The 2024 NHL Draft will take place at the Las Vegas Sphere on June 28-29. according to a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger. The decision came after a vote by the NHL Board of Governors.
This will also be the last NHL draft to be held in a unique location. After the 2024 season, the draft will move to a decentralized format, where players will all meet in one location while the teams’ front offices remain in their respective cities.
The NHL sent a memo to all 32 NHL teams in October announcing that the vast majority of NHL teams had voted to decentralize the draft. Teams have already expressed concerns about the cost of sending employees and scouts to a single location and the risk of information leaks with so many teams in close proximity. The league also has an extremely tight timeline between the draft and free agency. The 2023 draft concluded on June 29 and free agency began on July 1.
The NHL is the first professional sports league to use the $2.3 billion facility, owned by New York Rangers owner Jim Dolan.
