The NHL is just days away from the 2025 NHL Draft, and the next wave of talent is set to take the league by storm and prove themselves on hockey’s biggest stage.
Among the top projected early selections are Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa, Boston College forward James Hagens, Brampton Steelheads forward Porter Martone, and Swedish forward Anton Frondell.
For many hockey fans, this may be their first experience watching their team make a pick they hope will play a key role in future success. But how does it all work?
The NHL Draft System, Explained
The NHL Draft consists of seven rounds, during which each team makes a selection, unless it has traded away its pick. Players from around the world are eligible.
In order to be eligible, a player must be at least 18 years old by Sept. 15 of the draft year. North American players must be under 21 by Dec. 31 of the draft year.
In recent years, the NHL introduced a lottery system to discourage the phenomenon popularly referred to by fans and media as “tanking,” which is essentially an intentional effort to lose games in hopes of attaining a better draft position.
The draft lottery determines the order of the opening 16 picks and is conducted using a lottery machine with 14 ping-pong balls, creating 1,001 possible four-number combinations. Each team receives a share of those combinations based on their odds.
Beginning in 2022, teams cannot pick first overall more than twice within a five-year span.
Up until 1994, the draft order was determined strictly by standings. The draft lottery was introduced in 1995 and gave the five worst teams from that season a chance to pick first overall, with the odds weighted in favor of teams with worse records.
From 2015 to 2020, three lottery winners received the opening three picks, which was updated in 2021 to two lottery winners for the first two picks.
The 2025 NHL Draft Will Be Centralized for the First Time
Unlike previous NHL drafts, when all teams gathered in a single venue, the NHL will follow a centralized location format.
The events are scheduled to take place June 27–28 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, but each club’s management team will operate from a location of their choosing, typically their own team facilities.
While the top prospects have been invited to attend in person, most of the players who will be selected will find out from a remote location.
