Winners and losers from 2026 NHL Draft first round: Sharks bolster impressive young core
Welcome to my pick-by-pick breakdown of the entire first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Over the next two days, I’ll review and rank the draft classes of all 32 NHL teams. Today’s Round 1 analysis will be followed on Day 2 by a look at almost all of the 223 selections made across seven rounds, analyzing the complete hauls of each club.
After another season of travel, video, phone calls and texts, it’s my educated view of each team’s selections, carefully considering both my own evaluations of the prospects and each player’s consensus expected draft range. The goal is for this to be the most comprehensive draft review available anywhere.
