NHL Mock Draft 2025: Matthew Schaefer to Islanders as we pick for every lottery team

New York Times

06-05-2025

The New York Islanders won the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, jumping nine spots thanks to the lottery Monday, while Utah Hockey Club went from No. 14 to No. 4.
With a draft order now known, a collection of our NHL reporters combined for a mock draft of the first 16 picks. This is their best attempt to predict what will happen on draft day based on their knowledge of the teams they cover and what those teams covet in players.
The 2025 NHL Draft will take place in Los Angeles on June 27 and 28.
Believe me, when that last ping-pong ball rose up, I had visions of the Islanders selecting Long Island native James Hagens to start their turnaround. It makes too much sense! But with all the turmoil around this team now — they don't, you know, have a GM at the moment — the smart move is to find a cornerstone defenseman. Schaefer is the consensus pick here and you can't go against that, not if you're in need of some big changes as the Islanders are. — Arthur Staple
Good fortune didn't strike twice for the Sharks after getting their Calder Trophy finalist Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 pick last year, but this is still a great spot to add another high-end piece to their prospect arsenal. An exceptional status player in the OHL, Misa lived up to that with a monster season for Saginaw. The Sharks will love that he's forged tremendous chemistry with Igor Chernyshov, their second-round pick from last year. 'Talented, talented player,' Sharks GM Mike Grier said Monday. While they drafted Will Smith as a center, they know he can thrive on the wing. Misa also played on the wing until moving back to the middle this year. — Eric Stephens
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The Blackhawks don't have many forwards like Martone in their prospect pool. Whether it's been Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Roman Kantserov, Nick Lardis or others, the Blackhawks have drafted a lot of skilled forwards in the early rounds in recent years, but they haven't taken a lot of size. Martone is a mixture of that much-needed size to go along with the level of skill that can play with other elite forwards. He could be the perfect complementary top-line winger to what the Blackhawks are already building. — Scott Powers
Utah may not have gotten up to the top two due to lottery rules preventing a team from moving up more than 10 spots, but this win still brings them into a totally new tier of prospects than they would have been picking from otherwise. Desnoyers is a big, two-way center who was one of the top scorers in the QMJHL this season. He'd make for a strong complement to Logan Cooley in Utah's long-term top six, joining what's already a strong farm system. — Max Bultman
Soo Greyhounds center Brady Martin fits the competitive archetype the Predators covet, and I think he's in play as early as here, but how long have they been waiting for a premium skill forward in Smashville? This is the highest Nashville has picked since it drafted Seth Jones fourth a dozen years ago, and now the Preds get their next American star and the most talented forward they've ever drafted. — Scott Wheeler
The Flyers dropping two spots in the lottery wasn't ideal, but they're fortunate that the draft is deep at their position of need — center. So, we'll go with the best available one still on the board here in Frondell, giving the Flyers a couple of potential top-six pivots in their system (including Jett Luchanko, who they nabbed a year ago). The hope will be that at least one of them meshes long term with promising young winger Matvei Michkov. The Flyers once picked a Swede in the sixth-overall spot, too: a guy by the name of Peter Forsberg in 1991. — Kevin Kurz
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The Bruins need skill in a big way at every position. But especially at center. The right-shot O'Brien checks multiple boxes as the Bruins rebuild around David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. No. 7 will be the highest selection since 2010, when the Bruins took Tyler Seguin second after Taylor Hall. — Fluto Shinzawa
This will be the Kraken's fifth draft. They've used their previous four first-round picks on forwards. I thought last year was the year for them to finally buck that trend and take a D. They took Berkly Catton instead, deepening their pool at forward once more. They need a premium D prospect, and Mrtka has been in their backyard all year with the Thunderbirds. Sometimes that kind of exposure can work against a player. There are also some who aren't convinced of Mrtka's top-eight merits. But we very rarely see just one defenseman taken in the top eight, and Mrtka's combination of size and skating would be unique in their pool. Brady Martin would be too — and should be a consideration here — but they're already going to have to navigate working Catton into their mix up front. — Scott Wheeler
The Sabres fell back two spots in the lottery, and that puts them in a trickier position. Swedish winger Victor Eklund was a strong consideration here, but the Sabres are missing a player like Brady Martin, who takes over games with his speed, work ethic and physicality. It's typically wise to draft for skill at the top of the draft, and Martin has plenty of that. But that he brings a physical edge the Sabres need more of is a bonus. Roger McQueen and Carter Bear were also of interest, but the injuries make them riskier bets in the top 10. — Matthew Fairburn
