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 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]