Canucks land 11th pick in NHL Draft Lottery

The Vancouver Canucks will hold the 11th selection in next month's NHL Draft

Alas, the hockey gods are not Vancouver Canucks fans after all.

Despite the presence of a rich storyline of a prized prospect from North Vancouver who grew up cheering for his hometown team, Connor Bedard will not be drafted by the Canucks next month in Nashville. The National Hockey League Draft Lottery revealed late Monday afternoon that Bedard will be the top selection by the Chicago Blackhawks on June 28th in Music City while the Canucks will hold the 11th pick in the draft.

The Canucks and their fans knew the odds of winning the lottery were slim with just a three percent chance of landing the first pick in the draft. Still, there was always that faint hope that the lotto balls would yield a result that could change the fortunes of the franchise.

However, the drama surrounding the Canucks did not last long as their logo was revealed by Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly early in the proceedings. They started the night with the 11th best odds of landing the first selection. And that’s where they ended up. 

"Hopefully you have somebody that you rated a little bit higher and for some reasons that falls a bit and maybe you get lucky to find there," Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin said moments after the lottery solidified his team's draft position. "There is a good handful of players probably around that spot where we are going to pick."

Allvin and the Canucks amateur scouting department began a week's worth of meetings at Rogers Arena on Monday. They can now tighten their focus knowing the results of the lottery.

The Canucks have only picked in the 11th slot once in their history. That was in 1982 when the club opted for defenceman Michel Petit.

On draft day, Chicago will hold the first selection followed by Anaheim and Columbus.