2024 NHL Draft Odds and Predictions

The Stanley Cup Finals may not be over yet, but online sportsbooks have already posted 2024 NHL Draft odds. While the NHL draft may not generate as much hoopla or TV viewership in America as its NFL or NBA counterparts, that doesn’t mean you can’t bet on it. 

In fact, there’s quite a bit of money to be made betting on the NHL draft if you play your cards right. Fortunately, you don’t even have to know anything about hockey to be a profitable NHL bettor. 

As analysts speculate as to who will be selected, understanding the odds can offer valuable insights. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how to approach the 2024 NHL draft from a betting perspective.

When is the 2024 NHL Draft? 

This year’s draft is scheduled for June 28th and 29th. For the first time ever, the league will hold its draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which opened to rave reviews earlier this year. 

The draft is still seven rounds long. The first round will take place on Friday, June 28th, with rounds 2-7 to follow the next day. The San Jose Sharks own the No. 1 pick after winning the draft lottery last month, while the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Montreal Canadiens round out the top-5. 

Utah Hockey Club will make its first-ever selection at No. 6 overall. This franchise – formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes – officially moved to Salt Lake City back in April after the Coyotes’ unsuccessful attempts to build a new arena in Arizona. 

Updated NHL Draft Odds

Unfortunately, there won’t be much drama at the beginning of this year’s draft. That’s because we’ve known who’ll be the eventual top overall pick for quite a while. Macklin Celebrini is thought to be among the most decorated draft prospects we’ve seen in recent years, and the numbers tell the story.

All Celebrini did as a freshman at Boston University last season was score 32 goals and hand out 32 assists in 38 games. He won just about every individual award available, including the Hobey Baker Award. The 17-year-old is the youngest player to ever take home the trophy, while he was just the fourth-ever freshman to do so. 

Celebrini is such a lock to go first overall to San Jose that NHL betting sites aren’t even taking bets on it. You’ll find NHL draft odds for the 2nd overall pick and a variety of player-specific props, but it’s impossible to imagine anyone but Celebrini hearing his name called by Gary Bettman first on draft night.

So, who might go 2nd overall to Chicago? The NHL draft odds indicate we have a pretty clear favorite here, too: 

Nothing is official until it’s official, but, at this point, Artyom Levshunov not going 2nd overall to the Blackhawks may be almost as surprising as Celebrini not going to the Sharks with the No. 1 selection. The odds indicate as much, at least. 

Chicago GM Kyle Davidson was coy with his assessment of the class on the heels of the draft combine, but Levshunov would give the Blackhawks a sorely needed presence in defense. The Blackhawks yielded 290 goals a saeson ago, which was the third-most in the league. Chicago generated all sorts of hype after drafting ConorBedard last year, but the team still managed to finish last in the Central Division with the league’s 2nd worst overall record.

In Levshunov, Chicago would be adding an imposing physical presence to an otherwise paper-soft defense. He’s still only 18, but would likely step into a primary role next season after a standout freshman campaign with Michigan State. 

The only other prospect with reasonably good odds to go 2nd overall is Ivan Demidov, a dynamic Russian forward. Pairing Bedard with Demidov has to be alluring considering both have the potential to be perennial All-Stars for the next decade or more, but Levshunov likely fills a more immediate need for the Hawks.

The +250 odds on Demidov to go No. 2 are tempting. While Levshunov likely fills a more immediate need for Chicago, I’m not convinced they can pass on the chance to pair Demidov with Bedard. I’m more inclined to take a flier on Demidov at plus-money NHL draft odds to go No. 2 to Chicago than Levshunov at an unfavorable -275 number.

Pick: Ivan Demidov (+250)

Other NHL Draft Props

Total Defensemen Drafted in First Round

The NHL now has 32 teams with the arrival of the Seattle Kraken just a few seasons ago. That means 32 picks in the first round, of course. Predicting the mindset of one team is difficult enough. Trying to get into the brains of 32 different front offices is, frankly, impossible.

We can do our best, though. Based on the best guesses of draft prognosticators and mock drafters, it looks as though this NHL prop bet could be a real sweat. Be sure to note that goaltenders don’t count as defensemen for the purposes of this wager. We’re talking about blue-liners here. 

Levshunov, Anton Silayev, Zeev Buium, Sam Dickinson, and Carter Yakemchuk are ranked among the top defenders in this class, and they’re all likely to hear their names called among the first 10 picks. That puts us at five right away, while Zayne Parekh, Adam Jiricek, and Stian Solberg appear quite likely to be first-rounders, too. 

Things get a bit murkier the later you get into the round, especially considering there’s always the potential for trades to throw a wrench into the proceedings. The juice is on the under on this bet, though, and I think it’s appropriate. It’ll be close, but I think the -165 odds on the under are attractive enough.

Pick: Under 11.5 (-165)

Total Americans Drafted in First Round

Hockey is a truly international game. While there are several high-level American stars in the NHL these days, the league is still dominated by those hailing from other countries. Of the 32 players chosen in the first round in 2023, just six hailed from the USA. Will Smith (Sharks) and Ryan Leonard (Capitals) were the only Americans selected in the top 10. 

The ‘24 class is even thinner on high-end American prospects. Buium, Trevor Connelly, and Cole Eiserman are the only USA-born players consistently mock-drafted into the top half of the first round, but even those spots are debatable. EJ Emery, Will Skahan, and Cole Hutson are the only other Americans ranked in the top 60 of most draft boards, as well. 

As is the case with the previous prop, the juice is on the under. I’m thinking less than 4.5 Americans will hear their names called within the first 32 picks on Friday night.

Pick: Under 4.5 (-200)

NHL Draft Odds Conclusion

As you can see, there is no shortage of options when it comes to betting on NHL odds for the Draft. There won’t be much drama with Celebrini a mortal lock to go to San Jose with the first pick, but things get interesting starting with the Blackhawks’ choice at No. 2. 

With so many talented prospects and a lack of clarity beyond the first pick, there’s a lot of money to be made betting on the NHL draft if you wager wisely.