The New York Islanders have won the 2025 NHL draft lottery, jumping up from No. 10 in the pre-lottery order to No. 1. The Utah Hockey Club won the second draw but only move to pick No. 4, as teams were only able to improve 10 spots from their pre-lottery odds. That means the San Jose Sharks, who entered the night with the top odds ,will pick second overall.
The Islanders had a 3.5 percent chance of claiming this year’s top pick. After the lottery and the end of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 2025 draft is locked in as follows:
- 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 (must send either 2025 or 2026 first to Penguins, yet to decide)
- Detroit Red Wings
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Vancouver Canucks
- Montreal Canadiens (from Flames)
- Montreal Canadiens
- Calgary Flames (from Devils)
- St. Louis Blues
- Columbus Blue Jackets (from Wild)
- Ottawa Senators
For the first time since 2009, the Islanders will call the first name of the NHL Draft. It’s an incredible consolation prize for the squad after missing the postseason for just the second time in the last seven years. In picking first, New York could have a chance to repeat fate and draft an exceptional status OHL center on the heels of a red-hot season. That, of course, refers to Saginaw Spirit center Michael Misa, who led the OHL with a dazzling 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games this season. Misa’s scoring is the most from an OHL draft-eligible player since Patrick Kane scored 145 points in 58 games before going first overall in the 2007 Draft. Misa’s 2.06 points-per-game are the sixth-most from an OHL draft-eligible since 2000, sandwiched between Jason Spezza (2.07) and Mitch Marner (2.00).
But for all of his scoring acclaim, Misa isn’t often considered the top player in this class. That title has instead been bestowed upon defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who hasn’t played since December after sustaining a collarbone injury at the World Junior Championship. Schaefer quickly underwent surgery and lost his draft season, but his performance before injury was strong enough to establish his case. Schaefer recorded 22 points in 17 OHL games, two points in two World Juniors games, and six points in five games as Team Canada’s captain at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup before the start of the season. All the while he looked cool, calm, and collected – making very smooth and deliberate plays in his own end and showing great jump on offense. The NHL’s top defensemen are playing an increasingly rangy, 200-foot style of offense that Schaefer mirrors well – with strong passing and a killer instinct for scoring goals.
Behind the pair of OHL stars is America’s top representation in the class – Boston College centerman James Hagens. Hagens stepped into the center role between Gabriel Perreault and Ryan Leonard this season – filling the gap after Will Smith, who centered the duo for three straight years, opted to sign his entry-level contract. And despite some early stumbles, Hagens managed to fill the role seamlessly – netting 37 points in as many games and helping to grow the total goals from BC’s top line by four percent compared to last season. He’s a diligent playmaker with a keen hockey sense – and one that can’t be second-guessed in this draft. Hagens proved as much at the 2024 World U18 Championship, where his 22 points in just seven games broke the tournament record, previously held by Nikita Kucherov. Hagens also grew up in Hauppauge, New York and idolized the Islanders growing up. If that wasn’t incentive enough, Hagens was also the set-up man to Cole Eiserman during his years at the U.S. National Team Development Program. The Islanders drafted Eiserman with the 20th-overall pick last year.
Disappointing but the Hawks will have a shot at either Hagens, Misa or Schaeffer. Any of them work for me.
Miss makes the most sense to me. Gives them a 1-2 punch down the middle for the next 10 years that could be top 3 in the league quicker than people think (depending on who they can be surrounded with)
Misa would probably be the guy the Hawks would want most. But lets face it, Nobodies job is really guaranteed except Bedard. Everything else is pretty fluid on the forward line. The defense is set but Schaeffer would still be welcome. He’s a few years away anyway. A lot can happen by then.
What’s going to happen when Bedard requests his trade out?
He’s already said enough times he’s here for the long run. Don’t worry, He won’t be going anywhere. You should read more.
Well that sucked! Draft lotteries are stupid.
You sure told draft lotteries.
