The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck will be presented on Wednesday, July 21, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 in the U.S. live from Seattle. The first round of the 2021 NHL Draft will follow on Friday, July 23, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 live from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
On Thursday, July 22, the 2021-2022 NHL regular season schedule will be revealed on the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter on ESPN. John Buccigross will join the night’s anchors Elle Duncan and Kevin Negandhi to break down the preview of the upcoming NHL season schedule.
What: 2021 NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck
When & Where: Wednesday, July 21 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Who: Hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler and former NHL player and Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy winner Dominic Moore. ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will be on site to handle reporting and interviews from various locations in Seattle.
The presentation will also feature Seattle Sports stars – past and present – Sue Bird, Marshawn Lynch, Lenny Wilkens, Jordan Morris, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Bobby Wagner and Kyle Lewis to help GM Ron Francis unveil the team’s selections. In addition, Kraken owner and Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, GRAMMY Award-winning artist Macklemore, women’s hockey legend and Kraken scout Cammi Granato, Kraken Intersectionality consultant Chanel Keenan and members of Western Washington Female Hockey and the Anchorage Hockey Academy will also take part.
What: 2021 NHL Draft First Round
When & Where: Friday, July 23 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Who: Hosted by ESPN’s John Buccigross and joined by Sportsnet analysts Elliotte Friedman and Sam Cosentino. ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes, NHL Network’s Jackie Redmond and ESPN hockey writer and reporter Emily Kaplan will also be featured throughout the coverage.
A full breakdown of 2021 NHL Draft prospects is available here.
ESPN’s coverage of the NHL Draft and NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck follows the NHL’s ground-breaking, long-term rights agreement with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN. Beginning with the 2021-22 season, ESPN+ and Hulu will be home to 75 exclusive, national NHL® game telecasts, and ESPN+ will be the exclusive home for NHL’s out-of-market streaming package, with more than 1,000 games available for fans to stream as part of an ESPN+ subscription.
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CONTACTS:
ESPN
Katina Arnold | katina.arnold@espn.com | 860-912-6643
Danny Chi | danny.c.chi@espn.com | 213-405-4400
Grace Coryell | grace.s.coryell@espn.com | 213-405-4402
NHL
Nirva Milord | nmilord@nhl.com | 917-715-6187
Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution:
Paul Melvin | paul.melvin@disney.com | 860-877-8369
Kevin Ota | kevin.r.ota@disney.com | 860-839-7834
