The NHL has announced the date for the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery. It will take place on Monday, May 5th. With the Utah Hockey Club now in the bottom 11 teams, the question is: where exactly did they finish—and how high can they move up?

Let’s break it down.

First, here’s the NHL’s official rule regarding the lottery:

“There will be two drawings, one to determine the No. 1 pick and a second to determine the No. 2 choice. No team can move up more than 10 spots in the draft order; only the top 11 teams in the lottery are eligible for the No. 1 pick. If a team outside the top 11 wins, the team with the worst record in the NHL will pick No. 1.”

Utah currently sits in the 14th position in the lottery standings, which gives them a 1.5% chance of winning the first overall pick. But because teams can only move up 10 spots, and Utah is outside the top 11, they’re not eligible for the No. 1 or No. 2 pick. The highest they can move up is to the No. 4 spot.

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Even so, landing in the top 5 would be massive—and could give them a franchise-altering talent.

If they stay at the 14th spot, here are some potential targets:

• Lynden Lakovic, C/LW, Moose Jaw (WHL)
• Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie (OHL)
• Justin Carbonneau, RW, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
• Brady Martin, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

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But if they move up to No. 4, here are some names that could be in play:

• Porter Martone, RW, Brampton (OHL)
• Caleb Desnoyers, C, Moncton (QMJHL)
• Jackson Smith, D, Tri-City (WHL)
• Victor Eklund, LW, Djurgårdens (Allsvenskan)

The first round of the 2025 NHL Draft is expected to be loaded with talent. Any pick inside the top 15 gives a team a much higher chance of landing a legitimate impact player—and if you get into the top 5-10, those odds grow even more. That’s the kind of potential Utah is playing with heading into this year’s lottery.

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