Schaefer 'best player available,' Sportsnet analyst says on 'NHL Draft Class' podcast

Matthew Schaefer of Erie in the Ontario Hockey League is "by far the best player available" in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft, according to Sportsnet NHL Draft analyst Jason Bukala.

The New York Islanders own the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft after winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday.

"He's by far the best prospect and it’s not even debatable," Bukala said on the latest edition of the "NHL Draft Class" podcast. "You don’t really draft for need in the first overall slot, you want to draft the best player.

"When you look at the Islanders on the back end with [defenseman] Noah Dobson, and now if you can add a Schaefer on the left side, you’ve got two power play-type quarterbacks, guys who can push the play, in your top four."

Schaefer (6-foot-2, 183 pounds) is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. The 17-year-old 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, and also missed the opening nine games of the season because of mononucleosis. He had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and was plus-21 in 17 games.

Bukala touched on several other top 2025 draft prospects, including center Michael Misa of Saginaw (OHL), center James Hagens of Boston College, center Anton Frondell of Djurgarden in Sweden’s second division, and mentioned his top sleeper of the 2025 draft, right wing Alexander Zharovsky of Ufa's team in Russia’s junior league.

"[Zharovsky] is electric," Bukala said. "Outstanding in small areas, and he drives to the cage to make plays."

Co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale also discussed the drama that unfolded on live television at the NHL Draft Lottery and discussed the similarities and differences between their mock drafts consisting of the teams that will have the first 16 selections for the 2025 draft, which will be held at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 27-28.

The podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms, including iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts. It also is available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.