NHL Draft: How Many Canadians Will Be Picked in First Round?

We’re days away from the 2026 NHL draft, which takes place on Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

The draft class is, as usual, chock-full of prospects from Canada. With that in mind, I dive into how many Canadians are likely to be selected during Friday’s first round. 

Number of Canadians to Be Selected in First Round of NHL Draft

The total number of Canadians to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft is set at 11.5 at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

I’m backing the Over, which has hockey odds of -143. Those odds carry an implied probability of 58.82%. 

In my NHL mock draft, I predict 13 Canadians will be chosen in the first round, including six in the top 10. 

Gavin McKenna, who hails from Whitehorse in the Northwest Territories, is expected to be selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs. You can see why when you look at the McKenna scouting report.

The Maple Leafs will hope he has an immediate positive effect on the team’s Stanley Cup odds. 

Along with McKenna, I expect the following Canadians to be selected among the top 10: Caleb Malhotra, Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels, Daxon Rudolph, and Ethan Belchetz. 

Tynan Lawrence, Wyatt Cullen, Ryan Lin, and Xavier Villeneuve should also be locks to have their names called in the first round. 

Maddox Dagenais, Liam Ruck, and Mathis Preston are on the bubble and could either go in the first round or drop into Saturday’s second round. 

However, I believe the Vancouver Canucks will take Preston at No. 24, the Montreal Canadiens will select Dagenais at No. 28, and the St. Louis Blues will choose Ruck at No. 29. 

Best bet: Over 11.5 Canadians drafted in the first round

When Is the 2026 NHL Draft?

The NHL takes place on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.