Predicting the NHL Draft with Rank-Ordered Logit Models

Abstract

The National Hockey League Entry Draft has been an active area of research in hockey analytics over the past decade. Prior research has explored predictive modelling for draft results using player information and statistics as well as ranking data from draft experts. In this paper, we develop a new modelling framework for this problem using a Bayesian rank-ordered logit model based on draft ranking data obtained from scouting sites and media outlets. Rank-ordered logit models are designed to model multicompetitor contests such as triathlons, sprints, or golf through a sequence of conditionally dependent multinomial logit models. We apply this model to a set of draft ranking data from the 2021 NHL draft and use it to provide a consolidated ranking for the draft and estimate the probability that any given player will be selected at any given pick.