While the present moment is rightfully dominated by the Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL’s future hides somewhere within a pile of 14 ping-pong balls.

The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery is set to go down on Tuesday night, marking a live reveal for one of hockey’s most coveted assets. Among the hopefuls for the No. 1 pick this year are the Vancouver Canucks, still pursuing their first championship, and Original Six franchises in the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers.

The lottery will decide the order of the first 16 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, which is scheduled for June 26-27 in Buffalo, N.Y. Here’s how to tune in to the lottery and what to expect from the Tuesday telecast.

How to watch the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery

• Venue: NHL Network studio — Secaucus, N.J.
• Time: 7 p.m. ET, Tuesday
• TV: ESPN (U.S.), Sportsnet and TVA Sports (Canada)
• Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now)

All ESPN programs are also available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription.

What to know about the NHL Draft Lottery

The lottery process itself features 14 fateful ping-pong balls, each labeled with a number. Four of those balls are drawn to create a four-digit permutation. All of the league’s non-playoff teams get assigned a random set of numeric combinations — the worst record yields the most combinations.

There are two draws, one for the No. 1 pick and another for No. 2 (the rest of the top 16 is then set in reverse order, according to record). Last year marked the first time that this ping-pong process aired live, which heightened drama for viewers and participants alike.

Critically, no team can jump more than 10 spots from its lotto odds to its actual pick. So if anyone outside of the top 11 ends up winning the first draw, that franchise would move up 10 rungs in the order and the No. 1 pick would go to the franchise with the worst record.

Last year’s first lottery was claimed by the New York Islanders, an unlikely recipient with the 10th-best odds. The reveal of that final ball earned a “holy schnikes” reaction from the studio crew. The second draw went to what was then known as the Utah Hockey Club (now Utah Mammoth), but because they were slated at 14th, they settled for the fourth overall pick. As a result, No. 2 was reserved for the San Jose Sharks, who had the most lotto combinations.

Which teams have the best odds this year?

The Canucks enter Tuesday with the highest odds at the top pick. They have never selected No. 1 across their long franchise history. Vancouver is followed by the Chicago Blackhawks, who took Connor Bedard first overall in 2023, and then the New York Rangers, who used 2020’s top selection on Alexis Lafreniere.

Here are the allocated odds for the first draw. Remember, teams in the 12-16 range can win this draw, but they cannot jump more than 10 spots in the order. Those five are shaded below:

* Due to the Fraser Minten-Brandon Carlo trade last year, Toronto’s pick conveys to the Boston Bruins if it lands anywhere after No. 5. Should the Maple Leafs draw a top-five spot on Tuesday, the pick will transfer to 2027 or 2028.

** St. Louis has the Detroit Red Wings’ first-round pick as a result of this year’s Justin Faulk trade.

In-depth NHL Draft coverage from The Athletic

Recent No. 1 NHL Draft picks

• 2025 — Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders
• 2024 — Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
• 2023 — Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
• 2022 — Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens
• 2021 — Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres
• 2020 — Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers

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