NHL Draft 2012: New Jersey Devils To Keep 1st-Round Pick

NHL Draft 2012: New Jersey Devils Will Keep First Round Pick

The New Jersey Devils will hold onto their first-round pick of the 2012 NHL Draft pick after the deadline to give it up passed Tuesday. The Devils were penalized one first-rounder in 2011, 2012, 2013 or 2014 as part of their penalty for Ilya Kovalchuk's rejected 2010 contract.

NHL Draft Tickets 2012: Pittsburgh Penguins Release 5,000 To Public

If you are going to be in the Pittsburgh area and would like to attend the 2012 NHL draft, you may just be in luck. The Pittsburgh Penguins are making 5,000 tickets to the draft available to the general public.

The tickets are free and will be handed out on a first come, first serve basis beginning Tuesday, June 5, at 10 a.m. Eastern time. The 2012 NHL draft will be held at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The first round will be held on June 22 with 1,500 tickets available to the public. There will be an additional 3,500 tickets available to watch the second through seventh rounds on June 23.

The Edmonton Oilers won last month's NHL draft lottery, and will make the first selection of the 2012 NHL draft.

For complete coverage of the 2012 NHL draft, visit this StoryStream or check out any of the team-specific sites across SB Nation's network of hockey blogs.

NHL Draft Combine: 105 Top Prospects Invited To Event In Toronto

The NHL announced that it has invited 105 players to attend its annual draft Scouting Combine, held this year from May 29 to June 2 at the Toronto International Centre. The list includes 88 players from North America, including 78 skaters and 10 goaltenders, plus 17 European players, including 14 skaters and three goaltenders.

You wanted a list? Okay, here's a list:

SBNation.com has full coverage of the 2012 NHL Draft in our StoryStream and across our network of hockey blogs.

VIDEO: Columbus Blue Jackets Fans Watch Their Team Lose NHL Draft Lottery

NHL Draft Lottery Results 2012: First 14 Positions Locked After Edmonton Oilers Win No. 1 Pick

The 2012 NHL Draft Lottery is complete, and the Edmonton Oilers had the lotto balls fall their way. They'll draft first overall for the third straight year after winning this year's lottery. The losers are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who fell to the No. 2 overall seed in the draft thanks to the Oilers' win.

The rest of the top 14 will stay the same. Here's the full draft order, as far as we know it, following Tuesday's Draft Lottery:

• 1. Edmonton Oilers
• 2. Columbus Blue Jackets
• 3. Montreal Canadiens
• 4. New York Islanders
• 5. Toronto Maple Leafs
• 6. Anaheim Ducks
• 7. Minnesota Wild
• 8. Carolina Hurricanes
• 9. Winnipeg Jets
• 10. Tampa Bay Lightning
• 11. Washington Capitals (via Colorado)
• 12. Buffalo Sabres
• 13. Dallas Stars
• 14. Calgary Flames

We'll learn the rest of the draft order as the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway beginning Wednesday night. For more on the Oilers, check in with The Copper & Blue. For reaction from Blue Jackets fans, stop by The Cannon.

NHL Draft Lottery 2012 Results: Edmonton Oilers Win Top Pick, Columbus Blue Jackets Drop To No. 2

Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini had a huge smile on his face as the NHL deputy commissioner opened the envelope and announced that for the third straight year in a row, the Oilers have won the top pick in the NHL Draft.

The Oilers won the 2012 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, passing the Columbus Blue Jackets for the right to select top prospect Nail Yakupov at the NHL Draft in Pittsburgh this June.

Columbus entered the lottery with a 48.2 percent chance of solidifying the top pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, while only the worst five teams in the league had a chance at the No. 1 overall pick the Oilers had an 18.8 percent chance at the pick, the Montreal Canadiens had a 14.2 percent chance, the New York Islanders had a 10.7 percent chance and the Toronto Maple Leafs had an 8.1 percent chance.

Beyond the top two spots, the rest of the draft order remains the same.

14 teams were part of the lottery but only the top five had a chance at the No. 1 overall pick as teams can only have the chance to move up four spots. In 2011, the New Jersey Devils won the lottery and moved up from the No. 8 spot to the No. 4 spot. They drafted defenseman Adam Larsson with that pick.

For more on the Oilers, check in with The Copper & Blue.

NHL Draft Lottery 2012: Preview, TV Coverage And More

The NHL will determine the first 14 picks of the 2012 NHL Draft with the 2012 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.

NHL Draft Lottery 2012: Whose Fail Earned Them Nail?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have the best chance of winning Tuesday night's NHL Draft Lottery, but that doesn't guarantee them the opportunity to draft Nail Yakupov at the 2012 draft in Pittsburgh.

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NHL Draft Rankings 2012: League Releases Final List

The final prospect rankings have been released before the 2012 NHL Draft in June. Nail Yakupov once again leads this year's class of draft-eligible skaters.

NHL Draft 2012 Coming To Pittsburgh, NHL Announces

The National Hockey League announced that the 2012 NHL Entry Draft will be held at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Round 1 will be held on Friday, June 22, with Rounds 2 through 7 held on Saturday, June 23.

"One of the things we used in our quest for a new arena, was that if we got it, we could bring the type of national events that we couldn't host with the old one and the draft was one of those events," Penguins vice president of communication Tom McMillan told NHL.com.

Pittsburgh last hosted the event at the Civic Arena in 1997, a class that yielded stars Joe Thornoton (1st overall, Boston Bruins), Patrick Marleau (2nd overall, San Jose Sharks), Olli Jokinen (3rd overall, Los Angeles Kings),  Marian Hossa (12th overall, Ottawa Senators) and current Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was the fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders.

McMillan says the team will plan a week of hockey-related festivities before the draft.

"Like we did at the Winter Classic (at Heinz Field), we'll turn the week into a festival of hockey," McMillan said. "We're going to make that whole week of buildup to the draft a celebration of hockey so in Pittsburgh, it's going to be more than just the actual draft itself -- there's going to be focus on hockey for a full week, so that's a great thing."

2012 NHL Draft Will Be Held In Pittsburgh, Report Says

The 2012 NHL Draft is reportedly headed to Pittsburgh, with an announcement expected on Thursday