The New York Islanders made the first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, selecting 17-year-old Matthew Schaefer from Hamilton, Canada. The Islanders also drafted right-winger Victor Eklund and defenseman ...

By Pierre LeBrun, Corey Pronman and Jeremy Rutherford A majority of NHL clubs have voted in favor of a decentralized format for the 2026 NHL Draft, a league source confirmed to The Athletic ’s ...

The 2025 NHL draft that took far too long has mercifully finished. Any of the 26 teams that voted to hold a decentralized draft, you get a Z grade for that. Not an F, a Z. Let's never do that again.