2024 NHL Draft: Picks order and fun facts
The 2024 NHL Draft heads to the Sphere in Las Vegas this year, with the first round taking place on Friday, June 28 and the next six rounds taking place on Saturday, June 29. The 2024 NBA Draft will also take place over two days this month, with that event set for June 26 and June 27 in New York.
The San Jose Sharks hold the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the first time in franchise history that they will make the top selection. The Sharks had the worst record in the NHL this past season at 19-54-9 and therefore had the top odds to win the draft lottery. The Chicago Blackhawks, who had the second-worst record at 23-53-6, won the second overall selection in the draft.
The Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Montreal Canadiens will then pick third through fifth in the draft, while the Utah franchise (no nickname yet) assumes the draft position of the Arizona Coyotes and has the No. 6 selection. Thanks to trades, the Sharks also pick at No. 14, the Blackhawks also pick at No. 18, and the Canadiens also pick at No. 26. The Ottawa Senators and the Calgary Flames also have a pair of selections in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Sharks are widely expected to select forward Macklin Celebrini with the first-overall pick – it would be a shock if they went in any other direction. Celebrini, from Vancouver, won the Hobey Baker Trophy as the top player in US college hockey this past season after he put up 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games with Boston University.
Russian forward Ivan Demidov, Russian defenseman Anton Silayev, Belarussian defenseman Artyom Levshunov, Canadian forward Cayden Lindstrom, and Canadian defenseman Sam Dickinson are other top prospects expected to go in the Top 10.
2024 NHL Draft First Round (as of June 12)
01 – San Jose Sharks
02 – Chicago Blackhawks
03 – Anaheim Ducks
04 – Columbus Blue Jackets
05 – Montreal Canadiens
06 – Utah (formerly Arizona Coyotes)
07 – Ottawa Senators
08 – Seattle Kraken
09 – Calgary Flames
10 – New Jersey Devils
11 – Buffalo Sabres
12 – Philadelphia Flyers
13 – Minnesota Wild
14 – San Jose Sharks (via Pittsburgh)
15 – Detroit Red Wings
16 – St. Louis Blues
17 – Washington Capitals
18 – Chicago Blackhawks (via New York Islanders)
19 – Vegas Golden Knights
20 – New York Islanders (via Tampa Bay/Chicago)
21 – Los Angeles Kings
22 – Nashville Predators
23 – Toronto Maple Leafs
24 – Colorado Avalanche
25 – Ottawa Senators (via Boston/Detroit)
26 – Montreal Canadiens (via Winnipeg)
27 – Carolina Hurricanes
28 – Calgary Flames (via Vancouver)
29 – Dallas Stars
30 – New York Rangers
31 – Edmonton Oilers OR Florida Panthers (Stanley Cup runner-up)
32 – Florida Panthers OR Edmonton Oilers (Stanley Cup champion)
Bedard was top pick at 2023 NHL Draft
The Blackhawks had the top pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and they selected Canadian forward Connor Bedard from the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. Like with Celebrini, Bedard was the consensus first-overall selection, coming off a season in which he put up 71 goals and 143 points in 57 games for the Pats along with dominating at the World Juniors tournament for Canada.
And Bedard didn’t disappoint in his rookie campaign for the Blackhawks this past season, putting up 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games and leading a struggling Chicago team in overall scoring.
The Ducks took forward Leo Carlsson with the second-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, while the Blue Jackets added forward Adam Fantilli with the No. 3 selection, and the Sharks made it four forwards in a row with William Smith at the fourth-overall pick. David Reinbacher was the first defenseman taken in 2023, at No. 5 by the Canadiens. The first goaltender selected was Slovakian Adam Gajan, who was taken by the Blackhawks with the third pick of the second round (No. 35).
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
