Net Choice No. Of the 5 Canadiens in the NHL draft lottery, the Blackhawks earned the first pick to Connor Bedard

Published May 8, 2023 9:08 PM ET

MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens won’t be trying out prized prospect Connor Bedard, but they can still add top young talent after earning the No. 1 pick.

Montreal, which has an 8.5 percent chance of being top pick, will have the highest pick of any Canadian team in this year’s draft, which will be held June 28 and 29 in Nashville.

The Vancouver Canucks (11th) and Calgary Flames (16th) complete the Canadian side that will select in the last 16. The Ottawa Senators will send their 12th overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes after trading their first-round pick to Arizona for defenseman Jakob Chychrun at the NHL trade deadline in March.

The Chicago Blackhawks won the lottery and will be the overall pick. The Anaheim Ducks will pick second and the Columbus Blue Jackets will pick third.

Bedard, a 17-year-old center from Lynn Valley, BC, is projected to be No. 1 overall as the most anticipated draft pick since Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid qualified for selection in 2015.

Bedard had 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 games for the Regina Pats Western Hockey League this season, the league’s highest single-season total since 1996.

Hadwin Floyd

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