Men's Ice Hockey | 4/28/2026 2:37:40 PM
The United States Hockey League (USHL) has partnered with Puck Preps and host Madison Capitols for the 2026 Phase I Draft on Monday, May 4 at 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET and Phase II Draft on Tuesday, May 5 at 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET.
The draft show will begin at 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET on Monday and 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET on Tuesday. It will be live-streamed on USHL social and digital platforms.
PuckPreps scouts Kamron Robson, Chase Allen, Will Mountain, and Donesh Mazloum will join the League’s Senior Director of Player Personnel Frank Butler in providing comprehensive, pick-by-pick coverage.
Players in the 16-year-old age category (2010 birth years) are eligible to be selected in the 2026 Phase I Draft, and players in the 17-year-old age category through the 20-year-old age category are eligible to be selected in the Phase II Draft (2006-2009 birth years).
Each team submitted an Initial Protected List (IPL) of affiliate players they chose to protect from the 2025-26 season, plus signed tendered players. In the Phase I Draft, teams make fifteen (15) selections. In the Phase II Draft, teams make selections until they have filled a 50-man protected list of players from the IPL, Phase I, and Phase II Draft.
The draft selection order is determined by the regular-season standings, with the lowest team in the 2025-26 season receiving the first overall selection.
2026 USHL Draft Order
- Waterloo Black Hawks
- Omaha Lancers
- Tri-City Storm
- Lincoln Stars
- Chicago Steel
- Des Moines Buccaneers
- Sioux City Musketeers
- Madison Capitols
- Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Fargo Force
- Green Bay Gamblers
- Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Sioux Falls Stampede
- Youngstown Phantoms
About the USHL
The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 teams are committed to being the world's leading junior hockey league. This season, more than 50% of NCAA Division I men's hockey players and nearly 25% of NHL players have USHL experience. The USHL has developed more than 285 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and eight of the last 10 Hobey Baker Award winners, including Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel).
Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 90% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Auston Matthews (NTDP), Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede), and Johnny Gaudreau (Dubuque Fighting Saints).