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Did you know that the NHL draft is happening today? I've only been writing a billion freaking words about it over the past month! If you're getting into this year, here's some quick information you may want to know to preview it, what's going on, and how/when you can watch it.

When and where is the draft happening?

This year's draft is being held in Vegas at the infamous Sphere. There are two days for the NHL entry draft. Day one is in the evening on June 28th, starting at 7:00 pm EST, and will only involve the first round. Day two will start at 11:30 am EST on the 29th the following day; it will complete rounds two through seven. If you want an idea for the time it will end, or how long day two will take... my sweet summer child, it will end when all the picks are done.

Things are supposed to move much quicker between picks on day two, though that hasn't always been the case. The pandemic years saw things move a lot slower, to the point that day two took something like 12 hours to finish.

How can I watch the draft?

Day one will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. It will likely have everyone's A-list commentators and analysts on the whole first day to talk about the biggest prospects and interview everyone involved. The first day always has a lot more pomp and theatre to it and it's made to be a show. Day two will be broadcast on the ESPN+, NHL Network, Sportsnet and SN1.

Looking at Sportsnet's information, I am assuming that the broadcasts start at 7 pm but the actual draft picks won't begin until later – this matches my memory of the past years and how long they took to actually get going.

How does the draft work?

If you want a primer on how the draft works, from the draft order, age of eligibility, and so on, Cathy wrote this helpful guide two years ago that is still applicable today:

How does the NHL Entry Draft really work?
Not an expose on how the fix is in, just the boring facts about a thing we think we understand because it’s ubiquitous.
Cathy SquiresPPP Leafs

Who should I be interested in for Toronto?

I spent about 2-3 months writing several draft profiles for prospects I liked for Toronto's various picks this year (1st, 4th, 5th and 7th rounds). You can find the full library of them here:

NHL Draft - PPP Leafs
Coverage of the NHL Entry Draft and draft prospects.
PPP LeafsBrian S

Who should I follow on Twitter?

For our own commentary and articles related to the draft, you can follow us at @PPPLeafs. Here's a bigger list of people I follow for the draft and prospect related things:

For the Leafs, specifically:


For potential draft related news, like trades:


For the main public scouting folks:


For specific/regional scouting info:

Where can I talk about the draft here at PPP?

We will be putting out a Draft Day Thread (DDT). It's just like our Game Day Threads (GDTs), but for the draft. Not sure if we'll have one for each day, or just one for both combined. If we get a lot of comments on the first one I assume we'll split it just for ease of keeping up with everything.

How can I subscribe here to support this great draft-related content that the handsomest and humblest writer here made?

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NHL Draft