2026 NHL Draft Lottery: What’s At Stake For Sharks?

Another year, another chance at the No. 1 overall pick for the San Jose Sharks, but it is different in 2026.

After finishing last in the NHL for the past two seasons and having the best odds at the first-overall pick, the Sharks will have a lesser chance this season. Finishing 24th in the NHL in 25-26, San Jose has the ninth-best odds to win the lottery. There are two lottery draws, one for the first pick and one for the second.

There will be a lottery machine with 14 ping pong balls loaded, and a four-digit order will be drawn, creating 1,001 combinations. The San Jose Sharks will have 50 combinations for the first lottery, a 5% chance. If the Sharks don’t win the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, they will still have a 5.3% chance for the second-overall pick.

The lottery will be conducted live on TV for the second straight season on ESPN at 4 p.m. PT. Last season, the Sharks did not win either lottery but only fell one spot in the 2025 NHL Draft order. They would go on to select Michael Misa second overall.

The New York Islanders moved up nine spots from No. 10 to draft Matthew Schaefer first overall. The Utah Mammoth shocked the hockey world as they won the second lottery with just a 1.5% chance (14th-best odds). Teams can move up a maximum of 10 spots,

In 2026, the San Jose Sharks have six possible outcomes:

1: Win the draft lottery first draw and draft No. 1 in 2026 (5%)
2: Win the draft lottery second draw and draft No. 2 in 2026 (If a team 12-16 wins the first draw, VAN is locked at No. 1) (5.2%)
2a: *See outcome 6 if the team ranked No. 12 wins.

3: Don’t win, either draw, and no team from 10-16 wins, locking the Sharks at No. 9 (64.4%)
4. One team from 10-16 wins first draw, slide back to pick 10 (23.5%)
5. Two teams ranked 10-16 win both draws, slide to pick 12 (1.7%)
6. New Jersey Devils, ranked 12th, win the first draw, and the Sharks win the second draw, pick No. 3 (0.2%)

Today, May 5th (5/5), the Sharks have a 5% chance at winning the NHL Draft Lottery. If they do, the No. 1 pick at the 2026 NHL Draft will be at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on June 26-27.