2020 NHL Draft Results: Full List of Round 1 Selections
The NHL Draft will get underway Tuesday night as the league follows the NBA, NFL and WNBA in going virtual for the first time ever due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Originally scheduled for June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, the league moved the annual event to the fall to allow for the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It may be a bit strange for general managers who are used to sitting only a few feet apart from each other, but the NHL doesn't want teams acting any differently now that they're on webcams.
"When you're sitting at the table, you could be on camera," NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer told Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com. "There's computers, there are phone lines, there are things that that allow you to complete a draft, and what we've just done is take all those elements and we've put them in San Jose, in Detroit, in Dallas, in Phoenix. We've just made it so that 31 tables have now just made their way to 31 different cities.'"
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That means there shouldn't be any fewer trades than during more traditional drafts.
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens already proved that to be the case by completing a deal to send Maxi Domi and a third-round pick to Columbus for winger Josh Anderson only hours before the New York Rangers are expected to make the No. 1 pick.
As the Tampa Bay Lightning get used to lifting the Stanley Cup all across town, the rest of the NHL is preparing to do what it can to grab the trophy for itself.
The Rangers are scheduled to kick things off at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN followed by the Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators.
2020 NHL Draft Round 1 Results
1. New York Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski-QMJHL
2. Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield, C, Sudbury-OHL
3. Ottawa Senators (from SJ): Tim Stutzle, C, Mannheim-DEL
4. Detroit Red Wings: Lucas Raymond, LW, Frolunda-SHL
6. Anaheim Ducks: Jamie Drysdale, D, Erie-OHL
7. New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz, RW, Djurgarden-SHL
11. Nashville Predators: Yaroslav Askarov, G, SKA-KHL
12. Florida Panthers: Anton Lundell, C, HIFK-Liiga
13. Carolina Hurricanes (from TOR): Seth Jarvis, C, Portland-WHL
15. Toronto Maple Leafs (from PIT): Rodion Amirov, LW, UFA-KHL
16. Montreal Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle, D, Prince Albert-WHL
17. Chicago Blackhawks: Lukas Reichel, LW, Berlin-DEL
18. New Jersey Devils (from ARI): Dawson Mercer, C, Chicoutimi-QMJHL
19. New York Rangers (From CGY): Braden Schneider, D, Brandon-WHL
20. New Jersey Devils (from VAN via TB): Shakir Mukhamadullin, D, Tolpar UFA-MHL
21. Columbus Blue Jackets: Yegor Chinakhov, RW, Omsk-MHL
22. Washington Capitals (from NYR via CAR and CGY): Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi-QMJHL
23. Philadelphia Flyers: Tyson Foerster, RW, Barrie-OHL
24. Calgary Flames (from WAS): Connor Zary, C, Kamloops-WHL
25. Colorado Avalanche: Justin Barron, D, Halifax-QMJHL
26. St. Louis Blues: Jake Neighbours, LW, Edmonton-WHL
27. Anaheim Ducks (from BOS): Jacob Perreault, RW, Sarnia-OHL
28. Ottawa Senators (from NYI): Ridly Greig, C, Brandon-WHL
29. Vegas Golden Knights: Brendan Brisson, C, Chicago-USHL
30. Dallas Stars: Mavrik Bourque, C, Shawinigan-QMJHL
31. San Jose Sharks (from TB): Ozzy Wiesblatt, RW, Prince Albert-WHL
2020 Draft Day Trades
Max Domi to Columbus
Columbus Blue Jackets get: C Max Domi, 2020 third-round pick
Montreal Canadiens get: RW Josh Anderson
Flames and Rangers Swap Picks
Calgary Flames get: Picks No. 22 (via Carolina) and No. 72
New York Rangers get: Pick No. 19
Flames trade down again
Calgary Flames get: Picks No. 24 and No. 80
Washington Capitals get: Pick No. 22
Top Prospects
Alexis Lafreniere
The NHL draft is seeing a run on consensus top picks over the past few years.
In 2019, it was Jack Hughes. The year before, Rasmus Dahlin was the obvious choice. Auston Matthews in 2017 was one of the easiest decisions a general manager could ever make.
The same goes for Alexis Lafreniere in 2020.
Even before the draft order was announced, the left winger from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was considered a franchise savior, having averaged 2.15 points per game last season. That production is beyond what NHL evaluators saw when scouting the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nico Hischier by nearly half-a-point per contest, according to Corey Pronman of The Athletic.
Which means the New York Rangers will be able to rebuild at warp speed with the No. 1 overall pick in Tuesday's draft.
There may not be a more "can't-miss" prospect in this year's player pool—a notion made only more eye-popping given how deep the 2020 class appears on paper.
Following the buyout of franchise goalie Henrik Lundqvist, the path is clear for the 18-year-old from Saint-Eustache, Quebec to become the new king of New York hockey.
Yaroslav Askarov
Not since the Montreal Canadiens drafted Carey Price No. 5 overall in 2005 has a goalie been selected with a top-ten pick. That's likely to change with Yaroslav Askarov on Tuesday night.
The Russian goalie has a number of suitors waiting to grab him and will make plenty of GMs nervous the longer each team takes to make their selection.
At 6'3", 176 pounds and still just 18 years old, Askarov has the size and credentials to make a quick leap to the NHL after just one season in the VHL, Russia's No. 2 league. The goalie started 18 games with a 2.45 goals against average and .920 save percentage while recording two shutouts.
Askarov's stock is also helped by the number of goalie-starved franchises with a top 15 selection this year. The Detroit Red Wings (No. 4), Buffalo Sabres (No. 8) and Minnesota Wild (No. 9) all have a long-term need in net.
Jake Sanderson
Will defenseman Jake Sanderson become the first American player off the board Tuesday?
It seems increasingly likely.
Pronman has the Ottawa Senators grabbing the U.S. National Team Development Program star in his final mock draft, but considering the Sens have two picks in the first five selections, it's possible the team changes course based on who's available.
If Sanderson isn't grabbed by Ottawa, he shouldn't have to wait too long to hear his name called.
The 6'2", 185-pound lefty has rocketed up the NHL's Central Scouting big board, going from No. 11 at midseason to the No. 4 North American skater available behind Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield and Jamie Drysdale, all of whom are Canadian.
Sanderson has been compared to Boston Bruins star Charlie McAvoy and is lauded for his skating ability. Don't expect him to immediately jump to the NHL as the Whitefish, Montana, native is committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2020-21 season.
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