Players enter professional hockey through the NHL Draft. How does it all work?
While fantasy hockey season brings about its own draft period, you might be curious about how the actual NHL draft works. This article covers everything related to the NHL draft, from its origins and how it works to eligibility rules, draft order and number of rounds. Plus, discover how to make the most out of your fantasy NHL draft strategy to win your league!
How Does the NHL Draft Work?
The NHL entry draft is held annually for each of the league’s teams to select its next group of prospects. All of the NHL teams meet to select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet the draft eligibility requirements. Those teams must still negotiate with those players and sign them to contracts.
The first NHL Draft was held in 1963. Initially, it was known as the NHL amateur draft until ‘79 and has since been called the NHL entry draft.
The NHL draft was not a public event until ‘80 and it was not televised until ‘84. Nowadays the NHL draft is a spectacle, with the ‘24 NHL Draft taking place at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The NHL draft may seem confusing at first blush but there is a defined system for selecting players, how those players become eligible and how the draft order is determined, among other things. We’re here to answer the pressing questions.
How Many Rounds Are There in the NHL Draft?
There are currently seven rounds in the NHL draft and have been since 2005; however, there were once as many as 25 rounds back in ‘74 and as few as three rounds in ‘65, ‘67 and ‘68.
When the NHL draft first started in 1963, there were only six teams in the league. From ‘63-68 there were just four or three rounds in each year’s draft. A record-low 11 players were drafted in the three-round NHL draft in ‘65.
As the league expanded, so did the number of rounds in the NHL draft. There were 10 rounds in the 1969 draft and that number stayed in the double digits through ‘94 with one exception: the six-round draft in ‘79.
From 1982-91 there were 12 rounds, then 11 rounds in the following three drafts and nine rounds from ‘95-04. Since then, the NHL draft has had a consistent seven rounds over the last two decades.
What Players Are Eligible for the NHL Draft?
The NHL draft hasn’t always had a consistent rule when it comes to which players are eligible to be selected.
When the NHL draft first started, junior players became eligible for the draft at 20 years old. In 1974, the age was lowered to 18 in order to compete with the World Hockey Association (WHA).
The NHL briefly allowed players who previously played professionally to be drafted in order to absorb some of the players from the WHA. The age was also dropped to 19 in 1979 and then 18 in ‘80. For a short period from ‘87-91, 18- and 19-year-olds were only able to be drafted in the first three rounds of the draft unless they met certain criteria.
Currently, North American players between 18 and 20 years old and international players between 18 and 21 are eligible. Players can be drafted as long as they will be 18 on or before September 15 of that year and will not be older than 20 before December 31 of the draft year. This allows some 17-year-old players to be drafted prior to turning 18 a few months later.
How is the NHL Draft Order Determined?
At first, the NHL draft order was determined in a rather simple manner. Up until 1994, the order was determined by the standings at the end of the regular season. The last-place team would have the first overall pick and so on.
The NHL draft lottery was introduced in 1995. The lottery allows all of the teams who missed the playoffs to have a weighted chance at drafting in a higher slot. Those teams could only move up four places, meaning that only the five worst teams could win the first overall pick.
The draft lottery has seen some changes over the past decade, though:
- From 2013-15, any team could win the draft lottery. If a team moved up to first overall, the teams would then drop one slot down behind them.
- From 2015-20, the lottery was for the top three picks in the draft. Any teams above the lottery winners would once again drop down, but no more than three slots.
- Since 2021, the draft lottery includes just two winners for the top two picks. And since ‘22, a team could only move up a maximum of 10 spots in the draft order.
When Does the NHL Draft Take Place?
The NHL draft typically takes place in the weeks following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final. This is usually in the last week of June, prior to free agency for the upcoming NHL season.
With the growing importance, focus and media coverage of the NHL draft, this event is now a multiple-day affair. The first round of the NHL draft takes place on one night with rounds 2-7 occurring the next day.
The most recent NHL drafts both occurred on June 28 and 29.
NHL Draft for Fantasy Hockey Players
While NHL prospects typically take a longer time to develop than in the other professional sports leagues in North America, the draft is still important for fantasy hockey players. There are usually a handful of rookies making their debuts in that upcoming season.
Being able to sniff out which newly drafted players could make an impact during the fantasy hockey season could go a long way toward your success.
We’ve recently seen Connor Bedard win the Calder Trophy (given to the top rookie) in the year after being drafted, with Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli and others also seeing time at the NHL level.
Some managers may overlook these first-year draftees in fantasy hockey, which is your chance to scoop them up.
See also: What Is a Hat Trick?
Frequently Asked Questions
How does an NHL draft order work?
The teams that did not qualify for the playoffs are sorted among the top 16 picks that are determined by the NHL draft lottery. Teams that did qualify for the playoffs pick in the second half of the draft, with that order a bit more complicated. They’re placed in reverse standings order depending on playoff finish.
Teams that did not win their division or reach the Conference Finals are in the next group from 17 to 24 and potentially up to 28. If a team won its division but did not reach the Conference Finals, they’re placed in picks 25 to 28.
The teams that lose in the Conference Finals automatically get pick 29 or 30, with the Stanley Cup runner-up drafting 31st and Stanley Cup champion picking last at 32nd.
How many picks per round in the NHL draft?
There are usually 32 picks in each round -- one for each team. However, teams can have picks taken away from them due to violations or compensatory picks awarded to them if a top pick does not sign with the team.
An example of a team losing picks is the Arizona Coyotes in the early 2020s. In the 2021 NHL Draft, the Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick due to violations of the NHL Combine Testing Policy in the previous year. They also forfeited a second-round pick in 2020.
The Philadelphia Flyers were awarded a compensatory pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL draft. They were given the 19th pick in the second round as compensation for their 19th overall pick from the 2018 draft not signing with the team.
Outside of rare cases like these, there are 32 picks per round in the NHL draft.
Who gets the first pick in the NHL draft?
The first pick in the NHL draft is awarded via the draft lottery.
The team with the worst regular-season record has the best chance of getting this pick, but it’s not unusual for teams slightly ahead of them in the standings to win the lottery and the right to the first overall selection in that year’s NHL draft.
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