The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery was held Tuesday night, as the Washington Capitals will select the 16th overall pick in the draft. The team did not even move from its original position in the sequence.
Additionally, the Capitals also have the Anaheim Ducks' first-round pick following the John Carlson trade. As a result, the team will have two selections in the early rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Capitals entered the lottery with just a 0.5 percent chance of advancing, finishing the furthest away in the top 10. The team was eliminated in both the draws in the beginning itself.
The Capitals missed the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, finishing in the middle of the pack.
The Toronto Maple Leafs ended up with the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. They will likely select Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, the top prospect in this year's class.
The San Jose Sharks have moved up to second overall, while the Vancouver Canucks will finish third. Vancouver entered the draft with the worst record in the NHL and the best odds (18.5 percent) for the first or second pick.
The Capitals have selected 16th overall only once in their franchise history, in 2012. At that time, the team had selected Tom Wilson, who had performed very well in DC.
The 2026 NHL Draft will take place June 26-27 in Buffalo, New York.
