How to Watch NHL Draft Lottery 2026: Channel, Live Stream & Start Time for Pick Order Show
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The 2026 NHL Draft order will begin to take shape during the annual NHL Draft Lottery, one of the biggest events on the league’s offseason calendar.
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The lottery will be held on Tuesday, May 5, in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, giving non-playoff teams a chance to land a franchise-changing pick while the postseason continues. The event determines the top selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, including which team will earn the No. 1 overall pick.
The draft lottery has helped reshape several NHL franchises in recent years. In 2025, the New York Islanders won the lottery and used the No. 1 overall pick to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
This year, the Canucks enter the lottery in the best position to land the No. 1 overall pick. Vancouver has an 18.5 percent chance to win the first lottery draw, but its actual odds of receiving the top pick are even better at 25.5 percent because of the NHL’s 10-spot move-up limit.
The Blackhawks have the next-best odds at 13.5 percent, followed by the Rangers at 11.5 percent. The Flames, Leafs’ conditional pick, Kraken, Jets and Panthers are also among the teams near the top of the lottery order.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
How to watch NHL Draft Lottery 2026: TV channel, live stream
This year's NHL Draft Lottery will air nationally on ESPN. Hockey fans can stream the event on fubo and the ESPN app.
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NHL Draft Lottery 2026 start time
- Date: Tuesday, May 5
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be held Tuesday, May 5, at NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The lottery is one of the most important offseason events for teams that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It helps set the order for the first 16 picks in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, with all non-playoff teams — or teams that acquired those draft positions through trades — included in the process.
This year’s lottery will again feature a live drawing of the lottery balls, allowing fans to follow along in real time as each number is revealed, teams are eliminated and the remaining odds change. The event has two drawings: one for the No. 1 overall pick and another for the No. 2 overall pick.
There is one important rule to know: a team can only move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins a lottery drawing. Because of that, only the top 11 teams in the lottery order are eligible to land the No. 1 overall pick. Teams lower than that can still win a drawing, but they cannot jump all the way to No. 1.