The 2021 NHL entry draft was the 59th draft for the National Hockey League. It was held on July 23–24, 2021, delayed by one month from its normally scheduled time of June due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the later-than-normal finish of the 2020–21 NHL season. It was thus the first draft held in July since 2005. For the second year in a row, the event was held in a remote format, with teams convening via videoconferencing, and Commissioner Gary Bettman announcing the selections in the opening round and deputy commissioner Bill Daly in all subsequent rounds from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The first three selections were Owen Power by the Buffalo Sabres, Matty Beniers by the Seattle Kraken, and Mason McTavish by the Anaheim Ducks.
Eligibility Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2001, and September 15, 2003, were eligible for selection in the 2021 NHL entry draft. Additionally, un-drafted, non-North American players born in 2000 were eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2019 NHL entry draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 2001, were also eligible to re-enter the draft.
Draft lottery
From the 2012–13 NHL season up to the 2020–21 NHL season all teams not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs have had a "weighted" chance at winning the first overall selection. Beginning with the 2014–15 NHL season, the league changed the weighting system that was used in previous years. Under the new system, the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the league decreased. In contrast, the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased. The draft lottery took place on June 2, 2021. After changing the number of lottery drawings earlier in the season, the first two picks overall in this draft were awarded by lottery. The Buffalo Sabres and Seattle Kraken won the two draft lotteries that took place on June 2, 2021, giving them the first and second picks overall. Buffalo retained the first pick, while Seattle moved up one spot, and Anaheim dropped one spot to third overall.
The expansion Seattle Kraken had the same odds of winning the lottery as the team that finished with the third fewest points (this ended up being the New Jersey Devils). Because the Arizona Coyotes' 2021 first-round pick was forfeited as the result of a penalty sanction due to violations of the NHL Combine Testing Policy during the 2019–20 NHL season, Arizona's lottery odds were instead listed as re-draws.
Indicates team won first overallIndicates team won second overallIndicates teams that did not win a lottery {| class="wikitable" |+ Complete draft position odds ! Team ! 1st ! 2nd ! 3rd ! 4th ! 5th ! 6th ! 7th ! 8th ! 9th ! 10th ! 11th ! 12th ! 13th ! 14th ! 15th ! 16th |- ! Buffalo | style="background:#A9D0F5;"| 16.6% || 15.0% || 68.4% || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- ! Anaheim | 12.1% || 11.7% || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 26.9% || 49.3% || || || || || || || || || || || || |- ! Seattle | 10.3% || style="background:#F5A9BC;"| 10.2% || 4.7% || 39.3% || 35.6% || || || || || || || || || || || |- ! New Jersey | 10.3% || 10.2% || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 11.5% || 43.9% || 24.2% || || || || || || || || || || |- ! Columbus | 8.5% || 8.6% || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 20.6% || 45.8% || 16.5% || || || || || || || || || |- ! Detroit | 7.6% || 7.8% || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 30.0% || 43.8% || 10.9% || || || || || || || || |- ! San Jose | 6.7% || 6.9% || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 39.7% || 39.7% || 6.9% || || || || || || || |- ! Los Angeles | 5.8% || 6.0% || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 49.4% || 34.5% || 4.3% || || || || || || |- ! Vancouver | 5.4% || 5.7% || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 58.6% || 28.0% || 2.4% || || || || || |- ! Ottawa | 4.5% || 4.8% || || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 67.7% || 21.8% || 1.2% || || || || |- ! Arizona | 3.1% || 3.3% || || || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 75.9% || 17.1% || 0.7% || || || |- ! Chicago | 2.7% || 2.9% || || || || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 81.7% || 12.4% || 0.3% || || |- ! Calgary | 2.2% || 2.4% || || || || || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 87.0% || 8.4% || 0.1% || |- ! Philadelphia | 1.8% || 2.0% || || || || || || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 91.3% || 4.9% || >0.0% |- ! Dallas | 1.4% || 1.5% || || || || || || || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 95.0% || 2.1% |- ! NY Rangers | 1.0% || 1.1% || || || || || || || || || || || || || || style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 97.9%
Top prospects Source: NHL Central Scouting (May 27, 2021) ranking.
Ranking North American skaters European skaters 1 Owen Power (D) William Eklund (LW) 2 Mason McTavish (C) Simon Edvinsson (D) 3 Kent Johnson (C) Aatu Raty (C) 4 Luke Hughes (D) Nikita Chibrikov (RW) 5 Dylan Guenther (RW) Daniil Chayka (D) 6 Matty Beniers (C) Fedor Svechkov (C) 7 Brandt Clarke (D) Aleksandr Kisakov (LW) 8 Brennan Othmann (LW) Isak Rosen (RW) 9 Matthew Coronato (RW) Fabian Lysell (RW) 10 Cole Sillinger (C) Samu Tuomaala (RW) Ranking North American goalies European goalies 1 Sebastian Cossa Jesper Wallstedt 2 Benjamin Gaudreau Aleksei Kolosov 3 Tristan Lennox Patrik Hamrla
Selections by round The order of the 2021 entry draft is listed below.
