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The NHL draft lottery is a process used to determine the order in which teams select players in the NHL draft.
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14 ping-pong balls labeled 1-14 are loaded into a lottery machine, and a four-digit number combination is selected at random. This number is removed from the pool of possible numbers, leaving 1,000 possible combinations
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Each team in the lottery is assigned a series of four-digit numbers based on their lottery odds.
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The NHL publicly releases the list of assigned numbers and the previously selected four-digit number.
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The first draw determines which team will receive the first overall pick. If a team outside of the bottom 11 is selected, the team with the best odds (Anaheim in 2022) is automatically awarded the first pick and the selected team moves up 10 spots.
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The NHL requires a representative from every team to be present as a witness and the witnesses are sworn to secrecy.
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The draft lottery is a highly-orchestrated event hosted by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
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The NHL releases a video of the actual lottery draw to combat conspiracy theories that suggest the league manipulates the process.
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In the last season NHL draft lottery, the Montreal Canadiens received the first overall pick, and the New Jersey Devils received the second overall pick