The Oilers won the NHL draft lottery and the right to select Connor McDavid with the top pick.

The Oilers bucked the odds Saturday night after finishing 28th in the NHL standings. They had an 11.5 percent chance to win the lottery.

The franchise is in position to draft the Erie Otters center described as a once-in-a-generation talent.

"I can't tell you how exciting it is for us to win this lottery," Oilers GM Craig MacTavish said during a telephone conference call. "Any team would be just over the moon about winning the lottery. We're the same. It's a game-changer."