After multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL Draft will officially return to Montreal in 2022.
The Canadiens will host the event at the Bell Centre on July 7-8 after two virtual drafts in 2020 and '21.
“We are proud to announce that, once again, we are conducting our Draft in front of the great fans of the Montreal Canadiens,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Montreal, the site of the first NHL Draft in 1963, is a wonderful place to bring the NHL family together and to focus on the future of our game as our Clubs call the names of top prospects from around the world. We also thank Geoff Molson and the entire Canadiens organization for their cooperation and support while we needed to conduct the Draft remotely the past two years.”
Montreal last hosted the draft in 2009.
Top prospects who could hear their names called early in the draft include Kingston Frontenacs star Shane Wright of the OHL, the WHL's Matthew Savoie of the Winnipeg Ice and top Finnish prospect Brad Lambert.
