NHL Draft Order Set - Jets to Select 18th Overall
With the Stanley Cup now awarded, the official order of the 2023 NHL Draft has been determined.
Photo by Timothy Ludwig/USA Today - NHL Draft Order Set - Jets to Select 18th OverallThe two-day event will occur later this month at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. The first round will take place on Wednesday, June 28 at 6:00 PM central time, with rounds 2-7 going the following day, beginning at 10:00 AM.
The host Predators own a league-high 13 selections, while 10 of the 32 first round picks (nearly one-third) were involved in trades.
The front office staff of the Winnipeg Jets will make their way to the podium five times, at the moment.
We say, 'at the moment' because the Jets have long been rumoured to be making some offseason moves, by way of trades. Those trades will likely involve core members of the team, to which draft picks and prospects will be a considerable part of the return.
Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck have made it apparent that returning to Winnipeg is not a priority. Other trade candidates include centre Mark Scheifele and winger Blake Wheeler.
Four of Winnipeg's five selections are their own picks, while one comes to the team by way of the New York Rangers, as a part of the Andrew Copp trade of last spring.
The Jets own all but their second round pick next season, and all but their third round pick in 2025.
Winnipeg only has 16 players from its NHL roster under contract for next season at this point, with many expected to walk via free agency next month.
Its first pick this year will come at No. 18, a spot the team has selected three times before, including that of current team members Logan Stanley (2016) and Chaz Lucius (2021). The other instance of Winnipeg making an 18th overall selection came back in 1985, when the original Jets chose Ryan Stewart at the 18-spot.
Winnipeg's selections at the 2023 NHL Draft are as follows:
No. 18
No. 82
No. 146
No. 151
No. 210