Islanders land top pick in 2025 NHL Draft after leaping nine spots in lottery

Against All Odds: New York Islanders Win 2025 NHL Draft Lottery, Jumping Nine Spots to Secure No. 1 Pick

In one of the most dramatic NHL Draft Lottery results in recent memory, the New York Islanders stunned the hockey world on Monday by leaping nine spots—from 10th to 1st—to claim the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. With just a 3.5% chance of winning, the Islanders defied the odds and surged past teams with far better lottery positions, including the league-worst San Jose Sharks.

The win couldn’t have come at a more pivotal time for the franchise. Amid a transitional phase in the front office, the Islanders now have a rare and powerful opportunity to reshape their future around a potential franchise-altering player. This marks just the fifth time in franchise history that New York will pick first overall—and the first since selecting John Tavares in 2009, a cornerstone player who helped define the team for nearly a decade.

Lottery Shake-Up: Chaos at the Top
This year’s draft lottery didn’t just crown a surprise winner—it upended the entire top of the draft order. The Utah franchise, previously sitting in the 14th spot, also made a huge leap, landing the fourth pick thanks to a rule allowing teams to move up no more than 10 positions. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks—who finished last in the standings for the second consecutive season—fell to the No. 2 pick despite entering the lottery with the highest odds (18.5%) and a 25.5% chance at securing the top spot.

The Chicago Blackhawks, who had the second-best odds, will now pick third.

The Islanders’ leap from 10th to 1st now stands as the largest jump to the top pick by any team in NHL Draft Lottery history. For context, the previous record was held by the New York Rangers, who won the 2020 lottery after being part of a group of eight teams eliminated during the COVID-shortened playoff play-in round.

What’s at Stake in 2025?
The 2025 NHL Draft will be held in Los Angeles, with the first round taking place on June 27, followed by Rounds 2 through 7 on June 28. Top prospects will first gather in Buffalo next month for the league’s annual scouting combine, where NHL clubs will get an up-close look at the top names in this year’s class.

While this year’s draft class isn’t seen as historically deep—especially when compared to 2023’s elite group or the highly anticipated 2026 class led by Canadian prodigy Gavin McKenna—it still offers promising high-end talent, particularly among defensemen.

Meet the Top Prospect: Matthew Schaefer
At the top of NHL Central Scouting’s rankings is Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer, a 6-foot-2, 183-pound blueliner known for his elite skating, poise under pressure, and ability to control the game at both ends of the ice. Despite missing the final three months of the season due to a broken collarbone suffered while representing Team Canada at the World Juniors, Schaefer has held firm as the consensus top-ranked North American prospect.

“He’s the complete package,” said NHL Central Scouting VP Dan Marr. “Schaefer plays a dynamic, results-driven style that directly impacts the outcome of games. He has future NHL All-Star written all over him.”

If selected first overall, Schaefer would become just the fifth defenseman since 2000 to go No. 1, and the first since Buffalo drafted Owen Power in 2021. He would also be the first OHL player to be taken with the top pick since the Edmonton Oilers chose Connor McDavid in 2015—another Erie Otters alum.

Other Names to Watch
Following Schaefer in the rankings is Saginaw Spirit center Michael Misa, a fast, skilled forward with game-breaking potential, and James Hagens of Boston College, the top-ranked American-born prospect.

On the international front, Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund, both playing for Djurgarden in Sweden’s second-tier league, lead the list of European prospects. Frondell, a dynamic center, registered 25 points in 25 games, posting the second-best offensive season ever by a player aged 17 or younger in that league—trailing only current Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander.

A New Era for the Islanders?
For Islanders fans, the lottery win injects fresh hope into a team looking for a new direction and identity. With a top pick in hand and a transformative offseason ahead, the front office now holds a golden opportunity to reset the franchise’s long-term trajectory.

Whether they choose to build from the blue line with a player like Schaefer or take a different route, one thing is clear: the hockey world will be watching closely as the New York Islanders step onto the draft stage in Los Angeles this June.