The NHL entry draft, also known as the NHL amateur draft until 1979, is an annual event where NHL franchises select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements. These requirements include North American players aged 18–20 and European/international players aged 18–21. Held once every year, the draft typically occurs two to three months after the conclusion of the regular season. During the draft, teams take turns choosing amateur players from junior or collegiate leagues and professional players from European leagues.
Initially determined solely by regular season standings, the draft order underwent significant changes over the years. In 1995, the NHL draft lottery was introduced, allowing only non-playoff teams to participate. Moreover, the lottery winner could move up a maximum of four places in the draft order. Notably, from 2013 to 2015, there were no restrictions on moving up, and the winner automatically received the first overall pick. Later adjustments limited the lottery winners to the top few picks, with any teams above them moving down no more than a certain number of spots.
When is the NHL Draft Lottery?
The NHL draft lottery for 2024 is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 7. The event will be held at the NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, N.J., with live coverage provided by ESPN. Specific timing for the broadcast is expected to be announced soon.
This year's draft lottery will determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft. Eligible participants include all teams that did not qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as well as teams that have acquired the first-round drafting positions of those non-playoff teams.
The San Jose Sharks enter the draft lottery with thebest odds (18.5 percent) of winning the first overall selection. They have the opportunity to secure the top pick and make franchise history by drafting first overall for the first time. Depending on the lottery results, the Sharks can select anywhere from first to fifth overall.
The NHL implemented changes to the draft lottery format in 2022, including a limit on the total number of selections (10) a team can "move up" if they win one of the lottery draws. Only the top 11 seeds will be eligible to receive the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. Odds for the remaining teams will increase proportionally for the Second Lottery Draw, based on the results of the First Lottery Draw.
NHL Entry Draft Lottery Schedule
The 2024 NHL Draft is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas over two days. Round 1 will be held on Friday, June 28, followed by Rounds 2-7 on Saturday, June 29. This event marks a crucial opportunity for NHL teams to acquire promising young talent for their rosters.
On April 26, the NHL announced the odds for clubs participating in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. This lottery will determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft. The participants include all teams that did not qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs or the teams that have acquired the first-round drafting positions of those non-playoff teams.
Eligibility for the draft includes ice hockey players born between January 1, 2004, and September 15, 2006. Additionally, undrafted non-North American players born in 2003 are eligible, along with players drafted in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft who were not signed by an NHL team and were born after June 30, 2004. Since the 2014–15 NHL season, the league has adjusted the weighting system to increase the odds for non-playoff teams while decreasing the odds for the lowest-finishing teams. Starting from the 2022 draft lottery, teams winning one of the two drawings are allowed to move up a maximum of ten spots in the draft order, with a limit of winning the lottery twice in five years.
NHL Entry Draft Lottery Time
The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 7. It will take place at NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J., studio. This lottery will determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
NHL Entry Draft Lottery TV and Streaming Services
The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery will be broadcasted live on ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. Additionally, it will be available for streaming on ESPN+ for viewers who prefer to watch online.
NHL Entry Drafts List
The NHL entry drafts have been integral in shaping the league's future talent pool. Dating back to its inception in 1963 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, the draft has evolved significantly over the years. From its early days of four rounds and 21 total drafted players to the modern era with multiple rounds and hundreds of prospects, each draft marks a pivotal moment for teams to secure top talent.
Notable first-overall picks have included legends like Garry Monahan (1963), Gilbert Perreault (1970), Mario Lemieux (1984), and Sidney Crosby (2005), among many others. The draft has traveled across various locations, including arenas, hotels, and convention centers, reflecting the league's widespread popularity. As the 2024 NHL Entry Draft approaches, set to take place at the Sphere in Paradise, Nevada, the anticipation builds for another class of promising players to begin their professional hockey journeys.
