Winnipeg Jets 2026 NHL Draft Day 2 — Six Players Selected Including Historic Pick

By Ayomikun. O | June 27, 2026 | Updated: June 27, 2026 | No Comments | 10 Mins Read

Winnipeg sports news — The Winnipeg Jets walked into the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo and walked out with a Swedish centre scouts call one of the smartest players in the draft, two goalies, and a history-making defenceman from San Diego. Here is every name, every pick, and what it all means.

By Maplestime Sports Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | June 27, 2026

Sources: Winnipeg Jets | The Hockey News | Illegal Curve Hockey | Last updated: June 27, 2026

Key Takeaways

• The Winnipeg Jets made seven selections across six rounds at the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, held June 26–27.
• On Day 1, the Jets selected 18-year-old Swedish centre Viggo Bjorck 8th overall.
• Day 2 brought six more picks: goalie Samuel Hrenek, winger Zach Wooten, defenceman Alexandre Taillefer, centre Landon Hafele, defenceman Noa Ta’Amu, and goalie John Parsons.
• Noa Ta’Amu (199th overall) is the first player of Samoan descent ever drafted into the NHL — the historic pick of Winnipeg’s weekend.
• The Jets had no second-round pick, having traded it to Pittsburgh for defenceman Luke Schenn at the 2025 deadline.
• Most of the class is expected at development camp at Winnipeg’s Hockey For All Centre on McPhillips Street.

Day 1 Belonged to Viggo Bjorck — But Day 2 Is Where Drafts Are Won

Before diving into Day 2, it is worth understanding what the Jets built toward on Friday.

With the eighth overall pick, Winnipeg selected Viggo Bjorck — an 18-year-old Swedish centre who Jets Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Hillier described in terms rarely used about a draft pick at any level.

“I have to be honest, he’s one of the most exciting draft picks I’ve ever had. I think he’s one of the smartest players in the draft this year, he’s one of the smartest players I’ve scouted,” Hillier told reporters in Buffalo.

The message was direct and unambiguous. “If he signs, he’s given an opportunity — he’s going to make it real hard not to play.”

Saturday then brought six more picks — two goaltenders, two defencemen, and two forwards — to give the organization depth, competition, and options across every position.

Day 2 was about depth, patience, and the long game. Here is every pick.

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The Day 2 Picks — All Six, Pick by Pick

Round 3, 71st Overall — Samuel Hrenek, Goaltender, Fargo Force (USHL)

The Jets opened Day 2 by adding to the crease. Samuel Hrenek, an 18-year-old Slovak-born goaltender, was selected 71st overall after posting a 2.20 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage, and a 7-1-1 record in nine starts for the USHL’s Fargo Force in 2025-26.

The name may be unfamiliar to casual Jets fans but the family bloodline carries serious hockey credibility. Hrenek’s older brother David — also a goaltender — was a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2018.

“Just in general, we had a great talk about a lot of things and I just felt the most interest from Winnipeg,” Hrenek said. “I’m excited to show the organization what’s in me and why they made the right choice.”

Taking a goaltender this early signals genuine belief in the player. Goalies take longer to develop, and teams do not spend third-round picks on them unless the scouts see something real.

Round 4, 116th Overall — Zach Wooten, Left Wing, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

Winnipeg went back to the USHL in the fourth round, selecting 20-year-old left winger Zach Wooten from Apple Valley, Minnesota with the 116th pick. Wooten produced 35 goals and 27 assists for 62 points in 61 games for the Green Bay Gamblers in 2025-26, earning an invitation to the Chipotle All-American Game, the annual event showcasing the top draft-eligible players in the USHL.

“It was awesome for me. It was something I didn’t necessarily expect — it’s my third year of draft eligibility so it was pretty unexpected when I got that call from my coach,” Wooten said.

Wooten heads to the University of Wisconsin for the upcoming season, where he will develop before entering the Jets’ professional system.

As a mid-round winger, this is a classic development pick: the tools are there, the runway is long, and the organization will take its time.

Round 5, 135th Overall — Alexandre Taillefer, Defence, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

The fifth round brought a Quebec Remparts blueliner to the organization. Alexandre Taillefer, a left-shot defenceman from Richelieu, Quebec, made the six-hour drive from Quebec to Buffalo with his family to experience the draft in person — a journey that paid off when the Jets called his name at 135th overall.

