The New Jersey Devils have won the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery, and the right to the first overall pick. It was a night of surprises with all three of the top selections going to teams who came into the night with only small chances of moving up. The lottery, conducted by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, took place on Saturday evening in Toronto.
New Jersey Devils Win First Overall Pick in 2017 NHL Draft Lottery
The Philadelphia Flyers won the second overall pick, and the Dallas Stars have the third overall pick. The rest of the first round will proceed in the following order:
4.) Colorado Avalanche
5.) Vancouver Canucks
6.) Vegas Golden Knights
7.) Arizona Coyotes
8.) Buffalo Sabres
9.) Detroit Red Wings
10.) Florida Panthers
11.) Los Angeles Kings
12.) Carolina Hurricanes
13.) Winnipeg Jets
14.) Tampa Bay Lightning
15.) New York Islanders
Currently, Nolan Patrick of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings is expected to be the first overall pick, topping the NHL Scouting Service’s final rankings. Halifax’s Nico Hischier ranks second, with the 2016-17 Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner Casey Mittelstadt third. Top-ranked defensemen include Cale Makar of the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits and Juuso Valimaki of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. Klim Kostin and Elias Pettersson are the top European forwards; while Timothy Liljegren and Miro Heiskanen are the top European defencemen.
The 2017 NHL Entry Draft will take place June 23rd and 24th at the United Center in Chicago. For more information on this year’s prospects, check out Last Word on Hockey’s Top Shelf Prospects page.
QUEBEC CITY, QC – JANUARY 30: Nolan Patrick #19 of Team Cherry looks on during the third period of his Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at the Videotron Center on January 30, 2017 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)
