The Toronto Maple Leafs have secured the top overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a monumental development that has immediately altered the outlook of one of the league’s most iconic franchises.
The Maple Leafs are already one of the most polarizing teams in the NHL, perhaps best known for their recent playoff failures more than their 13 Stanley Cup titles.
Entering this year, Toronto had been eliminated in the first or second round of the playoffs in nine straight seasons, with a championship looking increasingly fleeting year after year. Now, after winning Tuesday night’s NHL Draft Lottery, the Maple Leafs may have earned a new reputation: lucky.
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Toronto entered the lottery with an 8.5 percent chance to land the No. 1 pick – fifth among all eligible teams and well behind the Vancouver Canucks, who were the favorites at 18.5 percent.
But because the ping pong balls ultimately fell their way, the Maple Leafs now have the chance to reinvigorate their roster, and perhaps the hopes of their fanbase, by selecting the bonafide top prospect available in the 2026 class.
Penn State forward Gavin McKenna appears to be the obvious choice for Toronto at No. 1 overall. The 18-year-old is currently a -450 favorite to be taken with the first pick.
The Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery despite having an 8.5 percent chance of getting the top pick -Credit:Photo by Michael Chisholm/Getty Images
Instead of falling into a suboptimal situation with a bottom-dwelling franchise like top picks of years past, McKenna will join a team that is expected to get back into the playoffs right away after what was a hugely disappointing 2025-26 season.
The Whitehorse, Canada native put up video game-like numbers in Canadian juniors, including a mind-boggling tally of 173 points in 76 games playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL in 2024-25.
In his lone season at Penn State, McKenna, who stands 6-foot and weighs 170 pounds, logged 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games, the second-best points per game clip in the NCAA.
That came as a freshman going up against older and matured competition, and was something he wanted to try, rather than stay in Canadian juniors, in order to best prepare himself for NHL competition.
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He is the consensus top prospect for a reason, as he already has the skillset and hockey IQ of an NHL player.
His smaller stature is a potential drawback, but is something he will only improve on as he grows into his 20s. After all, Connor McDavid (6-foot-1, 194 pounds) and Sidney Crosby (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) turned out alright.
The 2026 NHL Draft begins on June 26 and will take place at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
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