New York Islanders win draft lottery, will select first; Utah also moves up
New York Islanders win draft lottery, will select first; Utah also moves up
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'It's been a fun ride': Paul Bissonnette on being a studio analyst for NHL on TNT
Paul Bissonnette shares what it's like behind the scenes at NHL on TNT.
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The NHL draft lottery had a new look and a vastly different result.
The 23rd-place New York Islanders earned the right to pick first overall in the June 27-28 draft by winning the first live draft lottery in league history on Monday. The 19th-place Utah Hockey Club won the other drawing and moved up the maximum allowed 10 spots to fourth place.
The Islanders, currently between general managers, had 3.5% odds of winning the No. 1 overall pick. They will select first for the first time since drafting John Tavares in 2009.
The top-ranked North American prospect is Matthew Schaefer, though NHL Central Scouting said it's close. The Erie (Pennsylvania) Otters defenseman missed the rest of the season since breaking his collarbone during the winter while playing for Team Canada at the world junior hockey championship. He had 22 points in 17 games.
Last year, the last-place San Jose Sharks and the 31st-place Chicago Blackhawks held onto their current spots and picked first and second, respectively. They will pick second and third this year.
Previously, the draw was conducted off camera, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly would turn over cards with team logos on them until the winner was revealed. But everyone got to watch the draw of the lottery balls live, and commissioner Gary Bettman was in the room, too.
NHL draft order after the lottery
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