The 2024 NHL Entry Draft is scheduled to take place on June 28 and 29, 2024, at The Sphere in Las Vegas. This event marks the 62nd edition of the NHL Draft and is eagerly anticipated by hockey fans, teams, and prospects alike. The draft serves as a crucial platform for NHL teams to bolster their rosters with talented young players from various junior leagues, collegiate programs, and international leagues.
Heading into the 2024 NHL Draft, the San Jose Sharks hold the prestigious first overall pick for the first time in franchise history. Among all NHL teams, the newly established Utah Hockey Club holds the highest number of draft picks with 13 selections. Following closely behind is the Montreal Canadiens with 12 picks.
Key prospects eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft include celebrated names such as Celebrini Macklin, Zayne Parekh, Zeev Buium, Cayden Lindstrom, Sam Dickinson, Emil Hemming, Eemil Vinni, Konsta Helenius, and Anton Silayev.
How many rounds are left in the NHL draft?
The NHL Entry Draft typically consists of seven rounds. Each round allows NHL teams to select players who are eligible for drafting, typically from various amateur and junior leagues, as well as international leagues and teams.
The draft order is determined by the teams' regular-season standings, with the team finishing last in the standings usually receiving the first overall pick in each round. Each team has the opportunity to select one player per round, with the order reversing in each subsequent round (i.e., "snake" style draft order).
The draft order is determined based on the teams' performance in the previous season, with the team finishing last in the standings usually receiving the first overall pick in each round. The first round is especially significant, featuring the top prospects from around the globe, with each team getting a chance to pick one player, totaling 32 picks.
Subsequent rounds maintain the same order, providing teams opportunities to select additional talent, totaling approximately 192 more players across the remaining rounds. After being drafted, players often continue their development in junior leagues, college, or the American Hockey League (AHL) before potentially joining their NHL team.
How is the NHL draft order determined?
The NHL Draft order is primarily based on the teams' regular-season performance. The team that finishes last in the overall standings of the NHL regular season is awarded the first overall pick in each round of the draft. This is designed to provide the lowest-ranked team with the opportunity to select the best available young talent, aiming to promote parity and competitive balance in the league.
While the majority of the draft order is determined by regular-season standings, the NHL employs a draft lottery system to determine the top picks in the draft, particularly the first overall selection. The draft lottery is used to prevent teams from deliberately tanking (losing games on purpose) to secure the top pick. The lottery involves a weighted system where the odds of winning are higher for teams that finished lower in the standings.
The NHL Draft Lottery typically determines the top few picks in the draft, such as the first overall pick and often the second as well. After the lottery determines these top picks, the remaining teams select players in reverse order of their regular-season standings. This means the team with the worst record picks first in each subsequent round after the lottery.
Teams that qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs are placed in reverse order of their playoff results (i.e., the team eliminated in the first round of the playoffs picks first among playoff teams, the team eliminated in the second round picks next, and so on). This order is used to determine the later rounds of the NHL Draft, typically from the second round onward.
NHL draft eligibility
NHL Draft eligibility is governed by specific criteria set forth by the National Hockey League to ensure fairness and structure in selecting young talent. To be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft, players must meet certain age requirements. Typically, players become eligible in the calendar year they turn 18 years old. For instance, for the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft, eligible players must have been born between January 1, 2004, and September 15, 2006. This ensures that players are generally 18 or 19 years old during their draft year.
Additionally, non-North American players born in 2003 are also eligible for the 2024 draft, provided they have not been drafted in a previous NHL Draft. This opens up opportunities for international players to showcase their skills on a global stage. Furthermore, players who were eligible for earlier drafts but went undrafted and remain unsigned by any NHL team can re-enter the draft. This includes eligible players from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft who were not selected and were born after June 30, 2004.
FAQs
The NHL Draft is an annual event where NHL teams select eligible amateur players to join their rosters.
The NHL Draft consists of seven rounds, with each of the 32 NHL teams typically making one selection per round.
The NHL Draft order is primarily determined by teams' performance in the previous season, with the team finishing last overall receiving the first pick.
The NHL Expansion Draft is held when a new team joins the league, allowing them to select players from existing teams to build their roster.
Existing NHL teams protect a certain number of players, while the new team selects unprotected players to form their initial roster.
