Draft day always a gamble for NHL teams

There is little doubt the National Hockey League entry draft is a crapshoot.

Each of the league’s 30 teams have seen less than half of the players they’ve picked go on to play a single big-league game.

The Edmonton Oilers, believe it or not, are one of the more successful teams in this regard — 43 per cent of the prospects they selected from 2000-10 have suited up in the NHL.

In comparison, the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings have seen 40 per cent of their picked players play in the NHL, while the Chicago Blackhawks — winners of the 2013 title — have sent 37 per cent of theirs to The Show. The Detroit Red Wings, considered a cornerstone NHL franchise, boast a 31-per-cent graduation rate.

Mind you, these teams have arguably made smarter selections than the Oilers since the dawn of the century. Some of that can be attributed to shrewdness, but also to luck.

The Journal’s Joanne Ireland examines the gambler’s den that is the NHL draft — this year’s edition begins Friday night in Philadelphia