What you need to know about the NHL Draft Lottery

You have to go back to the draft in 1980 to find the last time the Canadian was the first to pick. He used to focus on Doug Wickenheiser when many hoped instead of seeing him fish with Denis Savard, but that was a different story.

The changes will take effect in this 2022 lottery, held at NHL TV studios in New Jersey:

• Teams will not improve their ranking by selecting more than 10 places in the first round.
• Teams cannot win the draft lottery more than twice in five years. The results of lotteries made before 2022 will not be considered.

In addition, since 2021, the lottery has involved the first two choices and no longer the first three preventing the worst team from slipping into 4th place, as happened in 2017, 2019 and 2020. Consequently, in worst case scenario for the Habs, Montreal could land in the 3rd choice. Two draws will then be made, one for the first choice, one for the second.

For fans of the stats, the Habs have an 18.5% chance of seeing the ping-pong ball pull their number first. But in reality, the team has 25.5% of getting the first choice because if the first ping-pong ball to be chosen represents one of the teams ranked between 12th and 16th place, the team that it will not beat the Canadian. . Only 11 of the 16 teams are eligible for first selection tonight.

Are you still following?

If you’re having trouble knowing this, it could be because the NHL changed its lottery system in 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020 (due to the period shortened by COVID-19), 2021 and 2022!

From the start of the draft, in 1963, the Canadian was the most likely to have the first choice in total (five times), even though it has been more than 40 years since he had this honor.

• 1963: Garry Monahan
• 1968: Michel Plasse
• 1969: Rejean Houle
• 1971: Guy Lafleur
• 1980: Doug Wickenheiser

But if we limit ourselves to the draft since 1980, the year in which all players ages 18 to 20 qualified, the Buffalo Sabers and the Edmonton Oilers won the palm of the first pick with four na. Note that Edmonton also had first picks in the short term, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.

Since 1980, the Canadian has not drafted first, but has had the opportunity to pick early on several occasions.

Here is an overview of the last 20 years:

• 2018, 3rd pick in the first round: Jesperi Kotkaniemi
• 2016, 9th pick in the first round: Mikhail Sergachev
• 2012, 3rd pick in the first round: Alex Galchenyuk
• 2005, 5th pick in first round: Carey Price
• 2003, 10th pick in the first round: Andrei Kostitsyn
• 2001, 7th pick in first round: Mike Komisarek

The history of the draft is closely related to the city of Montreal, first of all because the very first edition took place in 1963 at the Reine-Elizabeth hotel, but also because the metropolis hosted it without delay until 1984. Subsequently, it was presented of Montreal the repechage four more times, in 1986, 1988, 1992, 2009 and it will host again this year.

The draft was first televised in 1984 when Radio-Canada and CBC aired the event in French and English. The first broadcast in the United States was in 1987.

And who can fish CH?

The very first name that could be named next July is Shane Wright, a right -handed OHL center who has been compared to Nico Hischier or Mathew Barzal.

There are still three players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League who could be drafted in the first round:

• Tristan Luneau, a Gatineau Olympiques defenseman;
• Nathan Gaucher, a center for Quebec Remparts;
• Maveric Lamoureux, a defenseman for the Drummondville Voltigeurs.