Keep Your Eyes on the Ball(s): NHL Draft Lottery Viewing Guide

For the first time ever, the NHL Draft Lottery will be broadcast live tonight at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT on ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. Yes, you’ll get to see the ping-pong balls drawn on live TV.

Run your own lottery simulation on PuckGM now.

In previous years, the lottery was a private event. Journalists and team representatives were present, but they weren't allowed to leave until Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly revealed the final card, determining the first overall pick. In previous years, a video of the lottery draw has been posted online afterwards, with Gary Bettman frantically showing the camera newspapers and his phone’s lockscreen to verify the date of the draw.

So How Does The Lottery Work?

The NHL Draft Lottery determines the order of first-round selections for teams that didn’t qualify for the playoffs. Teams are assigned a combination of four numbers based on their standings. The 2025 odds are listed below:

a: Top 13 Protected - NYR can elect to transfer their 2026 pick to PIT if their 2025 1st Round Pick is in the top 13 selections.
b: Top 10 Protected - CGY transfers FLA's 2025 1st Round Pick if CGY's 2025 1st Round Pick is in the top 10 selections.

Accounting firm EY oversees the draw, which uses a machine with 14 ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14. Four balls are drawn, and the team with the matching combination wins. If the combination 11-12-13-14 is drawn, it is disregarded, and the draw is repeated.

There are two separate draws:

1. The first determines the team picking first overall. A team can move up a maximum of 10 spots in the draft. If the first draw winner is more than 10 spots away from the top, the last-place team (San Jose) will pick first.
2. After the first draw, a second round decides the second overall pick. Any "locked-in" picks from the first draw cannot be moved by the second round (e.g., if Detroit wins the first draw, they pick second, and the second draw winner picks third). If the same team wins both draws, a redraw occurs.

How to Follow Along at Home

PuckPedia has a Draft Lottery companion tool available for you.  You can track the live draw and watch the odds shift based on which ping-pong balls have already been drawn. The app updates the combinations in real time, so you’ll know who’s picking first overall just moments before the official reveal.

Good luck to you and your team tonight!