# Islanders take Matthew Schaefer first overall in emotional NHL Draft night

The New York Islanders did what most observers expected at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, selecting defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick. The decision was made inside Peacock Theater and instantly turned into one of the night's most emotional moments, because the 17-year-old could not separate the selection from the family losses that had shaped his recent years.

Schaefer broke down as soon as his name was called. He kissed the cancer awareness ribbon on his Islanders jersey, pointed upward and fought through tears while thinking about his mother, Jennifer, who died of breast cancer in February 2024. His comments after the pick were raw and simple: he said he knew she would be proud and that she was with him in spirit. The scene gave the draft the kind of human weight that top selections rarely carry so visibly.

The hockey context was no less notable. Schaefer had long been viewed as the clear top choice despite not playing since December, when he suffered a broken collar bone while representing Canada at the world junior championship. Before that, his path had already been interrupted by more grief. His billet mother was killed in a train incident ruled a death by suicide, and his mentor and Erie Otters owner Jim Waters died of a heart attack during the world juniors. The draft, in other words, was not a clean arrival at the next stage of his career but the culmination of a very difficult two years.

The Islanders also used the night to reshuffle their roster. Hours before making the pick, they traded defenceman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Emil Heineman and the 16th and 17th selections. That move gave the club more draft capital and showed that the top choice was only part of a larger roster reset. The San Jose Sharks then took Michael Misa at No. 2, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Anton Frondell at No. 3, Utah chose Caleb Desnoyers at No. 4 and Nashville rounded out the top five with Brady Martin.

The event itself also reflected a new NHL draft format. Teams made selections remotely in a decentralized setup, similar to the NFL and NBA, instead of sharing one room on site. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said teams had voted 26-6 in favor of the change. The format did not prevent some technical glitches, including a frozen video feed during Boston's selection of James Hagens, but it did create a different rhythm for the first round and for the players watching their names from afar.

By the end of the night, the Islanders had their franchise-defining choice, the draft had its emotional centerpiece and Schaefer had his first step into the NHL. The pick was expected, but the moment around it was anything but routine.

The draft also underlined how the NHL is changing the way it presents its biggest nights. A decentralized format removes the old theater of a single packed war room, but it shifts the spotlight onto individual moments like Schaefer's reaction and the remote announcements that followed. For the Islanders, that matters because the first pick is not just a roster add. It is the player the organization is telling fans to build around, and the emotional frame of this selection made that message feel even stronger.