The Columbus Blue Jackets will hold the 14th overall pick at the 2026 National Hockey League Draft to be held from June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The club’s draft position was determined by Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery.

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the initial drawing and moved from fifth position up to the first overall pick, while the San Jose Sharks won the subsequent drawing and moved from ninth up to select second overall.

The final results of the NHL’s draft lottery: 
1 – Toronto Maple Leafs
2 – San Jose Sharks
3 – Vancouver Canucks
4 – Chicago Blackhawks
5 – New York Rangers
6 – Calgary Flames
7 – Seattle Kraken
8 – Winnipeg Jets
9 – Florida Panthers
10 – Nashville Predators
11 – St. Louis Blues
12 – New Jersey Devils
13 – New York Islanders
14 – COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
15 – St. Louis Blues (from Detroit)
16 – Washington Capitals

The remaining draft positions will be determined at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Blue Jackets currently hold seven picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. In addition to selecting 14th overall for the second consecutive Draft, Columbus also owns the Blues’ second-round pick, which was acquired as part of a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 29, 2025.

The club additionally holds its own picks in rounds five and seven, as well as Colorado’s third-round selection, Toronto’s fourth-round pick and Pittsburgh’s sixth-round selection.

The NHL Draft Lottery is a weighted lottery system that determines the order of selection for the first 16 picks of the Draft with the lottery assigning the top slots in the first round of the NHL Draft for the sixth-straight year.

Two draws were held with the first drawing determining the club selecting first overall and the second drawing determining the team selecting second. A team could only move up 10 selections if it won one of the draws. Clubs that did not qualify for this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs participated in the lottery.

NHL Central Scouting’s 2026 Draft Prospect Rankings have Penn State University (B1G) left wing Gavin McKenna as the top North American Skater, followed by North Dakota University (NCHC) defenseman Keaton Verhoeff and Prince George Cougars (WHL) defenseman Carson Carels.

Left Wing Ivar Stenberg of Frolunda (SHL, Sweden) finished as the top-ranked international skater, followed by München blueliner Alberts Smits along with Tappara (Liiga, Finland) center Oliver Suvanto.