Blackhawks Fan Guide For 2026 NHL Draft Lottery: Start Time, Odds, Top Options

Stenberg, also 18, is coming off an exceptional season of his own. Already playing in Sweden’s top professional league, he recorded an impressive 33 points (11G, 22A) in 43 games and proved capable of handling his own against men. There’s a case to be made that Stenberg could become the better all-around player, as he’s impactful without the puck and scrappy in the dirty areas. He flashed that throughout the U20 World Junior Championship, where he was among the tournament’s best players and helped Sweden snap a 14-year Gold-Medal drought.

If the Blackhawks fall to No. 3 for the second consecutive lottery, which would be disappointing, considering both McKenna and Stenberg would likely be off the board, there would be a major debate between a slew of players.

Should Davidson be looking to add another forward to his prospect pool, Caleb Malhotra would be the favorite, thanks to a spectacular postseason with the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL. Of course, the Blackhawks are more than familiar with the Bulldogs at this point, with Davidson selecting one player from the club in each of the last three NHL Drafts (Nick Lardis in 2023, Marek Vanacker in 2024, Parker Holmes in 2025). They’ve surely seen Malhotra in action plenty of times this season, and they’re also no strangers to selecting players from the OHL under Davidson.

If the Blackhawks want to go with a defenseman at No. 3, they’ll have to choose between Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid, Carson Carels, and Albert Smits. While the team already has plenty of young defensemen on its NHL roster, they are still missing a true No. 1 on the backend. Should they feel either of those four players could develop into that, or at least become a top-pairing defenseman, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Davidson go that route.

Should the Blackhawks drop to the fourth overall pick, their selection would widely depend on who gets drafted ahead of them at No. 3. If Malhotra is no longer available, they would most likely choose one of the four defensemen.

Currently, Davidson has only one first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. However, he’s made at least two selections in each of his first four drafts as general manager. With three second-round picks to work with, there’s certainly a chance that he tries to trade back into the first round at some point.

The Blackhawks also possess three first-round picks in the 2027 NHL Draft — one from the Edmonton Oilers in the Jason Dickinson & Colton Dach trade, and the other from the Florida Panthers in the Spencer Knight-Seth Jones swap. Of course, the Hawks could have had the Panthers’ first-round pick for the 2026 Draft, had they not secured a top-10 selection.

With plenty of picks, not to mention a stacked prospect pool, in his arsenal, Davidson and the Blackhawks very well could be aggressive again in this year’s draft. The results from Tuesday’s Draft Lottery will weigh heavily into their decision-making.

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