The New Jersey Devils are your 2017 NHL Entry Draft lottery winners.
The Devils – given just an 8.517% chance to snag the top pick, won the lottery over 13 other NHL teams who did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The Colorado Avalanche, who finished with 48 points this season – far and away the worst in the league – will pick fourth in the draft, scheduled to take place June 23 and 24 at the United Center in Chicago.
The Philadelphia Flyers will pick second, the Dallas Stars third, and the Vancouver Canucks fifth.
| Pick | Team | Pick | Team | Pick | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEW JERSEY DEVILS | 6 | VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS | 11 | LOS ANGELES KINGS |
| 2 | PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 7 | ARIZONA COYOTES | 12 | CAROLINA HURRICANES |
| 3 | DALLAS STARS | 8 | BUFFALO SABRES | 13 | WINNIPEG JETS |
| 4 | COLORADO AVANCHE | 9 | DETROIT RED WINGS | 14 | TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING |
| 5 | VANCOUVER CANUCKS | 10 | FLORIDA PANTHERS | 15 | NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
“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,” New Jersey general manager Ray Shero told NBC Sports.
The Devils are rumored to be eying center Nolan Patrick of Brandon in the Western Hockey League or center Nico Hischier of Halifax in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Patrick and Hischier are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the NHL Central Scouting service's ranking of North American skaters.
The full lineup of teams eligible for the draft lottery, along with their odds of earning the top pick follows.
| Team | Points | Lottery Odds |
|---|---|---|
| COLORADO AVALANCHE | 48 | 17.936% |
| VANCOUVER CANUCKS | 69 | 12.124% |
| VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS | – | 10.321% |
| ARIZONA COYOTES | 70 | 10.321% |
| NEW JERSEY DEVILS | 70 | 8.517% |
| BUFFALO SABRES | 78 | 7.615% |
| DETROIT RED WINGS | 79 | 6.713% |
| DALLAS STARS | 79 | 5.812% |
| FLORIDA PANTHERS | 81 | 5.411% |
| LOS ANGELES KINGS | 86 | 4.509% |
| CAROLINA HURRICANES | 87 | 3.11% |
| WINNIPEG JETS | 87 | 2.71% |
| PHILADELPHIA FLYERS | 88 | 2.20% |
| TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING | 94 | 1.80% |
| NEW YORK ISLANDERS | 94 | 0.90% |
