The NHL Entry Draft is an event in which the teams of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available amateur players who meet the requirements to play professional hockey in the NHL.

Draft order
Draft order in the Entry Draft is determined by a combination of lottery, regular season standing, and playoff results.  In all cases, the team considered is the original holder of the draft pick, not a team which may have acquired the pick via a trade or other means.

List of Drafts
2016 NHL Entry Draft - First Niagara Center - Buffalo, New York
2015 NHL Entry Draft - BB&T Center - Sunrise, Florida
2014 NHL Entry Draft - Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2013 NHL Entry Draft - Prudential Center - Newark, New Jersey
2012 NHL Entry Draft - Consol Energy Center - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2011 NHL Entry Draft - Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, Minnesota
2010 NHL Entry Draft - Staples Center - Los Angeles, California
2009 NHL Entry Draft - Bell Centre - Montreal, Quebec
2008 NHL Entry Draft - Scotiabank Place - Ottawa, Ontario
2007 NHL Entry Draft - Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
2006 NHL Entry Draft - GM Place - Vancouver, British Columbia
2005 NHL Entry Draft - The Westin Ottawa - Ottawa, Ontario
2004 NHL Entry Draft - RBC Center - Raleigh, North Carolina
2003 NHL Entry Draft - Gaylord Entertainment Center - Nashville, Tennessee
2002 NHL Entry Draft - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, Ontario
2001 NHL Entry Draft - National Car Rental Center - Sunrise, Florida
2000 NHL Entry Draft - Pengrowth Saddledome - Calgary, Alberta
1999 NHL Entry Draft - FleetCenter - Boston, Massachusetts
1998 NHL Entry Draft - Marine Midland Arena - Buffalo, New York
1997 NHL Entry Draft - Civic Arena - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1996 NHL Entry Draft - Kiel Center - St. Louis, Missouri
1995 NHL Entry Draft - Edmonton Coliseum - Edmonton, Alberta
1994 NHL Entry Draft - Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, Connecticut
1993 NHL Entry Draft - Colisée de Quebec - Quebec City, Quebec
1992 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1991 NHL Entry Draft - Memorial Auditorium - Buffalo, New York
1990 NHL Entry Draft - B.C. Place, Vancouver, British Columbia
1989 NHL Entry Draft - Metropolitan Sports Center - Bloomington, Minnesota
1988 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1987 NHL Entry Draft - Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, Michigan
1986 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1985 NHL Entry Draft - Metro Toronto Convention Centre - Toronto, Ontario
1984 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1983 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1982 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1981 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1980 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
1979 NHL Entry Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1978 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1977 NHL Amateur Draft - Mount Royal Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1976 NHL Amateur Draft - NHL Office - Montreal, Quebec
1975 NHL Amateur Draft - NHL Office - Montreal, Quebec
1974 NHL Amateur Draft - NHL Office - Montreal, Quebec
1973 NHL Amateur Draft - Mount Royal Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1972 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1971 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1970 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1969 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1968 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1967 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1966 NHL Amateur Draft - Mount Royal Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1965 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1964 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
1963 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec

Draft oddities
In the 1974 entry draft, Buffalo Sabres General Manager Punch Imlach deliberately selected an imaginary Japanese center, Taro Tsujimoto, supposedly of the Tokyo Katanas of the Japanese Ice Hockey League, in the 11th round (183rd overall).  Only after weeks had passed did the league discover that Tsujimoto did not in fact exist.  Imlach later revealed that he had played the prank because of his frustration with the excessive tedium and length of that year's draft proceedings.  Today, the league officially records the 183rd selection of the 1974 entry draft as an "invalid claim".

Likewise, the Florida Panthers attempted to draft Russian hockey phenomenon Alexander Ovechkin in 2003, even though his birthday was two days after the cut-off. The Panther's GM claimed that, with the addition of extra days falling on Leap Year, Ovechkin was actually eligible to be drafted.

