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Welcome to the 2026 NHL Draft, Chicago Blackhawks fans! Round one has finally arrived, with the opening 32 selections being made on Friday night at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Rounds two through seven will be held on Saturday morning and run through the afternoon, and that’s where the action is expected to begin for the Blackhawks this time around in an odd change of pace.
After trading a pair of 2026 draft picks, including the fourth overall selection, to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway on Tuesday, the Blackhawks are left entering this year’s draft without a first-round pick for the first time with Kyle Davidson as general manager.

Still with two second-round selections in their possession, there’s a chance that Davidson packages those picks together to trade into the first round. The Blackhawks also own three first-round picks in the 2027 NHL Draft and have two second-round selections in 2027 and 2028. Davidson has the arsenal to move up, but recent reports suggest that’s not the likeliest outcome.
We’ll have to wait and see when the action unfolds in Western New York! Until then, here’s everything to know ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, from the start times, the television broadcast, the official draft order, the Blackhawks picks, recent mock drafts, and more!
Round One:

Friday, June 24, 6 p.m. (CT), ESPN & Sportsnet
Round Two:
Saturday, June 25, 10 a.m (CT), NHL Network, Sportsnet, & ESPN+

Buffalo Sabres

San Jose Sharks

St. Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues

Buffalo Sabres

Vancouver Canucks

New York Rangers

San Jose Sharks

St. Louis Blues

Calgary Flames

Ottawa Senators

The Blackhawks enter the 2026 NHL Draft with six selections, beginning with No. 34 in the second round. Chicago’s 2026 first-round pick was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Their 2026 fourth-round pick was traded to the Florida Panthers in the Seth Jones-Spencer Knight deal on Mar. 1, 2025. Their 2026 fifth-round pick was traded to the Utah Mammoth for Shea Weber, Victor Soderstrom, and Aku Raty on Mar. 7, 2025. Their 2026 sixth-round pick was traded to the New York Rangers for Sam Lafferty on Jul. 1, 2025.

2nd Round (No. 34):
This is the Blackhawks’ own selection from finishing 31st in the NHL standings during the 2025-26 regular season. They will pick second in the second round.
2nd Round (No. 37):
The Blackhawks acquired this pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 27, 2023. The Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Jake McCabe, forward Sam Lafferty, and two conditional fifth-round picks (2024 & 2025) in exchange for a conditional 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, forward Joey Anderson, and forward Pavel Gogolev.
Toronto finished the 2025-26 regular season with the fifth-fewest points, leading to the Blackhawks receiving the 37th overall selection.

3rd Round (No. 66):
This is the Blackhawks’ own selection from finishing 31st in the NHL standings during the 2025-26 regular season. They will pick second in the third round.
4th Round (No. 119):
The Blackhawks acquired this pick from the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 22, 2023. The Senators acquired future considerations in exchange for defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, a 2023 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Ottawa finished the 2025-26 regular season with the ninth-most points, leading to the Blackhawks receiving the 119th overall selection.
7th Round (No. 194):
This is the Blackhawks’ own selection from finishing 31st in the NHL standings during the 2025-26 regular season. They will pick second in the seventh round.

7th Round (No. 200):
The Blackhawks acquired this pick from the Florida Panthers on Jun. 28, 2025. The Panthers acquired a 2025 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round selection.
Florida finished the 2025-26 regular season with the eighth-fewest points, leading to the Blackhawks receiving the 200th overall selection.
Finally, here are a few final 2026 mock drafts from several notable and respected draft analysts/writers in the industry:

Corey Pronman (The Athletic)

Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)

Steven Ellis (Daily Faceoff)

Chris Peters (FloHockey)

Jason Bukala (Sportsnet)

Craig Button (TSN)

Adam Kimelman & Mike G. Morreale (NHL.com)

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The post Blackhawks Picks & Everything To Know Before 2026 NHL Draft Begins appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now.
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