2023 NHL Draft location: Where is the 2023 draft taking place? Arena, city, more

The 2023 NHL Draft will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. It's the second time Nashville will be hosting the NHL's selection show. It was previously held in Nashville in 2003 back when the arena was known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center. After two years of holding the draft virtually, the NHL went back on the road last year when Bell Centre in Montreal hosted the event.

The first round will take place on Wednesday, June 28, expected to start around 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, NHL Network, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. After that, the rest of the draft, rounds 2-7, will take place on Thursday. In the past, the rest of the draft was always Saturday afternoon starting at around noon ET.

The Chicago Blackhawks have the first overall pick followed by the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks and Canadiens to round out the top five.

There's little doubt that the No. 1 pick will be Connor Bedard. The 17-year-old center has lit up the Western Hockey League over the past two seasons, scoring 100 points (51 goals, 49 assists) in 2021-22 and 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) this past season. Bedard continued to light it up at the World Juniors, where he had 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in just seven games. Bedard is considered a generational talent along the lines of Connor McDavid.

2023 NHL Draft location

City: Nashville, Tennessee
Arena: Bridgestone Arena
Host team: Nashville Predators

  
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