List of Vegas Golden Knights draft picks

Vegas Golden Knights player Nicolas Hague during the 2024 NHL Winter Classic
Nicolas Hague, selected 34th overall in the 2017 NHL entry draft, has played the most games with the Golden Knights of any of the franchise's draft picks.

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey franchise located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Founded ahead of the 2017–18 season as an expansion team, they play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] As of 2024, the Golden Knights have made 54 selections in eight entry drafts.[2]

The NHL entry draft is held each off-season, allowing teams to select players who have turned 18 years old by September 15 in the year the draft is held. The draft order is determined by the previous season's order of finish, with non-playoff teams drafting first, followed by the teams that made the playoffs, with the specific order determined by the number of points earned by each team.[3] The NHL holds a weighted lottery for the 16 non-playoff teams, allowing the winner to move up to the first overall pick.[4] The team with the fewest points has the best chance of winning the lottery, with each successive team given a lower chance of moving up in the draft.[3]

The Golden Knights first participated in the 2017 NHL entry draft, where they made Cody Glass their first-ever selection at sixth overall;[5][6] additionally, they selected Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom later in the first round.[6] However, only Glass ultimately played for the Golden Knights, with Suzuki traded to the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the 2018–19 season,[7] and Brannstrom traded to the Ottawa Senators during the same season.[8] 2017 second-round pick Nicolas Hague has played the most games for the Golden Knights of any draft pick, with 296 games played since his debut in the 2019–20 season;[9] Hague was also the only Golden Knights draft pick to play with the team in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals,[10] with him and 2018 fifth-round pick Paul Cotter the only picks to subsequently be engraved on the Stanley Cup.[11][12] Jiri Patera, selected in the sixth round in 2017, is the only goaltender drafted by the Golden Knights to appear for the team, with eight games played as of the 2023–24 season.[13]

  1. ^ Rosen, Dan (June 22, 2016). "Las Vegas awarded NHL franchise". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  2. ^ "Vegas Golden Knights Draft Picks". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "NHL FAQ – Hockey Operations Guidelines". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "2013 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery to be held Monday". National Hockey League. April 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Kimelman, Adam (June 23, 2017). "Cody Glass first pick made by Golden Knights". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Carp, Steve (June 23, 2017). "Golden Knights take Cody Glass with first NHL Entry Draft pick". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  7. ^ "Golden Knights acquire Max Pacioretty from the Montreal Canadiens". Vegas Golden Knights. National Hockey League. September 10, 2018. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  8. ^ "Vegas Golden Knights acquire Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators". Vegas Golden Knights. National Hockey League. February 25, 2019. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  9. ^ "Nicolas Hague". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Ferrari, Tony (June 15, 2023). "How Nicolas Hague went from Vegas draft pick to Cup champion". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  11. ^ "Names engraved on Stanley Cup". Vegas Golden Knights. National Hockey League. July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  12. ^ Granger, Jesse (July 10, 2023). "Here's how all 52 Golden Knights names on the Stanley Cup contributed to the championship". The Athletic. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  13. ^ "Jiří Patera". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.