NHL entry draft facts for kids

The stage at the 2008 NHL entry draft in Ottawa, Ontario

The NHL Entry Draft is a special yearly event where teams from the National Hockey League (NHL) choose young ice hockey players. It's like a big selection day for future hockey stars! Teams take turns picking players who are eligible, usually from junior leagues, college teams, or professional leagues in Europe.

This draft happens once a year, usually a few months after the hockey season ends. The very first draft was held in 1963. Until 1979, it was called the "NHL Amateur Draft." For many years, the draft was a private event. It only became public in 1980 and was first shown on TV in 1984.

Before 1995, the team that finished last in the regular season always got the first pick. But in 1995, the NHL Draft Lottery was introduced. This lottery gives teams that didn't make the playoffs a chance to move up in the draft order. The rules for the lottery have changed over the years to make it fairer and more exciting.

History of the NHL Draft

The first NHL Draft, then called the "NHL Amateur Draft," took place on June 5, 1963, in Montreal, Quebec. Back then, NHL teams used to sponsor junior hockey teams and sign young players very early. This system caused some problems, as parents felt their kids were being tied down too soon.

In 1967, new rules were made to change this. Teams stopped directly sponsoring junior teams. This meant young players had more freedom. They could become eligible for the draft after finishing junior hockey or when they turned 20. The NHL also agreed to pay fees to amateur hockey groups for players they drafted. These changes helped make the playing field more even for new NHL teams joining the league.

The drafting age changed a few times. In 1974, it briefly dropped to 18 years old to compete with another league, the WHA. But it went back to 20 for the 1975 draft.

In 1979, the rules changed again. Players who had already played professionally could now be drafted. This was done to bring players from the World Hockey Association into the NHL when that league closed down. Because of this, the draft's name changed to the "NHL Entry Draft." The age limit also dropped to include 19-year-olds. By 1980, players aged 18 to 20 could be drafted. Also, non-North American players over 20 could be chosen.

The draft became a public event in 1980, held at the Montreal Forum. Before that, it was held in private offices or hotels. The first draft held outside Montreal was in Toronto in 1985. Live TV coverage for Canadian viewers began in 1984. The 1987 draft in Detroit, Michigan, was the first one held in the United States.

In October 2023, the NHL decided to change how the draft will work starting in 2025. It will become more "decentralized," like the NBA and NFL drafts. This means only players and team representatives will be at the draft location. The teams will make their picks remotely from their offices.

How Players Are Chosen

The order in which teams pick players in the NHL Entry Draft depends on a few things: a lottery, how teams finished in the regular season, and their playoff results. Teams can trade their draft picks, sometimes even years in advance. But the pick order is always based on the team that originally owned that pick.

The main idea behind the draft order is to help teams that didn't do well in the previous season. These teams usually need the most improvement. Generally, each team gets one pick per round.

Here's how the basic order works:

• Teams that did not make the playoffs pick first (picks 1–16).
• Teams that made the playoffs but didn't win their division or reach the Conference Finals pick next (picks 17–24, up to 28).
• Teams that won their divisions but didn't reach the Conference Finals pick after that (potentially picks 25–28).
• Teams that lost in the Conference Finals pick next (picks 29 and 30).
• The team that lost in the Stanley Cup Finals picks 31st.
• The team that won the Stanley Cup picks last, at 32nd.

Within each group, teams pick in order of their regular season points, with the team having the fewest points picking first.

The Draft Lottery

After the regular season, the 16 teams that didn't make the playoffs enter a special lottery. This lottery decides the first few picks in the first round. The team with the worst record has the best chance to win the lottery.

If a team wins the lottery, they get to move up in the draft order. For example, if the team with the 5th worst record wins, they would get the first overall pick. The teams that were originally ahead of them would each move down one spot. This lottery only affects the first round. In all other rounds, teams pick in their original order based on their regular season points.

From 1995 to 2012, the lottery winner could only move up a maximum of four spots. From 2013 to 2015, the lottery winner automatically got the first overall pick. From 2016 to 2020, three lottery winners were chosen for the top three picks.

Starting in 2021, only two lottery winners are chosen for the top two picks. And since 2022, a team winning one of the two lotteries can only move up a maximum of ten spots. This means only the bottom eleven teams can win the first pick. Also, a team can only win a lottery and jump up in the draft order twice in a five-year period. This rule does not apply to the team with the worst record, which can win the first pick any number of times.

The NHL Draft Lottery usually happens during the Stanley Cup playoffs. It is broadcast from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Who Can Be Drafted

Players are eligible for the NHL Entry Draft if they turn 18 on or before September 15 of the draft year, and are not older than 20 by December 31 of the draft year. Also, players from outside North America who are 21 years old are eligible.

List of NHL Entry Drafts

Notes

1. This draft was originally planned for the Corel Centre. The location changed because of talks about the league's player agreement.
2. The 2020 draft was supposed to be in Montreal. But it was held remotely by conference call because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 draft was also held remotely.
3. The Arizona Coyotes lost their 2020 second-round pick and their 2021 first-round pick. This was a penalty for breaking rules about player testing.

Watching the Draft

SportsChannel America was the first to show the NHL Draft on TV in the United States, starting with the 1989 NHL entry draft.

Today, you can watch the draft on ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports, and the NHL Network. The NHL Network usually broadcasts the later rounds of the draft.

In the past, NBC Sports also showed the draft on NBCSN.

See also

• KHL Junior Draft
• List of first overall NHL draft picks
• List of undrafted NHL players with 100 games played
• Taro Tsujimoto