The following tables showcases No.1 draft picks over the years with dates, locations where the draft took place:
| Draft | Location | City | Date | Rounds | Total drafted | No. 1 pick |
| 1963 | Queen Elizabeth Hotel | Montreal, Quebec | June 5, 1963 | 4 | 21 | Garry Monahan (Montreal Canadiens) |
| 1964 | June 11, 1964 | 4 | 24 | Claude Gauthier (Detroit Red Wings) | ||
| 1965 | April 27, 1965 | 3 | 11 | Andre Veilleux (New York Rangers) | ||
| 1966 | April 25, 1966 | 4 | 24 | Barry Gibbs (Boston Bruins) | ||
| 1967 | July 7, 1967 | 3 | 18 | Rick Pagnutti (Los Angeles Kings) | ||
| 1968 | June 13, 1968 | 3 | 24 | Michel Plasse (Montreal Canadiens) | ||
| 1969 | June 11, 1969 | 10 | 84 | Rejean Houle (Montreal Canadiens) | ||
| 1970 | June 11, 1970 | 13 | 115 | Gilbert Perreault (Buffalo Sabres) | ||
| 1971 | June 10, 1971 | 15 | 117 | Guy Lafleur (Montreal Canadiens) | ||
| 1972 | June 8, 1972 | 11 | 152 | Billy Harris (New York Islanders) | ||
| 1973 | Mount Royal Hotel | May 15, 1973 | 13 | 168 | Denis Potvin (New York Islanders) | |
| 1974 | NHL Montreal Office | May 28, 1974 | 25 | 247 | Greg Joly (Washington Capitals) | |
| 1975 | June 3, 1975 | 18 | 217 | Mel Bridgman (Philadelphia Flyers) | ||
| 1976 | June 1, 1976 | 15 | 135 | Rick Green (Washington Capitals) | ||
| 1977 | June 14, 1977 | 17 | 185 | Dale McCourt (Detroit Red Wings) | ||
| 1978 | Queen Elizabeth Hotel | June 15, 1978 | 22 | 234 | Bobby Smith (Minnesota North Stars) | |
| 1979 | August 9, 1979 | 6 | 126 | Rob Ramage (Colorado Rockies) | ||
| 1980 | Montreal Forum | June 11, 1980 | 10 | 210 | Doug Wickenheiser (Montreal Canadiens) | |
| 1981 | June 10, 1981 | 11 | 211 | Dale Hawerchuk (Winnipeg Jets) | ||
| 1982 | June 9, 1982 | 12 | 252 | Gord Kluzak (Boston Bruins) | ||
| 1983 | June 8, 1983 | 12 | 242 | Brian Lawton (Minnesota North Stars) | ||
| 1984 | June 9, 1984 | 12 | 250 | Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) | ||
| 1985 | Toronto Convention Centre | Toronto, Ontario | June 15, 1985 | 12 | 252 | Wendel Clark (Toronto Maple Leafs) |
| 1986 | Montreal Forum | Montreal, Quebec | June 21, 1986 | 12 | 252 | Joe Murphy (Detroit Red Wings) |
| 1987 | Joe Louis Arena | Detroit, Michigan | June 13, 1987 | 12 | 252 | Pierre Turgeon (Buffalo Sabres) |
| 1988 | Montreal Forum | Montreal, Quebec | June 11, 1988 | 12 | 252 | Mike Modano (Minnesota North Stars) |
| 1989 | Met Center | Bloomington, Minnesota | June 17, 1989 | 12 | 252 | Mats Sundin (Quebec Nordiques) |
| 1990 | BC Place | Vancouver, British Columbia | June 16, 1990 | 12 | 250 | Owen Nolan (Quebec Nordiques) |
| 1991 | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Buffalo, New York | June 22, 1991 | 12 | 264 | Eric Lindros (Quebec Nordiques) |
| 1992 | Montreal Forum | Montreal, Quebec | June 20, 1992 | 11 | 264 | Roman Hamrlik (Tampa Bay Lightning) |
| 1993 | Colisée de Québec | Quebec City, Quebec | June 26–27, 1993 | 11 | 286 | Alexandre Daigle (Ottawa Senators) |
| 1994 | Hartford Civic Center | Hartford, Connecticut | June 28, 1994 | 11 | 286 | Ed Jovanovski (Florida Panthers) |
| 1995 | Edmonton Coliseum | Edmonton, Alberta | July 8, 1995 | 9 | 234 | Bryan Berard (Ottawa Senators) |
| 1996 | Kiel Center | St. Louis, Missouri | June 22, 1996 | 9 | 241 | Chris Phillips (Ottawa Senators) |
| 1997 | Civic Arena | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | June 21, 1997 | 9 | 246 | Joe Thornton (Boston Bruins) |
| 1998 | Marine Midland Arena | Buffalo, New York | June 27, 1998 | 9 | 258 | Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning) |
| 1999 | FleetCenter | Boston, Massachusetts | June 26, 1999 | 9 | 272 | Patrik Stefan (Atlanta Thrashers) |
| 2000 | Canadian Airlines Saddledome | Calgary, Alberta | June 24–25, 2000 | 9 | 293 | Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders) |
| 2001 | National Car Rental Center | Sunrise, Florida | June 23–24, 2001 | 9 | 289 | Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers) |
| 2002 | Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ontario | June 22–23, 2002 | 9 | 290 | Rick Nash (Columbus Blue Jackets) |
