from Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com,

The 2020 NHL Draft is guaranteed to be unlike any other.

The draft, which begins Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS) when the first round is held, will be conducted virtually for the first time in its 58th year, with each team having staff members within its own draft room located in its local market. They'll be connected virtually and announce their picks via NHL Network within the allotted time limit....

Judd Brackett, director of amateur scouting for the Minnesota Wild, said they are ready to adjust.

"Unfortunately, we won't be able to get all our amateur staff together because of border closures and travel restrictions," Brackett said. "But we are going to have feeds and whether it's Zoom calls or Webex, we'll have the ability to have them front and center and available. Being able to have the visuals in the room, they are absolutely going to partake (in the process), even though they're not physically present."

It's the first time the draft will be held on days other than Friday, Saturday or Sunday since the 1994 NHL Draft, which took place on Tuesday, June 28, and Wednesday, June 29, at the Hartford Civic Center....

Center Quinton Byfield of Sudbury in the Ontario Hockey League, ranked No. 2 among North American skaters, could become the highest-selected Black player in NHL history, surpassing Evander Kane (2009 NHL Draft, Atlanta Thrashers) and Seth Jones (2013 NHL Draft, Nashville Predators), who each was a No. 4 pick.

Left wing Tim Stuetzle of Adler Mannheim in Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany's top professional league, is No. 1 in Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters. He could become the highest-selected NHL draft pick born and trained in Germany, and it would be in the same year Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl became the first Germany-born player to win the Hart Trophy voted as NHL MVP.

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