NHL Draft Lottery: Where will the Chicago Blackhawks pick in 2026 NHL Draft?

The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery is Tuesday evening. The Chicago Blackhawks will find out where they'll select in the draft lottery.

Here's what to know as the lottery gets closer to airing at 6 p.m. CT.

2026 NHL Draft Lottery Odds

Vancouver Canucks: 18.5% odds to earn No. 1 overall pick, with 185 combinations out of 1,000

Chicago Blackhawks: 13.5% odds, 135 combinations

New York Rangers: 11.5% odds, 115 combinations

Calgary Flames: 9.5% odds, 95 combinations

Toronto Maple Leafs*: 8.5% odds, 85 combinations

Seattle Kraken: 7.5% odds, 75 combinations

Winnipeg Jets: 6.5% odds, 65 combinations

Florida Panthers: 6.0% odds, 60 combinations

San Jose Sharks: 5.0% odds, 50 combinations

Nashville Predators: 3.5% odds, 35 combinations

St. Louis Blues: 3.0% odds, 30 combinations

New Jersey Devils: 2.5% odds, 25 combinations

New York Islanders: 2.0% odds, 20 combinations

Columbus Blue Jackets: 1.5% odds, 15 combinations

St. Louis Blues (from DET): 0.5% odds, 5 combinations.

Washington Capitals: 0.5% odds. 5 combinations

*Conditional pick: If Toronto’s 1st-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft is a top 5 pick following the 2026 Draft Lottery, Toronto will instead transfer its 2027 or 2028 1st-round pick to Boston.

How does the 2026 NHL Draft lottery work?

The NHL will place a set of 14 ping-pong balls in a lottery machine. This allows for 1,001 different combinations. Each team in the lottery is assigned a set of random four-number combinations. A team will be assigned more combinations depending on how bad their record was for the 2025-2026 season. 

For example, the Chicago Blackhawks were the team with the second-worst record in the 2025-2026 season. Chicago gets 135 combinations, representing a 13.5% chance of winning the first lottery draw. The Vancouver Canucks, the team with the worst record last season, has the highest odds with an 18.5% percent chance of winning the first draw.

2026 NHL Draft top prospects

This year, there are two prospects considered to be in the running for the No. 1 overall pick. 

Top 2 prospects

1. Gavin McKenna, LW - Penn State
2. Ivar Stenberg, Wing - Frolunda HC, SHL

The 2026 NHL Draft has two consensus top prospects: McKenna and Stenberg.

Gavin McKenna:

McKenna is the most gifted player in the draft with a combination of instincts and skill. After an adjustment period to the college game, he found his stride in January and hasn't looked back. One of the highlights was an eight-point game against Ohio State on Feb. 20. 

McKenna was charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault, disorderly conduct, engaging in fighting, and harassment by the State College Police Department in a Jan. 31 incident for allegedly punching a 21-year-old man twice in the face outside a bar. The felony charge was later withdrawn and, according to reports, the allegations won't affect his draft stock.

McKenna told ESPN that he grew up watching the Blackhawks, and modeled his game after Patrick Kane.

Ivar Stenberg:

Stenberg is a Swedish winger who's the younger brother of the St. Louis Blues' Otto Stenberg.

What makes him special is his ability to play both wing positions comfortably. Stenberg played really well in the SHL playoffs, recording six points in 12 games. He's also a good skater who possesses a deadly shot. Be it a one-timer or a wrist shot, Stenberg is one of the most creative offensive players in the draft with the abilty to shoot, skate, pass and out-hustle opponents.

If McKenna is the consensus top selection, Stenberg shouldn't be far behind.

Next tier of prospects to know

• Chase Reid, D - Sault Ste. Marie, OHL
• Carson Carels, D - Prince George, WHL
• Caleb Malhotra, C - Brantford, OHL
• Keaton Verhoeff, D - North Dakota
• Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit (Liiga)
• Daxon Rudolph, D - Prince Albert, WHL
• Tynan Lawrence, C - Boston University, NCAA

BlackhawksNHL