The 2025 NHL Draft No. 1 pick is in, and it's Matthew Schaefer.
The New York Islanders started Friday night's festivities in Los Angeles at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft be selecting Schaefer via winning the draft lottery. The 17-year-old was seen in tears wearing his new orange and blue jersey on the stage of the Peacock Theater. So, if you're a New York Rangers fan — why does this matter?
Here's what you need to know.
Who is Matthew Schaefer?
It should come as no surprise that Schaefer was taken at No. 1.
It was widely speculated that the Islanders and Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Mathieu Darche would select defenseman Matthew Schaefer from Erie of the Ontario Hockey League. Standing at 6’2” and weighing 186 pounds, the Islanders' newest star produced 22 points (7-15-22) in just 17 games, continuing to showcase elite skating, vision, and two-way poise this past year.
He’s known for controlling the flow of play from the back end, rushing the puck with poise and bringing a modern style of defense to the ice.
However, he will not be entering professional play at full strength; Schaefer broke his right collarbone during Team Canada's appearance in the IIHF World Junior Championship. Though he has plenty of motivation going into the league he shares a parallel to Matt Rempe — who lost his father prior to entering professional play — Schaefer’s mother passed away in February of 2024 due to breast cancer.
“I obviously miss her so much,” Schaefer told NHL.com “She was definitely one of the strongest people I know because she had to go through so much. And, of course, you never want to see your mom go through that. But I know she's going to be here with me every day, no matter what I'm doing. She's always right by my side with her strength. She's a tough woman.”
New York Islanders vs New York Rangers history
The Islanders and Rangers play each other four times each regular season, with each team hosting two games.
For New York City and the state, the matchup always promises excitement and a certain buzz fills the air in subway stations. While the Islanders used to be league legend, the Rangers have an overall record of 161-148-19-8 (50.7%) against the Islanders. Currently the Rangers are riding a five-game winning streak against the Islanders.
This most recent season was the fourth time in franchise history the Blueshirts went undefeated against the Blueshirts. And while winning is fun, hopefully adding Schaefer to the Islanders' roster will add some needed spark to the rivalry.
“We’re going to beat the @NYRangers every time we play them.”
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 28, 2025
- Matthew Schaefer, @NYIslanders first overall pick and newest member of the Battle of NY #NHL #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/8W42tG1MYD
Who will match up against Schaefer?
For the Rangers, youngster Brett Berard draws some parallels to this year's No. 1 pick.
After being drafted, Berard played three seasons with Providence College, amassing 72 points across 93 games in his collegiate career. In this draft-plus-four season, he has emerged as a standout for the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack, tied with Brennan Othmann as the team’s second-leading scorer.
Now in the league at 22-years-old, a left-wing like Berard could give a player like Schaefer (known for puck control) some trouble due to his speed and strength at winning board battles.
New York's updated draft order is now as follows — No. 43 pick in the second round, No. 70 pick in the third round, No. 89 in the third round which was acquired in the Chris Kreider trade, No. 111 in the fourth, No. 139 in the fifth, Nos. 166 and 171 in the sixth, and — finally — No. 203 in the seventh round.
The first round of the 2025 NHL Draft is ongoing — June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and Rounds 2-7 are June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1).