The order of the 2023 NHL Draft has officially been set for picks 1-28 following the end of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The order for the first 16 picks were determined by the NHL Draft Lottery on May 8, which saw the Chicago Blackhawks win the first overall selection. The projected No. 1 pick at this year’s draft is Western Hockey League phenom Connor Bedard.
Picks 17-18 were filled in by the 12 teams that lost in the first two rounds of the playoffs. According to the league, “teams that did not win their division were placed in inverse order of regular-season standings points, followed by the two division winners who lost in inverse order regular-season points.”
Picks 29-32 will be determined by the results of the conference finals between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers in the East, and the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in the West.
Of the four teams still remaining, whoever loses in the conference finals with the fewest regular-season points will receive pick No. 29 while the other team that loses in the conference finals will receive No. 30. The loser of the Stanley Cup Final will get pick No. 31 and the winner gets No. 32. The final first-round draft order will be set at that time, though teams can still make trades involving their draft picks either ahead of time or at the draft itself.
The 2023 draft will take place on June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and will be available to watch on Sportsnet and SN NOW.
Here is the current order of picks:
PICK | TEAM |
1 | Chicago Blackhawks |
2 | Anaheim Ducks |
3 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
4 | San Jose Sharks |
5 | Montreal Canadiens |
6 | Arizona Coyotes |
7 | Philadelphia Flyers |
8 | Washington Capitals |
9 | Detroit Red Wings |
10 | St. Louis Blues |
11 | Vancouver Canucks |
12 | Arizona Coyotes (from Ottawa Senators) |
13 | Buffalo Sabres |
14 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
15 | Nashville Predators |
16 | Calgary Flames |
17 | Detroit Red Wings (from New York Islanders via Vancouver Canucks) |
18 | Winnipeg Jets |
19 | Chicago Blackhawks (from Tampa Bay Lightning) |
20 | Seattle Kraken |
21 | Minnesota Wild |
22 | Columbus Blue Jackets (from Los Angeles Kings) |
23 | New York Rangers |
24 | Nashville Predators (from Edmonton Oilers) |
25 | St. Louis Blues (from Toronto Maple Leafs) |
26 | San Jose Sharks (from New Jersey Devils) |
27 | Colorado Avalanche |
28 | Toronto Maple Leafs (from Boston Bruins via Washington Capitals) |
