The NHL Draft Lottery is set for Monday, May 8 at the NHL’s studio in Secaucus, N.J. For fans that haven’t seen their team enter the NHL playoffs, this is often the most anticipated event since the end of their team’s season. It’s the event that brings the most excitement until the actual NHL Entry Draft in June and the free agency period that begins shortly after.
Most years there are a few can’t-miss prospects at the top of the draft board, but the 2023 NHL draft class appears to be one of the best in years, if not ever. The draft will no doubt be led off by a team calling the name of Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard, who has been the expected first overall pick for this draft for a couple of years. Ontario sports betting customers might even weigh their futures bets based on the draft if they think any rookie, such as Bedard, will make an impact fast enough in the NHL.
Bedard is the most hyped prospect since Connor McDavid in 2015. The center, who turns 18 on July 17, possesses a mix of McDavid’s skating skill and Auston Matthews’ shooting and scoring ability, plus he knows where to be at all times in the offensive zone at the Western Hockey League level.
Landing the first overall pick in the draft lottery would be a franchise changing moment for any team in the league.
Other Top Prospects After Connor Bedard
Bedard isn’t the only prize available, as there are several players who would contend to be the top pick in any other draft. Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, Matvei Michkov and many more make up the start of what will surely be a list of future NHL superstars.
With so many enticing options available in this year's draft, a star could be picked from anywhere. Only one team will leave the lottery thrilled with their chance to draft Bedard, but for the rest of the top 10 draft slots a superstar is still a possibility.
OntarioBets, where you can find reviews of Ontario betting apps, looked at the number of NHL All-Stars that were taken from each spot in the first round of the NHL entry draft from 2000 until 2022.
NHL Draft Value Per Slot, Ranked By All-Stars
How We Determined NHL Draft Pick Value
With the NHL Draft Lottery just a few days away, OntarioBets.com – your home for information on Toronto online casinos – looked at what you might expect from prospects in the 2023 NHL Draft. Using HockeyReference.com, OntarioBets.com gathered the number of NHL All Stars that were taken at each spot in the first round of the NHL Draft from 2000 until 2022.
To no surprise, the first overall pick has always been the place a team is most likely to find an All-Star.
Whoever drafts Bedard will hope to have as much good fortune as a winner on Ontario online casinos. The second overall pick is the next best place to pick from, with 14 All Stars coming from that draft slot.
After the second pick is where things start to fall out of their natural order. The seventh overall pick has seen nine All-Stars, one more than the No. 3 overall pick. Quinn Hughes and Clayton Keller headline the stars that have been found at seventh overall.
Tying for fifth with seven All-Stars are the fourth, fifth and ninth picks. The sixth overall pick ties as the eighth-best spot, producing six All-Stars.
Most Surprising Production From NHL Draft Slot
The surprise of the list has to be the 26th overall pick, which somehow has seen six All-Stars picked. Philip Danault, Kyle Palmieri and Evgeny Kuznetsov are all strong NHLers who were picked at No. 26.
The 26th overall pick isn’t one of the draft slots up for grabs at Monday’s draft lottery, where the first half of the NHL draft order will be finalized. Not everyone can get the top pick, but All-Star players can be found anywhere in the draft and fans now know what spots to hope for when watching the lottery balls fall.
The 31st pick has been a first-round selection since the 2017 Draft (the first with the new Vegas Golden Knights) and hasn’t produced an All Star in that time. The 2021 and 2022 Draft were the only drafts with the No. 32 pick landing in the first round, with the entry of the Seattle Kraken as the league’s 32nd team. So it makes sense that there have been no All-Stars at that spot from those two years.
Stick with OntarioBets for more sports coverage as well as information on live dealer casinos in Ontario and much more.
