Stenberg goes to Sharks at No. 2; Malhotra joins father with Canucks as No. 3 pick
Gavin McKenna announced as Maple Leafs’ No. 1 overall draft pick
BUFFALO — The Toronto Maple Leafs took the latest step in their offseason overhaul by selecting Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on Friday.
“It was a very special moment … getting hugged by my family after all these years of hard work and sacrifices that we’ve all put into this,” McKenna said. “For it to finally be here and experience that moment was one I’ll remember forever, and one of, if not the best days of my life.”
Pop superstar and die-hard Maple Leafs fan Justin Bieber announced the pick in the home of the Buffalo Sabres, the same arena where Toronto selected current captain Auston Matthews with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.
“Mr. McKenna, we would like to draft you to the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Bieber announced on the stage.
Matthews had a video message for McKenna.
“I know how exciting this is for you and your family, and what an incredible honor it is,” Matthews said in the video. “Congratulations, we’re just as excited to have you join the Maple Leafs, and cannot wait to get started. You’re coming to a franchise with an amazing history and fanbase and we’re all working to write the next great chapter together, and you’re going to be a very important part of that.”
Welcome to the NHL: McKenna and Bieber mic’d up during first overall pick
The 18-year-old from Whitehorse, Yukon, was the sixth-youngest player in men’s college hockey this season for Penn State. He finished tied for fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) and was second with 1.46 points per game in 35 games. He was a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to the top NCAA men’s hockey player.
A left wing at Penn State, McKenna, is the fifth NCAA men’s hockey player chosen No. 1 in the history of the NHL Draft. The others are Macklin Celebrini (No. 1 by the San Jose Sharks in 2024; Boston University), Owen Power (No. 1 by the Sabres in 2021; University of Michigan), Rick DiPietro (No. 1 by the New York Islanders in 2000; Boston University) and Joe Murphy (No. 1 by the Detroit Red Wings in 1986; Michigan State).
McKenna wore a suit jacket that included photos of his family and brooches paying homage to his Canadian Indigenous roots.
“Without those people, I wouldn’t be here today, so the least I can do is put them in my suit jacket,” McKenna said.
After hearing his name, he stood up and hugged his mother, Krystal; father, Willy; and other family members nearby, including his grandfather Joe Mason.
“He said he was so proud of me,” McKenna said of his grandfather. “I wish I could relive that moment over and over again.”
The NHL Tonight crew discuss Gavin McKenna being taken first in the NHL Draft
McKenna is the second player from Canada’s Yukon Territory to be chosen in the first round of the draft, following Dylan Cozens, who was selected by the Sabres with the No. 7 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.
McKenna joins a talented forward group that includes Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies and John Tavares.
“Gavin is an exceptional young man with tremendous talent and character,” Toronto general manager John Chayka said. “Throughout this process, we had the opportunity to get to know him and his family, and each interaction strengthened our belief in him as both a player and a person. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
Rounds 2-7 of the draft are here Saturday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN).
Prior to enrolling at Penn State, McKenna torched the Western Hockey League for parts of three seasons with Medicine Hat, including winning Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year honors in 2024-25.
McKenna was the most prominent of 175 players who made the jump from the CHL to the NCAA this season.
McKenna had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in seven games for bronze medal-winning Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship before scoring 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in his final 19 games at Penn State. The left-handed shot, who was No. 1 in Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, set or tied nine school records and was the only unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Ivar Stenberg, a left wing with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, was picked No. 2 by the Sharks, marking the first time since 2007 that two wings were chosen Nos. 1-2 in the draft (Patrick Kane, No. 1, Chicago Blackhawks; James van Riemsdyk, No. 2, Philadelphia Flyers).
Stenberg is excited to one day play alongside Celebrini.
“That would be sick,” he said. “He’s one of the best in the world, so it’d be unreal to play on the same team as him. If I play on a line with him, it would be great.”
Welcome to the NHL: McKenna, Stenberg and Malhotra selected with first three picks
Center Caleb Malhotra of Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League was selected No. 3 by the Vancouver Canucks and will join his father, Manny Malhotra, who was named coach of the Canucks on June 1. Caleb and Manny (No. 7, New York Rangers, 1998 NHL Draft) are the second father-son duo in League history to be selected in the top 10 of an NHL Draft, joining Darryl Sittler (No. 8, Maple Leafs, 1970) and son Ryan Sittler (No. 7, Flyers, 1992).
“He’ll always be Dad first, and when I ask for Coach, he’s very clinical and honest with me,” Caleb said. “If I want to know something, he tells me exactly what I’ve been doing wrong, what I need to improve on, or what I’ve been doing well. I think moving forward, I have to talk to Coach a lot more than I used to. I think growing up with him and having that relationship kind of prepared us for this moment. I think we’re ready for it and I think it’ll be a great adventure.”
Daxon Rudolph of Prince Albert in the WHL was the first defenseman off the board, going No. 4 to the host Sabres. Buffalo acquired the pick Tuesday in a trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to Chicago.
“It’s just a lot of excitement, and to be selected by the Sabres in Buffalo is something that’s pretty cool and something I’ll never forget,” Rudolph said.
Until the Blackhawks traded the No. 4 pick to the Sabres, no top-five selection in an NHL Draft had been moved since 2008, when the Islanders dealt the No. 5 choice to the Maple Leafs.
Alberts Smits, a defenseman for Munchen in Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany, became the highest Latvia-born player selected in an NHL Draft when the Rangers chose him at No. 5.
“It means a lot,” Smits said. “Not only for me. It also means a lot for my family and also for Latvia. It just shows that no matter where you’re coming from, you can always achieve a lot of things, and big things in your career. You just keep going and work through the hard situations in your career.”
Gavin McKenna speaks with Jamison Coyle after being drafted first in the NHL Draft
Zemgus Girgensons, a forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning, had been the highest-picked Latvia-born player when the Sabres selected him in the first round (No. 14) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
Smits, the only 2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospect to represent his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics, was named the winner of the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, presented annually to the NHL Draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.
The Sharks had three first-round picks Friday.
After choosing Stenberg at No. 2, they selected defenseman Keaton Verhoeff of the University of North Dakota with the No. 9 choice, acquired Tuesday in a trade that sent forward William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators. San Jose then chose defenseman Ryan Lin of Vancouver in the WHL with the No. 21 pick, which was acquired in a trade with the Flyers on Friday.
A record seven Sweden-born players were selected in the opening round, besting the previous mark of six (2023, 2021, 2018, 2011, 2009, 1993).
Get the latest news from the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft
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