NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The 2021 NHL Draft will be held virtually on Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24.
Round 1 will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Friday (ESPN2, Sportsnet, SN NOW, TVA Sports), followed by Rounds 2-7 beginning at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday (NHL Network, Sportsnet, SN NOW).
Irish Draft Quick Hits
- All told, 89 Notre Dame players have been selected in the NHL Draft.
- 42 of Notre Dame’s past selections have been drafted under head coach Jeff Jackson.
- The Irish have seen at least one player selected in the National Hockey League Entry Draft every year since 2004, and in 21 of the last 22 years.
- Three former Irish players have been drafted in the first round, all under Jackson, including Ian Cole (18th overall by St. Louis in 2007), Kyle Palmieri (26th overall by Anaheim in 2009) and Riley Sheahan (21st overall by Detroit in 2010).
Possible 2021 Irish Selections
- A trio of Irish signees, including a pair of incoming freshman, appear on the final NHL Central Scouting rankings ahead of the 2021 NHL Draft:
- Sasha Pastujov, F, Bradenton, FL (ranked #18 for North American skaters)
- Hunter Strand, F, Anchorage, AK (ranked #55 for North American skaters)
- Henry Nelson, F, Maple Grove, MN (ranked #96 for North American skaters)
Irish in the 2020 NHL Draft
- Last year in the 2020 draft, Chicago selected Landon Slaggert in the third round (79th overall) to become Notre Dame’s highest pick since Andrew Peeke and Cam Morrison were chosen with the 34th and 40th picks in 2016.
- Colorado then traded up to pick Ryder Rolston in the fifth round (139th overall). Rolston’s rights were then traded to Chicago at the 2021 trade deadline.
- In addition, freshman defenseman Jake Boltmann, who joined the Irish at the semester break of the 2020-21 season, was selected in the third round (80th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Irish in the NHL 2020-21
- Last season, thirteen former Fighting Irish players appeared in the National Hockey League, including:
- Anders Bjork (Boston Bruins/Buffalo Sabres)
- Ian Cole (Colorado Avalanche/Minnesota)
- Jake Evans (Montreal Canadiens)
- Steven Fogarty (Buffalo Sabres)
- Dennis Gilbert (Colorado Avalanche)
- Jordan Gross (Arizona)
- Vinnie Hinostroza (Florida Panthers)
- Anders Lee (New York Islanders)
- Kyle Palmieri (New Jersey Devils/New York Islanders)
Andrew Peeke (Columbus) - Cal Petersen (Los Angeles Kings)
- Bryan Rust (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Riley Sheahan (Buffalo Sabres).
Recent Professional Signings
- Following the 2020-21 Notre Dame season, junior defenseman Nate Clurman, senior defenseman Matt Hellickson and junior forward Alex Steeves signed professional contracts.
- Clurman joined the Colorado organization after being selected by the Avalanche in the sixth round (161st overall) in the 2016 draft.
- Hellickson signed with New Jersey after the Devils selected him in the seventh round (214th overall) of the 2017 draft.
- An undrafted free agent, Steeves inked a three-year entry-level contract for the 2021-22 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Current Irish in the NHL Draft
- Jack Adams (GS., F): Detroit Red Wings, sixth round/162nd overall (2017)
- Nick Leivermann (Sr., D): Colorado Avalanche, seventh round/187th overall (2017)
- Jake Pivonka (Sr., F): New York Islanders, fourth round/103rd overall (2018)
- Spencer Stastney (Sr., D): Nashville Predators, fifth round/131st overall (2018)
- Trevor Janicke (Sr., F): Anaheim Ducks, fifth round/132nd overall (2019)
- Landon Slaggert (So., F): Chicago Blackhawks, third round/79th overall (2020)
- Ryder Rolston (So., F): Colorado Avalanche, fifth round/139th overall (2020)*
- Jake Boltmann (Fr., D): Calgary Flames, third round/80th overall (2020)
* Rights traded to Chicago
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