Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard (98) lines up prior to WHL playoff hockey action against the Saskatoon Blades in Saskatoon, Sask., on Friday, March 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens won’t get a shot at prized prospect Connor Bedard, but they’ll still be able to add a top young talent after securing the No. 5 pick in Monday’s NHL draft lottery.
Montreal, which had an 8.5 per cent chance of landing the top pick, will have the highest selection of any Canadian team in this year’s draft, to be held June 28 and 29 in Nashville.
The Vancouver Canucks (11th) and the Calgary Flames (16th) round out the Canadian teams who will select in the top 16. The Ottawa Senators will send their 12th-overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes after trading their first-round pick to Arizona for defenceman Jakob Chychrun at the NHL trade deadline in March.
The Chicago Blackhawks won the lottery and will select first overall. The Anaheim Ducks will pick second and the Columbus Blue Jackets will choose third.
Bedard, a 17-year-old centre from Lynn Valley, B.C., is projected to go No. 1 overall as the most anticipated draft pick since Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid was eligible for selection in 2015.
Bedard produced 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 games for the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats this season, the league’s highest single-season total since 1996.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2023.
