(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club celebrates a win over the Minnesota Wild, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
Bill Armstrong almost did not believe it.
The Utah Hockey Club general manager, after all, knew his team had just a 1.5% chance of moving up 10 spots in the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery.
But then, the pingpong ball with the No. 3 printed on it popped out of the machine’s air funnel. Within a matter of seconds, Utah went from the 14th overall pick to the fourth.
“It still hasn’t sunk in. But what a great opportunity for us to be able to move that far up in the draft,” Armstrong said. “I thought we had won, but I wasn’t quite sure. When they tuned back in and showed us that we won — you just start thinking different.”
Here is a breakdown of what this first-round jump will mean for Utah Hockey Club:


Time for GMBA to cook ⏰👨‍🍳 pic.twitter.com/mpV59ZjOHy
The lottery — which took place Monday night at NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey — determined the selection order for the opening 16 picks in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft (June 27 and 28). The team participants are those who missed the cut for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The pingpong-ball drawing happened in two phases. The first sequence of four numbered lottery balls determined the No. 1 overall pick (the New York Islanders). Utah won the second sequence — which was supposed to determine the No. 2 overall pick but the Club could only advance a maximum of 10 spots. So, Utah got the fourth overall while the San Jose Sharks got second and Chicago Blackhawks got third.
While Utah is a lottery team this year — it finished with 89 points, which was seven out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference — the Club did not tank for a high pick. Utah is also past the stage of the rebuild where it has a top-five selection because of its poor league record.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) celebrates a goal with teammates versus the Seattle Kraken at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
That is what makes Monday’s streak of luck so momentous.
For some perspective, Utah finished with 21 more points than the Nashville Predators, 13 more points than the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken, 10 more points than the Buffalo Sabres and nine more than the Anaheim Ducks. And yet, the Club will pick above all of those teams in the draft.
Looking at the caliber of talent Utah can grab with its new positioning, too, Clayton Keller (who led the team with 90 points this season) was the seventh overall pick in his 2016 draft while Dylan Guenther (who potted 27 goals in his first full NHL year) was ninth overall in his 2021 draft.
Armstrong and his scouting group had to call an audible.
“I can’t wait to huddle with the scouts tomorrow and go over it and kind of see. Obviously we’ve been studying the players that were available to us, where we thought they’d fall,” Armstrong said. “It is going to be a great challenge for us to go back and look at some of the players who are available in that spot.”
One can find difference-makers anywhere in the draft. It does, though, make it easier when you have a top-five selection.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club General Manager Bill Armstrong answers questions during media day at the Delta Center, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
There is not a clear No. 1 pick this year like there has been in previous drafts — Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard were the obvious choices in 2024 and 2023, respectively. That does not mean there are not a lot of stars this time.
Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, James Hagens, Porter Martone and Anton Frondell have been widely talked about as top picks. Caleb Desnoyers can be thrown in there, too. Armstrong has a clear philosophy when it comes to which one of them to make a member of Utah Hockey Club.
“We really look at the best player available. We’ve always done that as a staff,” Armstrong said. “It‘s a good draft. I think when you’re picking up top, you have the chance to get a real game-changer. A top-two line guy that can be a difference-maker on your team. You still have to pick well.”
NHL draft picks usually do not join their new team immediately. Most will go back for another year of junior or college hockey before signing. Being a high pick does expedite that process, though. Armstrong can think about what his team needs in the near future.
Forward depth and a scoring touch would be nice. Size is an advantage as well.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club celebrates the win over the Anaheim Ducks, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
Martone fits that bill for Utah. The 18-year-old had 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games as the captain of the Ontario Hockey League’s Brampton Steelheads this season. Martone stands at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds and has a right shot on the wing.
Centers are always a commodity in the NHL — whether it is through the draft, free agency or trades — so Utah could look to level up there, too. Hagens, Misa, Desnoyers and Frondell all play the pivot position.
“Our staff is really good at just digging into hockey players. That‘s our big thing,” Armstrong said. “From the time I’ve come in, I’ve tried to hire some of the best scouts in the business and develop a culture. Create an organization that is obsessed with scouting. This is where they’ll make their money — on picks like this.”
Hagens (5-foot-10, 177 pounds) played NCAA hockey at Boston College last season and had 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists). He will likely return to the Eagles for his sophomore year. Hagens, by some scouts, has been likened to Keller.
Misa (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) had a monster showing with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit as their captain. The center posted 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games, leading the league in scoring and tying John Tavares for the most points by a U18 player since 2000. Frondell, on the other hand, played in his native Sweden for Djurgårdens IF and logged 25 points in 29 games; he also had an impressive stint on the U18 international stage.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club General Manager Bill Armstrong, during a press event at Hotel Park City on Monday, July 1, 2024.
Desnoyers (6-foot-2, 172 pounds) played in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) this season and had 84 points (35 goals, 49 assists) in 56 games with the Moncton Wildcats and is known for his well-rounded, two-way game.
Schaefer is the only defenseman in that high-end group — and a good one at that. The 6-foot-2, 183-pound blueliner was an assistant captain on the OHL’s Erie Otters and had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 17 games. Schaefer missed a lot of time with mono and a broken clavicle, but has been compared to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, who is a finalist for the Norris Trophy.
There is no lack of good choices for Utah.
“We’ve had the ability to pick the last few years up in that range,” Armstrong said. “I really do think it‘s good as a staff when you’re always kind of picking in the same range, you get used to what‘s available and the talent around you.”
Utah could decide to use its fourth-overall pick as a trade piece instead of a prospect grab.
There are many teams in the league that will be interested in moving up in the draft who have active, ready-to-go players who could insert into the Club’s lineup come October. Say, the Buffalo Sabres who will pick ninth overall and have someone like center Tage Thompson on their roster. Thompson — who had 72 points (44 goals, 28 assists) in 76 games — is currently playing on a line with Keller and Logan Cooley at the IIHF Men’s World Championship.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning, NHL hockey at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 22, 2025.
Yes, that is a theoretical, but it is the type of deal that Armstrong could think of packaging his No. 4 selection in.
“I think people will try to get into that pick. They’ll want to acquire it,” Armstrong said. “They’ll look at our team and say this team has had more picks in the last four years than any other NHL team. Can we go in there and give them a good player in exchange for the pick? I think that‘s something that we will obviously always talk about.”
As Utah exits its rebuild, the organization moves into win-now mode. It is a reality that pushed Armstrong to let go of some picks last summer. The GM got John Marino from the New Jersey Devils for the 49th pick in the 2024 draft. He also put a 2024 seventh-rounder and 2025 second-rounder in the trade to acquire Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
(Dirk Shadd | Tampa Bay Times) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) on the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning during second period action at Amalie Arena on Thursday, March 27, 2025 in Tampa, Fla.
Those two defensemen now make up the Club’s first defensive pair. A fourth-overall selection, therefore, could bring over firepower too.
“We will never shut that door. That has always been an avenue for us to get players,” Armstrong said. “And we’re at a position now as a team where we’re trying to make that next step. We’ll always look at that. That‘s part of the process.”
PREMIUM
Report a missed paper by emailing subscribe@sltrib.com or calling 801-237-2900
For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support 801-237-2900 or email subscribe@sltrib.com
sltrib.com © 1996-2025 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved.

source