Nashville to host 2023 NHL Awards and NHL Draft

No one needs an excuse to visit Music City. But the NHL just made the idea even more appealing. On Thursday the league announced that the 2022-23 NHL Awards and the 2023 NHL Draft will both be held in Nashville. It will mark the first time the same city has hosted both events since Vancouver did so in 2006.

The 2022-23 NHL Awards show will take place Monday, June 26, marking the first time Nashville has hosted. Las Vegas had hosted the ceremony in every non-shortened season since 2009. The Awards were handed out virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the show took place at a site of the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2022. 

The 2023 NHL Draft goes down at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with Round 1 taking place Wednesday, June 28 and Round 2 on Thursday, June 29. It will mark Nashville’s first time hosting the NHL Draft since 2003.

“We are thrilled to bring two of our marquee events – the 2023 NHL Awards and the 2023 NHL Draft – to Nashville, a special city that certainly knows how to throw a great party,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release from the league Thursday. “From the 2003 NHL Draft to the 2016 NHL All-Star Weekend to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final to the 2022 NHL Stadium Series game, the city, the Predators organization and the Country Music community have overwhelmed the NHL with their welcome and support every time Nashville has hosted a League event. We cannot wait to return next June to celebrate the stars of our game and introduce the next generation of NHL Players.”

The 2023 Draft will be among the most anticipated in recent memory, with projected generational talent Connor Bedard a near shoo-in to go No. 1 overall.