2022 NHL Draft Odds & Picks
There are few off-ice events more exciting in any sport than the draft lottery, and the NHL Draft Lottery is no exception. Teams’ fortunes can be completely changed with the right Entry Draft pick, so everyone from executives to fans will have their eyes on everything from mock drafts to NHL Draft Odds simulators to the NHL Draft Lottery odds made available by the books. After all, how sweet would it be for your team to get the chance to draft a top prospect while you cash in as well?
This year’s 2022 NHL Entry Draft will be the 60th draft in NHL history. The Draft will take place on July 7-8, 2022, with the event slated to take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec – a perfect fit with the Montreal Canadiens expecting to pick high.
To bet on the NHL Draft be sure to keep checking back here with this page as the odds are subject to change. The NHL Draft odds were last updated on May 9th, 2022. For the below, we’re using odds from BetMGM, who we break down in our BetMGM Sportsbook Canada review here.
| Team | 1st Overall | 2nd Overall | 3rd Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal | 3.75 | 5 | 1.71 |
| Arizona | 7 | 6.5 | 3 |
| Seattle | 8 | 8 | 13 |
| Philadelphia | 10 | 10 | |
| New Jersey | 11 | 11 | |
| Chicago | 13 | 12 | |
| Ottawa | 15 | 13 | |
| Detroit | 15 | 15 | |
| Buffalo | 19 | 17 | |
| Anaheim | 26 | 26 | |
| San Jose | 29 | 29 |
Top 3 vs. Field
Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes, or Seattle Kraken to receive the 1st overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft Lottery
1.91
2022 NHL Draft Location
Montreal is no stranger to hosting the NHL Entry Draft. While hosting this year’s draft is a make-up for the Covid pandemic getting in the way of them hosting in 2020 and 2021, it hasn’t been all too long since their last appearance. The last time the Bell Centre hosted the event was during the Canadiens’ centennial year in 2009. Prior to that, Montreal hosted the drafts in 1992, 1988, and 1986, along with every draft between 1963 and 1984. With our top online sportsbooks locations don’t matter as much these days, but in a prior era, draft bookies may as well have camped in Montreal every summer.
2022 NHL Draft Lottery Teams
Sixteen teams had skin in the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery, as non-playoff participants. The teams with the top five odds to win the opportunity to select first, based on their spot in the NHL standings in 2021/22 were as follows:
- Montreal Canadiens: 18.5%
- Arizona Coyotes: 13.5%
- Seattle Kraken: 11.5%
- Philadelphia Flyers: 9.5%
- New Jersey Devils: 8.5%
Chicago, Ottawa, Detroit, Buffalo, Anaheim, San Jose, Columbus, the New York Islanders, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Vegas all also have a chance at securing that top pick, with their odds ranking from 0.5 to 7.5%. Two of the team’s first-round picks were contingent on the results of the lottery as part of prior trades – if Chicago finished lower than 2nd, they’ll send their pick to Columbus, and if Vegas finished lower than 10th they’ll send their pick to Buffalo. Both conditions were satisfied by the results.
2022 NHL Draft Lottery Results
The Canadiens had the top odds going in, and that batch of lottery ball combinations worked in their favour – they were the last envelope revealed by Bill Daly, earning them the proverbial golden ticket. As far as teams looking to move up went, the Devils were the biggest winners, moving up three spots from fifth overall to second. Arizona, Seattle, and Philadelphia all fell one spot each to make up for it, to 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively. Columbus will pick 6th with the aforementioned Chicago selection, and Buffalo will select 16th with Vegas’ first rounder.
2022 NHL Draft Lottery Prospects
While not as deep as most years, there’s still a lot of interest in the top of the draft. The team that gets the top lottery ball will almost undoubtedly lean towards Shane Wright, who is the captain of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs and is ranked 1st by just about every major scouting agency. The Burlington, Ontario native has played with a maturity beyond his age since his early teens and is a gifted two-way playmaker.
An interesting name to keep an eye on after Wright would be Juraj Slafkovsky, a Slovakian born forward who plays in the Finnish Liiga. Slafkovsky’s stock rose quickly after a seven goal in seven game tear in the 2022 Olympics, leading his country to a bronze medal before his eighteenth birthday. Other interesting names include Simon Nemec (Slovakia), Logan Cooley (USA), Matthew Savoie (Canada), and once highly ranked but since falling Brad Lambert (Finland).
NHL Draft Betting FAQs
As always, this kind of question largely depends on where the individual player is residing when making the bet. The legality of wagering on NHL Draft betting odds is much like betting on any other market. As long as the online provider is licensed, then the market is legal.
NHL Draft betting is a market that offers a great range of betting options to players, but it’s difficult to claim one sportsbook which excels compared to others. Each provider offers its own unique package, which will suit certain bettors more than others. Shop around, find the right book for you.
The answer to this kind of question is the same for all sports betting markets. If you’re wagering with knowledge of the market, then you’re more likely to turn a profit. But at the same time, be responsible and don’t risk beyond your means.
This really depends. If you feel that the odds are favorable, within a field of players potentially making the pick position you’re wagering on, then this is probably a decent bet. However, if the odds are lopsided and the favorite offers no value, then don’t.
Much like many other Draft betting markets, such as the NFL, NBA and MLB, this the start of the season and is of great interest to many sports fans.
