The 2024 NHL Draft is going to Vegas. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Tuesday that the league board has made it official and the Sphere is the confirmed venue.
Discussions between the league and the Sphere, one of Vegas’ newest and most popular attractions, started earlier this year as the league sought to be the first major North American sporting league to host a major event inside the massive, 18,600-seat auditorium.
The Sphere has become a viral hit mainly due to the 580,000 square feet of LED displays that wrap around its exterior as well as its interior’s immersive video and audio capabilities.
The NHL Draft will be held June 28/29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. NHL Board just made it official. This will be the final draft before decentralizing.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) December 5, 2023
Interest from the NHL to hold the 2024 draft at the Sphere was first revealed in early October. The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported in mid-November that talks had progressed further though some hurdles still remained at that time.
The primary obstacle perceived to be in the way was simply the cost of the venture. The league is first renting out the massive auditorium and then needing to finance a Vegas-level show that uses the full capabilities of the “16k resolution wraparound LED screen and superior sound system.”
Johnston’s article lays out that the Sphere does have enough floor space to fit in all 32 NHL teams and their accompanying draft entourages as well as the typical draft stage. The 2024 event will be the last at one centralized location. Teams have voted to move to decentralized drafts in the future a la the NFL.
Irish rock band U2 with their residency at the Sphere and Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix have been the notable, other recent renters of the giant space.
The NHL is also expected to host its annual awards show in Los Angeles, California earlier in the week before the draft.