Round one
# Player Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team 1 Owen Power (D) Canada Buffalo Sabres Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) 2 Matty Beniers (C) United States Seattle Kraken Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) 3 Mason McTavish (C) Canada Anaheim Ducks EHC Olten (Swiss League) 4 Luke Hughes (D) United States New Jersey Devils U.S. NTDP (USHL) 5 Kent Johnson (C) Canada Columbus Blue Jackets Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) 6 Simon Edvinsson (D) Sweden Detroit Red Wings Frolunda HC (SHL) 7 William Eklund (LW) Sweden San Jose Sharks Djurgardens IF (SHL) 8 Brandt Clarke (D) Canada Los Angeles Kings Nove Zamky (Slovak Extraliga) 9 Dylan Guenther (RW) Canada Arizona Coyotes (from Vancouver)1 Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) 10 Tyler Boucher (RW) United States Ottawa Senators U.S. NTDP (USHL) 11 Forfeited pick2 Arizona Coyotes 12 Cole Sillinger (C) Canada Columbus Blue Jackets (from Chicago)3 Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) 13 Matthew Coronato (RW) United States Calgary Flames Chicago Steel (USHL) 14 Isak Rosen (RW) Sweden Buffalo Sabres (from Philadelphia)4 Leksands IF (SHL) 15 Sebastian Cossa (G) Canada Detroit Red Wings (from Dallas)5 Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) 16 Brennan Othmann (LW) Canada New York Rangers EHC Olten (Swiss League) 17 Zachary Bolduc (C) Canada St. Louis Blues Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) 18 Chaz Lucius (C) United States Winnipeg Jets U.S. NTDP (USHL) 19 Fedor Svechkov (C) Russia Nashville Predators HC Lada Togliatti (VHL) 20 Jesper Wallstedt (G) Sweden Minnesota Wild (from Edmonton)6 Lulea HF (SHL) 21 Fabian Lysell (RW) Sweden Boston Bruins Lulea HF (SHL) 22 Xavier Bourgault (C) Canada Edmonton Oilers (from Minnesota)7 Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) 23 Wyatt Johnston (C) Canada Dallas Stars (from Washington via Detroit)8 Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 24 Mackie Samoskevich (RW) United States Florida Panthers Chicago Steel (USHL) 25 Corson Ceulemans (D) Canada Columbus Blue Jackets (from Toronto)9 Brooks Bandits (AJHL) 26 Carson Lambos (D) Canada Minnesota Wild (from Pittsburgh)10 Winnipeg Ice (WHL) 27 Zachary L'Heureux (LW) Canada Nashville Predators (from Carolina)11 Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) 28 Oskar Olausson (RW) Sweden Colorado Avalanche HV71 (SHL) 29 Chase Stillman (RW) Canada New Jersey Devils (from NY Islanders)12 Esbjerg Energy U20 (Danish U20) 30 Zach Dean (C) Canada Vegas Golden Knights Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) 31 Logan Mailloux (D) Canada Montreal Canadiens SK Lejon (Hockeyettan) 32 Nolan Allan (D) Canada Chicago Blackhawks (from Tampa Bay via Columbus)13 Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) Notes The Vancouver Canucks' first-round pick went to the Arizona Coyotes as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland to Vancouver in exchange for Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, a second-round pick in 2022, a seventh-round pick in 2023 and this pick. The Arizona Coyotes' first-round pick was forfeited as the result of a penalty sanction due to violations of the NHL Combine Testing Policy during the 2019–20 NHL season. The penalty includes the forfeiture of a second-round pick in 2020 and this pick. The Chicago Blackhawks' first-round pick went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent Seth Jones, Tampa Bay's first-round-pick in 2021 (32nd overall) and a sixth-round pick in 2022 to Chicago in exchange for Adam Boqvist, a second-round pick in 2021 (44th overall), a conditional first-round pick in 2022 and this pick. The Philadelphia Flyers' first-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent Rasmus Ristolainen to Philadelphia in exchange for Robert Hagg, a second-round pick in 2023 and this pick. The Dallas Stars first-round pick went to the Detroit Red Wings as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent Washington's first-round pick, the Rangers' second-round pick and Ottawa's fifth-round pick all in 2021 (23rd, 48th and 138th overall) to Dallas in exchange for this pick. The Edmonton Oilers' first-round pick went to the Minnesota Wild as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent a first-round pick and Pittsburgh's third-round pick (which Minnesota had previously acquired as the result of a trade on October 5, 2020) both in 2021 (22nd and 90th overall) to Edmonton in exchange for this pick. The Minnesota Wild's first-round pick went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent a first-round pick in 2021 (20th overall) to Minnesota in exchange for Pittsburgh's third-round pick both in 2021 (90th overall) and this pick. The Washington Capitals' first-round pick went to the Dallas Stars as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent a first-round pick in 2021 (15th overall) to Detroit in exchange for the Rangers' second-round pick and Ottawa's sixth round pick both in 2021 (48th and 138th overall) and this pick. Detroit previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on April 12, 2021, that sent Anthony Mantha to Washington in exchange for Richard Panik, Jakub Vrana, a second-round pick in 2022 and this pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round pick went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on April 11, 2021, that sent Nick Foligno and Stefan Noesen to Toronto in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2022 and this pick. The Pittsburgh Penguins' first-round pick went to the Minnesota Wild as the result of a trade on February 10, 2020, that sent Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk, Calen Addison and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Minnesota will receive a 2021 first-round pick at Pittsburgh's choice if the Penguins fail to qualify for the 2020 Eastern Conference First Round – was converted on August 12, 2020, when the Penguins elected to defer the pick to 2021. The Carolina Hurricanes' first-round pick went to the Nashville Predators as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent Los Angeles and Nashville's second-round picks both in 2021 to Carolina in exchange for this pick. The New York Islanders' first-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on April 7, 2021, that sent Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to New York in exchange for A. J. Greer, Mason Jobst, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022 and this pick. The Tampa Bay Lightning's first-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent a first and second-round pick both in 2021 (12th and 44th overall) to Columbus in exchange for Seth Jones, a sixth-round pick in 2022 and this pick.