Panthers and Lightning take second and third picks respectively.
The Colorado Avalanche will have the first pick in June’s NHL Draft, after winning the draft lottery on Monday.
After finishing the regular season with a 16-25-7 record, the worst in the Western Conference, Colorado had an 18.8 percent chance of winning the lottery.
Having defied the odds, Colorado beat the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning who will have the second and third picks respectively.
The Panthers finished last in the NHL with a 15-27-6 mark and had the best odds of obtaining the No.1 pick, but are now set to miss out.
With the format of the lottery changing this year, all of the 14 non-playoff teams had a shot at the first overall pick. However, with the Edmonton Oilers having received it for the past three years, it will be the Avalanche who take the honours this time round.
Portland Winterhawks defenseman Seth Jones has been touted as a potential No.1 ranked prospect for the Draft which takes place on June 30, and playing in a position in which the Avalanche will be in the market for may produce an easy guess as to who they will select.
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