Buffalo to host 2026 NHL Draft

Field Level Media|published: Mon 12th January, 19:41 2026

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens

Nov 22, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a Buffalo Sabres logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Buffalo will be the center of the hockey world next June when the western New York city hosts the NHL Draft for the fourth time.

The league announced Monday that the Buffalo Sabres were named the host team for the 2026 draft, to be held June 26-27. The Sabres' arena, KeyBank Center, will be the official site, though the draft shifted to a decentralized format last year.

Top prospects will attend in person and be greeted on stage when they're picked, but the front office decision-makers will stay in their respective home markets.

Buffalo previously hosted the draft in 1991, 1998 and 2016. The city has also held the pre-draft NHL Scouting Combine every year since 2015.

Recent drafts were held in Los Angeles (2025), Las Vegas (2024), Nashville (2023) and Montreal (2022).

--Field Level Media

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