Islanders make big splash with ‘three great players’ in 1st round of 2025 Draft

ELMONT, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders found the next cornerstone of their franchise on Friday, but they were far from done after selecting Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

As expected, Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, was the top selection at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, much to the delight of the roughly 10,000 Islanders fans who were 3,000 miles away at the team’s draft party at UBS Arena.

With the likes of current Islanders players Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock, Casey Cizikas, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield, along with superfan and “Cobra Kai” star Ralph Macchio in attendance, a roar from Schaefer’s new home commenced as confetti rained down onto the fans standing on the arena floor.

The emotion was palpable watching the 17-year-old in tears while kissing the breast cancer ribbon on his new jersey, a touching gift from general manager Mathieu Darche to honor Schaefer’s mother, Jennifer, who died from the disease in February 2024. That was two months after his billet mother, Emily Matson, died in an apparent suicide.

“It’s amazing to go first overall and to a great organization,” Schaefer said. “It’s an honor, it’s truly an honor. My mom’s looking down on me right now and I wish that she could be here, but I miss her a lot. A lot of tears that you guys could see when I walked up on stage, but those are happy tears. I just can’t wait to get started.”

But Darche, who replaced Lou Lamoriello as Islanders general manager last month, was far from done collecting assets. Although a portion of the fan base was hoping their team would find a way to also land center James Hagens -- who grew up nearby in Hauppauge, New York, but went to the Boston Bruins at No. 7 -- in the first round, the Islanders did trade defenseman Noah Dobson, who was set to become a restricted free agent July 1, to the Montreal Canadiens for Nos. 16 and 17, and forward Emil Heineman.

Darche admitted he did try to move up -- Hagens was among the players he was interested in -- but he was thrilled to be able to select forward Victor Eklund from Djurgarden (Sweden) with the No. 16 pick, and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson from Barrie (OHL) at No. 17, two players Darche said “were much higher on our list.”

Eklund, 18, is the younger brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund. He led under-20 players in Allsvenskan in goals (19) and points (31) in 42 games and had six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games for Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship as the youngest player on the team.

“I’m pretty pumped,” Eklund said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Aitcheson set career highs this season in goals (26), assists (33), points (59), power-play goals (nine) and game-winning goals (six) in 64 games with Barrie. The 18-year-old was also named "Best Bodychecker" in the Eastern Conference in the OHL coaches' poll.

“A super surreal moment,” Aitcheson said. “It was unbelievable. I can’t believe it happened, honestly. They’re such a great organization. … I think I’m a defenseman that can go up against the other team’s top lines -- be in their face, get under people’s skin and mix it up.”

Aitcheson also can’t wait to be teammates with Schaefer again; they helped Team Canada win the gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

“Obviously a great experience,” Aitcheson said. "(Schaefer is a) great kid, wonderful, wonderful personality. Obviously, an amazing hockey player too. Excited to get going.”

The Islanders have six selections on Day 2 of the draft Saturday before Darche turns his attention to free agency on July 1. With Dobson traded, New York has more space under the NHL salary cap than it did prior to the draft.

Judging by the sound of approval from those at UBS Arena on Friday, Darche made a solid first impression on the fan base.

Even if that was not his intention.

“The decisions that I make is never for me to put on a show or for me to look good -- it’s always for the best interests of the New York Islanders,” Darche said. “… Everything you go through opens another opportunity, so we took advantage of our opportunities by drafting three great players.

“Yes, we have cap space. I’ve worked the phone all day the last two weeks, and I’ll be working it all day tomorrow, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. For free agency, if there’s a way we can improve the team, whether it’s through signings, through trades, we’ll look at it. My job is to look at every opportunity we may have to try to improve the team.”

NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report