Inside look at top three prospects Islanders could choose in NHL draft
Breaking down the likely top three picks the Islanders, who have the No. 1 pick, will have to choose from in the 2025 NHL Draft:
Matthew Schaefer
Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 183 pounds
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Position: Defense | Shoots: Left
Team: Erie Otters (OHL)
Stats: 7 goals, 15 assists (17 games played)
The skinny: Schaefer missed the start of the season with mononucleosis and then broke his collarbone at World Juniors, but rose to the top of draft boards anyway with an excellent season when he did play.
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3 Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters looks on during an OHL game against the Saginaw Spirit.
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He made the cutoff for the 2025 draft by just 10 days, so is one of the youngest available prospects and can skate like the wind.
Schaefer is a two-way D who can move the puck at an elite level and make plays offensively.
Michael Misa
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Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 185 pounds
Position: Center | Shoots: Left
Team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Stats: 62 goals, 72 assists (65 games played)
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3 Michael Misa of the Saginaw Spirit looks on during an OHL game against the Kitchener Rangers.
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The skinny: Misa, who gained exceptional status to join the OHL at age 15, rose up draft boards this season after moving from wing to center.
He's an excellent skater and playmaker with the best shot of anyone in the top tier of this draft.
His two-way game also looks solid for a young player, with a strong checking game and hockey IQ.
James Hagens
Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 176 pounds
Position: Center | Shoots: Left
Team: Boston College (NCAA)
Stats: 11 goals, 26 assists, 37 games
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3 James Hagens skates with the puck during Team USA's 4-3 loss to Team Finland in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Centre on Dec. 29, 2024 in Ottawa.
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The skinny: If the Islanders draft Hagens, it will be a homecoming story — the 18-year-old grew up in Hauppauge as a die-hard Islanders fan and would surely love nothing more than to make his debut at UBS Arena.
The industry, however, currently sees him as a step behind Schaefer and Misa in the race for No. 1.
Hagens might be the best passer and playmaker in the draft and can skate with anyone, but there are some questions about his scoring.
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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Final 2025 NHL Draft Rankings: Ryan Kennedy's Top 100
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The big Edina Hornets star is also an elite football quarterback, and while he says he's focused on hockey, he also recently revealed he will be playing high school football again in the fall before heading off to the USHL. When I talked to scouts about this possibility during the season, they did not like it – they would have preferred to see him playing college hockey next year. How will this ultimately impact his draft stock? Well, it only takes one team to step up and take him, so we shall wait and see. In the meantime, here's how I see things: Matthew Schaefer (Brandon Soto / OHL Images) 1. Matthew Schaefer, D, Erie (OHL): An elite blueliner with great hockey IQ and skating acumen who can make an impact in all three zones. Schaefer brings a ton of skill to the ice, but also a lot of character. He's a pick you can build a franchise around. Advertisement 2. 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Today, we release my final big board for the 2025 NHL Draft. I may make some mild tweaks after going to Dan Milstein's camp and seeing some of the top Russians, but for the most part, this is the end product after getting as much information as possible from last week's NHL Scouting Combine and throughout the season. Advertisement As the season went along, the 2025 draft class began to look better. It's still a slightly below-average group, without true star power at the top other than Erie's Matthew Schaefer, but this top 10 group projects to produce numerous high-quality NHL forwards. Ranked players are placed into tiers and given tool grades. Tool grades are based on a scale with six separate levels, with an eye toward how this attribute would grade in the NHL (poor, below-average, average, above-average, high-end and elite). 'Average' on this scale means the tool projects as NHL average, which is meant as a positive, not a criticism. Skating, puck skills, hockey sense and compete for every projected NHL player are graded. Shot grades are only included if a shot is notably good or poor. Player comparables are my best attempt at giving readers an idea of what I think these prospects could realistically become in the NHL. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos of Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer, Porter Martone: Michael Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
