The first-ever NHL Draft Lottery drawing to be televised live certainly didn’t lack drama.
The New York Islanders and Utah Hockey Club shot up the 2025 NHL Draft board via Monday night’s lottery from the NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
In a stunner, the Islanders moved up nine spots to land the No. 1 pick. The Isles had the second-lowest odds of winning the top pick at 3.5%, but now will kick off the draft for the first time since selecting center John Tavares in 2009. It will be the franchise’s fifth time picking first overall.
The New York Islanders have won the 2025 NHL draft lottery‼️
The last time they had the first overall pick was when they took John Tavares in 2009 👀 pic.twitter.com/JWm5mZw2xU
— ESPN (@espn) May 5, 2025
Utah then won the drawing for the second overall pick. But, since lottery rules prohibit a team from moving up more than 10 spots, the NHL’s newest franchise awarded the No. 4 pick. Utah, which was 14th in the pre-lottery order, entered with a 3.2% chance of landing the fourth pick.
The rest of the top 16 was set in inverse order of the 2024-25 regular-season standings. That meant the league-worst San Jose Sharks were slotted in at the No. 2 pick, while the Chicago Blackhawks, who finished 31st in the standings, settled for the No. 3 pick. San Jose, which picked No. 1 overall last year for the first time in franchise history, entered with the top lottery odds at 25.5% followed by Chicago at 13.5%.
Here’s a full look at the lottery results:
- New York Islanders
- San Jose Sharks
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Utah Hockey Club
- Nashville Predators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Boston Bruins
- Seattle Kraken
- Buffalo Sabres
- Anaheim Ducks
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Rangers
- Detroit Red Wings
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Vancouver Canucks
- Montreal Canadiens (via Calgary Flames)
This year marked the first time in event history that the actual lottery drawing was televised live. Previously, the the drawing took place behind closed doors and the results were later broadcasted.
When and where is the 2025 NHL Draft?
The draft will be held at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles from Friday, June 27, to Saturday, June 28.
How many rounds are in the NHL draft?
The NHL draft features seven rounds. The first round is set for June 27 followed by Rounds 2-7 on June 28.
Who will be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft?
OHL defenseman Matthew Schaefer is expected to be the first player taken in this year’s draft. Schaefer, 17, had seven goals and 15 assists with a plus-21 rating over 17 games this season with the Erie Otters before suffering a broken collarbone while playing for Canada at the world junior championship in December.
The last time a defenseman went No. 1 overall was in 2022 when the Sabres took Owen Power.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
