| ROUND: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Trades | Facts |
| Round 1 | ||||||
| No. | Team | Player | Pos. | Last team | League | Nationality |
| 1. | Minnesota | Bobby Smith | C | Ottawa | OMJHL | Canada |
| 2. | Washington | Ryan Walter | C | Seattle | WCHL | Canada |
| 3. | St. Louis | Wayne Babych | RW | Portland | WCHL | Canada |
| 4. | Vancouver | Bill Derlago | C | Brandon | WCHL | Canada |
| 5. | Colorado | Mike Gillis | LW | Kingston | OMJHL | Canada |
| 6. | Philadelphia | Behn Wilson | D | Kingston | OMJHL | Canada |
| 7. | Philadelphia | Ken Linseman | C | Birmingham | WHA | Canada |
| 8. | Montreal | Danny Geoffrion | RW | Cornwall | QMJHL | Canada |
| 9. | Detroit | Willie Huber | D | Hamilton | OMJHL | Canada |
| 10. | Chicago | Tim Higgins | RW | Ottawa | OMJHL | Canada |
| 11. | Atlanta | Brad Marsh | D | London | OMJHL | Canada |
| 12. | Detroit | Brent Peterson | C | Portland | WCHL | Canada |
| 13. | Buffalo | Larry Playfair | D | Portland | WCHL | Canada |
| 14. | Philadelphia | Danny Lucas | RW | Sault Ste. Marie | OMJHL | Canada |
| 15. | N.Y. Islanders | Steve Tambellini | C | Lethbridge | WCHL | Canada |
| 16. | Boston | Al Secord | LW | Hamilton | OMJHL | Canada |
| 17. | Montreal | Dave Hunter | LW | Sudbury | OMJHL | Canada |
| 18. | Washington | Tim Coulis | LW | Hamilton | OMJHL | Canada |
| SNAPSHOT '78 | |
| Total Selected: | 234 |
| Forwards: | 143 |
| Defense: | 67 |
| Goaltenders: | 24 |
| Major Junior: | 127 |
| College Players: | 80 |
| Canadian: | 170 |
| American: | 47 |
| U.S.-Born: | 47 |
| European: | 17 |
| Reached NHL: | 95 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 16 |
| Hall of Fame: | 1 |
| All-Star Game: | 18 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 1 |
| Olympians: | 16 |
| Picks Traded: | 46 |