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The 2026 NHL draft in Buffalo will be remembered as one of the most eventful in recent memory, with nine trades executed throughout the night and 18 picks ultimately used by teams other than their original owners.
A flurry of bold moves headlined the night. The Vegas Golden Knights dealt Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers, the Anaheim Ducks shipped Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues, and the Utah Mammoth moved J.J. Peterka to the Boston Bruins for the 23rd overall pick before flipping that selection to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa.
On the prospect side, there were plenty of surprises. Daxon Rudolph, viewed heading into the night as a consensus top-ten pick, went fourth overall to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Ottawa Senators continued what has become one of the more remarkable stories of the draft cycle, selecting Jaxon Cover 32nd overall. Cover, a Cayman Islands inline skater turned ice hockey player, was widely projected as a mid-round pick before his natural gifts on the ice pushed him firmly into the first round.
When the dust settled, there were clear winners and losers from the evening.
Winner: San Jose Sharks
In: Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Lin
Out: 2026 2nd round pick (COL), 2026 4th round pick (BOS)
The San Jose Sharks were the biggest winners of the first round, landing what many scouts consider two of the top three players in the entire draft class. Stenberg and Verhoeff had long been regarded among the elite talents available, and the Sharks capitalized on Verhoeff’s stock slipping to pair him alongside Stenberg.
San Jose further bolstered their haul by adding Ryan Lin at 21st overall, a defender drawing comparisons to Josh Morrissey, who was considered a consensus top-15 talent before falling to the Sharks. Some draft classes become the backbone of an organizational turnaround, and the Sharks may have found theirs on Friday night.
Loser: Detroit Red Wings
In: JP Hurlbert
Out: Sebastian Cossa
The full effect of the Sebastian Cossa trade remains to be seen, but early indications are not promising for the Motor City. After a dominant run in the AHL, Cossa appears poised to make his jump to the NHL next season.
Only 23 years old and coming off one of the more dominant goaltending performances in recent AHL history, the Mammoth may have found their goaltender for the next decade. Meanwhile, the Red Wings received back a Detroit die-hard in Hurlbert, who grew up a fan of the organization, but if he does not emerge as an NHL regular, this trade could go down as one of the worst moves of Steve Yzerman’s tenure.
MORE: "It's So Special To Put On This Jersey": JP Hurlbert Describes Joining Red Wings As Dream Come True
Winner: New York Rangers
In: Pavel Dorofeyev, Alberts Smits
Out: 2026 1st round pick (DAL), 2026 3rd round pick (BUF), Conditional 2028 1st round pick
The Rangers had a strong night, adding prolific goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev, just 25 years old and coming off back-to-back 35-plus goal seasons, while also landing Alberts Smits at fifth overall. Smits became the highest-drafted Latvian player in NHL history and is considered the most NHL-ready defender in the draft class.
Experienced beyond his years, Smits played in the World Junior Championship, World Championships, and the Olympics at just 18, proving he can compete at the highest level. The cost was steep, but New York came out of Friday night a better team than it entered.
Loser: Anaheim Ducks
In: Nikita Klepov, Marcus Nordmark, Anton Wahlberg, 2026 2nd round pick (NYI)
Out: Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger, 2026 4th round pick (PHI)
The Ducks entered Friday as a playoff team looking to add, but instead moved meaningful pieces off their roster. The McTavish trade had been expected for some time, but losing Olen Zellweger was a significant hit to their blueline.
The additions of Klepov and Nordmark in the first round are intriguing for the future, but do nothing to help a team trying to push for the playoffs again next season. The one concrete positive from the night is that Anaheim now has over $44.6 million in cap space to work with as the off-season continues.
MORE: 2026 NHL Draft: Best Players Available After Round 1
Winner: Utah Mammoth
In: Sebastian Cossa, Ethan Belchetz, 2028 1st round pick (FLA)
Out: J.J. Peterka, 2026 3rd round pick (UTA)
The Mammoth surprised many by moving off Peterka after investing heavily to acquire him from the Buffalo Sabres last off-season, but the return may have set them up for the next decade.
Using the pick acquired in the Peterka deal to land Cossa from Detroit gives Utah a goaltender widely expected to develop into an NHL starter.
They also added Ethan Belchetz, a towering 6-foot-5 forward who has the frame and skill to become an NHL regular in short order. Tack on the additional first-round pick coming from Boston, and it was a very good night for the Mammoth.
MORE: Mammoth Move JJ Peterka in Blockbuster Deal with Bruins
Honorable Mentions:
The Seattle Kraken may have found a consolation prize after being blocked from landing Jason Robertson, selecting Chase Reid seventh overall. Reid has been ranked as high as the second-best player in the entire draft class by some scouting outlets.
The Winnipeg Jets made the boom-or-bust play of the night with their selection of Viggo Bjorck, a 5-foot-9 forward whose small frame scared off several teams but whose offensive skillset has drawn comparisons to some of the best offensive talents in this draft class.
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