Justin’s NHL Draftbook (2013-1963)

Hello friends, 

I’ve been working on this NHL draft selection database on and off over the past year. I’ve simply referred to it as a ‘Draftbook’. It took a while to build it, clean it up, and then decide what to do with it… but now that it’s ‘finished’ I’ve decided to simply post it online for everyone to download and use.

So what is it? Well, it’s a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of every player that has been drafted into the NHL since 1963. Data fields include draft position, player names, player positions, teams, height, weight, amateur teams and amateur leagues. 

Using the ‘Sort’ and ‘Filter’ functions will allow users to quickly pull up all kinds of draft-related data, such as “How many 6’3+ centres have been drafted in the first round in the last ten years?” This will come in handy for quick draft analysis, tracking trends, and making predictions on future picks. 

Most data came directly from the official NHL website, but some data was changed to improve uniformity. 

For example, over the years the NHL has used ‘SWEDEN’ and ‘SWE’ at different times to describe ‘Amateur League’. In situations like this, I’ve changed both to ‘Sweden’ for easier sorting and filtering.

If league names were given, I wouldn’t change those. So you’re going to find both ‘SHL’ and ‘Sweden’, even though they’re technically the same. It’s not perfect, but this is a hobby project, so I couldn’t dedicate the time to research and consolidate 50 years of draft data. That being said, I’ve left the sheet unlocked, so you’re free to make changes to your own file as you see fit.

Another example: the NHL has used abbreviations for positions, such as ‘L’ and ‘LW’, at different times over the years. Various abbreviations representing the same position have been consolidated for easier sorting and filtering.

I will be adding new draft classes as they are drafted, and the new file will be shared when it’s ready. To make sure you get the latest Draftbook, or to provide feedback, follow me on twitter at @thejustinfisher.

If you have issues with Google Drive’s ‘Preview’ function, click ‘Download Original’ at the top right of your screen.

Hope you enjoy,

Justin