The New York Islanders have secured the first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft after a successful lottery on Monday night. Coming into the lottery, the Islanders had a mere 3.5% chance of winning the top pick but have now opened up opportunities to make their fifth selection at the draft’s top spot in franchise history.
If the Islanders proceed with selecting at No. 1, only the Montreal Canadiens will have more instances of selecting first overall in NHL history. The last time the Islanders had the first overall pick was back in 2009 when they chose forward John Tavares.
Following the Islanders’ victory, the San Jose Sharks will pick second and the Chicago Blackhawks third. The Sharks have now claimed a top-five pick for the third consecutive year, having selected Macklin Celebrini in 2024 and Will Smith in 2023.
Additionally, the Utah Hockey Club, which had a 94.8% likelihood of landing the 14th pick, made a surprising jump to number 4.
The 2025 NHL Draft is set to occur on June 27-28 in Los Angeles at the Peacock Theater, with the follow draft order established:
- New York Islanders
- San Jose Sharks
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Utah Hockey Club
- Nashville Predators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Boston Bruins
- Seattle Kraken
- Buffalo Sabres
- Anaheim Ducks
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Rangers
- Detroit Red Wings
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Vancouver Canucks
- Montreal Canadiens
With the first overall selection, the Islanders are likely to target Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman from the Ontario Hockey League who played for the Erie Otters. Schaefer recorded an impressive 1.29 points per game during the past season.
If chosen as the number one pick, he would be the first OHL player to achieve this distinction since Connor McDavid was picked first by the Edmonton Oilers in 2015. This would also make him just the fifth defenseman selected first overall in this century, joining the ranks of Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Aaron Ekblad, and Erik Johnson.
Michael Misa, a center for the Saginaw Spirit, is also anticipated to be a top pick after leading the Canadian Hockey League with 134 points this past season.
The draft lottery was conducted live, revealing the teams’ fates simultaneously with participants.
