CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks are on the clock.
Now that the Stanley Cup has been hoisted by the Vegas Golden Knights, attention turns to the 2023 NHL Draft which will take place June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
We already knew the Chicago Blackhawks are picking first, a selection that’s almost guaranteed to be Connor Bedard.
Based on their Cup win, the Golden Knights will select 32nd.
Here’s a look at the complete first round order of selections (pending any trades):
1. Chicago
2. Anaheim
3. Columbus
4. San Jose
5. Montreal
6. Arizona
7. Philadelphia
8. Washington
9. Detroit
10. St. Louis
11. Vancouver
12. Arizona (from OTT)
13. Buffalo
14. Pittsburgh
15. Nashville
16. Calgary
17. Detroit (from NYI via VAN)
18. Winnipeg
19. Chicago (from TBL)
20. Seattle
21. Minnesota
22. Philadelphia (from LAK via CBJ)
23. NY Rangers
24. Nashville (from EDM)
25. St. Louis (from TOR)
26. San Jose (from NJD)
27. Colorado
28. Toronto (from BOS via WSH)
29. St. Louis (from DAL via NYR)
30. Carolina
31. Montreal (from FLA)
32. Vegas
Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli is expected to go second overall to the Anaheim Ducks after leading college hockey with 30 goals and 65 points in 36 games for the University of Michigan.
Other top skaters include forwards William Smith (No. 3) and Ryan Leonard (No. 5) of the U.S. National Team Development Program, forward Matthew Wood (No. 4) of the University of Connecticut, Swedish center Leo Carlsson and Russian dynamo Matvei Michkov.
The host Predators own a League-high 13 selections, including a pair in the first round at 15th and 24th overall.
That would match the most picks made by a club in one year since the introduction of the 7-round draft in 2005 (NY Islanders in 2006 and 2008, Florida in 2010 and Carolina in 2021).
As a reminder, the NHL Draft will take place over two days.
Round 1 will be held on Wednesday, June 28 (7 p.m. ET), followed by Rounds 2-7 on Thursday, June 29 (11 a.m. ET).
Each scheduled selection can be found here.