Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2003, and September 15, 2005, are eligible for selection in the 2023 NHL entry draft.
Since the 2022 draft lottery, the teams winning one of the two drawings are allowed to move up a maximum of ten spots in the draft order and a team is only allowed to win the lottery twice in a five-year period.
[4] The Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks won the two draft lotteries that took place on May 8, 2023, giving them the first and second picks overall.
[5][6] During the broadcast ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes revealed that the Columbus Blue Jackets had received the third overall pick before the top three picks were officially revealed, which was attributed to a teleprompter mistake.
In United States, coverage of the opening day of the draft was televised on ESPN and ESPN+.