The No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft will be announced Monday night during Phase 2 of the NHL Draft Lottery (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN; livestream)
All eight teams that were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Qualifying Round are eligible. Each have a 12.5% chance of winning the No. 1 pick. Rimouski forward Alexis Lafreniere is expected to be chosen with the first overall selection.
Phase 1 of the draft lottery was held in June and won by a team involved in the NHL’s Return to Play. That means that one of the Rangers, Predators, Panthers, Wild, Penguins, Jets, Oilers, or Maple Leafs will own the top pick in the Oct. 9-10 draft.
According to the NHL, since the 1995 draft, no team has held the No. 1 pick finishing better than 26th in the standings.
WHAT: 2020 NHL Draft Lottery stream - Phase 2
WHEN: Monday, August 10, 6 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
LIVE STREAM: You can watch the NHL draft lottery stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
Here’s a look at the order of the first 15 picks:
ROUND 1 ORDER
1. Placeholder team
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Ottawa Senators (via San Jose)
4. Detroit Red Wings
5. Ottawa Senators
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Buffalo Sabres
========================
9. Placeholder team
10. Placeholder team
11. Placeholder team
12. Placeholder team
13. Placeholder team
14. Placeholder team
15. Placeholder team
The seven losing teams from the First Round that do not win the No. 1 pick will fill out spots 9-15 by reverse order of their regular season points percentages. The remaining 16 Round 1 draft picks will be determined by the results of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The prospects
Lafreniere will be the No. 1 pick. We know that. After that? It could go a lot of different ways. Quinton Byfield (Sudbury – C- OHL), Tim Stutzle (Adler Mannheim – C/LW – DEL), Lucas Raymond (Frolunda – LW/C – SHL), Jamie Drysdale (Erie – D – OHL), Marco Rossi (Ottawa – C – OHL), Cole Perfetti (Saginaw – C – OHL), Jake Sanderson (D – USNTDP) are among the top prospects expected to be selected early.
Check out Ryan Wagman’s midseason mock draft to further educate yourself on these players.
MORE:
• Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round schedule
• Power Rankings: Best First Round matchups
• Conn Smythe Watch entering First Round