The 1978 NHL amateur draft was the 16th NHL entry draft. It was hosted at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, on June 15, 1978. It was the last draft to be called the "amateur draft" before the process was renamed to the NHL entry draft in 1979. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Viacheslav Fetisov, who retired after the 1997–98 season, although he was re-drafted in 1983.

Selections by round

Below are listed the selections in the 1978 NHL amateur draft. The Washington Capitals chose to take an extra pick in the first round instead of participating in the dispersal draft (Tim Coulis), and were allowed to pick in Cleveland's position in the second round to complete the Bob Girard/Walt McKechnie trade. The New York Islanders had traded their fourth round selection to Cleveland, so that pick was forfeited. Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

Round eight

Round nine

Round ten

Round eleven

Round twelve

Ladislav Svozil was the first Czechoslovakian player drafted in the history of the NHL Draft. The Red Wings selected Svozil in the 12th round. Bernhardt Engelbrecht was the first German player drafted in the history of the NHL Draft. The Flames selected him in the 12th round.

Round thirteen

Round fourteen

Round fifteen

Round sixteen

Round seventeen

Round eighteen

Round nineteen

Round twenty

Round twenty-one

Round twenty-two

Draftees based on nationality