2016 NHL entry draft
The 2016 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 24–25, 2016 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. It featured 211 selections across seven rounds. The Toronto Maple Leafs chose Auston Matthews first, followed by Patrik Laine to the Winnipeg Jets and Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Columbus Blue Jackets. As of 2025, 60 players from this draft are still active in the NHL.
Eligibility for the draft included players born between January 1, 1996 and September 15, 1998. In addition, undrafted non-North American players born in 1995 could be selected, and players drafted in 2014 but not signed by an NHL team and born after June 30, 1996 could re-enter the draft.
Since the 2012–13 season, teams that did not make the playoffs have weighted chances at winning the first overall pick. From the 2014–15 season onward, the lottery system was adjusted so the first three picks are awarded through a lottery, with the odds for the second and third picks influenced by the outcome of the earlier draws. In 2016, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Columbus Blue Jackets won the lottery and earned the top three selections. Toronto retained the No. 1 overall pick, while Winnipeg and Columbus moved up from their previous spots. Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks dropped to fourth and fifth, and Calgary Flames fell to sixth.
The 2016 draft order was then set based on these results.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:20 (CET).