| Advertisement |
The New Jersey Devils received the first overall pick of the 2017 NHL draft after winning the lottery conducted Saturday in Toronto. The Devils will own the top selection in a draft for the first time since 1979, when they were known as the Colorado Rockies. They selected defenseman Rob Ramage with that pick.
Advertisement
The Metropolitan Division rival Philadelphia Flyers elevated 11 spots in the draft to the second overall pick. The Flyers last owned the top spot in the draft in 1975.
The Dallas Stars jumped five spots to secure the third overall pick of the 2017 NHL draft, which will be held June 23-24 at the United Center in Chicago.
The 14 NHL teams that did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, along with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, participated in the lottery.
With the top overall pick, the Devils are expected to have the choice between highly touted centers Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League and Nico Hischier of the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Junior Hockey League.
"This is a great day for our franchise, and to pick first overall, to have that for our Devils fans and our organization, is great news," New Jersey general manager Ray Shero told NBC Sports.
The Devils, who had the fifth-best chance to win the lottery at 8.5 percent, won the lottery for the second time in six years. In 2011, New Jersey was able to move up to the fourth overall pick based on the rules at the time.
The Colorado Avalanche received the fourth selection despite having the worst record and thereby the best chance to win the overall pick at 18 percent.
The Vancouver Canucks, who had the second-highest chance at 12.1 percent, claimed the fifth overall pick and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights will select sixth.
The Arizona Coyotes were seventh, followed (in order) by the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders.
