The new NHL lottery format proved to be perfect excitement for this season’s NHL Draft, which takes place in Buffalo, New York on June 24th and 25th. The system was set up in a way that there were three separate lotteries and three different lottery winners for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pick. This year’s winners were the Toronto Maple Leafs (1st Pick), Winnipeg Jets (2nd Pick), and Columbus Blue Jackets (3rd Pick) and their victory in this year’s lottery is huge for their franchises as they all now get to draft one of the big three prospects in this year’s draft: C Auston Matthews, ZSC Lions (SUI), RW Patrik Laine, Tappara (FIN), and RW Jesse Puljujarvi, Karpat (FIN). 

Auston Matthews

Auston Matthews #34 of Team United States skates in a quarterfinal round during the 2015 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships against Team Russia | Minas Panagiotakis - Getty Images
Auston Matthews #34 of Team United States skates in a quarterfinal round during the 2015 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships against Team Russia | Minas Panagiotakis - Getty Images

Toronto has the luxury of getting their choice of any of the three skaters and most likely will choose Auston Matthews in front of a large Maple Leafs contingent who make the short trip from Toronto to Buffalo. Matthews is an American forward from Arizona, but decided to play in a professional league in Switzerland rather than playing in the CHL or in the NCAA and while playing against grown men, Matthews was still sensational scoring 46 points in just 36 games. Toronto needs a first line center to build their team around and Matthews is a generational talent similar to Jack Eichel, who was drafted by the host Buffalo Sabres last year.

Patrik Laine

Patrik Laine #29 of Finland gets a trophy during the award ceremony at the 2016 IIHF World Championship gold medal game at the Ice Palace on May 22, 2016 in Moscow, Russia. Canada defeated Finland 2-0 | Anna Sergeeva - Getty Images
Patrik Laine of Finland gets a trophy during the award ceremony at the 2016 IIHF World Championship gold medal game at the Ice Palace on May 22, 2016 in Moscow, Russia. Canada defeated Finland 2-0 | Anna Sergeeva - Getty Images

Patrik Laine is most likely the next selection and will try to bring Winnipeg back to the playoffs after a disappointing season in Manitoba. Laine is a large right winger with a tremendous shot. Both Laine and Puljujarvi also have played in professional leagues at a young age and both are extremely talented, but Laine has rose through the rankings due to incredible play in his draft year. At the World Juniors on the world stage, Laine scored 13 points in seven games for Finland.

Jesse Puljujarvi

Jesse Puljujarvi will then go to Columbus. Puljujarvi only had 28 points in 50 games for Karpat in Finland, but still has the talent to impress the scouts and be one of the big three forwards. He has been at the top of draft boards for months and is a powerful skater who can fly past defenders despite his big frame.

Jesse Puljujarvi #13 of Team Finland looks on during the 2015 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship game against Team Slovakia | Minas Panagiotakis - Getty Images
Jesse Puljujarvi #13 of Team Finland looks on during the 2015 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship game against Team Slovakia | Minas Panagiotakis - Getty Images

The big three European skaters are almost guaranteed to go 1-2-3 in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and the order is most likely not to change although there has been some talk that Laine could in fact go first over Matthews. This is unlikely, but strange things tend to happen at the NHL Draft. No matter what, the three lottery winners are very fortunate to get one of these three players and turn their franchise around. 

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About the author
Jordan Hansgen
Wake Forest Student Sports Writer for Vavel.com Analyst on 91.3 FM Buffalo Blitz show