NHL prospects unfazed by new draft format: ‘It's something special'

Winnipeg Free Press

6 hours ago

LOS ANGELES – Matthew Schaefer has watched the NHL draft plenty of times.
A player gets picked and is congratulated by family members before heading on stage to shake a dozen hands from the organization that just made his dream a reality.
The 2025 edition will be different.
The league is set to hold its first decentralized draft in a non-pandemic environment — a format that will see teams make selections remotely instead of all being in one place on the draft floor.
The move, which is expected to resemble what the NFL and NBA have done for years, won't lessen the experience for Schaefer when he climbs the stairs and steps under hockey's spotlight.
'To me, a draft's a draft,' the 17-year-old defenceman expected to go No. 1 overall to the New York Islanders said Thursday. 'I know a lot of other people that have been to other drafts are saying that it's going to be different, but for me, this is my first draft.
'And I'm just looking forward to it.'
The league has still invited dozens of the top prospects to the event. Instead of all the usual glad-handing and picture-taking once names are called, the teenagers will instead meet with their new general managers virtually after donning new threads inside Peacock Theater, just steps from Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.
'It's going to be different,' winger Porter Martone, who is expected to be a top-10 pick, said during a morning media availability on a luxury hotel's rooftop patio. 'I don't really think anyone knows how it's going to go, what's going to happen. I haven't been through a different draft.
'Stay where your feet are, enjoy the moment. It's something special.'
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly made it clear teams wanted to decentralize the draft, but last year's spectacle at the awe-inspiring Sphere in Las Vegas might have changed some minds. No decision has been made on how the draft will look in 2026.
The players are more focused on what comes after this weekend.
'I want to get drafted, but I also want to be the best player,' said Schaefer, a Hamilton native from the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. 'You really can't control anything now. You've just got to enjoy the process.'
There will no doubt be logistical benefits and drawbacks to the new format. An organization's brain trust being able to speak freely about a prospect on its own turf is a plus, but some of the drama could be lost, like having television cameras follow GMs talking on the phone or walking to another team's table to potentially talk trade.
'It'll definitely be different,' said Boston College centre James Hagens, another projected top-10 pick. 'I don't really know what to expect. But think it's the normal, 'Call your name up on stage and you walk up there.'
'It'll be cool.'
The San Jose Sharks own the second pick for Friday's first round, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks, Utah Mammoth and the Nashville Predators.
The Vancouver Canucks are set to be the first Canadian team to select at No. 15. The Montreal Canadiens (No. 16 and 17), Calgary Flames (No. 18 and 32), Ottawa Senators (No. 21) and Winnipeg Jets (No. 28) will also look to stock their talent cupboards. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers previously traded away their first-round picks.
The draft continues Saturday with rounds two through seven.
'I was talking to a couple guys this morning,' said Martone, who plays for the OHL's Brampton Steelheads. 'I was like, 'I can't believe the draft's a day away already.' It's pretty special. It's coming up quick.
'It's just going to be a wonderful day.'
HEAVY HEART
Schaefer will have a lot on his mind Friday — including his mother.
Jennifer Schaefer, who used to strap on the equipment and play goalie for her two sons, died of cancer in February 2024.
'My mom's going to go right into my head when I get picked because I wish she could be here,' said Matthew Schaefer, who was also the No. 1 selection at the 2023 OHL draft. 'I know she'll be smiling down. I wish she could be there. I know she's with me in spirit.'
HELPING HAND
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Schaefer, who suffered a broken collar bone at the world junior hockey championship playing for Canada, has been training with Mark Giordano as he's worked his way back from injury.
'There's so much brains behind all his drills,' Schaefer said of the veteran defenceman with 18 NHL seasons under his belt. 'He's a great person. He wants me to do the best. He's always pushed me to be better.'
The 41-year-old Giordano didn't play in the NHL last season, but hasn't officially retired.
'I want him to put on the equipment one day and teach me a couple things,' Schaefer said, with a smile, of the hard-nosed blueliner. 'Maybe blow me up a couple times.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.