McKenna Goes First in 2026 NHL Draft

As expected, left wing Gavin McKenna (Penn State) was the first overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs at this year's NHL Draft in Buffalo tonight.

Several other current NCAA players were selected in the first round on Friday night at KeyBank Arena. Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota), a defenseman, was chosen ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks, while center Tyan Lawrence (Boston University) went 11th to the St. Louis Blues, and left wing Oscar Hemming (Boston College) went 14th to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Buffalo Sabres tabbed center Ilia Morozov (Miami) 20th overall.

As for incoming and future collegiate skaters, the Vancouver Canucks chose center Caleb Malhotra (Boston University) third overall, while defenseman Daxon Rudolph (Denver) was taken one spot later by host Buffalo. Carson Carels (North Dakota), another defenseman, went sixth to the Calgary Flames, while Chase Reid (Michigan State) went seventh to the Seattle Kraken. Left wing Wyatt Cullen (Minnesota) was tabbed 10th by the Nashville Predators, followed by right wing Nikita Klepov (Michigan State) at 15th to the Anaheim Ducks and left wing Ethan Belchetz (Michigan State) at 17th to the Utah Mammoth.

San Jose chose defenseman Ryan Lin (Denver) 21st overall, while right wing Liam Ruck (North Dakota) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins with the very next selection and left wing JP Hurlbert (Michigan) went 23rd to the Detroit Red Wings. The Philadelphia Flyers chose defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii (Maine) 27th overall, with center Jack Hextall (Michigan State) going three selections later to Calgary and defenseman Thomas Bleyl (Michigan State) right after to the Nashville Predators. The final pick of the first round was right wing Jaxon Cover (Penn State), who went 32nd overall to the Ottawa Senators.

The 2026 draft concludes Saturday with Rounds 2-7 (11 a.m. ET, NHL Network). The full list of college-related selections can be found here. 

BC's Hagens Taken Seventh Overall in NHL Draft

Five players who skated in the NCAA last season were chosen last night in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

James Hagens (Boston College) went seventh overall to the Boston Bruins.  A 5-foot-11 center from Hauppauge, N.Y. Hagens tallied 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points in 37 games as a freshman last season in helping the Eagles to the 2024-25 Hockey East regular-season championship. He also scored a game-winning goal against Bentley in the NCAA tournament, as BC ultimately finished one win short of making a second straight Frozen Four.

Logan Hensler (Wisconsin) was taken 23rd overall by the Ottawa Senators. A 6-foot-2 defenseman from Woodbury, Minn., Hensler collected 2-10—12 points in 32 games last season with the Badgers.

Will Horcoff (Michigan) was tabbed at 24th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. A 6-foot-4 center from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and the son of former Michigan State and NHL player Shawn Horcoff, he recorded 4-6—10 points in 18 appearances last season with the Wolverines.

Sascha Boumedienne (Boston University) was picked 28th overall by the Winnipeg Jets. A 6-foot-1 defenseman from Stockholm, Boumedienne registered 3-10—13 points in 40 outings in helping the Terriers to their third straight Frozen Four and first NCAA title game since 2009.

Cullen Potter (Arizona State) was chosen by the Calgary Flames with the 32nd and final selection of the first round. A 5-foot-10 center from Hortonville, Wisc., and the son of four-time U.S. Olympian and former Minnesota-Duluth skater Jenny Potter, and former Minnesota forward Rob Potter, he registered 13-9—22 points 35 contests last season with the Sun Devils.

The draft concludes on Saturday with Rounds 2-7.

ADDENDUM: The full list of college-related players drafted on both days can be found here.

Three NCAA Skaters Go in NHL First Round

The first round of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas is in the books, after three current NCAA skaters were selected among the top 12 choices on Friday evening. 

Chosen first overall, as expected, was center Macklin Celebrini (Boston University), this year's Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner, who went first overall to the San Jose Sharks. Celebrini is the first overall choice from a U.S. college since Owen Power (Michigan) in 2021, and just the fourth college player ever selected first in the history of the NHL draft. 

Right behind Celebrini in the number two slot was defenseman Artyom Levshunov (Michigan State), who was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks after helping MSU win both the Big Ten regular-season and conference crowns. Coming in 12th overall was defenseman Zeev Buium (Denver), who was tabbed by the Minnesota Wild after being a part of DU's NCAA championship team this year. 

Seven future NCAA players were then chosen among the final 18 selections of the first round. The draft concludes on Saturday at the Sphere, beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET (NHL Network).