2024 NHL Draft order: NHL Draft lottery odds, top prospects, date and more
2024-04-21
While the 2024 NHL Draft might not have a generational prospect like Connor Bedard, make no mistake that another talented pool of prospects is coming to the league. Here, we’ll be keeping you updated on the 2024 NHL Draft order, the lottery odds and the top names to know.
Still two months out from the 2024 NHL Draft, here’s your early NHL Draft order, 2024 lottery odds and the top NHL draft prospects to know.
Here is the current order for the 2024 NHL Draft. Importantly, the draft order for the first 16 picks in Round 1 will be determined by the 2024 NHL Draft lottery. Importantly, we’ve included the reverse NHL standings to show what the standard draft order for 2024 looks like without trades. We’ll provide the NHL Draft order for rounds 3-7 later this offseason.
Created to help prevent tanking from teams, the NHL Draft lottery exists to create a more competitive and balanced way to determine which teams have the top picks. As described by ESPN, the NHL Draft lottery has 14 ping-pong balls placed in a lottery machine that allows for 1,001 combinations. The entire process is run by an accounting firm with no ties to any NHL team.
NHL Draft lottery date: Tuesday, May 7
2024 NHL Draft date: Friday, June 28 – Saturday, June 29
There are fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1-14, with the combinations assigned to the top 11 teams involved in the NHL’s draft lottery. The order of the ping-pong balls then produces a random four-number series, which determines the top picks.
In the NHL Draft Lottery 2024, the first drawing of ping-pong balls determines who will have the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Importantly, rules dictate that a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots, meaning clubs in the 12-16 range can’t land the No. 1 overall pick. Once the assigned combination for the No. 1 pick is determined, there is a second lottery to determine which team has the No. 2 pick in the first round. The lottery will decide the final 2024 NHL Draft order for the first 16 picks in Round 1. Importantly, the draft lottery only applies to the first round.
There are 16 picks in the NHL Draft lottery, with ping-pong balls determining the order for the first 16 picks. All teams that either didn’t make the NHL playoffs or have the draft rights to first-round picks of clubs that didn’t qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, are eligible for the draft lottery.
The Chicago Blackhawks can win the draft lottery in 2024, with the second-highest odds (13.5 percent) of landing the first overall pick. Unlike the MLB Draft, the NHL doesn’t have rules against a team winning the lottery in consecutive years.