The National Hockey League has awarded an expansion franchise to Las Vegas, the league announced Wednesday. It will begin playing at the start of the 2017-18 season. There are currently 30 NHL teams—23 in the United States and seven in Canada. The new team, whose name has not yet been announced, will play at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas strip. The new franchise will also pay an expansion fee of $500 million. The team will choose no lower than no. 6 overall in next year's NHL draft, and will be given the same odds in the draft lottery as the team that finishes the 2016-2017 season with the third-fewest points.
