By Mike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer
TORONTO — The New Jersey Devils will have the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft after winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Saturday.
The Philadelphia Flyers were awarded the No. 2 pick, and the Dallas Stars have the No. 3 selection. The Devils, who had an 8.5 percent chance of winning the lottery, will be picking No. 1 for the first time.
“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 Colorado Avalanche, who had the best odds to win the lottery, will pick No. 4, the Vancouver Canucks will pick No. 5, and the Vegas Golden Knights will pick No. 6.
The Devils moved up from No. 5; the Flyers moved up from No. 13; the Stars moved up from No. 8.
The NHL Draft will be held at United Center in Chicago on June 23 and 24.
The Devils likely will use the pick to select center Nolan Patrick of Brandon in the Western Hockey League or center Nico Hischier of Halifax in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“We need help at all positions, and again there are some real good players at the top of the draft,” Shero said. “Again, looking forward to it. So, again, it’s a nice day.”
Devils, Flyers, Stars move up
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Patrick (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) is No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the draft. The 18-year-old missed 35 games during the regular season with an upper-body injury but had 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 33 games. He could not play in the 2017 WHL postseason because of a lower-body injury.
“Nolan’s situation is part of the game, and for NHL clubs, it’s a talking point in draft deliberations, and from many recent discussions with NHL personnel, it will have absolutely no negative implications or bearing on Nolan’s draft status,” said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. “He has more than proven over the last three years that he is the real deal and he will be an impact NHL player.”
Hischier (6-1, 176), No. 2 in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, was 10th in the QMJHL with 86 points (38 goals, 48 assists) in 57 games and was named rookie of the year and best pro prospect.
The 14 NHL teams that did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, along with the expansion Golden Knights, participated in the lottery.
For the second straight year, the lottery assigned the top three picks in the first round. Three draws were held: the first drawing determined the No. 1 pick, the second drawing determined No. 2 pick, and the third drawing determined the No. 3 pick.
The order of the first 15 picks in the 2017 draft are as follows. Nos. 16-31 will be set following the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
1. New Jersey Devils
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. Dallas Stars
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. Vegas Golden Knights
7. Arizona Coyotes
8. Buffalo Sabres
9. Detroit Red Wings
10. Florida Panthers
11. Los Angeles Kings
12. Carolina Hurricanes
13. Winnipeg Jets
14. Tampa Bay Lightning
15. New York Islanders
