Winners and Losers of NHL Draft First Round

The first round of the 2025 NHL Draft is complete. It came with some glorious ups and dizzying lows, with several teams leaving as notable winners. Several other organizations left on night one as losers. Let's explore a few of the biggest winners and losers after the first round of the draft.

Winners

1. New York Islanders

Drafting Matthew Schaefer was enough to warrant the Islanders' inclusion on this list, but they didn't rest there. With their two other picks, they landed winger Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson. Both Eklund and Aitcheson had top-10 tags placed on them, and the Isles managed to snag all three. Well done, Mathieu Darche and staff.

2. Boston Bruins

Luck was kind to the Boston Bruins in Round 1, and they managed to patiently wait and let their future top center fall right into their laps. James Hagen, who was thought to be the first player picked for most of the past season, has future superstar written all over him. Returning to Boston College for his sophomore season will be a big development step for him, but it’s just a matter of time until the Bruins have another franchise center they can build around.

3. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks were the grateful beneficiary of losing out on Matthew Schaefer, selecting OHL player of the year Michael Misa. He has the potential to score 35 goals in the NHL regularly, and he adds a new element of skill and pursuit to the San Jose top-six group. San Jose continues to build piece by piece into a contender, and Misa was the perfect next piece as they approach their goal.

The Sharks also added an intriguing goalie prospect with their second pick in the first round. Joshua Ravensbergen is a big and athletic goalie who could one day be the starter in San Jose.

Losers

1. Decentralized Draft

Can we please all agree that a decentralized NHL Draft is a complete failure? I understand dragging things out for advertisement purposes, but this nearly four-hour monstrosity can't happen again in 2026. Between technical difficulties and the turtle's pace, there's no bigger loser than this bright idea from the NHL. I’d rather sit through 12 hours of Gary Bettman saying puns than have to watch that event again.

2. Nashville Predators

One of several organizations with three picks in the first round, the Predators had the chance to add hefty reinforcements to their developing pipeline. Instead, the Preds reached at all three selections. Brady Martin is a heck of a prospect, but they left players like James Hagens, Porter Martone, and Roger McQueen on the board to draft Martin. Defenseman Cameron Reid and winger Ryker Lee rounded out their first -ound haul, but there's nothing that impressive about these three selections.

The choices shed no light on the direction the Predators are heading. Their management maintains that they have a roster that could compete despite the setback in 2024-2025, and drafting two long-term projects in the first round suggests they aren’t in a rush to have these players impact the NHL lineup. The question then becomes, why is Nashville confident in its current roster? This team is fresh off a 30-win, 68-point season. They need tons of help, and they didn’t quite do that in the first round.

3. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings were too quiet during the first round, and it puts them on the wrong side of this list. They took defenseman Henry Brzustewicz with the 31st overall pick. He's a solid prospect to add to their system, but with new general manager Ken Holland trying to get this team to the next step, there was plenty of work to do on draft night. It didn't happen, and the Kings are still in unknown territory as free agency is about to begin.