The 2019 NHL Draft Lottery was tonight, and the New Jersey Devils came away with the lucky prize: the first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Administering the lottery was NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly in Toronto. One pick was in a trade: the Ottawa Senators (the team with the best odds to win) have conceded their first round pick to the Colorado Avalanche via trade. The Rangers and Blackhawks both moved up drastically in the draft, and the two teams with the best odds to win (Colorado and Los Angeles) will draft outside of the top 3.
New Jersey Devils Receive First Overall Pick in the 2019 NHL Draft
The New York Rangers receive the second overall pick, and the Chicago Blackhawks receive the third overall pick. The full results of the draft order in the first round are as follows:
4.) Colorado Avalanche (via OTT)
5.) Los Angeles Kings
6.) Detroit Red Wings
7.) Buffalo Sabres
8.) Edmonton Oilers
9.) Anaheim Ducks
10.) Vancouver Canucks
11.) Philadelphia Flyers
12.) Minnesota Wild
13.) Florida Panthers
14.) Arizona Coyotes
15.) Montreal Canadiens
Center Jack Hughes of the USA U-18 National Development Team is currently projected to go first overall, as he’s sitting atop NHL Central Scouting‘s rankings for North American skaters. Expected to go second overall is Kaapo Kakko, playing for TPS in Finland, while Vasili Podkolzin playing for Neva St. Petersburg in the Russian VHL league is projected to go third.
The top defensemen in the draft are Bowen Byram of Vancouver in the WHL and Philip Broberg of AIK in the Allsvenskan (Sweden). Other top forwards (aside from Hughes, Kakko, and Podkolzin) are Dylan Cozens (WHL, Lethbridge) and Kirby Dach (WHL, Saskatoon). They are both listed as centers.
The 2019 NHL Entry Draft will take place June 21st and 22nd at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. For more in depth analysis on upcoming prospects, visit Last Word on Hockey’s Top Shelf Prospects page.
The 2017 NHL Draft. (Getty Images)
