Nathan MacKinnon edged Connor McDavid for the first pick in a 12-team fantasy mock draft for 2026-27, while 20-year-old San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini climbed to No. 3 after a 115-point season. The 16-round exercise also put an early spotlight on premium defensemen, a quick goalie run and several injured or unsettled players whose fantasy value will depend on training-camp news.
2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Mock Draft: MacKinnon Goes First, Celebrini Rises to No. 3
SEO Title: 2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Mock Draft: MacKinnon First, Celebrini No. 3
SEO Description: Nathan MacKinnon led a 12-team 2026-27 fantasy hockey mock draft, with Macklin Celebrini, Cale Makar, early goalie picks and notable sleepers shaping the board.
The draft was completed Sept. 8 as a non-keeper league with 12 teams and 192 total selections. Standard scoring rewarded skaters for goals, assists, power-play points, shots, hits and blocked shots. Goaltenders were measured in wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts.
Each roster carried two centers, two left wings, two right wings, four defensemen, two goaltenders and four bench spots. Fantasy writers Pete Jensen and Chris Meaney made selections alongside fan-managed teams, with simulated fan choices based on Yahoo average draft position where necessary.
MacKinnon wins the opening draw
MacKinnon, listed second in the broader fantasy rankings, was taken ahead of McDavid at the top of the board. Celebrini then went before Nikita Kucherov, a striking result considering Kucherov has piled up 251 points in 154 games across the last two NHL seasons.
Colorado, Edmonton and Tampa Bay each placed two players in the first round. Andrei Vasilevskiy, taken 12th, became the first goaltender selected.
| Pick | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan MacKinnon | F | Colorado Avalanche |
| 2 | Connor McDavid | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| 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 | David Pastrnak | F | Boston Bruins |
| 8 | Kirill Kaprizov | F | Minnesota Wild |
| 9 | Nick Suzuki | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 10 | Jason Robertson | F | Dallas Stars |
| 11 | Zach Werenski | D | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 12 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | G | Tampa Bay Lightning |
Defense and goaltending move early
The blue line came off the board quickly. Makar, Werenski, Quinn Hughes and Evan Bouchard were all drafted within the first 20 picks. Jake Oettinger and Connor Hellebuyck followed Vasilevskiy as the next goaltenders selected, with Hellebuyck still carrying trade-request uncertainty after asking to leave Winnipeg.
By the end of Round 5, nine goalies had been picked. Logan Thompson, Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, Jesper Wallstedt, Scott Wedgewood and Jeremy Swayman joined the first three netminders in that early run.
| Round | Notable selections |
|---|---|
| 2 | Quinn Hughes, Wyatt Johnston, Martin Necas, Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews, Evan Bouchard, Jake Oettinger, Matt Boldy, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Connor Hellebuyck and Brady Tkachuk. |
| 3 | Logan Thompson, Jack Eichel, Mikko Rantanen, Kyle Connor, Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Matthew Tkachuk, Jake Guentzel, Clayton Keller, Matthew Schaefer, Cutter Gauthier and Ilya Sorokin. |
| 4 | Igor Shesterkin, Mark Scheifele, Dylan Guenther, Tim Stützle, Moritz Seider, Aleksander Barkov, Sidney Crosby, William Nylander, Brandon Hagel, Jake Sanderson, Mitch Marner and Leo Carlsson. |
| 5 | Darren Raddysh, Juraj Slafkovsky, Jesper Wallstedt, Alex DeBrincat, Adam Fox, Scott Wedgewood, Jakob Chychrun, Jeremy Swayman, Lucas Raymond, Adrian Kempe, Sam Reinhart and Robert Thomas. |
The Avalanche, Oilers, Stars, Wild and Canadiens each had three players selected through two rounds. Buffalo later put Dahlin and Tage Thompson inside the top 30 after ending its lengthy playoff drought last season.
Gauthier, Schaefer and the rookie board
Cutter Gauthier was among the most aggressive Round 3 selections after scoring a career-best 41 goals last season. The Anaheim winger has since agreed to a six-year contract with the Ducks.
Matthew Schaefer, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, also landed in the first three rounds despite this being a one-year format rather than a keeper draft. Jack Eichel and Mikko Rantanen, meanwhile, both remained available until after the first 24 picks.
