Unlike the NBA or NFL Draft, the NHL Draft doesn’t take place in the same location every year. Over the past few years, the Draft has taken place in cities of NHL teams like at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2010, the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh in 2012, or, like 2013, the Prudential Center in New Jersey this year.
It looks like one of the most historic teams in NHL history will have another historic first in 2017. According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Chicago Blackhawks are set to host the NHL Draft next year.
NHL and Blackhawks hosting news conference later this afternoon in Chicago to announce that June 2017 NHL Draft will be held there.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 11, 2016
A lot of the Blackhawks players’ seemed pretty excited about the Draft coming to the Windy City for the first time in history.
“The city is going to love it,” Andrew Shaw told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s a big hockey town now and anyone that’s a part of the draft is going to have a great time in Chicago.”
The defending Stanley Cup champions look to be in for another wild ride in the 2016 playoffs, so this “big hockey town” could be experiencing another big reason to celebrate in the very near future.