Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

NHL Reveals Historic First About New Draft Procedure

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Feb 23, 2025 4:51 AM ET

The NHL officially announced that the 2025 Draft will take place in Los Angeles at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theatre on June 27–28, but the biggest change will come at the podium.

For the first time in league history, Commissioner Gary Bettman will personally announce every first-round pick.

"The clubs asked for this," Bettman said. "I wasn't looking for any more exposure. I have more than enough.

"But this is what the clubs told us they wanted, and we're going to try it. And we'll see after this year whether or not everybody likes it better."

Until now, NHL teams have made their own selections on stage, but under the new decentralized format, front offices will operate from their home cities rather than gathering at the draft venue, making way for Bettman to announce the picks.

This decision marks a shift that aligns the NHL with how the NFL and NBA conduct their drafts. which teams pushed for after realizing the benefits of remote drafting during the pandemic.

Though Bettman is a fixture at league events, this will be his most prominent role at the draft to date.

"Hopefully there won’t be too many hard [names] to pronounce," Bettman said before the Los Angeles Kings game against the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday.

The draft’s move away from the traditional in-person team format marks the end of an era in the NHL with last year’s draft at Sphere in Las Vegas already starting the decentralization of the event.

Starting this year, only the commissioner and a few top prospects will attend the event in person with the latter stepping up to the podium to meet Bettman once their name is called.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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