Schaefer 'by far the best prospect' available in 2025 NHL Draft

LOS ANGELES -- Matthew Schaefer can follow in the footsteps of Connor McDavid at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).

The 17-year-old defenseman could become the first player from Erie of the Ontario Hockey League -- and the first from the OHL -- since McDavid in 2015 to go No. 1 in the NHL Draft, which will have a different look for the first time.

When the draft is held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles it will be decentralized for the first time, meaning the top prospects will be there, but team executives, coaches and scouts will instead gather in a central location in their home market or a place of their choosing.

The first team to pick will be the New York Islanders, who won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery despite a 3.5 percent chance. They will pick first for the fifth time and the first since selecting center John Tavares in the 2009 NHL Draft.

The Islanders haven't officially admitted to picking Schaefer, but it will be tough to pass on a franchise-type defenseman. That critical decision will be made by Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche, who was hired on May 23.

"It's not very often you get a (GM) job and the first thing you have to do is pick the best player in the draft," Darche said during his introductory press conference on May 29. "I expect us to make the pick. … You have to do your due diligence. Anybody that calls, you have to listen. But someone would have to really knock my socks off to trade that pick because we're going to get a special player."

New York, which failed to qualify for the playoffs this season for the first time in three seasons, could use a left-handed puck-moving defenseman to play with the right-handed Noah Dobson. The only defenseman they took first in the NHL Draft was Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Potvin in the 1973 NHL Draft.

"I mean, obviously the Islanders had a big jump (in the lottery), which was amazing for them," Schaefer said. "They're a great team. I've heard a lot of great things about them, as I have all the teams in the draft, so we'll see what happens."

Schaefer (6-foot-2, 186 pounds), who has been the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft all season, had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and a plus-21 rating in 17 games with the Otters this season.

He had surgery Dec. 30, three days after sustaining a broken clavicle while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. Schaefer missed the last 46 games, including nine OHL playoff games, before being cleared for contact by doctors on May 1.

Schaefer is one of three players in Erie history to be selected No. 1 by the franchise in the OHL draft (2023) after Ryan O'Reilly (2007) and McDavid (2012).

Schaefer was named winner of the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospect Award and is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. He's expected to have five immediate family members and 25 relatives and friends attending the draft.

"He's by far the best prospect, best player available in this draft class," Sportsnet NHL Draft analyst Jason Bukala said. "It's not even debatable. You don't really draft for need in the first overall slot, you want to draft the best player and when you look at the Islanders in the back end, with (right-handed shot) Noah Dobson and now if you can add a Schaefer on the left side, you've got two power-play type quarterbacks, guys that can push the play in your top four."

Whenever he does get chosen, there's no doubt his mom, Jennifer, will be on his mind.

Schaefer lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer in February 2024, two months after his billet mother, Emily Matson, died in an apparent suicide.

"(Matthew) has the family pictures that are going to be inside the (suit jacket) breast over the heart and I know he's pumped about that ... being able to take his jacket off and show the family pictures and show pictures of mom," said Todd Schaefer, Matthew's father.

Whoever is the No. 1 pick, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will announce it. After that, the other 31 teams in the first round will have special guests, such as a celebrity with a tie to a particular team or a current or former player from the team, making the pick.

Last year, Celine Dion went on stage at Sphere Las Vegas to announce the selection of Ivan Demidov with the No. 5 pick by the Montreal Canadiens.

When a player is selected, he will go on stage to get his jersey and hat, take pictures, and then walk into a virtual reality room that will have a 360-degree camera where he will be able to virtually meet and talk back to the representatives from the team that selected him, according to NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer.

"I see positives and negatives (with a decentralized draft)," Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere said. "Personally, I like being on the floor to grab the phone on the table or walk over to get something done, face-to-face. But there's also the privacy part where having so many picks, having the luxury to be confined and not worry about computers or lists being wide open, available to everybody.

"But I'm going to miss being on the floor with everybody and the energy it creates having everybody down there."

Philadelphia has 11 picks in the 2025 draft, including three in the first round and four in the second round.

The San Jose Sharks, who selected center Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, have plenty of options with the No. 2 choice this year.

Michael Misa of Saginaw (OHL) and James Hagens of Boston College in Hockey East are Nos. 2-3, respectively, on Central Scouting's list of North American skaters.

Misa (6-1, 182) is the first player in Saginaw history to win the Eddie Powers Trophy as the top scorer in the OHL, finishing the regular season with 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists). The Saginaw captain, who also won the CHL Top Scorer Award, had at least one point in 60 of 65 regular-season games and tied John Tavares (2006-07) for the most points by an OHL player under 18 since 2000 (Misa turned 18 on Feb. 16). His style of play has been compared to Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos.

Misa was the recipient of the 2025 E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, presented annually by the League to a draft-eligible candidate who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism.

"He's the type of player that, if there's a man in a better position for a scoring opportunity and if the proper read is to get the puck to that man, he'll do it," Central Scouting's Nick Smith said. "And he does it with such quickness and elite hockey sense that it's just great to watch."

Hagens (5-10, 186), whose playmaking ability and skating resemble Clayton Keller of the Utah Mammoth, was third for Boston College with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games skating as the No. 1 center between Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals). He also tied for the United States lead with five goals in seven games to help the U.S. win the gold medal at the 2025 WJC.

"[Misa and Hagens] are very impressive in their own right and there's not a fine line to be drawn," Marr said. "Three years from now they both could be a point-per-game guy in the NHL, but they'll just do it their own way."

Rounding out the top six North American skaters are right-shot center Jake O'Brien with Brantford (OHL), right-shot defenseman Radim Mrtka of Seattle in the Western Hockey League and right wing Porter Martone of Brampton (OHL).

Forwards Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund are Nos. 1-2, respectively, on Central Scouting's International skater ranking. They each played for Djurgarden in Allsvenskan, Sweden's second division.

The Chicago Blackhawks (No. 3), Mammoth (4), Nashville Predators (5), Flyers (6), Boston Bruins (7), Seattle Kraken (8), Buffalo Sabres (9) and Anaheim Ducks (10) round out the top 10 picks.

Frondell (6-1, 204), a center, had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 29 games. Eklund (5-11, 169), a right wing and the brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, had 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 42 games.

"Some minor injuries slowed [Frondell] a bit during the early season but he's a strong skater, skilled, and a two-way player," NHL Director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "Eklund plays with a lot of confidence and intensity. He's a playmaker with an ability to manipulate with great vision and creativity."

The No. 1 North American goalie is Joshua Ravensbergen (6-5, 191) of Prince George (WHL). He was 33-13-4 with a 3.00 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in 51 games.

"He looks like a pro NHL goalie with the way he moves and represents himself out there," Central Scouting's Al Jensen said. "His mechanics are good, and he plays big even when he goes down in butterfly."

The No. 1 International goalie is Pyotr Andreyanov (6-0, 207) of CSKA's team in Russia's junior league. The 18-year-old was 23-6-6 with a 1.75 GAA, .942 save percentage and three shutouts in 37 regular-season games, and 2-4 with a 2.36 GAA, .929 save percentage and one shutout in six playoff games.

"Perfect balance on his feet and an excellent glove hand," Vuorinen said. "He helps his teammates around the net by being active and playing the puck."

This will be the second time Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Kings have hosted the draft.