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May 9 (UPI) -- The Chicago Blackhawks won the 2023 NHL Draft lottery, enabling the franchise to select hockey phenom Connor Bedard No. 1 overall at the event June 28 in Nashville. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced the lottery picks Monday night on ESPN. The Anaheim Ducks won the No. 2 pick, followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens.
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The Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues are other teams that will pick inside the Top 10.
"I was mentally preparing for [pick No.] 4 or 5, because that's what the odds said were going to happen," Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters. "I prepared for that, but hoped for the best. Things broke our way."
The Ducks, who won an NHL-low 23 games this season, entered the night with the best odds (18.5%) to draw the top pick. The Blue Jackets held 13.5% odds. The Blackhawks faced 11.5% odds to earn the top pick.
The NHL lottery system consists of 14 Ping-Pong balls, which are placed inside a lottery machine. Each lottery team is assign a series of randomly selected four-digit numbers.
The machine allows for 1,000 combinations, with the worst team getting the most (185) combinations to potentially be selected.
"If you would have asked me three or four days before the season was coming to a close and told me we were going to get the No. 2 pick, I would have been extremely excited," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. "I'm excited.
"Obviously, it looks like Connor Bedard will go No. 1. Now we will get to determine the player that we want."
Davidson did not say that the franchise would use the selection to take Bedard, but the Canadian center is widely considered the top prospect in the class. Michigan center Adam Fantilli, who won the 2023 Hobey Baker Award, given to the top college hockey player, is another top prospect.
Bedard, 17, scored 71 goals and registered 72 assists in 57 games this season for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.
Fantilli, 18, totaled 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games this season at Michigan. Center Will Smith and wingers Matthew Wood, Ryan Leonard and Zach Benson are among the other top players in the class.
"I think this is a strong year," Davidson said of the prospect class. "I think it's well documented that this is a pretty special draft, and we're going to be able to pick at the top of it, and we're going to be able to pick who we want. And we don't have to wait for anyone else to dictate our fortunes, so it's exciting."
Davidson said the impact of a No. 1 overall pick can "change a franchise" and "change an era in a team's history."
The Blackhawks will make the No. 1 overall selection for the second time in franchise history. They snagged star forward Patrick Kane with the top pick in the 2007 NHL Draft.
The first round of the 2023 NHL Draft will be June 28 at Bridgestone Arena. Round Nos. 2 through 7 will be June 29 in Nashville. The event will air on ESPN and NHL Network. The NHL scouting combine will air from June 4 through 10 on NHL Network.
