NHL Entry Draft

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
*2017 NHL Entry Draft
*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. [http://scoreboards.canoe.ca/default.asp?c=canoe&page=nhl/misc/DRAFT-HISTORICAL.htm ]

## 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