Vegas Golden Knights announces Expansion Draft selections

The 2017 NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas will be remembered for one thing - the day the 31st NHL franchise announced it’s expansion roster. The Vegas Golden Knights officially had a grand total of three players signed to a contract. Reid Duke, former Wild draft pick, was the very first to sign-on with the Golden Knights, followed by Russian veteran Vadim Shipachyov. Finally, Tomas Hyka was plucked from the Czech Republic’s BK Mlada Boleslav franchise.

However, that roster got filled out as the Vegas Golden Knights selected players from all 30 existing teams in the 2017 Expansion Draft. This is the initial list as any trades during side deals that teams may have made to steer Vegas general manager George McPhee’s hand and player flips will be announced Thursday. Picks were announced in reverse finishing order. Meaning, they started with the worst team in the NHL, Colorado Avalanche, and worked their way down to the Washington Capitals, winners of the President’s Cup.

Introducing the Vegas Golden Knights

1. Calvin Pickard G, Colorado Avalanche
2. Luca Sbisa D, Vancouver Canucks
3. Teemu Pulkkinen F, Arizona Coyotes
4. Jon Merrill D, New Jersey Devils
5. William Carrier F, Buffalo Sabres
6. Tomas Nosek, Detroit Red Wings
7. Cody Eakin F, Dallas Stars
8. Jonathan Marchessault F, Florida Panthers
9. Brayden McNabb D, Los Angeles Kings
10. Connor Brickley F, Carolina Hurricanes
11. Chris Thorburn F, Winnipeg Jets
12. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare F, Philadelphia Flyers
13. Jason Garrison D, Tampa Bay Lightning
14. J.F. Berube G, New York Islanders
15. James Neal F, Nashville Predators
16. Deryk Engelland D, Calgary Flames
17. Brendan Leipsic F, Toronto Maple Leafs
18. Colin Miller D, Boston Bruins
19. Marc Methot D, Ottawa Senators
20. David Schlemko D, San Jose Sharks
21. David Perron F, St. Louis Blues
22. Oscar Lindberg F, New York Rangers
23. Griffin Reinhart D, Edmonton Oilers
24. Alexei Emelin D, Montreal Canadiens
25. Clayton Stoner D, Anaheim Ducks
26. Erik Haula F, Minnesota Wild
27. William Karlsson F, Columbus Blue Jackets
28. Trevor Van Riemsdyk D, Chicago Blackhawks
29. Marc-Andre Fleury G, Pittsburgh Penguins
30. Nate Schmidt D, Washington Capitals

There you have it, the 30 selections of the Vegas Golden Knights.

More trade news to come Thursday, as well as the unfreezing of all 31 NHL rosters. This means we should see many more trades take place in front of the NHL Entry Draft held in Chicago on Friday and Saturday.