With the Edmonton Oilers picking first again in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, it's still a mystery which top prospect they will pick.

The Edmonton Oilers have been awarded the first overall selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, being held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 24-25, 2011.

The Oilers received the right to pick first overall when they won the NHL’s Draft Lottery, held Tuesday night in Toronto.

Results of the Draft Lottery
Tambellini on number one
Taylor Hall on Draft Lottery
Fans toast number one at Tweetup
Tweetup Photo Gallery

“Winning this first overall pick is an important moment for the organization and it’s an integral part of the process moving forward,” said Oilers General Manager, Steve Tambellini. “This is a very exciting time for our organization and our fans as this just adds to the already bright future of our team.”

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft will mark the second time in franchise history the Oilers will select first overall, after taking Taylor Hall first overall last year.

The Draft Lottery is a weighted lottery system to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the NHL Entry Draft. It gives the teams that finish with the fewest points during the regular season the greatest chance of winning the Draft Lottery.

Only the 14 teams that do not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, or clubs that acquired those clubs’ first-round draft picks, participate in the drawing.

Fourteen balls, numbered 1 to 14, are placed in a lottery machine. The machine expels four balls, forming a series of numbers. The four-digit series resulting from the expulsion of the balls is matched against a probability chart that divides the possible combinations among the 14 participating clubs. The Lottery was incorporated in 1995 by the NHL.

Edmonton Oilers hockey is presented in part by the Rexall Family of Pharmacies, Molson Canadian, ATB Financial, TELUS, Cenovus Energy and Ford.