The San Jose Sharks, who at 18.5 percent had the best chance of winning the lottery, have the No. 2 pick. The Chicago Blackhawks have the No. 3 selection, and the Utah Hockey Club have the No. 4 pick after winning the second draw and moving up 10 spots.
"It's just an amazing moment and it really hasn't sunk in, to be honest with you," Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said. "I think when we get down to doing some work [on Tuesday], looking at the list and what we might be able to get, it's going to really get exciting for us. But normally you sit in these things and sometimes nobody moves, you go home unhappy or you get bumped down a spot.
"But we'll never forget this moment. This is truly a great moment in the franchise."
The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will be June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), with rounds 2-7 on June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1).
The lottery, which was held live on television at the offices of NHL Network in Secaucus, New Jersey, set the order of selection for the first 16 picks for the teams that failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Only the two top picks were determined by the lottery. The remaining teams were slotted in by the order of their finish in the standings. Picks 17-32 will be determined by the results of the playoffs.
New York (35-35-12), which finished 23rd in the NHL, could use the No. 1 pick to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer (6-foot-2, 183 pounds) of Erie of the Ontario Hockey League. He is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.
Schaefer had surgery Dec. 30 after sustaining a broken clavicle three days earlier while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. He also missed the opening nine games of the season because of mononucleosis. He had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and a plus-21 rating in 17 games.
If the Islanders decide to select Schaefer, he'll be the first player from Erie to go No. 1 in the NHL draft since Connor McDavid was chosen by the Edmonton Oilers in 2015.
"I know our amateur scouting staff is going to be very excited and prepared to make this selection," Morrow said. "I can't tell you ... I've had a lot of thrills in my hockey life but this is right up there at the top."
In addition to planning what to do with the No. 1 pick, the Islanders will need a new general manager. At the end of the regular season, New York did not renew the contract of Lou Lamoriello, who served as president/GM of the Islanders for seven seasons.
The Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention with a 4-3 shootout loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on April 12. They finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division, and 31st on the power play (12.6 percent) and penalty kill (72.2 percent).
Other options for the top pick are Michael Misa (6-1, 184), a center with Saginaw of the OHL. He is the first player in team history to win the Eddie Powers Trophy as the top scorer in the OHL after finishing the regular season with 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games. He's No. 2 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.
"[Misa] is a talented player, he had a record-breaking type year," San Jose GM Mike Grier said. "I always have to be open to anything that we think can make us a better hockey team and a better organization. And if there's a package out there that someone presents us with, we'll have to think it through and see if it makes sense for us. I'm always trying to be open-minded to things like that."
