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New York Islanders choose Erie defenseman Matthew Schaefer with No. 1 pick in NHL draft

Sports Scene

Matthew Schaefer (L) poses for a picture with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, California, USA, June 27, 2025. /VCG
Matthew Schaefer (L) poses for a picture with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, California, USA, June 27, 2025. /VCG

Matthew Schaefer (L) poses for a picture with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman during the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, California, USA, June 27, 2025. /VCG

The New York Islanders selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft on Friday.

High-scoring forward Michael Misa went second overall to the San Jose Sharks, and the Chicago Blackhawks took Swedish forward Anton Frondell third at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

The Philadelphia Flyers grabbed forward Porter Martone sixth overall before trading up for the 12th selection to get forward Jack Nesbitt, while the Pittsburgh Penguins maneuvered up and down the draft to control three picks in the top 24, swinging two trades to draft three forwards.

But the Islanders surprised nobody by using their first No. 1 selection since 2009 on the 17-year-old Schaefer, a 6-foot-2 blueliner from Hamilton, Ontario, who spent the past two seasons with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters.

An exceptional puck-mover and transitional force, Schaefer scored 22 points while playing in only 17 games last season before breaking his collarbone in December. Schaefer's acumen on both ends of the ice still propelled him to the top of nearly all draft boards.

Source(s): AP
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