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What are we talking about?
The 2014 NHL Entry Draft held at the Wells Fargo Center in always sunny Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
When is the draft?
Round 1 is tonight, Friday, June 27 beginning at 7pm. Rounds 2 through 7 are Saturday the 28th starting at 10 am.
Where can I watch it?
In the U.S., NBC Sports Network will air Round 1 beginning at 7 pm. For our Canadian friends, TSN will carry Round 1. Rounds 2 through 7 will be broadcast on NHL Network starting at 10 am Saturday in both countries.
Can I watch it online because my wife/kid/roommate/prison cellmate is hogging the TV?
The NBC Live Extra app and NBCSports.com will stream only Friday's first round. To stream the draft on TSN, you'll need to subscribe to TSN GO. If you want to stream Rounds 2-7 in the U.S., it looks like you're out of luck.
How will Lighthouse Hockey be covering the draft?
Chris McNally will be your tour guide throughout both days, posting updates and background on who the Islanders acquire (via draft picks or other means). The rest of us will be popping in and out as the draft progresses, so stay tuned and check back often.
When are the Islanders making their picks?
Due to various trades made throughout the season, the Islanders have a few extra picks in this year's draft. The Islanders sent their fifth round pick to Montreal in the Thomas Vanek trade.
| Round | Selection | Acquired |
| 1 | 5 | |
| 2 | 5 | |
| 2 | 27 | From Montreal (Thomas Vanek trade) |
| 3 | 5 | |
| 3 | 18 | From Philadelphia (Andrew MacDonald trade) |
| 4 | 5 | |
| 4 | 18 | From Philadelphia (Mark Streit trade) |
| 6 | 5 | |
| 7 | 5 |
What is the full draft order?
All 210 selections of the 2014 NHL Draft are listed here. Expect some slots to be traded during the day. As of right now, the Florida Panthers hold the first overall pick, followed by Buffalo, Edmonton, Calgary, the Islanders, Vancouver, Carolina, Toronto, Winnipeg and Anaheim (from Ottawa) rounding out the top 10.
Who are the best available draftees this year?
Where the hell have you been this whole time, man? They've been talking about these kids forever. A few samplings to familiarize yourself with the draftees:
- TSN's DraftCentre has the complete dossier of every draft eligible player going back to the moment of his conception.
- SB Nation ran its own mock draft, asking each NHL blog to select a player on behalf of its team. Lighthouse Hockey picked winger Michael Dal Colle for the Islanders.
- LHH community member North Dakota Red Eagle did exhaustive work compiling scoring and other information for this year's class and comparing them to previous draftees.
- Got no time to read and want just names? The Hockey News combines draft lists from six leading rankings folks and jams them into one master cheat sheet.
How do I know if this newly-drafted player is a colossal bust?
Short answer: You won't - yet. But don't let that slow you down. The customary time to declare a player a bust is between the moment his name is called to the moment he puts his new team's jersey on, although you may use your own discretion. The process could take months or years.
Is there some vaguely relevant song you could include here that would get me in the mood for the draft?
Yeah. I think I can find something.
