The primary spherical of the 2025 NHL Draft takes place Friday night time on the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and there is not a lot thriller as to whom the New York Islanders will choose with the primary total choice. New York gained the draft lottery final month, incomes the chance to select first for the fifth time in franchise historical past and first because it took John Tavares in 2009.
The Islanders are anticipated to pick out Matthew Schaefer, a 17-year-old defenseman with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League who appeared in solely 17 video games in 2024-25 on account of a bout with mononucleosis and a damaged collarbone. Regardless of his restricted taking part in time, Schaefer obtained the Canadian Hockey League High Draft Prospect Award and was listed first amongst North American skaters within the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s ultimate rankings.
Michael Misa, an 18-year-old middle for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, is broadly believed to be taken by the San Jose Sharks with the second total decide. However the order of the subsequent three alternatives — held respectively by the Chicago Blackhawks, Utah Mammoth and Nashville Predators — will not be fairly as clear.
Plenty of gamers have been predicted to spherical out the primary 5 first-round picks, with one even being thought-about to be taken forward of Misa by San Jose with the No. 2 choice. And as with every sports activities draft, there’s all the time the likelihood {that a} workforce may commerce its decide or shock everybody and go in a very totally different course than the one anticipated.
These focused on NHL betting and trying to wager on the primary spherical of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday can check out promotions from the highest sportsbooks to be able to safe a suggestion that most accurately fits them for the occasion. Here is a have a look at some potential props to lock in for the primary spherical.
Anton Frondell: Third total decide (-160, FanDuel)
Frondell is the top-rated worldwide skater, in accordance with the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. The 18-year-old middle from Sweden was the captain of his nation’s bronze medal-winning workforce within the 2023 World Beneath-17 Hockey Problem and helped the Swedes take silver on the World Junior A Problem a 12 months later. Frondell, who recorded 11 objectives and 14 assists in 29 video games with Djurgarden this previous season, possesses dimension at 6-foot-1, 198 kilos, and is taken into account a powerful two-way participant. He doubtless is not able to step proper into the NHL, however he could be a pleasant complement for Connor Bedard down the highway ought to the Blackhawks choose him.
Caleb Desnoyers: Fourth total decide (-150, DraftKings)
Desnoyers has been slotted as excessive as No. 2 and as little as No. 7 in mock drafts. An 18-year-old middle from the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, he helped information Canada to gold medals on the 2023 World U-17 Hockey Problem, the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship and the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Final season, the 6-foot-1, 178-pounder gained the Man Lafleur Trophy because the QMJHL’s playoff MVP after recording 30 factors in 19 video games and serving to his workforce seize the Gilles-Courteau Trophy as league champion. Like Frondell, Desnoyers — who additionally obtained the Mike Bossy Trophy because the QMJHL’s high draft prospect — is a two-way participant who may turn out to be the face of the Mammoth for a few years to return.
Porter Martone: Fifth total decide (+180, Draft Kings)
Mock drafts additionally predict Martone to be taken in several spots, however most of them have him being chosen no decrease than fifth. Nashville doubtless will probably be hoping the 18-year-old proper wing from the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads continues to be accessible at No. 5, as he has dimension at 6-foot-3 and 208 kilos, scoring capability and nice hockey sense. Martone racked up 98 factors in 57 video games with Brampton this previous season after serving to Canada to medals on the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (gold) and the IIHF U18 World Championship in each 2023 (bronze) and 2024 (gold).
James Hagens: High-five decide (+125, FanDuel)
Hagens is ranked third amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, and I’ve seen him predicted to be drafted second, fourth and sixth in mock drafts. The 18-year-old middle from Boston School recorded the fourth-most factors (37) by a freshman in NCAA Division I historical past this previous season and was a member of the US’ gold medal-winning workforce on the World Junior Championship. In 2024, Hagens was the IIHF U18 World Championship MVP as he set a match report with 22 factors whereas the U.S. took silver, and he additionally helped his nation win gold on the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Problem — setting a report in that competitors with 21 factors — and 2023 U18 World Championship. A speedy, dynamic playmaker, Hagens is an effective guess to be a top-five choice.
Brady Martin: High-five decide (+120, FanDuel)
Martin didn’t land within the high 10 of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s ultimate rankings of North American skaters, inserting eleventh. That has some pundits predicting he could go as late as fifteenth of their mock drafts. However the 18-year-old middle from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL possesses qualities {that a} workforce with a top-five decide ought to worth. Martin is a gritty competitor who hits laborious and likewise has quantity of ability, as evidenced by his 33 objectives and 72 factors in 57 video games this previous season. The 6-foot, 178-pounder helped Canada to gold medals on the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship, scoring twice towards Sweden within the gold-medal recreation of the latter match.
