Islanders win the NHL lottery and get the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft
Former Islander Ken Morrow in 2016. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The Islanders beat long odds in the NHL Draft Lottery, meaning the welcome gift for whomever they hire as their new general manager is the No. 1 pick this June.
They entered Monday night’s draw in Secaucus, New Jersey, with a 3.5% chance of moving up to the first pick from No. 10, and those odds increased to 18.2% after the first three ping pong balls were drawn. They needed either ball No. 5 or No. 13 to come to the top of the tube, and they got the latter.
“Incredible,” Islanders director of pro scouting Ken Morrow, who represented the team in the lottery after president/ general manager Lou Lamoriello’s contract was not renewed, said during the ESPN broadcast. “I guess it’s lucky No. 13 right now, right? The hockey gods smiled on us.”
The Rangers, who entered the lottery with a 3.0% chance of moving up from No. 11, instead slid one position to No. 12.
The NHL Draft will be held June 27-28 in Los Angeles at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater.
It will mark the fifth time in team history that the Islanders have the first overall pick. They took John Tavares in 2009, goalie Rick DiPietro in 2000, Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin in 1973 and Billy Harris in 1972, the Islanders’ birth year.
Erie (Ontario Hockey League) defenseman Matthew Schaefer is the top-rated North American skater as ranked by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau. Saginaw (OHL) center Michael Misa is second and Boston College center James Hagens of Hauppauge is third.
Hagens grew up rooting for the Islanders and is projected to be the highest-ever-picked Long Islander, surpassing West Islip’s Mike Komisarek, who was taken seventh overall by the Canadiens in 2001.
“Growing up in a house that loved hockey, we’d watch NHL games every night,” Hagens told Newsday last month. “I wanted to be there. I had a [John] Tavares jersey and a [Sidney] Crosby one, so I’d wear it out on the ice. And you feel like you’re one of those players.”
Schaefer was limited to 17 OHL games after breaking his collarbone while playing for Team Canada in December in the World Junior Championships. Still, he’s atop virtually every draft board.
“No hockey players like injuries,” Schaefer said during the ESPN broadcast. “You can’t really control what happens and all the adversity you face.”
The Sharks, who had the best odds of securing the first overall pick, will select second. The rest of the order through No. 16 is: Chicago, Utah, Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Buffalo, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, the Rangers, Detroit, Columbus, Vancouver and Montreal.
With Colin Stephenson
This is the fifth time the Islanders have had the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft. Their previous top choices:
John Tavares, 2009
Rick DiPietro, 2000
Denis Potvin, 1973
Billy Harris, 1972
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
