2023 NHL Draft was most-viewed on record: Why the bump?

The 2023 NHL Draft was the most-viewed on record, averaging 681,000 viewers, according to ESPN. Here’s what you need to know:

• Average viewership increased 49 percent compared to last year. Average viewership for adults (age 18-49) came in at 326,000 viewers, which was up 63 percent compared to 2022.
• Total viewership peaked at 903,000 viewers, per ESPN.
• The Chicago Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard — considered a generational talent — with the No. 1 pick.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Why the bump?

You always have to be careful about reading too much into NHL ratings, because you can twist yourself into a whole bunch of analysis (that just confirms your own priors) and then it turns out the number was more about the night of the week or competition of which phase of the moon it was.

But… this sure seems like the Connor Bedard effect, right? Or to go even deeper, from ESPN’s perspective, this is the difference between Bedard going first to a major American market and Juraj Slafkovský going to a Canadian one last year. For the first time in a while, the NHL has a legitimate next-big-thing headed to a US-based team, and I’m sure that had at least a few people tuning in.

It’s also possible that some viewers tuned in based on the expectations that there could be fireworks in terms of big moves. Let’s hope not, though, because those viewers would have been left disappointed by a trade-free night. So let’s just stick with Bedard, and the kid being a needle-mover for a league that needs one even before he’s played an NHL game. — McIndoe

Backstory

Bedard, 17, was long the consensus first pick in this year’s draft class. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound center led all Canadian Hockey League players in goals (71) and points (143) with the WHL’s Regina Pats last season.

While there were no trades in the first round of Thursday’s draft, there were key storylines in addition to Bedard going No. 1. Leo Carlsson, a center for Orebro in the SHL, followed Bedard as the No. 2 selection by Anaheim.

Michigan center and Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli went No. 3 to Columbus, while Matvei Michkov was selected No. 7 to Philadelphia. It will likely take time for Michkov, a winger under contract at SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL until 2025-26, to make his way over to the NHL, given his three-year commitment remaining in the KHL.

Required reading

(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)