Blackhawks win NHL Draft Lottery, chance to pick Bedard No. 1 in 2023 draft

Connor Bedard is likely bound for the Windy City.

The Chicago Blackhawks won the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery draw on Monday night and the rights to select No. 1 in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Blackhawks entered the lottery with the third best odds to win the No. 1 pick at 11.5%.

That No. 1 pick will undoubtedly be Bedard, the consensus top pick for the 2023 NHL Draft after a massive season that saw him pace both the Western Hockey League and all draft-eligible skaters with with 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 games with the Regina Pats. His run included putting up a 35-game point streak, and a nomination for WHL player of the year.

He’s a game-changing talent for Chicago, no doubt.

“His season is an accurate portrayal of how good he is,” FCHockey scout Joel Henderson said. “You look at the way he could just always got his points. Throughout the year, he had very few games where he didn’t get any points.

“With good players, whether it’s a scout or even just a casual hockey fan you want to find the accuracy of the projection. And so with him like you want to go, how good is he? Is he better than this person? Because when you’re in a tier like he is, there isn’t a player to like to compare him too. It’s, you take a little bit of this, you take a little bit of Jack Hughes, you take a little bit of Connor McDavid, you take a little bit of Auston Matthews and you kind of splice it all together and  here is the version of what he is.

“At the end of the day, I look at it and think, was he actually this good and the answer is yes.”

The Anaheim Ducks, who had the lottery’s best odds at 25.5%, will select second. The Columbus Blue Jackets, who had the second-best odds at 13.5%, fell to third overall.

Here’s a look at the 2023 draft order after the NHL Draft Lottery:

1. Chicago Blackhawks
2. Anaheim Ducks
3. Columbus Blue Jackets
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Arizona Coyotes
7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Washington Capitals
9. Detroit Red Wings
10. St. Louis Blues
11. Vancouver Canucks
12. Arizona Coyotes (from OTT)
13. Buffalo Sabres
14. Pittsburgh Penguins
15. Nashville Predators
16. Calgary Flames

• YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

  • • EVALUATING THE BEST NHL DRAFT LOTTERY FITS FOR CONNOR BEDARD
    • COMPARING CONNOR BEDARD’S DRAFT YEAR TO CONNOR MCDAVID’S 2015 RUN
    • BUILD YOUR OWN CUSTOM MOCK WITH FCHOCKEY’S MOCK DRAFT BUILDER