2023 NHL entry draft

61st annual meeting of National Hockey League franchises to select newly eligible players

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The 2023 NHL entry draft was the 61st entry draft for the National Hockey League. The draft was held on June 28–29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee

The first three selections were Connor Bedard by the Chicago Blackhawks, Leo Carlsson by the Anaheim Ducks, and Adam Fantilli by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Eligibility

Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2003, and September 15, 2005, are eligible for selection in the 2023 NHL entry draft. Additionally, un-drafted, non-North American players born in 2002 are eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2021 NHL entry draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 2003, are also eligible to re-enter the draft.

Draft lottery

Beginning with the 2014–15 NHL season the NHL changed the weighting system that was used in previous years. Under the new system the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the league decreased, while the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased. As the league reduced the number of lottery drawings before the 2021–22 season, this resulted in two lotteries being held instead of three. Since the 2022 draft lottery, the teams winning one of the two drawings are allowed to move up a maximum of ten spots in the draft order and a team is only allowed to win the lottery twice in a five-year period.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks won the two draft lotteries that took place on May 8, 2023, giving them the first and second picks overall. Chicago moved up two spots to receive the first pick, while Anaheim and Columbus each moved down one spot. During the broadcast ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes revealed that the Columbus Blue Jackets had received the third overall pick before the top three picks were officially revealed, which was attributed to a teleprompter mistake.