Wednesday afternoon, the NHL announced that the 2020 Draft will be held north of the border. The Montreal Canadiens will host the draft.

“To think that the NHL Draft started in 1963 as a small gathering at a hotel ballroom in Montreal, makes it all the more exciting to announce that the 2020 edition of the Draft is coming back to its original city, Montreal, in a far grander fashion,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release. “The NHL Draft has grown into a spectacle befitting our next generation of stars who will walk across the big stage to the next phase of their hockey careers. Montreal is the city where the Draft has been held more times than anywhere else. What a wonderful place for a great celebration of hockey and the players who will shine in our League for years to come.”

According to the NHL, the draft was conducted in various Montreal hotels, the League office in Montreal, as well as the historic Montreal Forum from 1963-1984. After 21 years, the event was held outside Montreal for the first time at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in 1985. Montreal again hosted the Draft in 1986, 1988, 1992 and 2009.

Washington DC has never hosted an NHL Draft in its history.

More from the NHL:

LAS VEGAS (June 19, 2019) – The Montreal Canadiens will host the 2020 NHL Draft™ at Bell Centre, the National Hockey League, the Canadiens and City of Montreal announced today. The 2020 event will mark the 27th time the City of Montreal will host the NHL Draft, and the first time since 2009. The 2020 NHL Draft will be held over two days – Friday, June 26 (Round 1) and Saturday, June 27 (Rounds 2-7). NHL club executives, scouts and coaches will be present on the NHL Draft floor while thousands of fans and hundreds of print, television and radio media are expected to attend.

“We are very pleased to have been chosen by the League to host this prestigious event,” said France Margaret Bélanger, Executive Vice President, Commercial and Corporate Affairs of the Club de hockey Canadien. “This sign of confidence in our organization and our fans from League management demonstrates that Montreal is, and remains, a top NHL city. For many young hockey players, living this moment at the Bell Centre in Montreal will be an extraordinary experience.”

“Tourisme Montréal is recognized for its collaborative approach. We are very happy to have participated in this major gain for tourism in our beautiful metropolis,” stated Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.

The NHL Draft offers the opportunity for hockey fans to witness the beginning of the careers of the latest NHL® stars. Recent No. 1 overall picks include Alex Ovechkin (Washington, 2004), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh, 2005), Erik Johnson (St. Louis, 2006), Patrick Kane (Chicago, 2007), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay, 2008), John Tavares (NY Islanders, 2009), Taylor Hall (Edmonton, 2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton, 2011), Nail Yakupov (Edmonton, 2012), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado, 2013), Aaron Ekblad (Florida, 2014), Connor McDavid (Edmonton, 2015), Auston Matthews (Toronto, 2016), Nico Hischier (New Jersey, 2017) and Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo, 2018).

Ticket plans, related events and other details pertaining to the 2020 NHL Draft will be announced at a later date. For historical information and past draft selections, visit records.nhl.com. NHL Network and NHL.com will provide extensive coverage live from the event leading up to and after the 2020 NHL Draft. NHL Social™ will have exclusive coverage on all social platforms, and those looking to join the conversation can use the official hashtag #NHLDraft.