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The NHL Entry Draft is a crucial annual event where NHL franchises select eligible ice hockey players to join the league. North American players aged 18-20 and European/international players aged 18-21 can be drafted, while older players enter as unrestricted free agents.
This draft usually happens a few months after the previous season ends, and teams take turns picking amateur players from junior or collegiate leagues, as well as professional players from European leagues.
The first NHL draft was in 1963, and it has been held every year since. Originally called the NHL Amateur Draft until 1979, it became a public event in 1980 and has been televised since 1984.
Before 1994, the draft order was purely based on regular season standings. In 1995, the NHL introduced a draft lottery for teams that missed the playoffs. The lottery winner could move up a maximum of four places, allowing the worst five teams a shot at the first overall pick.
From 2013 to 2015, the lottery winner automatically got the first overall pick, irrespective of their original position. Between 2015 and 2020, there were three lottery winners determining the top three picks. In 2021, the lottery system changed to include only two winners, and starting in 2022, winners can move up no more than ten places, meaning only the bottom eleven teams could win the first pick.
How the NHL entry draft levels the playing field for weaker teams
The draft order is determined by a combination of the lottery, regular season standings, and playoff results. Teams can trade draft picks, but the original holder of the pick determines the order. The basic draft order aims to help weaker teams improve their rosters.
Teams that did not make the playoffs pick first (1-16), followed by playoff teams that did not win their divisions or reach the Conference Finals (17-24 up to 28), division winners that did not reach the Conference Finals (potentially 25-28), Conference Finals losers (29 and 30), the Stanley Cup runner-up (31), and the Stanley Cup winner (32).
If a team cannot sign a first-round draft choice, they receive a compensatory second-round pick of the same number. For example, not signing the seventh overall pick grants the seventh pick in the second round.
At the end of the regular season, the 16 teams that missed the playoffs enter a weighted lottery to determine the top draft picks. The team with the lowest points has the best odds (18.5%), while the highest has the worst (1.0%).
The lottery winner moves to the highest eligible pick, bumping others down. From 2016 to 2020, the top three picks were determined by the lottery. Starting in 2022, winners can only move up ten spots and can only win the lottery twice in five years, ensuring fairness and limiting drastic order changes.