CHICAGO -- The 2017 NHL draft will be held in Chicago, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
An official news conference to announce the event is slated for Thursday afternoon in Chicago. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz and team president John McDonough will be among those in attendance.
Chicago has never hosted the entry draft in the event's 53-year history. This June's draft will be held in Buffalo.