The Rangers selected defenseman Alexis Lafreniere of the University of New Hampshire with the No. 1 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday. The selection was announced after draft lottery, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Alexis Lafreniere was acquired by the Blueshirts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the trade that sent Anton Stralman to the Penguins in June, and will likely report to New York for next season’s American Hockey League. He scored three goals and six assists in 21 games for UNH this season. The 20-year-old is from Cap-Rouge, Que., and will report to Springfield, Mass., in the AHL.
Facing a difficult re-draft option, the Devils, who held the No. 1 overall pick, failed to gain any traction on the radio lottery and fell to the third-place pick, the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets then selected Swedish defenseman Oliver Bjorkstrand, in the first round, from Norway’s Frolunda.
Connor Hellebuyck, who won 30 games this season for the Jets, came away with the No. 1 pick in the first round, and the Arizona Coyotes selected forward Anthony Duclair, the San Jose Sharks’ 2016 first-round pick.
The Islanders, who have been active in the free agent market in recent weeks, took NHL free agent goaltender Mitch Gillam, 24, with the third-overall pick. Gillam is the only goaltender taken in the first round, but four – Detroit’s Connor McDavid, Boston’s Torey Krug, Minnesota’s Nick Seeler and Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko – went in the second round.
NHL Draft Lottery Results (‘Conference’ categories)
(Games + Grand Rounds of the Lottery)
RANGEFOOT: 10-18 clubs
LANDING PONZI: 19-24 clubs
KARAT KARTBOY: 26-32 clubs
INTEROPERABILITY: 30 clubs
COLLATERALIST (GRAND ROUNDS): 32 clubs
