19°c Partly cloudy
12°c Cloudy with showers
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
NHL lays out new rules for draft lottery; draft to take place on June 30 in New Jersey
NEWARK, N.J. - The NHL is borrowing a page from the NBA when it comes to the draft lottery.
The NHL announced Monday that all 14 teams that miss the playoffs, or the teams that hold the rights to the top 14 picks, will be eligible to win the No. 1 draft pick when the lottery is held on April 29.
Under the previous system, the five teams with the fewest points had the opportunity to win the top selection since no team could move up more than four spots.
The league also announced that all seven rounds of the draft at the Prudential Center will be held on June 30. The previous six drafts were held over a two-day span, with last year's event taking place in Pittsburgh.
The draft lottery will be weighted with the teams having the fewest points in the regular season having the best chance of winning. The team with the fewest points will have a 25 per cent chance of winning. The non-playoff team with the most points will have a 0.5 per cent chance of winning.
While the top pick can now go to any of the 14 non-playoff clubs, or the team owning the rights to the first pick of a non-playoff club, the odds of winning the lottery are unchanged from previous years.
No club will move down more than one position as a result of the lottery. The remaining first-round drafting positions are determined by the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"Hosting the NHL draft is the next brick in the wall for Newark and Prudential Center," Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek said in a statement. "We couldn't be more excited to have the draft on the heels of last year's Stanley Cup final at the Rock and look forward to hosting some of the future stars in the sport."
The draft will get under way at 3 p.m. EDT.
Recent overall No. 1 picks include Alex Ovechkin (Washington, 2004), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh, 2005), Erik Johnson (St. Louis, 2006), Patrick Kane (Chicago, 2007), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay, 2008), John Tavares (NY Islanders, 2009), Taylor Hall (Edmonton, 2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton, 2011) and Nail Yakupov (Edmonton, 2012).
The NBA modified its lottery system in 1993 to increase the chances of the worst team winning the lottery while limiting the chances of winning for the best non-playoff team.
More NHL
- Back to Top
- Return to NHL
More NHL
(1 of 19 articles for today)
Sharks try to shrug off Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Kings in Game 5
6:50 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular NHL
- Knights shred Blades for berth
- Quick shuts out Sharks again, and LA Kings surge ahead in series with gritty 3-0 win in Game 5
- Kreider's OT goal keeps Rangers alive with 4-3 win over Bruins
- Don Cherry criticizes Canucks general manager Gillis on Coach's Corner
- Red Wings beat Blackhawks 2-0, take 3-1 series lead with 3rd straight victory
- Hockeytown heroes on a roll
- Struggling C Brad Richards scratched by Rangers for potential elimination game vs Bruins
- He's his father's son BUT...
- Blueshirts still alive, kicking
- Winnipeg's Leipsic signs with Preds
- Pittsburgh Penguins take Game 4 with 7-3 romp over Ottawa Senators
- Ex-Jets MacLean, Carlyle on Sochi coaching list
- Colin Greening has OT winner in Senators 2-1 victory; Penguins lead series 2-1
- Red Wings flying high
- Don Cherry criticizes Canucks general manager Gillis on Coach's Corner
- Tale of two stars as Crosby outshines Karlsson in Penguins 4-3 win over Senators
- B's bring their A game
- Sharks fined $100,000 for GM Doug Wilson's comments about Raffi Torres' suspension
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
- Sweden beats Switzerland 5-1, wins gold at world hockey championship
- Sens-Habs series gets ugly:Eric Gryba suspended two games for Lars Eller hit
- Men's locker-room no place for women says hockey commentator Don Cherry
- Grapes claims women have no place in locker-room
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- Former Leafs GM Burke files defamation suit
- Sens packing plenty of punch
- Boston completes miraculous comeback in overtime to oust Maple Leafs
- Get it through your thick head, NHL
- From the rubble of disaster: Lokomotiv picking up pieces after entire team was killed in a 2011 plane crash
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- Men's locker-room no place for women says hockey commentator Don Cherry
- Classy group joining Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- Tim Leiweke named president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
- Sens-Habs series gets ugly:Eric Gryba suspended two games for Lars Eller hit
- Pesky Sens: Turris scores in OT as Ottawa beats Montreal to grab 3-1 series lead
- Sharks will be without injured F Adam Burish for 2nd round of playoffs
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- The Boston OT Party
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.