2024 NHL Draft Lottery to be held May 7 | NHL.com
Sharks have best odds to win No. 1 selection
www.nhl.comHere’s a concise update on the NHL Draft Lottery news as of May 2026.
- The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery is scheduled for May 5 in Secaucus, NJ, with live broadcasts planned across multiple networks (ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports) per league announcements. This follows the league’s ongoing format where two separate drawings determine the top two picks, and no team can move up more than 10 spots. [Source: 2026-04-18 news reports about the lottery date and broadcast plans]
- Participation and rules: only teams that did not qualify for the playoffs (or those holding certain first-round positions from prior trades) are eligible for the top picks, with the order set after the two drawings and the rest of the round determined by regular-season standings. [Source: NHL lottery format summaries and 2024–2025 coverage]
- Recent context: past lotteries have featured two draws and weighted odds designed to shield or promote certain teams, with the 2025 iteration reiterating the same two-draw structure and eligibility limits. [Source: NHL lottery rule summaries and 2025 coverage]
If you’d like, I can pull the latest exact timing, TV windows, and which teams are in contention this year, and cover any notable implications for rookies and trades. I can also provide a quick explainer of the two-draw mechanism and how odds are calculated for this year.