LOS ANGELES – The expectation always was for the Islanders to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first pick in the NHL Draft. That became a reality on Friday night at The Peacock Theater.

Welcome to my pick-by-pick breakdown of the 2025 NHL Draft’s first round. Over the next two days, I’ll review and rank the draft classes of all 32 NHL teams. Today’s Round 1 analysis (which also includes a list of the top prospects available to start Round 2 tomorrow),