Player numbers by league summary
Below is a chart showing where players have been drafted from by year. The leagues represented are the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, United States Colleges, United States High Schools, International players. Those player listed under Other do not fit any of the other listed categories. International players who were playing for teams in North American leagues are listed in the chart as being drafted from their respective league rather than being listed as international.

Player numbers by team
This is a ranking of the minor teams who have provided the most players to the NHL as of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Rank - Team, League - Players
Peterborough Petes, OHL - 162
Oshawa Generals, OHL - 146
Kitchener Rangers, OHL - 140
London Knights, OHL - 140
Ottawa 67's, OHL - 132
Saskatoon Blades, WHL - 108
Regina Pats, WHL - 107
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL - 107
Sudbury Wolves, OHL - 107
Kamloops Blazers, WHL - 105
Portland Winter Hawks, WHL - 105
Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL - 101
Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL - 97
Toronto Marlboros, OHL - 97 (defunct)
Kingston Frontenacs, OHL - 94
Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL - 91
Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL - 87
Prince Albert Raiders, WHL - 80
Windsor Spitfires, OHL - 76
Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL - 74
Hull/Gatineau Olympiques, QMJHL - 72
Niagara Falls Thunder, OHL - 72 (defunct)
Victoria Cougars, WHL - 70 (defunct)
Minnesota, NCAA's WCHA - 68
Guelph Storm, OHL - 67
Michigan, NCAA's CCHA - 66
Calgary Wranglers, WHL - 66 (defunct)
Sherbrooke Castors, QMJHL - 63 (defunct)
Hamilton Steelhawks, OHL - 62 (defunct)
New Westminster Bruins, WHL - 62 (defunct)
CSKA Moscow, Russia - 60
Spokane Chiefs, WHL - 60
Belleville Bulls, OHL - 59
Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL - 58
Swift Current Broncos, WHL - 58
North Bay Centennials, OHL - 56 (defunct)
Plymouth Whalers, OHL - 54
Laval Titan, QMJHL - 54 (defunct)
Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL - 53
Hamilton Fincups, OHA - 52 (defunct)
Chicoutimi Saguenéens, QMJHL - 51
Tri-City Americans, WHL - 51
Boston University, NCAA's Hockey East - 50
Quebec Remparts, QMJHL - 49
Michigan State, NCAA's CCHA - 47
Trois-Rivières Draveurs, QMJHL - 47 (defunct)
Dynamo Moscow, Russia - 46
Michigan Tech, NCAA's WCHA - 46
Cornwall Royals, QMJHL - 45 (defunct)
Denver, NCAA's WCHA - 43
Yale, NCAA's ECAC - 43
Wisconsin, NCAA's WCHA - 41
Red Deer Rebels, WHL - 40
Frölunda Indians, Sweden - 39
North Dakota, NCAA's WCHA - 39
Flin Flon Bombers, WCHL - 39 (defunct)
Edmonton Oil Kings, WCHL - 38 (defunct)
Djurgårdens IF, Sweden - 37
Cornwall Royals, OHL - 37 (defunct)
Boston College, NCAA's Hockey East - 36
HIFK Helsinki, Finland - 35
MODO Hockey Örnsköldsvik, Sweden - 35
Cornell, NCAA's ECAC - 34
Harvard, NCAA's ECAC - 34
 Jokerit Helsinki, Finland - 34
Providence, NCAA's Hockey East - 34
TPS Turku, Finland - 34
Winnipeg Warriors, WHL - 34 (defunct)
Colorado College, NCAA's WCHA - 33
HC Chemopetrol Litvínov, Czech Republic - 33
Clarkson, NCAA's ECAC - 32
Färjestads BK Karlstad, Sweden - 32
Notre Dame, NCAA's CCHA - 32
Montreal Junior Canadiens, QMJHL - 32 (defunct)
Ilves Tampere, Finland - 31
Krylya Sovetov Moskva, Russia - 31
New Hampshire, NCAA's Hockey East - 31
Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL - 31
Granby Prédateurs, QMJHL - 30 (defunct)

Note: Totals for Canadian Hockey League teams include all teams from that city, regardless of franchise moves except for Toronto, Quebec City, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.

References

National Hockey League