| 2003 | Gaylord Entertainment Center | Nashville, Tennessee | June 21–22, 2003 | 9 | 292 | Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins) |
| 2004 | RBC Center | Raleigh, North Carolina | June 26–27, 2004 | 9 | 291 | Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) |
| 2005 | Westin Hotel Ottawa1 | Ottawa, Ontario | July 30, 2005 | 7 | 230 | Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) |
| 2006 | General Motors Place | Vancouver, British Columbia | June 24, 2006 | 7 | 213 | Erik Johnson (St. Louis Blues) |
| 2007 | Nationwide Arena | Columbus, Ohio | June 22–23, 2007 | 7 | 211 | Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) |
| 2008 | Scotiabank Place | Ottawa, Ontario | June 20–21, 2008 | 7 | 211 | Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) |
| 2009 | Bell Centre | Montreal, Quebec | June 26–27, 2009 | 7 | 211 | John Tavares (New York Islanders) |
| 2010 | Staples Center | Los Angeles, California | June 25–26, 2010 | 7 | 210 | Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers) |
| 2011 | Xcel Energy Center | St. Paul, Minnesota | June 24–25, 2011 | 7 | 211 | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers) |
| 2012 | Consol Energy Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | June 22–23, 2012 | 7 | 211 | Nail Yakupov (Edmonton Oilers) |
| 2013 | Prudential Center | Newark, New Jersey | June 30, 2013 | 7 | 211 | Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) |
| 2014 | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | June 27–28, 2014 | 7 | 210 | Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers) |
| 2015 | BB&T Center | Sunrise, Florida | June 26–27, 2015 | 7 | 211 | Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) |
| 2016 | First Niagara Center | Buffalo, New York | June 24–25, 2016 | 7 | 211 | Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) |
| 2017 | United Center | Chicago, Illinois | June 23–24, 2017 | 7 | 217 | Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils) |
| 2018 | American Airlines Center | Dallas, Texas | June 22–23, 2018 | 7 | 217 | Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres) |
| 2019 | Rogers Arena | Vancouver, British Columbia | June 21–22, 2019 | 7 | 217 | Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) |
| 2020 | NHL Network studios2 | Secaucus, New Jersey | October 6–7, 2020 | 7 | 216 | Alexis Lafreniere (New York Rangers) |
| 2021 | July 23–24, 2021 | 7 | 223 | Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres) | ||
| 2022 | Bell Centre | Montreal, Quebec | July 7–8, 2022 | 7 | 225 | Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal Canadiens) |
| 2023 | Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, Tennessee | June 28–29, 2023 | 7 | 224 | Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks) |
| 2024 | Sphere | Paradise, Nevada | June 28–29, 2024 | 7 | 225 | TBD |
FAQ's On NHL Draft Lottery
A. The NHL draft lottery for 2024 is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 7, with live coverage provided by ESPN from the NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, N.J.
A. The NHL draft lottery determines the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the first round of the upcoming NHL Draft. It involves all teams that did not qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as well as those that have acquired the first-round drafting positions of non-playoff teams.
A. The Anaheim Ducks enter the draft lottery with the third-best odds (11.5 percent) of winning the first overall selection. Depending on the lottery results, they can select anywhere from first to fifth overall.
A. In 2022, the NHL implemented changes to the draft lottery format, including limiting the total number of selections a team can "move up" to 10. Only the top 11 seeds are eligible to receive the first overall selection, with odds increasing proportionally for the remaining teams in the Second Lottery Draw.
A. The NHL entry draft for 2024 is scheduled to take place on June 28–29, 2024, at the Sphere in Paradise, Nevada.
