Connor McDavid reclaimed the No. 1 slot in the second 12-team fantasy mock draft for 2026-27, moving ahead of Nathan MacKinnon after MacKinnon opened the first simulation. The 16-round exercise, held Monday, Sept. 21, ran through 192 selections under a one-season format that rewards skater production in goals, assists, power-play points, shots, hits and blocks, plus goalie wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts.
Key takeaways
- McDavid went first overall, while Macklin Celebrini climbed to No. 3 and Jack Hughes closed the opening round at No. 12.
- Dallas led the board early with four Stars chosen over the opening two rounds: Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Jake Oettinger and Mikko Rantanen.
- Connor Hellebuyck’s trade-request situation and Winnipeg suspension pushed him down to No. 45 after he had gone much earlier in the first mock.
- Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstedt rose to No. 56 with Filip Gustavsson expected to be unavailable when the season begins.
- Porter Martone was again the first rookie drafted, taken 65th overall after showing he can contribute in points, shots and hits during his NHL audition and playoff action.
- Tampa Bay placed seven players in the first 100 picks, more than any other club, but did not have another player selected after that point.
The board through nine rounds
The opening round was heavy on elite forwards, although Colorado defenseman Cale Makar went sixth and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes followed at No. 11. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the lone goalie selected in the first round, with Dallas’ Oettinger the only other netminder taken before the third round.
| Pick | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor McDavid | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2 | Nathan MacKinnon | F | Colorado Avalanche |
| 3 | Macklin Celebrini | F | San Jose Sharks |
| 4 | Nikita Kucherov | F | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 5 | Leon Draisaitl | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| 6 | Cale Makar | D | Colorado Avalanche |
| 7 | Jason Robertson | F | Dallas Stars |
| 8 | David Pastrnak | F | Boston Bruins |
| 9 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | G | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 10 | Kirill Kaprizov | F | Minnesota Wild |
| 11 | Quinn Hughes | D | Minnesota Wild |
| 12 | Jack Hughes | F | New Jersey Devils |
| 13 | Matt Boldy | F | Minnesota Wild |
| 14 | Evan Bouchard | D | Edmonton Oilers |
| 15 | Nick Suzuki | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 16 | Wyatt Johnston | F | Dallas Stars |
| 17 | Cole Caufield | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 18 | Jake Oettinger | G | Dallas Stars |
| 19 | Auston Matthews | F | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 20 | Zach Werenski | D | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 21 | Jack Eichel | F | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 22 | Lane Hutson | D | Montreal Canadiens |
| 23 | Mikko Rantanen | F | Dallas Stars |
| 24 | Brady Tkachuk | F | Florida Panthers |
| 25 | Matthew Tkachuk | F | Florida Panthers |
| 26 | Cutter Gauthier | F | Anaheim Ducks |
| 27 | Rasmus Dahlin | D | Buffalo Sabres |
| 28 | Martin Necas | F | Colorado Avalanche |
| 29 | Jake Guentzel | F | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 30 | Tage Thompson | F | Buffalo Sabres |
| 31 | Mitch Marner | F | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 32 | Dylan Guenther | F | Utah Mammoth |
| 33 | Logan Thompson | G | Washington Capitals |
| 34 | Ilya Sorokin | G | New York Islanders |
| 35 | Leo Carlsson | F | Anaheim Ducks |
| 36 | Kyle Connor | F | Winnipeg Jets |
Kaprizov slipped from eighth in the earlier mock to 10th this time. He opened camp skating with Ryan Hartman and Maxim Shabanov. Jack Hughes made a larger jump, from No. 16 to No. 12, while beginning camp between Jesper Bratt and new Devils winger Anthony Mantha. Mantha is coming off a career-best 33-goal season with Pittsburgh.
