NHL Draft Lottery winners

The Draft Lottery is an annual event that is held by the NHL to determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the NHL Entry Draft. The event is organized at the NHL Network's studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, since 2020, the lottery assigns odds based on regular-season point totals, giving the team with the fewest points an 18.5% chance of securing the first pick, while the team with the highest point total among non-playoff teams has a 1% chance.

The lottery is designed as two draws to select the top two picks. If a team wins the lottery, they will get the first pick. For example, if the team with the fifth-worst record wins, they get the first pick. The remaining teams with the worst through fourth-worst records move down one spot each. A team can win the lottery only twice in five years, ensuring fairness in the lottery draft picks. The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery took place on May 7, 2024. While many teams are busy in the playoff series and non playoff performing teams have the chance to improvise their rosters.

NHL Draft Lottery winners

On May 7, 2024, the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks emerged as the winners of the two draft lotteries. With their second lottery win in two seasons, the Chicago Blackhawks will not be eligible to win the draft lottery again until 2028. Since 2012-2013, non-playoff NHL teams have had the chance to win the first overall pick.

However, starting from the 2014-15 season, they changed this system.They reduced the odds for the teams with the worst records, meaning they were less likely to win the lottery. Instead, they increased the possibilities for the other non-playoff teams, giving them a better shot at winning. This change was to create a fairer lottery system by giving the odds more evenly among all non-playoff teams.