2016 NHL Entry Draft

The 2016 NHL Entry Draft will be the 54th NHL Entry Draft.

The draft will be held from June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.

Eligibility
Ice hockey players born between January 1, 1996, and September 15, 1998, are eligible for selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Additionally, un-drafted, non-North American players born in 1995 are eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 1996, are also eligible to re-enter the draft.

Draft Lottery
Since the 2012–13 NHL season all fourteen teams not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs have a "weighted" chance at winning the first overall selection.

Beginning with the 2014–15 NHL season, the NHL changed the weighting system that was used in previous years.

Under the new system the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the league decreased, while the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased.

Starting with this draft the first three picks overall will be awarded by lottery. The odds of winning the second and third draws will increase on a proportional basis depending on which team won the previous draw.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets won the draft lotteries that took place on April 30, 2016, giving them the first, second and third picks overall. Toronto retained the top pick while Winnipeg and Columbus moved up from the sixth and fourth spots, respectively.

In the process, the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks were each knocked down two places from second and third to fourth and fifth overall, respectively while the Calgary Flames dropped from fifth to sixth overall.