When is the 2024 NHL Draft?: Time, date & how to watch

Now that the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are over, it’s officially the offseason for all NHL teams. Now, NHL fans have the 2024 NHL Draft to look forward to. This will be the 62nd NHL Draft. All 32 teams will select prospects based on their team’s needs. The draft will take place on two back-to-back days.

Hockey players born between Jan. 1, 2004, and Sept. 15, 2006, are eligible for the draft. Undrafted players not from North America born in 2003 are also eligible for the draft. 

Time, Date, and How to Watch the 2024 NHL Draft

The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will take place on Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The draft begins with round 1 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on June 28. Rounds 2 through 7 will take place on June 29 beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT. 

The Sphere just opened in 2023, and this will mark the first sports event at the venue and the first time an event will be televised live from the venue. On Friday, the event will be televised on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. On Saturday, the event will be available on ESPN+, NHL Network, SN1 and Sportsnet.

The draft order was determined by a lottery system based on this past season’s standings. The San Jose Sharks have the first overall pick. It’s the first time in franchise history that the Sharks will pick first. Utah Hockey Club will make its first-ever picks, with draft rights previously held by the Arizona Coyotes transferred to Utah. Their first pick will be sixth overall. See the full draft order here. 

The No. 1-ranked prospect this year is Macklin Celebrini, a center from Canada. Other top prospects include Ivan Demidov, Artyom Levshunov, Anton Silayev and Cayden Lindstrom. Celebrini is expected to go to San Jose.

The NHL Draft will be followed by the opening of free agency on July 1. NHL teams will sign free agents and make trades throughout the summer. The offseason action kicks off with the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft.