2023 NHL Draft highest rated on record

The amateur draft for the world's premier hockey league has never been a ratings juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, but the hype around Connor Bedard likely bought more eyes to the event than previous years. The peak viewership of 903,000 in the first quarter-hour took place as Bedard was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Jon Lewis from Sports Media Watch provides even more context to the success of the draft, comparing its viewership to that of other NHL programming, writing that "compared to actual NHL games, the Draft would have ranked fifth out of the 27 windows on ESPN or ESPN2 this past regular season.

The Chicago factor unquestionably drove viewership to these heights, even as the team has struggled mightily in the last five seasons. The Blackhawks were a frequent staple on U.S. television in the 2010s, the decade of their three Stanley Cup championships, to the point that former national broadcaster NBC was criticized for relying too much on the team for ratings bumps. Yet there's no question that when the franchise is a contender, their fans flock to their TVs and devices in droves.

Bedard is viewed as a generational talent, someone who can change the trajectory of a team in an instant the same way Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Conor McDavid have done for their franchises for years. Perhaps there was a curiosity factor about the 17-year-old for fans of teams that were out of the Bedard sweepstakes in the same way that existed with the NBA Draft a week before when it comes to Victor Wembanyama. Or, considering this is the end of June, the dearth of new and interesting scripted shows on TV at the moment compelled more people to tune in than usual.

Regardless of reasons, the NHL and ESPN are pleased to see that the league can pique interest even in the offseason.