The NHL announced this week that the 2026 Draft will be held at KeyBank Arena, home of the Buffalo Sabres. The event will take place on June 26-27.
Having a major event announce that it’s coming to Buffalo is pretty rare. In fact, in checking the history of major event announcements, we don’t see any events of this profile coming to Buffalo in recent memory. But nevertheless, it’s a solid win for both Buffalo and the Sabres.
The event itself isn’t necessarily one that is heavily attended. In fact, no attendance figures were reported for the most recent NHL Drafts in Montreal and Nashville. But once upon a time, only a handful of fans attended the NFL Draft in New York, and that went on to become a huge draw for traveling fans. While the nature of the NHL draft isn’t nearly the same as that of the NFL version, it’s still good publicity for a team and a town that could always use some. And moving the draft around gives different fans the opportunity to participate, which is great.
Next steps
The dates have already been set, but no details regarding specific events have been released. Nevertheless, if this is something you might want to attend, now would be the time to start checking into hotel and travel reservations.
As for tickets (for whatever it is that will require one), you can register your interest with the NHL by clicking here.
Doubleheader Digest
Unfortunately, the Buffalo Bisons MiLB team will not be at home during the NHL Draft. The closest doubleheader opportunity we see is the Blue Jays will be on a 10-day homestand, with series against the Astros, Rangers, and Mets from June 22 through July 1. Also, the Hockey Hall of Fame is located in downtown Toronto, so that could be another good addition for a hockey fan looking to make a weekend adventure out of this.
