By Paul Lane

There will be hockey-related activity this summer at KeyBank Center, regardless of whether the Sabres can cash in their recent hot streak with a deep playoff run.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman joined Sabres owner Terry Pegula and COO Pete Guelli on Monday in announcing the 2026 NHL Draft will take place June 26-27 in Buffalo. The draft will retain the decentralized format introduced during last year’s draft, with prospects coming to Buffalo but teams working from their respective offices across the U.S. and Canada. Even so, the event is expected to require the rental of around 1,800 hotel room nights, Bettman said.

Bettman said the region’s passion for hockey, as well as the team’s success hosting three previous drafts and the league’s scouting combine for the past decade, made the choice simple.

“This has always been, and is, and will be a great hockey town,” he said. “People have always supported and been enthusiastic about hockey, especially when the team is as competitive as this one looks.”

The hundreds of prospects who will be in town will hopefully make the teams that select them more competitive, as well. That was among the observations Pegula said he made when the draft was last held in Buffalo in 2016; previous Buffalo-based drafts took place in 1991 and 1998.

“I looked in the crowd. I looked at the hopes and dreams of every set of eyes that was in the crowd,” he said. “It was something to see.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula announced the NHL Draft’s summer return to Buffalo at a press conference held Monday at KeyBank Center. (Photo by Paul Lane)

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Guelli said the process to finalize draft plans came together rather quickly after the idea was first introduced. The Sabres – who have hosted the most drafts of any team aside from the Montreal Canadiens – were thrilled to once again be considered, he said.

“We just think it’s an incredible opportunity to showcase downtown Buffalo and the waterfront,” said Guelli, who noted the new Highmark Stadium wouldn’t be ready by June to host any events. “We’re in constant dialogue with the league, and they know we want Buffalo to be the center of the hockey universe. When events come up like this, we’ll do everything we can to be in the mix.”

As in past years, the league will host a pre-draft fan festival with music and other activities. Details will be announced in the coming months, Guelli said, as will information on how fans can get tickets.

As for the draft itself, the league will fine-tune the decentralized process used last year, which some fans said led to a less personal feel and a lengthier process than should be needed; the first round alone lasted about 4.5 hours due to technical glitches and an awkward virtual interview process.

“We wanted to try some things out that would be new and different than you see perhaps in other drafts,” Bettman said. “I think the first round might have been a little overproduced. We learned that some things worked and some things didn’t work.”

The top picks in the previous Buffalo-based drafts were Eric Lindros, Vincent Lecavalier and Auston Matthews.

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Gavin McKenna (Image courtesy of the Buffalo Sabres)

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See also >> Sabres hope NHL Draft can lead to other events coming to Buffalo