The 2020 NHL Draft will happen, eventually. As part of the league's return-to-play announcement, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman revealed the procedure for how the draft order will be determined for the 15 teams who won't make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
We know the seven teams already into the draft lottery with the other eight to be determined after the play-in round concludes.
The prize of this year's draft is Canadian winger Alexis Lafreniere. The Saint-Eustache, Que., native totaled 112 points in 55 games this season with Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
He also represented Canada at the 2020 World Junior Championship totaling 10 points in five games helping the team earn a gold medal.
Other top prospects include forwards Tim Stutzle, Quinton Byfield, Marco Rossi and Cole Perfetti.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2020 NHL Draft lottery, including the start time and results.
MORE: Explaining how the NHL Draft lottery will work in 2020
What time is the NHL Draft lottery in 2020?
- Date: Friday, June 26
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET
The NHL Draft Lottery will be split into two phases with Phase 1 taking place starting at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, June 26. The first phase will feature the seven teams who will not take part in the 24-team return-to-play format. The Detroit Red Wings own the best odds while the Ottawa Senators own the second and third-best odds due to them owning the San Jose Sharks' first-round pick as part of the Erik Karlsson trade.
What channel is the NHL Draft lottery on?
- TV channel: NBCSN (U.S.) | Sportsnet (Canada)
NBC Sports will broadcast the NHL Draft lottery drawing live in the United States followed by a half-hour special of NHL Live. For viewers in Canada, the drawing can be seen on Sportsnet.
When is the NHL Draft in 2020?
- Date: TBD
- Start time: TBD
The league has not announced an official date for the 2020 NHL Draft. It was originally scheduled for June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, but it was postponed on March 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last time the draft was postponed was in 2005 due to the ending of the lockout.
NHL Draft lottery odds 2020
The NHL is scheduled to hold the Phase 1 draft lottery drawing on Friday, June 26. Below are the odds for each team to win the No. 1 overall pick and an explainer on how Phase 2 of the lottery will work if necessary.
An updated order of picks will be added following the lottery results.
| TEAM | PTS. PCT. | ODDS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Detroit Red Wings | .275 | 18.5% |
| 2. Ottawa Senators | .437 | 13.5 |
| 3. Ottawa Senators (via SJS) | .437 | 11.5 |
| 4. Los Angeles Kings | .457 | 9.5 |
| 5. Anaheim Ducks | .472 | 8.5 |
| 6. New Jersey Devils | .493* | 7.5 |
| 7. Buffalo Sabres | .493* | 6.5 |
| 8. Team A | n/a | 6.0 |
| 9. Team B | n/a | 5.0 |
| 10. Team C | n/a | 3.5 |
| 11. Team D | n/a | 3.0 |
| 12. Team E | n/a | 2.5 |
| 13. Team F | n/a | 2.0 |
| 14. Team G | n/a | 1.5 |
| 15. Team H | n/a | 1.0 |
*Buffalo Sabres ranked higher than New Jersey Devils on the basis of higher regulation/OT win percentage (Buffalo, .406 ROW%; New Jersey, .348 ROW%)
MORE: NHL Central Scouting's final player rankings
How does the NHL Draft lottery work in 2020?
Phase 1 (June 26)
The first phase of the NHL Draft Lottery will include the seven teams who are not returning to play this season to determine the top-three picks in the 2020 NHL Draft. If the drawing for the top-three picks includes teams in Phase 1, then there won't be a second phase of the Draft Lottery. The rest of the draft order would be determined in inverse order by points percentage.
Phase 2 (TBD)
If Team A-H placed in positions 8-15 is drawn into the top-three during Phase 1, then a second phase of the Draft Lottery would take place featuring only the teams who were eliminated in the play-in round.
The eliminated teams would have equal odds of 12.5 percent for the remaining selection(s). Once the top-three is determined, the rest of the draft order will be decided in inverse order by points percentage.