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New York Islanders made the first pick for defensive man Matthew Schaefer 2025 NHL Draft Friday.
Schafer, 17, is 6 feet 2 or less. Hamilton, Ontario.
He spent the past two seasons with the Ellie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League.
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Matthew Schafer was selected as the New York Islanders’ first overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at the Peacock Theatre. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Schafer only played 17 games last year before breaking his collarbone in December, but his insight at both ends of the ice drove him to the top of almost every draft board.
Schafer is the fifth defensive man to draft the No. 1 overall draft in the NHL draft since 2000, and Owen Power is the first to go to Buffalo in 2021.
Matthew Schafer was selected as the New York Islanders’ first overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at the Peacock Theatre. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Schafer endured himself to reach this milestone through tragedy. Schafer’s mother, Jennifer, died of cancer 16 months ago, and he endured the recent deaths of otter owner Jim Waters and his Billet family mother.
When Schafer pulled him Islander sweater For the first time, he kissed a pink ribbon patch on his breast, representing his perception of breast cancer before he shed tears.
San Jose’s Sharks are second, while the Chicago Blackhawks are third in the new decentralized draft at Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
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Matthew Schafer was selected by the New York Islands as the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft at Peacock Theatre. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The islanders won the lottery and were first selected in a talented draft.
Schafer obviously came up above, but there was no absolute lock on the top pick in this area.
This draft lacked the staples of this annual exercise and the focused format for a long time. The 32 teams’ various executives are mostly at home, not on the draft floor of the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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