This could be an interesting spot for the Ducks, who've become accustomed to falling in the draft lottery even with the high picks they've made in recent years. They're well-stocked with young impact defensemen on the club and on the way. They've got last year's No. 3 pick in Beckett Sennecke to add to their growing forward core. Could they use this pick in a deal for a proven scorer under contract with term, given that they need more offense for a club in need of heightening their expectations? Why not? But if they keep this pick, McQueen is a tantalizing choice that comes with risk. He's a huge, right-shot pivot that can play a skilled game with some edge — does that sound familiar? The risk is that much of his season was spent overcoming back issues. Some serious homework on his medicals will be needed, but he might have top-five pick upside. — Eric Stephens
Kyle Dubas recently acknowledged that the left side of his team's blue line is a mess. Thus, Jackson strikes me as a perfect pick for the Penguins in this spot. He projects as a top-four defenseman who will produce plenty of offense and perhaps be a legitimate power-play quarterback. At 6-foot-3, he's also a big and fairly physical player who can impact a game in numerous ways. — Josh Yohe
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The Rangers might not even make this pick. They could choose to give it to the Penguins instead of their unprotected 2026 first. Nesbitt, though, is a center, which fits an organizational need. He's also big — 6-foot-4 — which is a trait Chris Drury has valued in recent drafts. He was nearly a point-per-game player this year for Windsor in the OHL. 'He has top-six forward potential and could be a second-line center,' The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote in his recent prospect rankings. A second-line center-level player would be a great outcome for the Rangers — if they make the pick. — Peter Baugh
In a perfect world, I think the Red Wings would add a forward with a bit more size here, but Eklund's talent is just too much to pass up, with his speed and shot bringing potentially difference-making elements to a system that needs more pop. Physical LHD Kashawn Aitcheson was a strong consideration here as well, but ultimately, Eklund's motor and offensive ability make him the pick. — Max Bultman
If this is how the draft board falls, there's a chance the Blue Jackets strongly consider trading out of this pick if there's a deal available that could bring immediate help to their blue line. Aitcheson, however, would certainly brighten their long-term future and become their top defensive prospect (if you consider Denton Mateychuk now a full-fledged NHLer). The blue line became a pipeline need when David Jiricek was traded to Minnesota early in the season, which is why the Jackets own the No. 20 pick, too. The odds of them actually selecting players with those two picks are … pretty slim. — Aaron Portzline
The Canucks will explore their options on the trade market with the 15th selection at the draft, but if they stick and pick, they'll need to add offensive juice to their lineup above all other considerations. Carbonneau would fit the bill, and do so with the sort of 'heavy skill' template that this team is desperate for. — Thomas Drance
The Canadiens also hold the No. 17 pick, and it is possible — if not likely — that they will make one or both of their first-round picks available in a trade for more immediate help coming off the first playoff appearance of their rebuild. If they keep the pick, and Bear is available, he fits what the Canadiens are looking to add. In his year-end news conference Monday, executive vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton mentioned the need to improve the team's compete level multiple times, and that is what Bear brings along with a skilled set of hands that can produce offense in a translatable, pro style. — Arpon Basu
Two outlier cases winning the lottery turned this draft on its head. Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Buffalo, Anaheim and Pittsburgh all went down two spots in the order, and now Utah is in a prime position to acquire a premium forward prospect.
Roger McQueen getting to 10 is the first interesting result of our staff mock. The NHL loves the player, and scouts mostly consider him a top-five talent in the class, but he missed almost the entire season. As one scout put it, 'Cayden Lindstrom won't help (McQueen)', referencing how Lindstrom's back injury from his draft season kept him out all of the 2024-25 campaign. McQueen is regarded as an even better pro prospect than Lindstrom was.
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The second most interesting takeaway is Victor Eklund, who most scouts consider a top 10 player in the draft, falling to 13 to Detroit. Despite this discrepancy, quite a few people in the league view this as realistic. Eklund has been beat up on calls I've had with people around the league. 'He's a great player, but wingers always fall, especially small wings' said an NHL executive. This was evidenced as our mock team GMs flocked to centers and defensemen in the top 12. That said, if you're an Eklund believer, you are pointing to Seth Jarvis and saying he could be that type of player.
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos of Matthew Schaefer, James Hagens and Michael Misa: Dennis Pajot, Minas Panagiotakis, Kevin Sousa / Getty Images)