Blackhawks are No. 1
The 2007 Draft Lottery
The Chicago Blackhawks lucked out in the NHL draft lottery, jumping from fifth to first.
Chicago had only an 8.1 per cent chance of getting the first pick going into the lottery at the league's New York office to determine the order of the first 14 picks.
It will be the first time the Blackhawks get the first pick in the modern-day format introduced in 1969, and they quickly identified their biggest need.
"I know we will definitely get something that we need - a goal-scorer," said chief amateur scout Michel Dumas. "The top five or six players in this draft are very good players. It's very possible that the player we select will be able to step in and play next year."
The Philadelphia Flyers have the No. 2 spot and the Phoenix Coyotes have the No. 3 position.
The order of selection for the first 14 drafting positions in each round of the 2007 Entry Draft is as follows:
The Odds, The Results
| Team | Odds (%) |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 8.1 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 25.0 |
| Phoenix Coyotes | 18.8 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 14.2 |
| Washington Capitals | 10.7 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 6.2 |
| Columbus Blues Jackets | 4.7 |
| Boston Bruins | 3.6 |
| St. Louis Blues | 2.7 |
| Florida Panthers | 2.1 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 1.5 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 1.1 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 0.8 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 0.5 |
NHL Draft Lottery History
| Year | Worst Team | Lottery Winner | First Overall (Team) |
| 1995 | Ottawa | Los Angeles* | Ottawa |
| 1996 | Ottawa | Ottawa | Ottawa |
| 1997 | Boston | Boston | Boston |
| 1998 | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay |
| 1999 | Tampa Bay | Chicago** | Atlanta |
| 2000 | Atlanta | NY Islanders | NY Islanders |
| 2001 | NY Islanders | Atlanta | Atlanta |
| 2002 | Atlanta | Florida^ | Columbus |
| 2003 | Carolina | Florida^^ | Pittsburgh |
| 2004 | Pittsburgh | Washington | Washington |
| 2005 | - | Pittsburgh+ | Pittsburgh |
| 2006 | St. Louis | St. Louis | St. Louis |
| 2007 | Philadelphia | Chicago | Chicago |
* - Los Angeles could only move up a maximum of four spots (moved from 7th to 3rd)
** - Chicago could only move up a maximum of four spots (moved from 8th to 4th)
^ - Florida traded first overall pick to Columbus
^^ - Florida traded first overall pick to Pittsburgh
+ - NHL lockout cancelled 2004-05 season, all 30 teams were entered