Blackhawks Secure Fourth Pick in 2026 NHL Draft — Gavin Mckenna Comparison
The Chicago Blackhawks locked in the fourth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, adding another high-end pick to a stretch that has kept the gavin mckenna comparison conversation alive around their draft haul. It is the second time in franchise history Chicago will pick fourth overall, and it gives the club another top-five slot in a run that keeps reshaping the roster pipeline.
The lottery result matters because the Blackhawks now have a top-5 pick for the 14th time in franchise history. They have also stocked the first round heavily in recent drafts, with nine first-round picks between 2023 and 2026, a sequence that includes first overall in 2023, second overall in 2024 and third overall in 2025.
Richie Baynes and 1964
Chicago’s previous fourth-overall pick came in 1964, when the club selected Richie Baynes. That makes this the second time the Blackhawks have landed at No. 4, a rare slot even inside a franchise history already filled with premium draft position.
The Blackhawks’ top-five history is broader than just the No. 4 slot. Before this lottery outcome, the club had already owned two first overall picks, two second overall picks, seven third overall picks, one fourth overall pick and one fifth overall pick. This year’s result extends that pattern without changing the team’s need to turn the pick into a player who can fit into a prospect group that has grown quickly since 2023.
Chicago’s 2026 Draft Capital
Chicago enters the 2026 NHL Draft with eight total picks. The team has one pick in the first round, three picks in the second round, one pick in the third round, one pick in the fourth round and two picks in the seventh round. That gives the Blackhawks one of only three teams with at least four selections in the first two rounds, alongside Calgary and Vancouver.
The volume is part of the bigger picture in a simple way: the Blackhawks now have 15 total picks in the first three rounds of the next three NHL Drafts. For a team already carrying the most first-round picks in the NHL over the 2023-26 span, the fourth overall selection gives Chicago another premium swing before the draft arrives.
Buffalo in June
The 2026 NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. By then, the Blackhawks will already know they are walking in with another top-five pick and a deep set of choices behind it, which is the kind of draft capital that can alter a rebuild if the selections hit.
