SECAUCUS, N.J. (May 7, 2024) – The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks own the first and second overall drafting positions, respectively, for the First Round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft as a result of the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, conducted this evening at NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J., studio.

Participants in the Draft Lottery included all teams that did not qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (or the teams that have acquired the first-round drafting positions of those non-playoff teams).

Two draws were conducted to determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the First Round of the Draft. Among the changes to the Draft Lottery format announced on March 23, 2021, there was a limit on the total number of selections (10) a team participating in the Draft Lottery could “move up” in the event it won one of the Lottery Draws. Thus, only the top 11 seeds were eligible to receive the first overall selection.

The order of selection for the first 16 picks of the First Round, only, of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft is as follows:

1. San Jose Sharks

2. Chicago Blackhawks

3. Anaheim Ducks

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

5. Montreal Canadiens

6. Utah

7. Ottawa Senators

8. Seattle Kraken

9. Calgary Flames

10. New Jersey Devils

11. Buffalo Sabres

12. Philadelphia Flyers

13. Minnesota Wild

14. San Jose Sharks (from Pittsburgh)

15. Detroit Red Wings

16. St. Louis Blues

The remaining positions are determined by the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sharks Win No. 1 Drafting Position

In the drawing that determined the No. 1 drafting position, the Sharks’ combinations had the greatest percentage likelihood of being selected based on inverse order of regular-season finish (18.5%).

The Sharks have never selected first overall in franchise history. San Jose has picked second overall three times: 1991 (Pat Falloon), 1996 (Andrei Zyuzin) and 1997 (Patrick Marleau).

Blackhawks Win No. 2 Drafting Position

In the drawing that determined the No. 2 drafting position, the Blackhawks had the greatest percentage likelihood among the remaining clubs eligible for selection (16.6%).

The Blackhawks have selected second overall once before, in 1965 (Andy Culligan).

Winning Combinations for Sharks, Blackhawks

For each of the two drawings, 14 balls, numbered 1 to 14, were placed in a lottery machine. The machine randomly selected four balls. The resulting four-number series (without regard to selection order) was matched against a chart that shows all possible combinations and the clubs to which each was assigned. The chart showed that the Sharks had been assigned the numbers (2-7-10-11) that were expelled in the first drawing, followed by the Blackhawks (3-6-11-14) in the second drawing.

2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Sphere

The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held at Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29. It marks the first time the Draft will be held in Las Vegas and the first event televised live from Sphere.

The event will take place over two days: Friday, June 28 (Round 1, televised on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, starting at 4 p.m. PT) and Saturday, June 29 (Rounds 2-7, televised on ESPN+, NHL Network, Sportsnet and SN1, starting at 8:30 a.m. PT).

Top Prospects and Scouting Combine

NHL Central Scouting has released its final rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft, where Boston University (Hockey East) forward Macklin Celebrini tops the list of North America-based skaters and Nizhny Novgorod (KHL) defenseman Anton Silayev leads all Europe-based skaters.

The 2024 NHL Scouting Combine, showcasing the top draft-eligible North American and international prospects, will be held from June 2-8 at KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y.