night was Penn State left winger Gavin McKenna, who was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the first overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center.
McKenna, who racked up 51 points in 35 games last season and was a second-team All-American for the Nittany Lions, became the third NCAA hockey player in the last six years selected with the top pick, and the first in PSU history.
Toronto’s selection of McKenna also ignited a historic first round for college hockey, with a record 19 current or committed NCAA players chosen Friday night. That shattered the previous first-round high of 11 that was originally set in 2007 and matched in 2016.
It also set a new standard for NCAA players taken in any round, topping the 17 taken in the 2018 fourth round, the 2015 sixth round, and the 2004 ninth round.
Incoming Boston University forward Caleb Malhotra (Brantford/OHL) was selected by Vancouver with the third overall pick, and incoming Denver defenseman Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert/WHL) was taken by the host Buffalo Sabres with the following pick. Rudolph became the highest player drafted in the history of DU hockey.
Two more incoming collegiate defensemen were drafted with the next two picks, with North Dakota commitment Carson Carels (Prince George/WHL) and Michigan State recruit Chase Reid (Soo/OHL) going sixth and seventh to Calgary and Seattle, respectively.
North Dakota rising sophomore defenseman Keaton Verhoeff went ninth to San Jose and incoming Minnesota forward Wyatt Cullen (U.S. NTDP) went 10th to Nashville, making it seven current or committed college hockey players in the top 10.
Twelve more college or college-bound players went off the board the rest of the way, including a trio of rising sophomore forwards: Boston University’s Tynan Lawrence (11th to St. Louis), Boston College’s Oscar Hemming (14th to Columbus), and Miami’s Ilia Morozov (20th to Buffalo). Morozov became the highest-drafted player in Miami program history.
Also of note:
- Of the 19 college-affiliated players selected, 11 were incoming freshmen, five played NCAA hockey in 2025-26, and three were players committed to arrive on their respective campuses in 2027-28.
- Michigan State had five committed players selected, tying Michigan (2021) for the most ever by one school in a single first round.
- There have been 88 first-round picks from the NCAA over the last 10 NHL Drafts (2017-26) compared to 57 first-rounders over the previous 10 drafts (2007-16).
- Boston College and Michigan have both had at least one player selected in 31 consecutive drafts, the longest such streak in NCAA history.
- Boston College alum Bill Guerin, now the general manager of the Minnesota Wild, was announced during the draft as the NHL’s 2025-26 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year.
Rounds two through seven of the 2026 NHL Draft will be held Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern. Broadcast coverage will be provided by NHL Network, ESPN+, Sportsnet and Sportsnet.
NCAA Selections in the First Round
| No. | Name | Pos. | NHL Team | NCAA Team | 2025-26 Team |
| 1 | Gavin McKenna | F | Toronto | Penn State | Penn State |
| 3 | Caleb Malhotra | F | Vancouver | Boston University (’26-27) | Brantford (OHL) |
| 4 | Daxon Rudolph | D | Buffalo | Denver (’26-27) | Prince Albert (WHL) |
| 6 | Carson Carels | D | Calgary | North Dakota (’26-27) | Prince George (WHL) |
| 7 | Chase Reid | D | Seattle | Michigan State (’26-27) | Soo (OHL) |
| 9 | Keaton Verhoeff | D | San Jose | North Dakota | North Dakota |
| 10 | Wyatt Cullen | F | Nashville | Minnesota (’26-27) | U.S. NTDP |
| 11 | Tynan Lawrence | D | St. Louis | Boston University | Boston University |
| 14 | Oscar Hemming | F | Columbus | Boston College | Boston College |
| 15 | Nikita Klepov | F | Anaheim | Michigan State (’26-27) | Saginaw (OHL) |
| 17 | Ethan Belchetz | F | Utah | Michigan State (’26-27) | Windsor (OHL) |
| 20 | Ilia Morozov | F | Buffalo | Miami | Miami |
| 21 | Ryan Lin | D | San Jose | Denver (’26-27) | Vancouver (WHL) |
| 22 | Liam Ruck | F | Pittsburgh | North Dakota (’27-28) | Medicine Hat (WHL) |
| 23 | JP Hurlbert | F | Detroit | Michigan (’26-27) | Kamloops (WHL) |
| 27 | Maksim Sokolovskii | D | Philadelphia | Maine (’27-28) | London (OHL) |
| 30 | Jack Hextall | F | Calgary | Michigan State (’26-27) | Youngstown (USHL) |
| 31 | Tommy Bleyl | D | Nashville | Michigan State (’27-28) | Moncton (QMJHL) |
| 32 | Jaxon Cover | F | Ottawa | Penn State (’26-27) | London (OHL) |