League Tabs 43 Selections in 2026 NHL Draft

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JUNE 27: Blake Zielinski poses for a photo after being selected 80th overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings during Day Two of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on June 27, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
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BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JUNE 27: Blake Zielinski poses for a photo after being selected 80th overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings during Day Two of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on June 27, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Men's Ice Hockey | 6/27/2026 5:12:08 PM

The United States Hockey League (USHL) had 43 picks during the 2026 NHL Draft at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The NHL credited the USHL with 32 direct selections.

After Casey Mutryn (NTDP) was drafted 38th overall, Tobias Trejbal (Youngstown Phantoms) became the first goalie to hear his name called. The 2026 USHL Goalie of the Year was selected by the Calgary Flames, the same team that picked his teammate Jack Hextall in the first round on Friday. Jayden Kurtz (Chicago Steel), Victor Plante (NTDP), and Rudolfs Berzkalns (Muskegon Lumberjacks) were next to hear their names in the second round. Samuel Hrenak (Fargo Force), Luke Schairer (NTDP), and Blake Zielinski (Des Moines Buccaneers) were the first players from the USHL selected in the third round, followed by alumni Cooper Cleaves (Dartmouth/Green Bay Gamblers) and Adam Valentini (Chicago Steel/Michigan).

Note: Players listed below have played 10 or more USHL games.
 
Round Pick Player NHL Team 2015-26  Team League Position Country
1 10 Wyatt Cullen Nashville Predators NTDP USHL F USA
1 11 Tynan Lawrence* St. Louis Blues Boston University Hockey East F CAN
1 20 Ilia Morosov* Buffalo Sabres Miami NCHC F RUS
1 30 Jack Hextall Calgary Flames Youngstown Phantoms USHL F USA
2 38 Casey Mutryn Seattle Kraken NTDP USHL F USA
2 42 Tobias Trejbal Calgary Flames Youngstown Phantoms USHL G USA
2 45 Jayden Kurtz Anaheim Ducks Chicago Steel USHL F USA
2 47 Victor Plante Detroit Red Wings NTDP USHL F USA
2 58 Rudolfs Berzkalns Edmonton Oilers Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL F LAT
3 71 Samuel Hrenak^ Winnipeg Jets Fargo Force USHL G SVK
3 75 Luke Schairer St. Louis Blues NTDP USHL D USA
3 80 Blake Zielinski Los Angeles Kings Des Moines Buccaneers USHL F USA
3 93 Cooper Cleaves* Montreal Canadiens Dartmouth ECAC D USA
3 96 Adam Valentini* Utah Mammoth Michigan Big Ten F CAN
4 98 Jonas Kemps Florida Panthers Chicago Steel USHL D USA
4 105 Mikey Berchild Carolina Hurricanes NTDP USHL F USA
4 107 Landon Nycz* St. Louis Blues UMass Hockey East D USA
4 109 Lincoln Kuehne* New York Islanders Arizona State NCHC D USA
4 115 Carl Axelsson Utah Mammoth Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL G SWE
4 116 Zach Wooten Winnipeg Jets Green Bay Gamblers USHL F USA
4 118 Justin Graf Nashville Predators Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL F USA
4 121 Evan Jardine Columbus Blue Jackets Youngstown Phantoms USHL F USA
4 127 Brady Knowling San Jose Sharks NTDP USHL G USA
5 129 Connor Davis Vancouver Canucks Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL F USA
5 139 Nick Bogas St. Louis Blues NTDP USHL D USA
5 140 Cole Tuminaro Colorado Avalanche Chicago Steel USHL D USA
5 148 Hawke Huff Seattle Kraken Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL D USA
5 152 Teddy Lecnher Colorado Avalanche Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL D USA
5 154 Cooper Soller Tampa Bay Lightning Sioux Falls Stampede USHL F USA
6 164 Bode Laylin Calgary Flames Tri-City Storm USHL D USA
6 167 Landon Hafele Winnipeg Jets Green Bay Gamblers USHL F USA
6 170 Leo Henriquez Boston Bruins Green Bay Gamblers USHL G SVK
6 189 Parker Trottier Montreal Canadiens NTDP USHL F USA
7 204 Will Tomko Seattle Kraken Sioux City Musketeers USHL F USA
7 205 Bobby Cowan* New York Islanders Western Michigan NCHC F USA
7 208 Logan Stuart Washington Capitals NTDP USHL F USA
7 210 Jimmy Rieber Anaheim Ducks Waterloo Black Hawks USHL D USA
7 211 Artem Prima Utah Mammoth Omaha Lancers USHL F USA
7 212 Ryan Cameron Edmonton Oilers Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL G USA
7 216 Cullen McCrate Boston Bruins Fargo Force USHL D USA
7 220 Jack Parsons* Winnipeg Jets Providence Hockey East G USA
7 221 Jean-Samuel Daigneault Montreal Canadiens Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL D CAN
7 224 Tyler Deakos Montreal Canadiens Waterloo Black Hawks USHL F CAN
  • Seven goalies were taken from the League within the first four rounds.
  • The St. Louis Blues led NHL teams with USHL selections, taking Tynan Lawrence (11th), Schairer (75th), Landon Nycz (107th), and Nick Bogas (139th).
  • The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Muskegon Lumberjacks led USHL teams with four selections each.
  • The USHL had two active players, Wyatt Cullen (NTDP) and Hextall, and two alumni in the NCAA selected during the first round of the Draft.
  • Berzkalns is the third-highest pick from the Edmonton Oilers in USHL Tier-I history.
  • As the last pick of the third round to the Mammoth, former Steel alum and Michigan freshman Adam Valentini started a run of four players in five selections who played 10 or more games in the USHL.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Youngstown Phantoms forward Evan Jardine in the fourth round. Jardine is committed to college hockey in Columbus at Ohio State this fall.  
  • The Colorado Avalanche used both of its fifth-round picks on USHL defensemen, taking Cole Tuminaro from Chicago and Lechner from Muskegon.
  • Jayden Kurtz (Chicago Steel) and Teddy Lechner (Muskegon Lumberjacks) played split seasons between the USHL and Minnesota High School, and were categorized as Minnesota High School by the NHL. Artem Prima split the season between the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and USHL and was  categorized with the NAHL.  
  • Goalie Elliott Lennon, who was picked 110th overall by the Ottawa Senators, played two games for the Madison Capitols and has signed a Standard Player Development Agreement (SPDA) with Madison for the 2025-26 season.
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 315 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and nine 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).