On the blue line, Hughes and Bouchard were selected before Werenski, who fell from No. 11 in the first mock to No. 20 here. Five defensemen came off the board in the first two rounds, compared with two goalies. Florida’s Matthew and Brady Tkachuk landed on the same roster in the simulation.
| Pick | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Mark Scheifele | F | Winnipeg Jets |
| 38 | William Nylander | F | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 39 | Brandon Hagel | F | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 40 | Alex DeBrincat | F | Detroit Red Wings |
| 41 | Igor Shesterkin | G | New York Rangers |
| 42 | Sam Reinhart | F | Florida Panthers |
| 43 | Clayton Keller | F | Utah Mammoth |
| 44 | Darren Raddysh | D | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 45 | Connor Hellebuyck | G | Winnipeg Jets |
| 46 | Scott Wedgewood | G | Colorado Avalanche |
| 47 | Matthew Schaefer | D | New York Islanders |
| 48 | Sidney Crosby | F | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 49 | Juraj Slafkovsky | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 50 | Artemi Panarin | F | Los Angeles Kings |
| 51 | Tim Stützle | F | Ottawa Senators |
| 52 | Moritz Seider | D | Detroit Red Wings |
| 53 | Filip Forsberg | F | Nashville Predators |
| 54 | Connor Bedard | F | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 55 | Aleksander Barkov | F | Florida Panthers |
| 56 | Jesper Wallstedt | G | Minnesota Wild |
| 57 | Robert Thomas | F | St. Louis Blues |
| 58 | Adrian Kempe | F | Los Angeles Kings |
| 59 | Brayden Point | F | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 60 | Kirill Marchenko | F | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 61 | Will Smith | F | San Jose Sharks |
| 62 | Sebastian Aho | F | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 63 | Jake Sanderson | D | Ottawa Senators |
| 64 | Jakob Chychrun | D | Washington Capitals |
| 65 | Porter Martone | F | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 66 | Adam Fox | D | New York Rangers |
| 67 | Jesper Bratt | F | New Jersey Devils |
| 68 | Karel Vejmelka | G | Utah Mammoth |
| 69 | Brandon Bussi | G | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 70 | Lucas Raymond | F | Detroit Red Wings |
| 71 | Jacob Markstrom | G | Florida Panthers |
| 72 | Mika Zibanejad | F | New York Rangers |
Gauthier’s new Ducks contract helped settle one major variable around his draft value. He rose to No. 26 after being picked 35th as a restricted free agent in the first mock. Marner’s move was even sharper, from No. 47 to No. 31.
Winnipeg’s goaltending story carried a very different tone. Hellebuyck, suspended by the Jets after requesting a trade and failing to report to camp, lasted until the fourth round. Both Scheifele and Kyle Connor went ahead of him. Injury concerns also followed Bedard, who is expected to miss the beginning of the season.
Bussi became the 10th goalie selected at No. 69 and could open the season as Carolina’s starter following Frederik Andersen’s offseason departure for Edmonton. Utah had six players within the first 90 choices after making the playoffs for the first time last season.
