<p>It’s that time of year again.</p>



<p>The 2025 NHL Draft will take place this June, with the lottery expected to happen a month earlier. This year is also expected to mark the first incarnation of a decentralized draft. For decades, management groups from all 32 teams – plus scouting departments, media, and over 100 draft hopefuls – would jam themselves into whichever arena (or, in last year’s case, The Sphere in Vegas) –&nbsp;was hosting the event to take in the festivities.</p>



<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" max-length="2" placement-id="2052" context="web-content-promocard" property-id="309"></div>




<p>In 2025, though, teams will have war rooms back in their respective hometowns. While other specifics are still being worked on, only a handful of players are expected to be invited to the in-person portion of the draft, which is expected to take place in Los Angeles.</p>



<p>Unlike the past two years, which had clear No. 1 favorites in 2023’s Connor Bedard and 2024’s Macklin Celebrini, the 2025 NHL Draft is still wide open. Some scouts love the Cale Makar-like capabilities of Matthew Schaefer, while others prefer the hockey IQ and the ability to generate offense of James Hagens. Some others might even prefer a power forward like Porter Martone or the goal-scoring prowess of Michael Misa – it’s a truly exciting race to the top.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="207"></div>



<p>Most scouts still have Schaefer or Hagens as the No. 1, but the fact that there isn’t a runaway this year should make following this class even more exciting.</p>



<p>Teams can only win the lottery twice in a five-year span. The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/san-jose-sharks/line-combinations">San Jose Sharks,</a> for example, could do it one more time before they’re no longer eligible. It’s been rare to see a team with minuscule odds win it all, but it happened in 2020 when the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-rangers/line-combinations">New York Rangers</a> won the lottery with the 14th-best odds and took Alexis Lafreniere.</p>



<p>We didn’t see any changes at the top last year, with all the lottery teams remaining in their draft spots. Two years ago, though, the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/anaheim-ducks/line-combinations">Anaheim Ducks</a> had the best odds of selecting first overall, with a 25.5 chance at the lottery. Instead, the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/line-combinations">Chicago Blackhawks</a> – sitting third at 11.5 – earned the honor of drafting Bedard with the first pick, with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/columbus-blue-jackets/line-combinations">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> falling from second to third.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="163"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Key Dates:</strong></h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>End of Regular Season: </strong>April 17</li>



<li><strong>NHL Draft Lottery</strong>: TBD</li>



<li><strong>NHL Draft Combine:</strong> June 1-7 at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y.</li>



<li><strong>NHL Draft:</strong> TBD</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Projected Top 5 Prospects</strong></h2>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Matthew Schaefer, D (Erie Otters)</li>



<li>James Hagens, C (Boston College)</li>



<li>Porter Martone, RW (Brampton Steelheads)</li>



<li>Michael Misa, C (Saginaw Spirit)</li>



<li>Victor Eklund, LW (Djurgårdens IF)</li>
</ol>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity">



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2025 NHL Draft Lottery Odds </h2>



<p><strong><em>As of Jan. 8, 2025</em></strong></p>



<p></p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Rank</strong></td><td><strong>Team</strong></td><td><strong>Pts. %</strong></td><td><strong>Lottery Odds</strong></td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/line-combinations">Chicago Blackhawks</a></td><td>.350</td><td>25.5%</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/san-jose-sharks/line-combinations">San Jose Sharks</a></td><td>.372</td><td>13.5%</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/nashville-predators/line-combinations">Nashville Predators</a></td><td>.402</td><td>11.5%</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/buffalo-sabres/line-combinations">Buffalo Sabres</a></td><td>.427</td><td>9.5%</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/seattle-kraken/line-combinations">Seattle Kraken</a></td><td>.451</td><td>8.5%</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-islanders/line-combinations">New York Islanders</a></td><td>.462</td><td>7.5%</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-rangers/line-combinations">New York Rangers</a></td><td>.475</td><td>6.5%</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/philadelphia-flyers/line-combinations">Philadelphia Flyers</a></td><td>.476</td><td>6.0%</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/anaheim-ducks/line-combinations">Anaheim Ducks</a></td><td>.488</td><td>5.0%</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations">Pittsburgh Penguins</a></td><td>.500</td><td>3.5%</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/st-louis-blues/line-combinations">St. Louis Blues</a></td><td>.500</td><td>3.0%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p></p>



<p>As a result of Draft Lottery rule changes made effective in 2021, a team may only move up a maximum of 10 spots from their finishing position. That means only the bottom 11 teams have a shot at the No. 1 overall pick.</p>



<p>Therefore, instead of the published odds, which indicate the 32nd-place team has an 18.5 percent chance – which was accurate when all 16 non-playoff teams had a crack at the No. 1 pick – the additional percentages from those five clubs are effectively applied to the 32nd place finisher.</p>



<p><em>*Denotes team is locked into their pre-lottery position.</em></p>


Matthew Schaefer and James Hagens (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)