Blackhawks Sell Nearly $2M in Season Tickets After Winning 2023 NHL Draft Lottery: Reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
An average Monday night in Chicago turned into cause for celebration for Chicago Blackhawks fans.
For the second time in franchise history, the Blackhawks Monday won the NHL Draft lottery, giving them the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. That means they've earned the right to select Connor Bedard, 17, who's arguably the best draft-eligible prospect since Connor McDavid.
Statistically speaking, the Blackhawks had the third-highest odds to land the first pick at 11.5 percent, behind Anaheim (25.5) and Columbus (13.5).
"When that No. 1 card flipped over and it was our logo, it hits you all at once," Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said on NBC Sports Chicago's "Because you think about it in the lead-up and you think about what could be and you don’t let yourself go there that often because chances were we weren’t going to see that come to fruition. When our logo flipped over, I was just, 'Wow.'
This is the second time in franchise history the Blackhawks will draft first overall. The only other time was 2007, when Chicago selected Patrick Kane, who after 16 seasons with the team was traded to the New York Rangers earlier this month.
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The consensus No. 1 overall selection this year is Connor Bedard, who could change life for the Blackhawks. He is a generational talent and had a historic season in the Western Hockey League, where he racked up 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 regular-season games and 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in seven postseason contests.
Now, let's be clear about something right off the bat: Bedard's presence alone doesn't necessarily mean everything is fixed for the Blackhawks.
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But that didn't stop fans from reading the tea leaves.
According to reports, the Blackhawks sold $1.9 million in season tickets within the first hour of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
"Let's not get it twisted," Davidson said. "First overall is a big deal. It's a huge deal for us and what we're doing, but I don't think we can let that change and alter the bigger picture."
"This is well-documented that this is a pretty special draft and we’re going to be able to pick at the top of it," Davidson continued. "We’re going to be able to pick who we want and we don’t have to wait for anyone else to dictate our fortunes. So it’s exciting. It’s exciting and it’s still sinking in and not having fully processed what just happened, but it’s really exciting."
The 2023 NHL Draft will be held on June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Blackhawks are currently slated to have 11 picks: two 1sts, four 2nds, two 3rds, one 4th, one 5th and one 7th.
Full draft lottery results:
No. 1: Chicago Blackhawks
No. 2: Anaheim Ducks
No. 3: Columbus Blue Jackets
No. 4: San Jose Sharks
No. 5: Montreal Canadiens
No. 6: Arizona Coyotes
No. 7: Philadelphia Flyers
No. 8: Washington Capitals
No. 9: Detroit Red Wings
No. 10: St. Louis Blues
No. 11: Vancouver Canucks
No. 12: Ottawa Senators (to Arizona Coyotes)
No. 13: Buffalo Sabres
No. 14: Pittsburgh Penguins
No. 15: Nashville Predators
No. 16: Calgary Flames
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