NEW YORK — The National Hockey League`s draft lottery is scheduled for next Monday, May 5th. The San Jose Sharks enter the lottery with the highest probability of landing the first overall selection, marking the second year in a row they`ve been in this position.
This lottery, which determines the order of the top 16 selections in the upcoming June draft, will take place at the NHL Network studio in New Jersey and be televised on Sportsnet channels.
The lottery process involves two drawings: the first awards the No. 1 pick, and the second awards the No. 2 pick. A team`s position can improve by a maximum of 10 spots, which means only teams finishing in the bottom 11 of the league standings are eligible to win the first overall selection.
This year`s draft class isn`t widely regarded as having exceptional talent at the very top compared to some recent years. The NHL`s Central Scouting Bureau and Sportsnet`s Sam Cosentino have ranked defenseman Matthew Schaefer and center Michael Misa from the Ontario Hockey League as the top two North American skaters available.
Last year, the Sharks won the lottery and selected Macklin Celebrini with the first pick. Despite Celebrini`s solid rookie campaign where he posted 25 goals and 38 assists, San Jose ended the season with the worst overall record in the league.
Consequently, the Sharks possess a 25.5% probability of securing the No. 1 pick once more. This can happen either by winning one of the lottery drawings themselves or if a team ranked 12th through 16th wins a drawing, as their limited jump capability would still place them below the first overall slot.
The Chicago Blackhawks hold the second-highest odds at 13.5%, followed by the Nashville Predators at 11.5%, the Philadelphia Flyers at 9.5%, and the Boston Bruins at 8.5%. Notably, Chicago won the 2023 lottery and used the top pick to select Connor Bedard.
Below are the complete odds for each eligible team to land the first overall pick:
- San Jose Sharks: 18.5 percent
- Chicago Blackhawks: 13.5 percent
- Nashville Predators: 11.5 percent
- Philadelphia Flyers: 9.5 percent
- Boston Bruins: 8.5 percent
- Seattle Kraken: 7.5 percent
- Buffalo Sabres: 6.5 percent
- Anaheim Ducks: 6 percent
- Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 percent
- New York Islanders: 3.5 percent
- New York Rangers: 3 percent
- Detroit Red Wings: 2.5 percent
- Columbus Blue Jackets: 2 percent
- Utah Hockey Club: 1.5 percent
- Vancouver Canucks: 0.5 percent
- Calgary Flames: 0.5 percent
The NHL Entry Draft is scheduled to be held on June 27-28 and will be broadcast on Sportsnet.
