Chicago’s Blackhawks ticket sales are red hot this week in the wake of the club winning the 2023 NHL Draft lottery. The franchise won the coveted top pick in Monday’s lottery, which puts them in place to draft phenom a potentially franchise-altering prospect in Connor Bedard.
That victory has reportedly already produced a significant financial windfall for the organization, with the team reportedly selling more than $5 million worth of season tickets already in anticipation of the draft and arrival of the budding star. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times reported that the team had sold more than $2.5 million worth of tickets in just the first hour and a half following the lottery, updating that figure to $5.2 million Tuesday afternoon. More than 1,200 full season ticket plans have already been purchased.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) May 9, 2023
The Blackhawks have won the NHL draft lottery once in the franchises history, using that top pick to select Patrick Kane, who led the club to three Stanley Cup crowns. Some view Bedard as having the same kind of potential as Kane or Connor McDavid in terms of his potential value to the team that selects him in the draft, which takes place on June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
From CBS Sports:
As a prospect, Bedard has already drawn comparisons to Connor McDavid, and he is expected to make an instant impact at the NHL level. It’s not hard to see why.
In 57 games with the WHL’s Regina Pats this past season, Bedard tallied a jaw-dropping 71 goals and 72 assists. Bedard also led Team Canada to the gold medal at the 2023 World Juniors. In just seven games, he scored nine goals and added 14 assists.
Bedard's goal in Calgary is the stuff of legends. There's not many current NHL players that can make this play. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/k1bib3nOf4
— Blake (@SoldierFieldBlg) May 9, 2023
Chicago went 26-49-7 in the 2022-23 season, missing the playoffs after finishing last in the Western Conference’s Central Division with 59 points.
The complete draft order for the 16 lottery picks is:
1. Chicago Blackhawks
2. Anaheim Ducks
3. Columbus Blue Jackets
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Arizona Coyotes
7. Philadelphia Flyers
8. Washington Capitals
9. Detroit Red Wings
10. St. Louis Blues
11. Vancouver Canucks
12. Arizona Coyotes (from Ottawa)
13. Buffalo Sabres
14. Pittsburgh Penguins
15. Nashville Predators
16. Calgary Flames
Before the draft, the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs remain underway, with conference semifinals series continuing this week. In the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kracken are knotted at two games each and the Vegas Golden Knights hold a 2-1 advantage over the Edmonton Oilers with game four scheduled for Edmonton Wednesday night. In the East, the Florida Panthers hold a commanding 3-0 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs with a chance to close out that series tonight at home and the Carolina Hurricanes are up 3-1 over the New Jersey Devils.
The upcoming schedule for those conference semifinals series and links to ticket marketplaces are included below:
Ticket Links
NHL Playoffs tickets at MEGASeats | 15% off use code TICKETNEWS
NHL Playoffs tickets at ScoreBig
NHL Playoffs tickets at SeatGeek
NHL Playoffs tickets at StubHub
NHL Playoffs tickets at Ticket Club | Free membership use code TICKETNEWS
NHL Playoffs tickets at Ticketmaster
NHL Playoffs tickets at Vivid Seats
NHL Playoffs Schedule
Eastern Conference
Florida Panthers (3) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (0)
Wednesday, May 10: Toronto at Florida, 7, ESPN
*Friday, May 12: Florida at Toronto, TBD, TNT
*Sunday, May 14: Toronto at Florida, TBD
*Tuesday, May 16: Florida at Toronto, TBD, TNT
Carolina Hurricanes (3) vs. New Jersey Devils (1)
Thursday, May 11: New Jersey at Carolina, 7, TNT
*Saturday, May 13: Carolina at New Jersey, 4, ESPN
*Monday, May 15: New Jersey at Carolina, TBD, ESPN
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Dallas Stars (2) vs. Seattle Kraken (2)
Thursday, May 11: Seattle at Dallas, 9:30, TNT
Saturday, May 13: Dallas at Seattle, 7, ESPN
*Monday, May 15: Seattle at Dallas, TBD, ESPN
Vegas Golden Knights (2) vs. Edmonton Oilers (1)
Wednesday, May 10: Vegas at Edmonton, 10, ESPN
Friday, May 12: Edmonton at Vegas, TBD, TNT
*Sunday, May 14: Vegas at Edmonton, TBD
*Tuesday, May 16: Edmonton at Vegas, TBD, TNT
