The order for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft has been set with the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday. The New Jersey Devils will be selecting No. 1 overall after winning the lottery in May. The event is being held at the United Center in our fine city of Chicago.
The top five picks in the draft will go to the Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Vancouver Canucks in that order. The Vegas Golden Knights will make their first-ever pick at No. 6 overall, then the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Florida Panthers round out the top 10.
The Blackhawks have nine picks in the 2017 draft, including at least one in every round. Their highest pick is No. 26 overall, which should give them an opportunity to land a good prospect even if it’s not Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier. There’s also been a rumor that the Hawks could trade up, which they did to draft Nick Schmaltz in 2014.
Chicago did have 10 picks, but it traded a sixth-round pick to the Blue Jackets on Friday as part of the Brandon Saad-Artemi Panarin deal. The team did get back a fifth-round pick, but it’s for the 2018 draft.
Now that the complete order for the entire draft has been set, GM Stan Bowman knows exactly where his staff will be picking. Here’s the complete list:
2017 Blackhawks draft picks
| Round | Overall Pick |
|---|---|
| 1 | 26 |
| 2 | 57 |
| 3 | 90 |
| 4 | 119 |
| 5 | 135 |
| 5 | 144 |
| 5 | 150 |
| 6 | 170 |
| 7 | 215 |
Four of these picks — No. 90, No. 135, No. 144, and No. 215 — were acquired by trade. The others are all the Blackhawks’ own picks.