Porter Martone was the first rookie chosen, going 74th overall in Round 7. Cole Hutson followed in Round 8, with Gavin McKenna the third rookie off the board. Anton Frondell became the fourth rookie selected, while Stenberg and goaltender Sergei Murashov rounded out the first six rookie picks later in the draft.
| Round | Notable selections |
|---|---|
| 6 | Artemi Panarin, Filip Forsberg, Brandon Bussi, Miro Heiskanen, Roman Josi, Jacob Markstrom, Adam Fantilli, Josh Morrissey, Brayden Point, Charlie McAvoy, Connor Bedard and John Carlson. |
| 7 | Mackenzie Blackwood, Porter Martone, Dylan Larkin, Roope Hintz, Kirill Marchenko, Pavel Dorofeyev, Erik Karlsson, Jesper Bratt, Ivan Demidov, Brock Faber, Will Smith and Drake Batherson. |
| 8 | Beckett Sennecke, Karel Vejmelka, Jakub Dobes, Sebastian Aho, Mikhail Sergachev, J.T. Miller, Logan Cooley, Mika Zibanejad, Jackson LaCombe, Spencer Knight, Cole Hutson and Gavin McKenna. |
| 9 | Alex Ovechkin, Shayne Gostisbehere, Brandt Clarke, Sergei Bobrovsky, Zach Hyman, Mark Stone, Victor Hedman, Nick Schmaltz, Shea Theodore, Dylan Holloway, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Timo Meier. |
Injuries, suspensions and contract questions
Several picks carried immediate risk flags. Connor Bedard is expected to miss the opening portion of the season because of injury, while Charlie McAvoy faces a six-game suspension. Andrei Svechnikov, Brad Marchand, Filip Gustavsson and Seth Jarvis are also projected to miss the start of the schedule.
Adam Fantilli remained a restricted free agent at the time of the mock draft. Dylan Larkin, whose trade request became public June 4, was still selected 75th overall. Hellebuyck’s request to leave Winnipeg likewise did not prevent him from going in Round 2.
Tim Stützle was picked 40th despite Brady Tkachuk’s departure from Ottawa. Barkov went 42nd after missing all of last season with an injury, joining Matthew and Brady Tkachuk as the third Florida player selected in the first four rounds.
Value plays emerge in the middle rounds
Crosby and Marner stood out as potential bargains after lasting into Round 4. Later, Ovechkin and Hedman slid below their usual fantasy draft range, with average draft positions of 93.1 and 90.2, respectively.
Hyman and Holloway were also viewed as possible value targets because their category coverage includes more than scoring. Holloway’s broader ranking was 58th, while Hyman’s was 71st, yet both lasted until the ninth round.
Roman Josi, Jacob Markstrom, Brayden Point and John Carlson were identified as rebound candidates in Round 6. Slafkovsky and Wallstedt were among the players with breakout upside, while Spencer Knight came off the board well above his 23rd-place goalie ranking.
Andrei Svechnikov’s mix of points, shots and hits made his later selection notable. Morgan Geekie was another late value case after tying for 10th league-wide in even-strength goals over the past two seasons, with 56.
Late-round blue-line and goalie notes
Olen Zellweger was drafted despite not appearing in the top 250 rankings. He joins a Buffalo defense corps that already includes Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power.
Jackson Blake entered the draft as a breakout candidate after leading the 2026 playoffs with 18 even-strength points. His potential is strengthened by his place on the same line as Logan Stankoven.
Darnell Nurse was one of two Sharks defensemen selected, and San Jose had nine total players drafted. Will Cuylle was another pick outside the top 250.
Four clubs had both sides of their goalie tandem drafted: Colorado with Wedgewood and Blackwood; Buffalo with Luukkonen and Alex Lyon; Minnesota with Wallstedt and Gustavsson; and Montreal with Dobes and Jacob Fowler.
Among later team constructions, Alex Tuch was drafted onto the same roster as Logan Thompson and Ovechkin. McKenna landed with Raddysh, another connection that could make that fantasy roster especially dependent on young-player growth.
Goaltender Carter Hart also drew attention after taking Vegas to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. He will play this season under new Golden Knights coach Ryan Craig.
