Follow along for updates from the first round of tonight’s NHL Draft from Buffalo, N.Y.
NHL Central Scouting Rankings/Selections: 2026 USCHO Draft Tracker
11:08 P.M. ET: That wraps round one and an historic night for college hockey with 19 players taken. Four current players led by Gavin McKenna, and 15 commits. Of those 15, 12 played this season in the CHL and three are headed back the CHL next season before beginning college in 2027.
Good night and thanks for following along. Please check out all of our Draft video from this week on our YouTube Channel.
We will update the Draft Tracker throughout the day on Saturday. The Draft resumes at 11:00 a.m. ET with coverage on the ESPN networks.
11:07 P.M. ET: We began with a Penn State great and end with a future Penn State commit with Jaxon Cover taken with the final pick of the first round.
11:00 P.M. ET: Make that FIVE Spartans taken in round one as Thomas Bleyl, who is headed back to Moncton this season before heading to Lansing, with eventually end up in Nashville after being taken 31st.
10:51 P.M. ET: Another future Spartan off the board as Jack Hextall is headed to Michigan State. That’s the fourth of the night.
10:46 P.M. ET: I projected at least 17 college players being selected in the first round with a max of 22. Well, we may not get to the low end as a run of European players has gotten use three picks from the end with only 16 selections.
10:33 P.M. ET: We have our first pick from way off the board at number 27 as Philadelphia selects Maksim Sokolovskii, a 6-foot-7 defenseman from the OHL who is committed to Maine. He was ranked 40th among North American skaters by CSS. This is a kid who has some runway before he is NHL ready as he is headed back to the OHL before heading to Maine in 2027.
10:08 P.M. ET: Michigan commit JP Hurlbert is going to be playing close to his future employer, the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him at 23.
9:58 P.M. ET: The NCHC continues to have a nice run of players with yet another North Dakota commit, Liam Ruck, one of two identical twins heading to the Fighting Hawks. Brother Marcus is expected to be selected soon.
9:53 P.M. ET: Another Denver defenseman Ryan Lin heads to the stage after San Jose trades up to take him at 21.
9:41 P.M. ET: Ilia Morozov from Miami becomes the fourth current college player selected, heading to the host city, Buffalo. And we now have a record-setting first round!
9:29 P.M. ET: That selection of Belchetz brings the total for college picks to 11, tying the record that occurred twice in the past (2007, 2016). This record will be smashed tonight, the impact of the CHL/NCAA ban being lifted.
9:22 P.M. ET: A third Michigan State player taken, this time Ethan Belchetz, an incoming freshman by Utah at number number 18.
9:08 P.M. ET: Halfway through and they just presented former Boston College all-American Bill Guerin with the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for his work in Minnesota.
9:06 P.M. ET: Michigan State commit Nikita Klepov is heading to Anaheim at 15.
8:47 P.M. ET: Boston College big man Oscar Hemming is the next college player off the board, heading to Columbus at 14.
8:37 P.M. ET: I think the NHL needs to pick up the pace of this show. Lots of interviews. My calculations say that we are on pace to end around 11:45 E.T.
8:27 P.M. ET: Stepped away for a few minutes and missed a lot…
First, Michigan State commit Chase Reid was taken seventh overall by Seattle. That pick was followed by three college picks at 9 through 11.
North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff was selected ninth by San Jose, while Nashville chose Wyatt Cullen from the USNTDP, a Minnesota commit. Boston University’s Tynan Lawrence kept the magic going at 11 heading to St. Louis.
7:58 P.M. ET: Michigan State recruit Chase Reid remains available as the New York Rangers and Calgary each passing. The Flames chose Carson Carels, a North Dakota commit, with the sixth overall pick.
7:45 P.M. ET: A pick no one saw coming next – Daxon Rudolph goes fourth to Buffalo. We shouldn’t be surprised that this guy, who was overlooked among the top defensemen in this Draft, is headed to always overlooked Denver.
7:37 P.M. ET: After Ivar Stenberg from Sweden went second to Vancouver, Caleb Malhotra, a Boston University commit, went third overall to Vancouver. Malhotra’s dad, Manny, is Vancouver’s coach.
7:20 P.M. ET: It’s official, Justin Bieber announced the pick. “Mr. MeKenna”, as Bieber said, is now a Maple Leaf.
7:15 P.M ET: The Draft is officially open and Toronto is on the clock. And everyone knows Gavin McKenna is about to become a Maple Leaf.
6:45 P.M. ET: Hey everyone, Jim Connelly here. We’re 15 minutes away from the start of the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. I’ll be here all night with updates pick by pick and a little commentary. Above, you can watch today’s USCHO NHL Draft Special. Just turn on captions or unmute the video. Thanks for following along!