NHL draft 2019: Start time, how to watch and stream rounds 2-7

After an exciting and highly watched Stanley Cup Final, the 2019 NHL draft kicked off Friday night with the New Jersey Devils selecting Jack Hughes with the No. 1 overall pick.

The Flyers surprised many by trading down a few picks to select 18-year-old defenseman Cameron York with the No. 14 pick, who is committed to the University of Michigan next season. According to NHL Central Scouting, York is “elusive with the puck, can dominate with his decision-making and is deceptive in the offensive zone.”

The NHL draft is held over a two-day period. Round 1 took place Friday night on NBCSN, while Rounds 2 through 7 will air on the NHL Network on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

Despite not airing on broadcast television, the NHL draft has drawn decent television ratings in recent years. Last year, the draft drew 368,000 viewers on NBCSN, a fraction of the audience for the NFL and NBA drafts but enough to outdraw the MLB draft on the MLB Network (297,000 viewers), according to Sports Media Watch.

In the NFL and NBA, draft picks can quickly become impact players, while MLB draft picks usually take years to move up to the big leagues. I asked both Sam Carchidi and Sam Donnellon – the Inquirer’s Flyers beat reporters – where NHL draft picks fall on that scale. Here are their answers:

Carchidi: “It generally takes NHL draft picks a few years to reach the NHL. The top picks, however, usually make an impact the first season following their draft [see Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, etc.].”

Donnellon: “It’s kind of a hybrid. Like baseball picks, NHL [prospects] can come from high school into college age, but as a general rule all but the top guys, say 1-7, will not play for the big club without first going to the minors or to college (or back to college). Last year’s pick Joel Farabee [14th] went to Boston University for a season, has signed an entry contract, and has an outside chance to stick with Flyers next season. Likely he will go to the Phantoms for a year at least.

“Year before they took Nolan Patrick with the No. 2 pick and he made the Flyers that fall without any minor experience.”

When: Saturday, June 22

Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada

Time: 1 p.m.

TV: NHL Network

Hosts: Jamison Coyle and Jackie Redmond

Streaming: NHL.com (free), Sling TV, DirecTV Now, NHL.tv (all require a subscription)

Carchidi and Donnellon will be covering all the action live on Twitter. Notes and observations about the draft will be at Inquirer.com/Flyers.

Rounds 2 through 7 of the draft will air on the NHL Network beginning at 1 p.m. Jaimson Coyle and Jackie Redmond will host the network’s coverage alongside analysts Brian Lawton, Dave Reid, and NHL Network reporter E.J. Hradek.

The Flyers have a total of nine 2019 draft picks (thanks to Friday night’s trade). The team traded away its second-round pick (and a third-round pick in 2020) to the San Jose Sharks to acquire defenseman Justin Braun, and its fifth-round pick to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for center Kevin Hayes.

• No. 14: Cameron York

• No. 45 (Round two, obtained via trade)

• No. 65 (Round three)

• No. 72 (Round three)

• No. 103 (Round four)

• No. 165 (Round six)

• No. 169 (Round six)

• No 196 (Round seven)

• No. 201 (Round seven)