Vancouver Canucks hold best odds in 2026 NHL draft lottery

Vancouver Canucks players salute the crowd after defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in overtime during their final NHL hockey home game of the season, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The Vancouver Canucks are hoping the odds will finally go their way when the NHL’s draft lottery is held Tuesday.

After finishing last in the league with a 25-49-8 record, Vancouver has a 25.5 per cent chance of receiving the first overall pick.

The lottery, held at the NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, N.J., will see four ping pong balls drawn from a machine. The team randomly assigned the corresponding four-number combination will select first when the draft begins in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 26.

All 16 teams that did not qualify for the playoffs are participating, with the lowest-ranked teams receiving the most combinations. Only the bottom 11 can land the first pick because no team can move up more than 10 spots in the draft order.

The Chicago Blackhawks have the second-best odds (13.5 per cent) to win the first pick, followed by the New York Rangers (11.5 per cent).

The other Canadian clubs that could land the top pick are the Calgary Flames (9.5 per cent), Toronto Maple Leafs (8.5 per cent) and Winnipeg Jets (6.5 per cent).

The Canucks, Flames and Jets have never drafted first overall, while the Maple Leafs have had the top pick twice, selecting Auston Matthews in 2016 and Wendel Clark in 1985.

Forwards Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg are the projected top picks in this year’s draft class.

McKenna, from Whitehorse, Yukon, has 15 goals and 36 assists in 35 games with Penn State. The six-foot, 170-pound winger also had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) for Canada’s bronze-medal team at the 2026 world junior championship.

Stenberg played last season for Frolunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League, where he amassed 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) across 43 games. He also helped Sweden claim gold at the world juniors, contributing 10 points (four goals, six assists).

The Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the draft lottery, and picked Juraj Slafkovsky in front of home fans back in 2022.

Last year, the New York Islanders leapfrogged nine teams to win the draft lottery. They selected Matthew Schaefer first overall, and the 18-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., led rookie defencemen with 59 points (23 goals, 36 assists) in 82 games.

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press, was first published May 4, 2026.