NHL Utah’s First Ever Draft Pick Will Be 6th Overall

This is the second time in the past five years that the Utah organization has held a top-six pick in the draft. While this will be the first time since 2021 that the team hasn’t had multiple picks in the first round, they do have three in each of the next two rounds. The draft will be held on June 28-29 in Las Vegas in the Sphere.

NHL Utah’s History With 6th Overall Pick

NHL Utah has picked sixth overall twice in its history as the Winnipeg Jets and the Arizona Coyotes. Last year, the team picked defenseman Dmitri Simashev. It was a surprising pick as the Russian player wasn’t on anyone’s radar. This past season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), he didn’t have a highly offensive one as he only produced 10 points in 63 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. However, he was instrumental in leading his team to the KHL Final with fellow teammate and another future Utah defenseman: Daniil But.

The other sixth overall pick made by the Utah franchise was Oliver Ekman-Larsson in 2009. He quickly became one of the best players in franchise history, producing multiple 40-plus point seasons, constantly receiving votes for the Norris Trophy, leading the team to a Western Conference Final run in 2012, and eventually being named captain of the team. It was one of the best first-round draft picks the Coyotes organization ever made. The defenseman was eventually traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a first-round pick that became Dylan Guenther.

Names to Look for at 6th Overall

This year’s draft has been called very unpredictable after the eventual selection of Celebrini first overall. TSN reporter Bob McKenzie has Sam Dickinson going sixth overall in his draft ranking. Dickinson has played the past two seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). This season, the defenseman put up 70 points in 68 games. While Utah has some big defensive weapons on the blue line like JJ Moser and eventually Maveric Lamoureux and Simashev, they would most likely want to add some offensive firepower to aid Sean Durzi.

The Hockey Writers’ own Logan Horn has Cole Eiserman going sixth overall in his most recent rankings. Eiserman has been frequently called one of the best shooters and goal scorers in the draft. He recently broke the United States National Team Development Program’s goal-scoring record and at one time was the projected second-overall pick in the draft. However, flaws in his play have been discovered since then. He has been called a “one-dimensional” player. His ice time has been bottom-six comparable and he has had issues playing in his own zone. However, if put on a line with someone like Lawson Crouse, who is responsible defensively, it could help the young forward.

There will most likely be other gems around the sixth selection as well. Tij Iginla has been lighting it up recently, Cayden Lindstrom could add even more size to the team, and Artyom Levshunov could be another key addition to the defense core. However, if it’s anything like Armstrong’s prior drafts, we could be in for a big surprise as Utah drafts its first-ever player in its new history.