2020 NHL Draft scheduled for October 9-10
In just 12 weeks many of the Canadian Hockey League’s brightest stars could experience a dream come true.
October 9-10 is when the National Hockey League has tentatively scheduled the 2020 NHL Draft with all seven rounds to be conducted online.
The dates were circled as part of several announcements made last week including a four-year extension to the NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement just days ahead of the start of Phase 3 in the league’s Return to Play Plan and the opening of Training Camps.
146 CHL players including 57 from the Ontario Hockey League, 52 from the Western Hockey League, and 37 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League were listed in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings release on April 8. CHL Player of the Year Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic stands atop the North American chart followed by Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves at number two, and defenceman Jamie Drysdale of the Erie Otters at number three.
The 2020 NHL Draft will be held online October 9 and 10. https://t.co/3hfowNDHja
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) July 11, 2020
The lucky team to select first overall will be determined on August 10 by the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery based on results of the First Phase which was held on June 26. The pick will be awarded to one of the eight teams that are eliminated from the Stanley Cup qualifiers and will be drawn before the start of the playoffs. The First Phase of the lottery included the seven teams that are not part of the 24-team NHL Return to Play Plan, plus eight placeholder positions for the eliminated qualifiers. A separate drawing was held for each of the top three picks.
Each of the 16 teams that will play in best-of-5 qualifiers beginning August 1 could potentially earn the lucrative opportunity to select Lafreniere. Those teams include the Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
As per the First Phase of the lottery, the Los Angeles Kings will choose second overall followed by the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, another Sens pick at five, the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres. Picks 9-15 will be assigned to the other teams that lose the eight qualifier series, in inverse order of their points percentage, while picks 16-31 will be determined by the results of the playoffs.
The 2020 NHL Draft was originally scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal but was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
For more information visit nhl.com.