“Yeah, I was definitely nervous a bit. I think the decision was I had a good chance to be drafted and it’s not so far from home,” Taillefer said. “I’m a two-way defenceman, a dynamic player — I like to make the first pass and plays and stuff and I love to be physical, too.”

Taillefer’s 2025-26 season was limited by an Achilles injury that restricted him to 28 games with the Remparts, but Hillier sees significant upside: “He’s a dynamic skater that we feel is one of the best skating defencemen in the draft.” The plan is straightforward — Taillefer returns to Quebec for a full healthy season before progressing through the Jets system.

The Quebec junior pedigree is real, and fifth-round defencemen are exactly the kind of bet that pays off when a player outgrows his draft slot through steady development.

Round 6, 161st Overall — Landon Hafele, Centre, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

Hafele is the second Gambler taken by Winnipeg on Day 2 — 18-year-old centre Landon Hafele, a teammate of fourth-round pick Zach Wooten, selected 161st overall. The Alaska-born pivot produced 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 52 games this past season and has committed to the Arizona State Wildcats for the coming season. The college route gives the Jets a patient development timeline — NCAA hockey to grow into the pro game, with the organization watching from afar.

Round 7, 199th Overall — Noa Ta’Amu, Defence, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

The story of Winnipeg’s draft. Noa Ta’Amu — an 18-year-old defenceman from San Diego, selected from the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings with the 199th pick — made history: he is the first player of Samoan descent ever to be drafted by an NHL team.

His athletic pedigree runs deep. His father Ed Ta’Amu was a fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2002 NFL draft and played as an offensive lineman for the Vikings and Houston Texans.

On the ice, Ta’Amu scored three goals and added nine assists for 12 points in 63 games with the Oil Kings in 2025-26, and helped the United States win the U18 Gretzky-Hlinka Cup in 2025. “He’s not afraid to drop the gloves and scrap. Stay at home D and play hard,” Hillier said.

A seventh-round pick becoming a footnote in league history before he has played a single professional game — that is the kind of thing that makes draft weekend worth watching.

Round 7, 220th Overall — John Parsons, Goaltender, Providence College (NCAA)

Winnipeg closed the draft the way it opened Day 2 — with a goaltender. John Parsons, a 20-year-old goaltender from Providence College, was selected 220th overall after posting a 13-5 record with a 2.05 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in 19 starts for the Friars in 2025-26.

Adding a proven college goaltender late in the draft gives the Jets another option at a position where they now have genuine organizational depth.

The Full 2026 Winnipeg Jets Draft Class

The Missing Second-Rounder — And Why It Doesn’t Matter

Sharp-eyed fans will have noticed the Jets had no second-round pick — it was surrendered to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the 2025 deadline deal that brought defenceman Luke Schenn to Winnipeg. In a draft where Winnipeg still landed seven players across six rounds, the missing pick barely registered. Day 2 is where scouting departments earn their money, and the Jets’ haul — two goalies, two defencemen including a history-maker, and two forwards — shows a front office comfortable playing the long game.

What Happens Next — Development Camp in Winnipeg

Most of the Jets’ 2026 draft class is expected to attend the team’s development camp at Winnipeg’s Hockey For All Centre — the state-of-the-art facility on McPhillips Street that opened in 2022 and serves as the central hub for Jets development programming.

Development camp gives the organization its first structured look at how the new players fit into the Jets system, how they respond to professional coaching instruction, and how they compete against each other and returning prospects. It is the first real test of whether draft weekend enthusiasm translates into genuine organizational assets.

For Jets fans in Winnipeg, development camp is also a rare chance to see the newest prospects up close before they scatter to college programs, junior leagues, and European clubs for the 2026-27 season. The organization’s message throughout the weekend was consistent: this class was built on hockey sense, versatility, and patience.

Maplestime will provide updates from the Winnipeg Jets as development camp dates and results are announced.

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Which of the Jets’ seven 2026 draft picks are you most excited about — Viggo Bjorck at the top, or the history-making Noa Ta’Amu in round seven? Tell us in the comments. And send this to every Jets fan you know who missed the draft coverage this weekend.