FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 18th, 2019

NBC SPORTS PRESENTS EXCLUSIVE LIVE COVERAGE OF 2019 NHL DRAFT & NHL AWARDS THIS WEEK ON NBCSN

2019 NHL Draft Live from Vancouver – Friday at 8 p.m. ET; Coverage Begins with NHL Live at 7:30 p.m. ET

N.J. Devils (1st), N.Y. Rangers (2nd), and Chicago Blackhawks (3rd) Boast Top Picks in 2019 NHL Draft

Live Coverage of 2019 NHL Awards from Las Vegas Begins Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET

2019 NHL World Gaming Championship Tournament Grand Final –Friday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN Immediately Following NHL Draft Coverage

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 18, 2019 – American Jack Hughes and Finland’s Kaapo Kakko headline the class of the future NHL stars that will converge on Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. in Canada this week, as NBC Sports presents live, exclusive coverage of first round of the 2019 NHL Draft this Friday, June 21, at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live.

In addition, NBCSN will televise the NHL Awards this Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET from Las Vegas, as the NHL celebrates the top performers of the 2018-19 season from the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs – will provide streaming coverage of the 2019 NHL Awards and 2019 NHL Draft.


2019 NHL DRAFT FROM VANCOUVER – FRIDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The 2019 NHL Draft is headlined by American Jack Hughes, a 5-foot-10 center who holds the USA Hockey National Team Development Program record for most career points (228 points in 110 career games; 74g/154a). Hughes, who is widely considered as the top prospect in this year’s draft, can become just the eighth American player taken first overall.

Kaapo Kakko (Finland) of TPS (Finnish Liiga), Bowen Byram (Canada) of the Vancouver Giants (Western Hockey League), and Alex Turcotte (United States) who is committed to the University of Wisconsin (Big Ten Conference), are also expected to be early first-round selections. Kakko had 38 points (22g/16a) in 45 games with TPS in Finnish Liiga this season, Byram led the WHL playoffs in scoring (26 points in 22 games; 8g/18a), and Turcotte had 62 points (27g/35a) in 37 games this season for the USNTDP. Multiple Americans, including Hughes, Turcotte, Trevor Zegras (Boston University), Cole Caufield (University of Wisconsin), Matthew Boldy (Boston College), and Spencer Knight (Boston College) are also projected to be picked early in the first round.

The New Jersey Devils hold the first overall pick in this year’s draft, followed by the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Colorado Avalanche (4th and 16th), Los Angeles Kings (5th and 22nd), and Buffalo Sabres (7th and 31st) each have two first-round picks.

Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappen will host coverage alongside Emmy Award-winning analyst Pierre McGuire and NHL Insiders Bob McKenzie, Craig Button and Darren Dreger.


2019 NHL AWARDS FROM LAS VEGAS – WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The 2019 NHL Awards will recognize the best regular-season players in a variety of categories, including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy). The Ted Lindsay Award, which is presented annually to the “most outstanding player” in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), will also will be awarded.

St. Louis Blues’ Doug Armstrong, Boston Bruins’ Don Sweeney, and Carolina Hurricanes’ Don Waddell are finalists for General Manager of the Year, while St. Louis’ Craig Berube, Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, and N.Y. Islanders’ Barry Trotz are finalists for the Jack Adams Award, which honors the league’s top head coach. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid are all finalists for the Hart Trophy.


2019 NHL GAMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINAL FROM LAS VEGAS – FRIDAY AT 11:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING NHL DRAFT

NBCSN will present coverage of the NHL Gaming World Championship Grand Final immediately following the network’s coverage of the NHL Draft on Friday, June 21, at 11:30 p.m. ET. The 2019 NHL Gaming World Championship Grand Final will feature a bracket of the winners from each region – Canada, European Union and U.S. – with one final spot determined through a special Play In round-robin of the runner-up from each region.

Big names expected to compete in the Grand Final this week include Erik ‘EKI’ Tammenpää (European Winner), Matthew ‘Top-Shelf-Cookie’ Gutkoski (U.S. Winner), and Karl ‘Mg x Nuclear’ Caslib (Canadian Winner). The winner of the Grand Final will take home the $50,000 grand prize and Championship Trophy from HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas.


NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream this week’s NHL coverage to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs. The NBC Sports app will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, Xbox and PlayStation 4.

–NBC SPORTS–