I would have said this no matter who won the draft, but if I’m the Islanders I seriously look to trade down and hope you can get a ”Chicago Bears-esque” package for moving out of the 1 spot. The top 4-5 players are all in a pretty close tier imo, if you can find a team that really wants one particular player, it’d be a good opportunity to take advantage of them. It might be hard to pass up on a defenceman like Schaeffer though.
more like Islanders and Utah won, Utah jumps to 4th
Frankly I’m glad teams that tried to make the playoffs got some luck in this lottery. Effort should be rewarded, not ineptitude.
Speaking of which, the Preds really lost out here. Unlikey Misa, Hagens or Martone are still there at #5 unless someone goes off the board 1 thru 4.
Desnoyers is up there as well. I’d be very happy with any of the top 5
Honestly, I ain’t even mad. Not even as a Sharks fan. This is one of those drafts where any of the Top 5 prospects could make a legitimate case to be #1, so Sharks don’t really lose out, but NYI and Utah are franchises that have been stuck in this holding pattern of mediocrity for like 20 years now.
I also love that the Bruins not only crashed and burned, but also fell two spots in the draft. That’s something every hockey fan should cheer for.
except us Bruins fans of course. Neely and Sweeney will screw it up no matter where they picked though ..so here we go again.
There are no Bruins fans. Even Bruins fans hate the Bruins.
My thoughts exactly. Buck Foston.
Schaefer is considerably better then anyone else in the draft and my bet is the Islanders don’t take him
Hope they don’t. They need to take Michael Misa.
Hagens to the Islanders!
I read he bleeds blue and orange. Hagens and his family have been Islanders fans long before he became a top prospect.
Lotteries suck
This one sure did.
Islanders should trade with black hawks and add another first.
Move down to the third pick and draft Hagens (homegrown Long Island kid) and add another first round pick that Chicago has. Chicago wants defense and adding Schaeffer would be a priority.
In what world do the Hawks need defense? We now have Vlasic, Arty, Rinzel, Korchinski, Murphy and Kaiser, Del Mastro, Crevier Nolan Allen for depth. The Hawks need a wing to play with Bedard until Boisvert, Lardis and VanAcker get here. Now that we have Spenser Knight and Commesso is playing lights out at Rockord Goalie is settled. They should be much improved. It all depends on the right coach. Anybody thy draft this year is a future. What they should do is trade this years picks after the first one for picks next year. Next year is supposed to be huge for talent.
Hawks are buried in defensemen
In what world?
Did you notice that the Hawks had the second worst GA in the league this season?
Did you notice they are out shot on a nightly basis?
What’s going to change over the summer to make all these “hot prospects” NHL
defensemen?
They need to sign a FA defensemen this summer, or maybe two.
These “hot prospects” aren’t NHL ready.
They’re not gonna do that. Arty and Rinzel already proved they belong. I still believe in Korchinski but he’s been up and down. Murphy hopefully will be dealt but he has some NTC protection so he might have to be bought out. Plus I forgot they just signed Taige Harding. Even if they draft Schaeffer he would be down the chart. Hawks draft picks are finally signing and mqaking a difference. It’s a good orchestra that really needs a conductor. Davidson has failed there. Badly.
Look at games played….did the kids play or a bunch of old washed up veterans. Look at games played by defensemen…
And of course the Red Wings get screwed again by Bettman and the NHL. This is total BS as every year they’ve been in the lottery they have either dropped or stayed the same. I know Mike Illitch is the reason there is a salary cap and the 2005 season was cancelled, but the grudge the NHL has against the Red Wings has gone on long enough already!!!!
It’s fun to watch your paranoid delusions play out in real time.
Bro they almost made the playoffs, they had an extremely small chance of rising. What?
Reminder the Islanders would not have had the #1 pick or Calum Ritchie + another 1st if Lou got Brock Nelson to take the extension he was begging him to. They are very lucky to have moved on from that senile man