ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues will pick No. 10 overall during the National Hockey League's 2023 Draft.
The NHL Draft Lottery took place on Monday and determined the selection order for the first 16 picks in the first round.
The Blues missed the 2023 postseason and finished with a record of 37-38-7, giving them the 10th best odds, a 3.5% chance, of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
The Anaheim Ducks, who finished with the worst record in the league, had the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick with a 25.5% chance. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks were behind the Ducks.
The Blues secured the No. 10 pick in the first round of the draft following the lottery announcement. This is their highest draft pick since 2008 when they selected Alex Pietrangelo as No. 4 overall.
Doug Armstrong and the Blues currently hold two additional first-round picks, but those are not eligible for the Draft Lottery selection. They will be finalized as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue and are currently projected to be No. 25 and No. 27 overall.
The projected No. 1 overall pick is 17-year-old Connor Bedard. The forward has 129 points (63 goals, 66 assists) in 52 games with the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League. He also helped Canada to a gold medal in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. He scored 23 points in seven games.
Nashville will host the NHL Draft from June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena. The NHL Scouting Combine will take place from June 4-10.
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