What is the name of the annual NHL draft where teams select eligible players?

The annual NHL draft where teams select eligible players is called the NHL Entry Draft. It is the league’s organized process for assigning professional rights to promising hockey players.

The draft is held once each year, usually two to three months after the regular season ends. Teams select players in a predetermined order, with the draft lottery helping determine the early selections. The system is designed to give struggling teams a better chance to obtain highly regarded prospects, although teams can trade both players and draft picks.

The first NHL draft took place on June 5, 1963, at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel. It was originally called the NHL Amateur Draft. The name changed to NHL Entry Draft in 1979, when eligibility rules were altered to allow players who had already played professionally, including players arriving from the World Hockey Association.

Eligible players generally include North American players aged 18 to 20 and international players aged 18 to 21. The draft is not the same as free agency: drafted players have their rights assigned to a team before they negotiate an NHL contract.