Canada forward Gavin McKenna (9) controls the puck during the second period of the IIHF world junior hockey championship bronze medal game against Finland, last Monday in St. Paul, Minn.Matt Krohn/The Associated Press
With highly prized prospect Gavin McKenna as the centerpiece, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Monday the Buffalo Sabres will host the league’s draft in June.
Bettman made the announcement while joined by Sabres executives, including team owner Terry Pegula, during a news conference before Buffalo’s home game against the Florida Panthers.
The two-day draft was already set for June 26-27, with the league going with a decentralized format for a second straight year. The format features prospects and their families attending the draft, while teams make the picks from their home markets.
The draft in Buffalo will be held at the Sabres home arena, KeyBank Center, the person said. That’s a switch from last year, when the two-day event was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
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Buffalo has also been home to the NHL’s annual predraft combine since 2015, and will once again host the league’s top prospects this spring. This will mark the fourth time the Sabres host the draft, with the previous time being in 2016 when Auston Matthews was selected No. 1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This time, all eyes will be on McKenna, the Penn State freshman forward who has long been projected to be the 2026 draft’s No. 1 pick.
The 18-year-old McKenna is from Whitehorse, Yukon, and made a major splash this summer when he elected to leave the Canadian Hockey League after two-plus seasons in Medicine Hat, Alta., and make the jump to Happy Valley. The move south came in the first off-season after the NCAA lifted its long-time ban in making CHL players eligible to compete at the college ranks.
McKenna has been labelled a “generational talent,” and regarded as the 2026 draft’s top prospect since 2024.
Penn State's Gavin McKenna plays against Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. earlier this season.Rick Scuteri/The Associated Press
McKenna ranks fourth on the Nittany Lions and seventh among NCAA freshmen with four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 18 games.
The college ranks are considered more challenging because a majority of players are 19 and older, as opposed to the CHL where the age range is 16 to 20.
As a member of Canada’s bronze medal-winning team at the recent world junior championships, McKenna finished the tournament second with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games.
McKenna thrived at Medicine Hat where he had 91 goals and 198 assists for 289 points in 158 career games. Last season, he failed to register a point in just four outings, while closing the year with a 45-game point streak in which McKenna combined for 32 goals and 100 points.