The New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars own the first, second and third overall drafting positions, respectively, for the First Round of the 2017 NHL Draft as a result of the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery Drawing tonight in Toronto.
Participants in the Draft Lottery included the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who begin play in the 2017-18 season, and all Clubs that did not qualify for this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“This is a great day for our franchise, and to pick first overall, to have that for our Devils’ fans and our organization, is great news,”- Executive Vice President/General Manager Ray Shero
Under the terms of expansion the Golden Knights were afforded the same lottery odds as the Club finishing the regular season with the third-worst record (28th place, the Arizona Coyotes) and slotted ahead of that Club in the event neither was selected for any of the top three overall drafting positions.
Accordingly, with the elevation of the Devils, Flyers and Stars as a result of the Draft Lottery, the Golden Knights and Coyotes own the sixth and seventh drafting positions, respectively, in the first round.
The order of selection for the first 15 drafting positions in the First Round, only, of the 2017 NHL Draft is as follows:
1. New Jersey Devils
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. Dallas Stars
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. Vegas Golden Knights
7. Arizona Coyotes
8. Buffalo Sabres
9. Detroit Red Wings
10. Florida Panthers
11. Los Angeles Kings
12. Carolina Hurricanes
13. Winnipeg Jets
14. Tampa Bay Lightning
15. New York Islanders
The remaining positions will be determined by the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
