The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL Lottery Draft on Monday night, earning the right to select phenom Connor Bedard.
The last time the Blackhawks picked first overall was in 2007, when they took winger Patrick Kane. Chicago had the third best chance of earning the first overall pick this year at 11.5%.
Chicago is fully committed to rebuilding this season, which included a trade that sent Kane to the New York Rangers and parted ways with free agent captain Jonathan Toews. That rebuild got a big boost with the potential to draft 17-year-old Canadian junior center Bedard, who many believe is a generational talent.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said, “I’m a little speechless, to be honest, but very excited.” “Any time you can add elite talent like we can with the first overall selection in this draft, it’s a monumental thing. I’m so excited for the fan base and the city. But in the end, it all It’s a piece. It’s a great piece, but it’s a piece that will be used to build this team.” (Blackhawks Win the NHL Draft Lottery and the Connor Bedard Giveaway)
The Anaheim Ducks had the best odds at 18.5% after finishing bottom of the NHL standings. He got the second overall pick. Duck has never taken the overall before, but he placed second to Bobby Ryan (2005) and Oleg Tvardovsky (1994). They are in line to select center Adam Fantilie from the University of Michigan, who is considered the second best prospect in the draft.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said, “You never want to go down in the draft and not hold the first pick, but this year’s best players give us the opportunity to select a specific player with the second overall pick.” Are.” “We are now in a unique position to recruit one of the best players available and add to the exciting young players we already have in our organization.”( Blackhawks Win the NHL Draft Lottery and the Connor Bedard Giveaway)
The Columbus Blue Jackets had a 13.5% chance of getting the first overall pick, but ended up going third.
The lottery consisted of the 16 teams that did not make the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 17-year-old Bedard is considered a generational talent by many draft experts and the franchise’s best prop since Connor McDavid first went to the Edmonton Oilers in 2015.
As draft expert Craig Button, a former general manager of the NHL, told ESPN: “I think Connor Bedard changes the fortunes of a franchise.”
He was the first Western Hockey League player to be granted “extraordinary status” by Hockey Canada, allowing the 15-year-old Bedard to play full-time in the junior leagues. The North Vancouver native had 271 points in 134 games with the WHL Regina Pats, including 134 goals. This season he scored 143 points with 71 goals for the Patriots.
His legend grew at the 2023 IIHF World Youth Hockey Championship, where he broke the career records for goals (17) and points (36) by a Canadian player. He also set a world junior record for points by a player under the age of 19, surpassing Jaromir Jäger’s previous mark.
The 18-year-old Fantilie, who hails from Toronto, has been the consensus No. 2 overall pick all year. The 6-foot-2 center won the 2023 Hobe Baker Award as the NCAA’s top men’s hockey player after scoring 65 points in 36 games as a Michigan freshman.
This draft is considered to be one of the deepest in recent years.
Other players in the mix behind Bedard include US Under-18 National Team Development Program center Will Smith, a Massachusetts native committed to Boston College, Swedish center Leo Karlsson, an elite two-way player, and Russian winger Matvei Michkov, a dynamic target. . , Scorer whose contract with the Kontinental Hockey League will prevent him from playing in the NHL until the 2026-27 season.
There are two lottery draws for the first pick and the second pick. Thanks to an NHL rule change in 2021, teams can move up a maximum of 10 spots in the order. If a team ranked from numbers 12 to 16 wins the first lottery, it will increase the maximum number slot and the lowest ranked team will be seeded at number 1. The same rules apply for other general lottery draws. choose.
