New Jersey Devils Win 2017 Draft Lottery Get Number One Pick Philadelphia Flyers are 2nd, Dallas Stars 3rd

The National Hockey League held the 2017 Draft Lottery on Saturday to determine the top three picks in this summer’s entry draft, as the New Jersey Devils won the number one overall pick with the Philadelphia Flyers drafting second and Dallas Stars receiving the third. 

By winning the Draft Lottery, the Devils, who had an 8.5 percent chance at the top spot, moved up from the fifth slot to the number one overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Since moving to New Jersey in 1982, the team has never had the first overall pick in the draft and it just the second time in franchise history they have held the number one. In 1979, as the Colorado Rockies, they drafted Rob Ramage first overall. 

General Manager, Ray Shero told NBC Sports Network, “This is a great day for our franchise, and to pick first overall, to have that for our Devils fans and our organization, is great news.”  

With Nolan Patrick, a center with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League and Nico Hischier of the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior League, the Devils will be able to add some offensive help for the team. 

Shero said, “We need help at all positions, and again there are some really good players at the top of the draft. Again, looking forward to it. So, again it is a nice day.”

Patrick is the number one ranked player in NHL Central Scouting’s final standings and Hischier is the number two in the rankings of North American skaters. 

The 18-year-old Patrick, missed 35 games with an upper-body injury during the past season, but still put up 46 points (20 goals & 26 assists) in 33 games with the Wheat Kings. He was unable to play in the postseason due to a lower-body injury. 

NHL Director of Central Scouting added, “Nolan’s situation is part of the game, and for NHL clubs, it is a talking point in draft deliberations, it will absolutely have no negative implications or bearings on Nolan’s draft status. He has more than proven over the last three years that he is the real deal and he will be an impact player.”     

Hischier was 10^th in the QMJHL with 86 points (38 G & 48 A) in 57 games, as he was named Rookie of the Year and best pro prospect. 

The Flyers moved up from the 13^th spot to the second overall spot as the Stars jumped from the eighth to the third. 

The 14 teams that failed to make the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, along with the newest franchise all participated in the draft lottery. The Colorado Avalanche, who finished at the bottom of the NHL standings, had the best odds at capturing the number one pick.   

The Avalanche who finished with the NHL’s worst record, by more than 20 points, dropped out of the top three spots, with the Devils, Flyers and Stars claiming those spots. Devils forward, Taylor Hall, had one of the top Tweets, with “Officially adding ‘NHL Lottery Ball Specialist’ to my hockey resume.” 

Hall has now been a part of a team that has had four number one selections in the draft. Five if you count himself, as he was a number one too. 

The 2017 NHL Draft will be held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on June 23 and 24. 

The order of the first 15 picks in the 2017 draft are as follows. The 16^th through 31^st will be set following the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1. New Jersey Devils
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. Dallas Stars
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. Vegas Golden Knights
7. Arizona Coyotes
8. Buffalo Sabres
9. Detroit Red Wings
10. Florida Panthers
11. Los Angeles Kings
12. Carolina Hurricanes
13. Winnipeg Jets
14. Tampa Bay Lightning
15. New York Islanders

Mark Messier Leadership Award Finalists are Mark Giordano, Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Foligno

The Mark Messier Leadership Award Finalists were announced on Thursday as Nick Foligno of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks and Mark Giordano, of the Calgary Flames were voted as the top three finalists. 

The Mark Messier Leadership Award presented to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities, to their team, both on and off the ice. Messier made his decision on the player best deserving of the award, based on suggestions from team and league personnel as well as the fans. 

Foligno, became the sixth captain of the Blue Jackets last May. This past season, he put up 51 points (26 goals & 25 assists) in 79 games, as he helped lead his team to their second Stanley Cup Playoffs in eight seasons. 

The 2016-2017 season, was his second highest scoring season, in his 10-year career. During the 2014-2015 season, he put up a career high 73 points (31 G & 42 A). 

Along with his wife, Janelle, Foligno donated 500,000 dollars to Children’s Hospital in Boston, this past November. The donation was made as a symbol of gratitude to the life-saving heart surgery their young daughter, Milana, received at the hospital in 2013. He and his wife also donated 500,000 dollars to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus on Milana’s behalf as well. 

Giordano, has been the Flames captain since 2013. The 33-year-old defenseman, scored 39 points (12 G & 27 A) in 81 games during the 2016-2017 season. He had a career high of two shorthanded goals and four game winners during the season too. 

The defending Mark Messier Award winner, along with his wife, Lauren, launched Team Giordano in 2014. The initiative has impacted over 1,400 students in high-need schools in the Calgary area. 

Team Giordano has donated 200,000 dollars in funding for school upgrades, technology, field trips and sports equipment. 

Getzlaf, has worn the “C” for the Ducks since the 2010-2011 season. He is ranked third in the National Hockey League with 58 assists and 13^th with 73 points in 74 games this past season. 

His 814 career points ranks him second in Ducks history. He has put up 60 or more points in four straight seasons, three of those years with 70 or more. 

For the past seven seasons, Getzlaf and his wife Paige, have hosted the Getzlaf Golf Shootout to benefit children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a fatal muscle-wasting disease that effects 300,000 children worldwide. The goal of the event is to help raise funds for life-saving drugs to help today’s generation of Duchenne patients. 

The winner will be announced during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at the T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL’s 31^st franchise. NBCSN in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada will televise the event on June 21 at 7:30 PM. 

Finalists for Jack Adams Award are Todd McLellan, John Tortorella and Mike Babcock

The Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year nominees were announced on Wednesday with John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mike Babcock of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Todd McLellan of the Edmonton Oilers as the top three finalists. 

Babcock, led the Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2013. With a fourth-place Atlantic Division finish, their 95-point season was an improvement of 26-points from the previous season. 

The Leafs’ 40-27-15 record was the most wins for the franchise since they put up 40 wins during the 2006-2007 National Hockey League season. 

In his second season with Toronto, Babcock was also finalist for the Jack Adams Award in 2008 and 2014, with the Detroit Red Wings. 

McLellan, led the Oilers to their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance since the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. A second place, Pacific Division finish during the 2016-2017 season, with 105 points, was a 33-point improvement from the 2015-2016 season. 

The Oilers 47-26-9 record, was their franchise’s best since they won 50 games during the 1986-1987 season. 

McLellan, in his second season behind the Oilers bench, was a finalist for the San Jose Sharks in 2009.

Tortorella, led the Blue Jackets to a 50 win and 108-point season, the franchise’s best since they joined the NHL 17 years ago. While finishing third in the Metropolitan Division, Columbus made the postseason for their third time. 

During the 2016-2017 season, the Blue Jackets put together a 16-game winning streak, falling one win shy of tying the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL record breaking streak from 1992-1993.

Tortorella won the Jack Adams Award in 2004, after leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup Championship. He was also a finalist in 2003 with the Lightning and again in 2012 with the New York Rangers. 

The winning coach will find which one of them gets to take home the hardware on June 21, when the league’s newest franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights will host the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at their new home the T-Mobile Arena. NBCSN in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada will broadcast the event at 7:30 PM.