Avalanche enter 2026 NHL Entry Draft with nine picks as Buffalo hosts for first time since 2016

The Colorado Avalanche will begin the 2026 NHL Entry Draft next week with nine selections, giving the franchise multiple opportunities to address its pipeline of future NHL players. The draft is scheduled for seven rounds, and the NHL has outlined the selection process for this year’s class heading into the event.

This year’s draft comes with added significance for the league and local fans because it will be held in Buffalo. It will mark the first time the NHL Entry Draft has been conducted in Buffalo since 2016, a detail that matters for both attendance and the atmosphere around prospect week.

For Colorado, nine picks is not just a headline number, it is a roster-construction tool. While draft selections do not translate into immediate NHL impact in a straight line, having additional bites at the apple tends to increase a team’s chances of landing a mix of immediate-developing talents and longer-term projects. It also allows a franchise to diversify its approach across different positions and style fits, rather than relying on a single “hit.”

The league’s disclosure of the draft format also frames what comes next. With seven rounds, teams will be operating across a wider range of available prospects than in shorter drafts, which can affect how a club prioritizes needs versus best-player available. For the Avalanche, their total number of picks suggests they can balance both, even though individual outcomes will depend on who is still on the board when each selection arrives.

At this point, the key practical question for Colorado is how the full order of its selections translates into player targets. The draft order matters because prospect availability is not uniform from round to round, and the Avalanche will have to make decisions as the board progresses, weighing potential upside, skating and compete factors, positional depth, and the likelihood a player will be available at a given slot.

What to watch in the coming days is the cadence of Colorado’s selections once the draft clock starts, along with the players connected to the Avalanche throughout draft coverage. Because the Avalanche will be choosing nine times across seven rounds, the early picks could indicate whether they are prioritizing higher-ceiling prospects, while later selections often reflect the club’s view of value and development pathways.