| Pick | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | Ivan Demidov | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 74 | Jeremy Swayman | G | Boston Bruins |
| 75 | Jakub Dobes | G | Montreal Canadiens |
| 76 | Erik Karlsson | D | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 77 | Miro Heiskanen | D | Dallas Stars |
| 78 | Roman Josi | D | Nashville Predators |
| 79 | Victor Hedman | D | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 80 | Jackson LaCombe | D | Anaheim Ducks |
| 81 | Drake Batherson | F | Ottawa Senators |
| 82 | Pavel Dorofeyev | F | New York Rangers |
| 83 | Logan Cooley | F | Utah Mammoth |
| 84 | Brock Faber | D | Minnesota Wild |
| 85 | Mackenzie Blackwood | G | Colorado Avalanche |
| 86 | Josh Morrissey | D | Winnipeg Jets |
| 87 | Roope Hintz | F | Dallas Stars |
| 88 | Nick Schmaltz | F | Utah Mammoth |
| 89 | John Carlson | D | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 90 | Mikhail Sergachev | D | Utah Mammoth |
| 91 | Carter Hart | G | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 92 | Shayne Gostisbehere | D | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 93 | Cole Hutson | D | Washington Capitals |
| 94 | Shea Theodore | D | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 95 | Beckett Sennecke | F | Anaheim Ducks |
| 96 | Dylan Holloway | F | St. Louis Blues |
| 97 | Charlie McAvoy | D | Boston Bruins |
| 98 | Morgan Geekie | F | Boston Bruins |
| 99 | Bowen Byram | D | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 100 | Gavin McKenna | F | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 101 | Andrei Svechnikov | F | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 102 | Alex Tuch | F | Washington Capitals |
| 103 | Zach Hyman | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| 104 | Brandt Clarke | D | Los Angeles Kings |
| 105 | Mark Stone | F | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 106 | Sergei Bobrovsky | G | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 107 | Philip Broberg | D | St. Louis Blues |
| 108 | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | G | Buffalo Sabres |
Hedman went ahead of new Tampa teammate Carlson this time, with veteran defensemen Karlsson, Josi and Hedman all selected in the seventh round. Dorofeyev, now with the Rangers, opened camp alongside J.T. Miller and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Hart’s move to No. 91 was a steep rise from No. 144 in the first mock, reflecting his projected role as Vegas’ starting goalie. Three rookies made the top 100: Martone, Capitals defenseman Cole Hutson and Toronto forward Gavin McKenna. Byram was drafted at No. 99 despite an average draft position of 115.7, while Geekie surged from No. 142 in the first mock to No. 98. Geekie is tied for 15th in NHL goals over the past two combined seasons with 72.
Camp lines, injuries and late-round value
The later rounds put a spotlight on New Jersey’s lineup. Four Devils were selected in the 10th round, with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier opening camp beside offseason addition Luke Evangelista. Evangelista has also received time on the first power-play unit. Luke Hughes, meanwhile, has been used ahead of Dougie Hamilton on that top unit.
Detroit’s Dylan Larkin remains with the Red Wings despite his trade request becoming public June 4, but he is dealing with an injury. Carolina winger Nikolaj Ehlers could be in position for more opportunity while Seth Jarvis is expected to miss the opening stretch.
Columbus forward Adam Fantilli, still a restricted free agent, fell well below his No. 67 standing in the first mock. Alex Ovechkin also slid beyond his prior No. 97 slot. Ovechkin was drafted onto the same team as Hutson, who has a path to Washington’s first power-play unit as a rookie.
Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly, not chosen in the first simulation, made the second board even after the Maple Leafs added Darren Raddysh. John Tavares opened camp between Nylander and McKenna. Goalie Spencer Knight dropped substantially from his No. 94 placement in the earlier mock. Seattle had only two players selected in the entire exercise, both defensemen chosen within four picks of one another.
Elsewhere on the injury and roster watch, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal could miss the start of the season. St. Louis winger Jimmy Snuggerud continued to be drafted lower than his ranking of No. 85. Chris Kreider, now a Montreal Canadien, was selected after being left off the first mock; he began camp on a line with Suzuki and Caufield.
Brent Burns, at 41 the NHL’s oldest player, returned to the board after going unselected in the first mock. San Jose had three players chosen in the 14th round, with Mason Marchment skating on a top line featuring Celebrini and Will Smith at camp.
One roster waited until the 15th round to address goaltending, taking Jake Allen and Juuse Saros. Washington’s Aliaksei Protas began camp with brother Ilya Protas and offseason acquisition Jordan Kyrou. Brad Marchand is also expected to miss the start of the season because of injury.
Carolina defenseman Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned and was not on the ice when camp opened. Mattias Ekholm was drafted after going unselected in the first mock, while Andersen is expected to miss the beginning of the season. Boston rookie James Hagens became the seventh first-year player taken after not being drafted in the earlier exercise.
Calgary was the only club without a player selected. New Jersey defenseman Simon Nemec, ranked No. 37 among defensemen, remained available despite sitting above numerous blue-liners drafted in the simulation.
