After two seasons of being held virtually because of the pandemic, the NHL draft is going back to being an in-person event on Thursday night.
The last-place Montreal Canadiens are both the host of the draft and hold the first overall pick. That last happened in 1985 when the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Wendel Clark.
Center Shane Wright of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick, though Slovakian Olympic bronze medalist Juraj Slafkovsky, who plays for Finland’s TPS Turku, also is receiving some sentiment.
Here’s what to know about this week’s NHL draft:
NHL MOCK DRAFT: Projected first-round picks for Thursday in Montreal
When and where is the NHL draft?
The event will be held at Montreal’s Bell Centre. Thursday’s first round will begin at 7 p.m. ET, and the second through seventh rounds will begin at 11 a.m. ET Friday.
How can I watch the NHL draft?
The first round will be broadcast on ESPN. The second day will be shown on NHL Network.
Where can I stream the NHL draft?
The NHL draft can be streamed both days on ESPN+. It also can be streamed on FuboTV.
What is the first-round order for the NHL draft?
1. Montreal Canadiens
2. New Jersey Devils
3. Arizona Coyotes
4. Seattle Kraken
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Chicago Blackhawks in the Seth Jones trade)
7. Chicago Blackhawks (from Ottawa Senators in the Alex DeBrincat trade)
8. Detroit Red Wings
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Anaheim Ducks
11. San Jose Sharks
12. Columbus Blue Jackets
13. New York Islanders
14. Winnipeg Jets
15. Vancouver Canucks
16. Buffalo Sabres (from Vegas Golden Knights in the Jack Eichel trade)
17. Nashville Predators
18. Dallas Stars
19. Minnesota Wild (from Los Angeles Kings in the Kevin Fiala trade)
20. Washington Capitals
21. Pittsburgh Penguins
22. Anaheim Ducks (from Boston Bruins in the Hampus Lindholm trade)
23. St. Louis Blues
24. Minnesota Wild
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
26. Montreal Canadiens (from Calgary Flames in the Tyler Toffoli trade)
27. Arizona Coyotes (from Carolina Hurricanes via Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes gave up the pick as compensation for its offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi and the Canadiens traded the pick to Arizona for Christian Dvovak.)
28. Buffalo Sabres (from Florida Panthers in the Sam Reinhart trade)
29. Edmonton Oilers
30. Winnipeg Jets (from New York Rangers in the Andrew Copp trade)
31. Tampa Bay Lightning
32. Arizona (from Colorado Avalanche in the Darcy Kuemper trade)
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Who are some of the top prospects?
Wright, the Frontenacs captain, is valued for his two-way game and his leadership. He also was captain of Canada’s gold medal team at the under-18 world championships. His style has been compared to Bruins star Patrice Bergeron. Slafkovsky uses his size and reach to his advantage. He was voted MVP of the Beijing Olympics men’s hockey tournament after scoring seven goals as Slovakia won a medal for the first time. Center Logan Cooley led the U.S. under-18 team with 1.47 points per game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2022 NHL draft order, live stream, TV channel, how to watch