AMESBURY, Mass. - During a historic 2026 NHL Entry Draft for college hockey that saw 109 current or committed players selected, the most since the NHL went to its current seven-round draft format in 2005, the Hockey East Association stood above all other conferences with 34 picks, the most selections in league history. A full list of the historic draft class can be found below.

In total, 10 of the 11 Hockey East men’s member schools had least one player selected in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The crop included four players that competed in Hockey East in 2025-26: Tynan Lawrence (Boston University/St. Louis Blues) and Oscar Hemming (Boston College/Columbus Blue Jackets), Landon Nycz (Massachusetts/St. Louis Blues), and Jack Parsons (Providence/Winnipeg Jets).

The selections were highlighted by four first-round picks as part of a record 19 NCAA players taken on the first day of the draft. Twelve of the Hockey East picks came in the first two rounds, representing six of the league’s 11 members. Overall, Hockey East programs were paced by Boston University and Massachusetts, who each boasted eight selections, good for second-most of any NCAA team. They were followed by six from Boston College and Providence, and one each for UConn, Maine, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, and Vermont.

Prospects played in a variety of leagues in 2025-26. Notably, 18 of the players competed in the CHL while eight developed in the USHL, including with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.

The 109 picks with NCAA ties represented the most NCAA selections since 1990, when 109 were chosen in the NHL’s then-12-round draft. In all, a raecord 36 NCAA programs had at least one player selected in 2026.

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft concludes another record-breaking season for Hockey East, which was again the most well-represented college hockey league in the NHL. Hockey East developed 38% of all college alumni that played in the sport’s top league in 2025-26. In total, a record 127 Hockey East alumni appeared in at least one NHL game during the regular season, eclipsing the previous all-time record set last year with 123. Just two years ago the high-water mark stood at 109. It marks six consecutive seasons with over 100 Hockey East alumni playing at the game’s highest level. All 11 current men’s member institutions had at least one former player represented. Providence’s Mark Jankowski also claimed the 2026 Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes.