2026 NHL Draft Day 1

The Buffalo Sabres will host the decentralized 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center 

It will be the fourth time Buffalo has hosted the NHL Draft, having previously done so in 1991, 1998 and 2016. KeyBank Center will become the first arena to host the Draft in its decentralized format, which was introduced last year at The Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Round 1 of the Draft will be held on Friday, June 26 and air on ESPN and ESPN+ in the United States along with Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.