Montreal Canadiens announced as hosts of the 2020 NHL Draft

The 2020 NHL Draft will take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, hosted by the Canadiens, the league announced on Wednesday.

It’ll be the first time since 2009 that the Habs have hosted the event, which will take place June 26 and 27 next year.

“To think that the NHL Draft started in 1963 as a small gathering at a hotel ballroom in Montreal, makes it all the more exciting to announce that the 2020 edition of the Draft is coming back to its original city, Montreal, in a far grander fashion,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “The NHL Draft has grown into a spectacle befitting our next generation of stars who will walk across the big stage to the next phase of their hockey careers. Montreal is the city where the Draft has been held more times than anywhere else. What a wonderful place for a great celebration of hockey and the players who will shine in our League for years to come.”

This will mark the 27th time Montreal has hosted the draft – a league record. Before it became the spectacle that it is today, the NHL Draft was conducted exclusively in Montreal from 1963 to 1984 in various hotels, the league office, as well as the Canadiens’ former home at the Forum.

“We are very pleased to have been chosen by the league to host this prestigious event,” said France Margaret Bélanger, Executive Vice President, Commercial and Corporate Affairs of the Montreal Canadiens. “This sign of confidence in our organization and our fans from League management demonstrates that Montreal is, and remains, a top NHL city. For many young hockey players, living this moment at the Bell Centre in Montreal will be an extraordinary experience.”

Ticket information will be announced at a later date.

The Canadiens hold the 15th pick at the 2019 NHL Draft, which begins this Friday in Vancouver.

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