The NHL announced that the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery will take place today, Tuesday, May 7th, at the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. They'll decide the order at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT, before Game 2 between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers.
The lottery will be live on Sportsnet, TVA Sports, and ESPN. It will determine the first 16 picks in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Macklin Celebrini is the projected first-overall pick in this year's draft. He won the Hobey Baker Award at Boston University as a freshman. He joins Paul Kariya, Jack Eichel, and Adam Fantilli as the only freshmen to win the National Player of the Year.
According to NHL Central Scouting, Anton Silayev is the top-ranked European prospect, spending this season with Torpedo in the KHL. The 6-7 defenseman was a pillar of strength for the team as a 17-year-old for most of the season. In 63 games, he also chipped in three goals and eight assists.
Bob McKenzie released his rankings on May 6th and had Ivan Demidov in the No.2 spot above Silayev. Demidov was a force with SKA-1946 in the MHL this season, tallying 60 points in 30 games.
After the Canadiens drafted David Reinbacher last season, leaving some talented forwards on the board, Montreal will likely be looking for a skilled forward to add to the mix. Celebrini would be the prize, but Demidov is a worthy consolation.
The Canadiens last won the Draft Lottery in 2022, after finishing the season in 32nd place. They drafted Juraj Slafkofsky first overall, and they hope they can slot Macklin Celebrini next to him in the lineup after this year's draft.