Annual event in Buffalo next week; co-hosts break down what Islanders should do with No. 1 pick
© Ben Ludeman/NHLI
The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 27-28 at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will be held June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), with rounds 2-7 on June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features.
Full draft coverage can be found here.
The NHL Scouting Combine continues to be an integral part of the evaluation process of the top NHL Draft-eligible players in many ways, according to NHL Central Scouting associate director David Gregory.
The 2025 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics, scheduled for June 2-7 in Buffalo, allows the 32 NHL teams to interview some of the top prospects, as well as get physical and medical assessments, ahead of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 27-28.
“It’s really grown over the years to become a great source of information that you just can’t get on the ice or from watching games,” Gregory said on the latest edition of the “NHL Draft Class” podcast. “I think the most important thing for the teams is the interview process, inviting as many of the Combine invitees to their room with their entire team. It’s oftentimes the first opportunity for senior hockey operations people to have a chance to talk to the player, get to know them.
2025 NHL Draft
“It is fun to watch the testing as well and just see how much room for growth some of these players have and some of them are already full-grown animals ready to hit the ice.”
There will be 90 prospects taking part in the 2025 scouting combine. Gregory, one of many members of Central Scouting who help coordinate the travel, medical and fitness testing, and interviews for the prospects with the 32 NHL teams, also discussed the value of having the event in Buffalo.
He was asked how defenseman Matthew Schaefer of Erie in the Ontario Hockey League finished No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters despite playing just 17 regular-season games this season because of a broken collarbone sustained in December.
“I think we’re confident and having the discussions with other staffs and teams and asking if they needed to see more of Matthew Schaefer and it was pretty much consensus no,” Gregory said. “They know what they’re seeing and I’m pretty confident he will go No. 1.”
Gregory also provided his thoughts on Arizona State center Cullen Potter, Michigan State right wing Shane Vansaghi and center Mason West, who not only was a star hockey player at Edina High School in Minnesota this season, but an excellent quarterback in the fall.
Co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale also discussed what the New York Islanders should do with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft and how the scouting combine has evolved through the years.
“NHL Draft Class” is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. It also is available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
