The New York Islanders won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery on Monday after having the 10th worst record in the NHL last season.
The Islanders will be the first team on the clock at the June 27 draft after coming into the lottery with just a 3.5 percent chance of winning the number one overall pick. The Islanders missed the playoffs and were the sixth worst team in the Metropolitan Division, posting a record of 35-35-12.
The NHL aired the lottery drawing live for the first time in the 30-year history of the draft at NHL Network’s Secaucus, New Jersey studio. The ESPN broadcast featured the lottery balls being pulled and announced by league commissioner Gary Bettman.
The Islanders have picked first overall four previous times in their history, last selecting center John Tavares with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. They’ve also selected goaltender Rick DiPietro (2000), defenseman Denis Potvin (1973), and winger Billy Harris (1972) first overall.
Unlike last year with Macklin Celebrini, there is no consensus first-overall selection this year. Experts believe defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forwards Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and James Hagens could all be candidates to hear their name called first at the top of the first round.
Hagens, a linemate of Capitals winger Ryan Leonard at Boston College this season, is notably a Long Island native, born in Hauppauge, NY.
The San Jose Sharks, who took Celebrini first last year, had the best odds (25.5%) of landing the first pick again, but will have to settle for second overall this year. They’ll be followed by the Chicago Blackhawks picking third, who took Connor Bedard first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The Utah Hockey Club won the second lottery draw from the 14th position, meaning they will pick fourth overall. Teams can only move up a maximum of 10 spots in the lottery, hence Utah being limited to picking fourth. They finished their first season in Salt Lake City with a 38-31-13 record.
With both the Islanders and Utah HC leaping up in the order, the Pittsburgh Penguins were pushed down two spots to 11th overall. Per Penguins reporter Taylor Haase, the team entered the lottery with just a 1.7 percent chance of dropping to 11th.
The Washington Capitals do not yet know where they will be positioned in the first round. Due to winning the Eastern Conference, the Caps could pick as low as 27th if they lose to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round or as high as 32nd if they win the Stanley Cup.
