The 2024-25 NHL season is officially wrapped and the Florida Panthers claimed their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship by defeating the Edmonton Oilers once again.
Now that the final seconds have ticked off and the Panthers championship celebrations are well underway, the rest of the league will be focusing its attention towards the upcoming NHL Draft. On June 27, the first round at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater will feature 32 players being selected to begin their professional careers.
Complete first round NHL Draft order
2025 NHL Draft Order - First Round |
|---|
1. New York Islanders |
2. San Jose Sharks |
3. Chicago Blackhawks |
4. Utah Mammoth |
5. Nashville Predators |
6. Philadelphia Flyers |
7. Boston Bruins |
8. Seattle Kraken |
9. Buffalo Sabres |
10. Anaheim Ducks |
11. Pittsburgh Penguins |
12. New York Rangers |
13. Detroit Red Wings |
14. Columbus Blue Jackets |
15. Vancouver Canucks |
16. Montreal Canadiens (from Calgary Flames) |
17. Montreal Canadiens |
18. Calgary Flames (from New Jersey Devils) |
19. St. Louis Blues |
20. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Minnesota Wild) |
21. Ottawa Senators |
22. Philadelphia Flyers (from Colorado Avalanche) |
23. Nashville Predators (from Tampa Bay Lightning) |
24. Los Angeles Kings |
25. Chicago Blackhawks (from Toronto Maple Leafs) |
26. Nashville Predators (from Vegas Golden Knighs via San Jose Sharks) |
27. Washington Capitals |
28. Winnipeg Jets |
29. Carolina Hurricanes |
30. San Jose Sharks (from Dallas Stars) |
31. Philadelphia Flyers (from Edmonton Oilers) |
32. Calgary Flames (from Florida Panthers) |
As you may have noticed, multiple teams that participated in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs will not have a first round selection. That includes the finalists in Florida and Edmonton.
Though, the biggest winner of the night will likely be the New York Islanders who jumped up 10 spots during the Draft Lottery to snag the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 2009. They selected John Tavares and will now have their pick of every top talent this year.
Top prospects to watch at the 2025 NHL Draft
This year's draft isn't particularly full of stars waiting to emerge but there's a significant amount of raw talent worth highlighting. We'll stick to the top three prospects for now.
Matthew Schaefer (D) - Erie Otters (OHL)
At just 17 years old, Schaefer impressively made Team Canada at World Juniors but suffered a broken collarbone during the tournament. That forced him to miss all but 17 games of the OHL season with Erie but it was apparently a big enough sample size to see him launched into the projected No. 1 overall spot.
Folks should heed not his mere seven goals and 24 points in that span as it's his elite skating skills and maturity that have commanded respect from NHL scouts.
Michael Misa (C) - Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Misa is an exceptional talent but also very young. He entered the OHL at just 15 years old and impressed with 131 points (51 goals, 80 assists) in 112 games during his first two seasons. But this year he took things to the next level by leading all Canadian juniors with 62 goals and 134 points. That's the most that's been put up since Patrick Kane in 2006-07. Expect Misa to tempt the Islanders at No. 1 overall.
James Hagens (C) - Boston College (NCAA)
Hagens started the season as the No. 1 prospect but a subpar year at Boston College practically sunk his chances. Though, he does hail from Long Island so there's always hope.
His 11 goals and 37 points in as many games weren't Hobey Baker-level like past freshmen prospects like Adam Fantilli (2023) or Macklin Celebrini (2024) but he's still one of the best options out there. He could end up being the steal of the draft if he gets his skates under him and explodes on offense in his rookie year.