Could Blackhawks Still Land Stenberg in 2026 NHL Draft?
The results from the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday were vastly disappointing for Chicago Blackhawks fans, even if moving down was always the most possible outcome. Entering the Draft Lottery, the Blackhawks had a 27. 6% chance of getting the top overall pick or staying put at No.
2, and a 72. 4% chance of dropping to third or fourth. The ping pong balls didn’t get picked in their favor, with the results unveiling that the Blackhawks will be on the clock at No.
4 in the 2026 NHL Draft, which will be held Jun. 26-27 from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. That very well could mean missing out on both Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, the top two forwards in the class, despite finishing as a bottom-three team in hockey once again.
That’s a tough pill to swallow. However, since the NHL Draft Lottery concluded, several insiders/analysts from notable publications have released their respective Mock Drafts, and it doesn’t seem too farfetched for Stenberg to slide out of the top three. Craig Button from TSN dropped his 2026 NHL Mock Draft almost immediately following the Lottery, and he projected the Blackhawks to select the Swedish forward with the fourth pick.
Button unsurprisingly had the Toronto Maple Leafs drafting McKenna, while the San Jose Sharks went with defenseman Chase Reid. The Vancouver Canucks picked Caleb Malhotra with the third pick, as his stock has skyrocketed in recent weeks. With the Maple Leafs winning the lottery and securing the top pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button joins James Duthie to share his mock draft for how he sees the first 16 picks playing out.
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