NHL Draft 2025 Team-by-Team Results, Grades and Analysis

Now that the 2025 NHL Draft is in the books, it's time to discuss our observations.

As expected, the New York Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer with the first pick, but there were still plenty of surprises throughout the draft.

Below, we’ll provide links to each of the 32 teams’ draft picks along with a grade assessing how they did.

Anaheim Ducks: C+

Boston Bruins: A-

Buffalo Sabres: C+

Calgary Flames: B+

Carolina Hurricanes: B+

Chicago Blackhawks: C+

Colorado Avalanche: C-

Columbus Blue Jackets: A-

Dallas Stars: B+

Detroit Red Wings: B+

Edmonton Oilers: C

Florida Panthers: C

Los Angeles Kings: B

Minnesota Wild: B-

Montreal Canadiens: B+

Nashville Predators: A

New Jersey Devils: B-

New York Islanders: A+

New York Rangers: C+

Ottawa Senators: B

Philadelphia Flyers: A-

Pittsburgh Penguins: B-

San Jose Sharks: A

Seattle Kraken: A-

St. Louis Blues: A-

Tampa Bay Lightning: B-

Toronto Maple Leafs: C

Utah Mammoth: B-

Vancouver Canucks: B-

Vegas Golden Knights: B

Washington Capitals: B

Winnipeg Jets: B-

Best Draft: New York Islanders

The New York Islanders undoubtedly had the best draft out of all 32 teams. The team made the obvious pick in drafting Matthew Schaefer, who was a near-consensus top overall pick. Schaefer's potential is limitless, and he's expected to be the Islanders's top player for years to come.

Then, 15 picks later, the Islanders made another outstanding pick in Swedish winger Victor Eklund at No. 16. Eklund is just 5'11", but he is super quick on the ice and is a tremendous playmaker with an impressive skill set. With the No. 17 pick, the team selected Kashawn Aitchenson, who is a hard-hitting machine that has second-pairing defenseman potential.

The Islanders' best draft in years has fans excited about the future.

Worst Draft: Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche had a quiet two days, with just three draft picks. They selected Francesco Dell'Elce, who just finished his first year at UMass. The defenseman has plenty of potential and can create offense, tallying 17 assists in 40 games this past season.

However, taking one player doesn't win drafts.

After that, the team selected Linus Funck, who, although he is a solid defenseman, must improve his turnovers in the defensive zone to truly reach the level of play necessary to make it to the NHL.

They only had three picks, but each seemed to lack depth and versatility, a cost they will undoubtedly bear.