NHL Draft 2026 updates, picks, results, tracker: Maple Leafs select Penn State star Gavin McKenna at No. 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs have selected Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. One of the most dynamic playmakers in this draft class, McKenna should give the Maple Leafs an offensive boost immediately.

>McKenna just wrapped up his freshman season at Penn State, and the transition from junior hockey to the collegiate level wasn't a smooth one initially. However, after a slow start, McKenna found his groove and finished the season with 15 goals and 36 assists 35 games. His 51 points ranked third in the Big Ten, and McKenna led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Minnesota-Duluth in the first round.

>Prior to his career at Penn State, McKenna posted gaudy numbers with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL. In 2024-25, McKenna tallied 41 goals and 88 points in 56 games while helping the Tigers capture a WHL title. McKenna and Medicine Hat fell just shy of a Memorial Cup title, losing to the London Knights in the championship game.

>It might be a bit much to ask McKenna to ride shotgun alongside Auston Matthews right out of the gate, but he has the skill to make an instant impact. Can McKenna land among the best No. 1 picks of this century? If he can, that would be a huge boost to a Toronto offense that finished in the middle of the league last year.

>Midway through the first round, the St. Louis Blues flipped two of their first-round picks (No. 15 and No. 29) for Mason McTavish in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. McTavish, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft, underwhelmed last season. Armed with four first-round selections in this draft, the Blues are making a low-risk bet on a bounce-back.

>Stay tuned here with CBS Sports as the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft continues. We'll have the full results and analysis once the opening round concludes.

>1. Toronto Maple Leafs -- Gavin McKenna (LW, Penn Sate, NCAA) 2. San Jose Sharks -- Ivar Stenberg (RW, Frölunda, SweHL) 3. Vancouver Canucks -- Caleb Malholtra (C, Brantford, OHL) 4. Buffalo Sabres -- Daxon Rudolph (D, Prince Albert, WHL) 5. New York Rangers -- Alberts Šmits (D, Jukurit, Liiga) 6. Calgary Flames -- Carson Carels (D, Prince George, WHL) 7. Seattle Kraken -- Chase Reid (D, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) 8. Winnipeg Jets -- Viggo Björck (C, Djurgården, SweHL) 9. San Jose Sharks -- Keaton Verhoeff (D, North Dakota, NCAA) 10. Nashville Predators -- Wyatt Cullen (RW, U.S. NDTP, USHL) 11. St. Louis Blues -- Tynan Lawrence (C, Boston University, NCAA) 12. New Jersey Devils -- Alexander Command (C, Örebero HK, SweHL) 13. New York Islanders -- Malte Gustafsson (D, HV71, SweHL) 14. Columbus Blue Jackets -- Oscar Hemming (LW, Boston College, NCAA) 15. Anaheim Ducks -- Nikita Klepov (RW, Saginaw, OHL) 16. St. Louis Blues -- Maddox Dagenais (C, Quebec, QMJHL) 17. Utah Mammoth (via Los Angeles) -- Ethan Belchetz (LW, Windsor, OHL) 18. Washington Capitals (via Anaheim) 19. Los Angeles Kings (via Utah) 20. Buffalo Sabres (via Edmonton, San Jose) 21. Philadelphia Flyers 22. Pittsburgh Penguins 23. Utah Mammoth (via Boston) 24. Vancouver Canucks (via Minnesota) 25. Ottawa Senators (via Tampa Bay, Seattle, Florida) 26. Vegas Golden Knights (via Dallas, Carolina, New York Rangers) 27. San Jose Sharks (via Buffalo) 28. Montreal Canadiens 29. Anaheim Ducks (via Colorado, New York Islanders, St. Louis) 30. Calgary Flames (via Vegas) 31. Carolina Hurricanes 32. Ottawa Senators