The Devils
sent out a press release today announcing plans for a Virtual Draft Lottery
Show to be held on Friday, June 26.
The show,
presented by New Jersey Lottery – appropriately enough, will run from 7:30 PM
to 8:45 PM EST on the day of the NHL Draft Lottery.
The press
release noted that Devils season ticket members, known now as “The Black and
Red,” will be able to access “a 30-minute Exclusive Pre-Show at 7:30 p.m. EST
prior to the 8 p.m. EST start for the general public.”
The show
will be presented on the Devils’ official website (NHL.com/Devils) but will
also be accessible via njd.tv and on the Devils’ social media channels
(@NJDevils).
The press
release then ran down the odds for the Devils: sixth best in the Lottery – a 7.5
percent chance to come out first overall. It also mentioned the Devils’ past
success in getting the first overall pick from the Lottery. Of course, 2017
netted us Nico Hischier while 2019 got us Jack Hughes.
The Draft
Lottery will be shown on TV itself – NBCSN in the United States and Sportsnet
and TVA in Canada. It will also be “streamed across NHL digital and social platforms.”
The press release
outlined the Devils’ Lottery Show itself. It will kick off with TJ the DJ
playing “iconic songs heard at Prudential Center” and mascot NJ Devil. There will
be interactive events for the fans for chances to win prizes. These prizes
include such things as “virtually signed photos and retweets from New Jersey
Devils players.” The contests will include ‘Lottery Predict the Pick’ and virtual
trivia.
There will
be an “hour of live programming highlighting exclusive interviews with New
Jersey Devil players, Alumni, management and others.” These guests include Hughes,
Martin Brodeur and Chico Resch in the 7:30 PM “Black and Red” portion.
When the show
starts proper at 8 PM, guests will include Hischier, Travis Zajac, women’s Olympian
Meghan Duggan, Interim General Manager Tom Fitzgerald, Devils President Jake
Reynolds and more.
According to
the presser, the event will be hosted by Devils media personalities Matt
Loughlin, Amanda Stein and Chris Wescott.
The release
ended with some quotes including this one from Reynolds: “The New Jersey Devils
fan base is one of the most passionate in the NHL, and we are reminded of that
when one year ago, thousands of Devils fans filled Championship Plaza for the Devils
2019 Draft Festival. The virtual Draft Lottery Show Presented by New Jersey
Lottery is one way that we are honoring our fans’ appetite for Draft insights
from the best minds in hockey, the stars on our team and special guests. We are
thrilled to share this experience with our fans in an innovative and
entertaining way.”
James Carey,
Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery said: “As part of the New Jersey Lottery’s
ongoing partnership with the Devils, we are always looking to engage with
Devils fans around the state in fun and innovative ways. We believe ‘Anything can
happen in Jersey,’ and the virtual Draft Lottery is a perfect example of that.
We are thrilled to maintain the Lottery’s close connection to Devils fans on various
social and digital platforms as part of this exciting event.”