Worldwide Sports News

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded up to get the 12th overall from the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving Pittsburgh their 22nd and 31st picks.

🔶 WELCOME TO PHILLY! 🔶

With the 12th pick in the 2025 #NHLDraft, we are proud to select Jack Nesbitt. pic.twitter.com/xZu0kLmX78

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 28, 2025

Nesbitt, who plays for the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, is a 6'5" center that brings high hockey IQ, incredible positional awareness, and skillful puck-handling to the table. There are some concerns surrounding his skating ability, although his vision and playmaking ability balance out what he may lack in speed. 

The center position has been one where the Flyers have needed more depth, and after taking right winger Porter Martone with their No. 6 pick, it's clear that GM Danny Briere was high enough on Nesbitt to hand over their other two first-round picks to their Keystone State rivals. 

Nesbitt has shown significant improvement over this past season, and his ceiling is believed to be a high one. Although it might take him a little while to be NHL ready, there is plenty of room to grow and develop into a solid anchor for the Flyers' offense. 

Los Angeles - With the 8th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Seattle Kraken have selected Jake O’Brien from the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. This marks the second year in a row that the Kraken have selected 8th overall, taking center Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs in 2024.

O’Brien is a 6’2”, 170 lb center who recently completed his second season in a Brantford Bulldogs sweater. This past year, he came 3rd in team scoring with 32 goals and 66 assists in 66 games. In his first season with the Bulldogs in 2023-24, he earned the Emms Family Award for OHL Rookie of the Year, along with selections to both the CHL All-Rookie Team and the OHL First All-Rookie Team. This past January, O'Brien was named captain of the Eastern Conference team for the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game. He earned MVP honors for Team East after notching 3 assists.

"Displaying close to x-ray vision, O’Brien spots the tiniest seams between skates, under sticks and above them. He sees through multiple defenders and behind his back, spotting teammates running at the back post and attacking a few steps late. When he can’t spot a lane, he creates it, shifting defenders or faking a shot before dropping the puck to teammates."

- EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

Jake will look to fill in with other Kraken center prospects like Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs), Carson Rehkopf (Coachella Valley Firebirds), and Nathan Villeneuve (Sudbury Wolves) in the upcoming Kraken Development Camp in Seattle starting next week.

Time will tellI how O’Brien, along with the Kraken’s other picks will fare with this being the first Seattle Kraken draft with Jason Botterill at the helm as General Manager after Ron Francis held that role for the first 4 seasons. In his years as the Buffalo Sabres GM from 2017-2020, Botterill selected players like Casey Mittlelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin, and Dylan Cozens each in the first round.

Related

Kraken 2025 Draft Targets: Jake O'BrienAs we continue to look at 2025 NHL draft-eligible prospects, we head to the OHL to analyze center Jake O'Brien and what he could provide the Seattle Kraken if they drafted him with the eighth overall pick.

O’Brien featured photo via chl.ca

O’Brien hero photo via chl.ca

The Philadelphia Flyers have selected Porter Martone at No. 6 in the 2025 NHL Draft.

🔶 WELCOME TO PHILLY! 🔶

With the sixth pick in the 2025 #NHLDraft, we are proud to select Porter Martone. pic.twitter.com/qAidvQsEtW

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 27, 2025

Martone, a right winger, brings size and intelligence to the Flyers' offense, and it's suggested that he could be ready for an NHL roster come October.

The 6'3" forward brings plenty of energy, and has proven himself capable of scoring and driving possession. The hope is that he can balance out an offense with equally high-motor players like Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras. 

He's drawn comparisons to players like Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk and Dallas Stars standout Mikko Rantanen. 

Martone also grew up a Flyers fan, revealing that he had a poster of former Flyers captain Claude Giroux in his basement. General manager Danny Briere also said with a smile on his face that they had pictures of Martone in Flyers gear.

Brady Martin is a Nashville Predator. 

With their highest pick since 2013 and first of three in the first round, the Predators selected Sault St. Marie Greyhounds center Brady Martin with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

In his second season with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, Martin scored 72 points in 57 games and had a plus/minus of 25. He also logged 68 penalty minutes. 

The Elmira, Ontario, native also represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Championship, scoring 11 points in seven games and winning a gold medal.

Martin was not in attendance at the NHL Draft as he was reportedly working on his family's farm. 

Think Brady Martin might just be a Top 3 guy in this NHL Draft pic.twitter.com/mMntmlp2oy

— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) June 26, 2025

With a 6-foot-0-inch, 174-pound build, Martin is the perfect center for the Predators to develop and has used his frame to his advantage. From highlights, Martin is able to generate space on the ice during the rush and has a strong net-front presence. 

The Predators next selections are at 23rd overall and 26th overall. 

It was an emotional moment for Matthew Schaefer and his family when Gary Bettman announced Matthew Schaefer as the first-overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft. Despite injury and personal hardship, the Erie Otters' defender proved he was the top prospect in this draft class. 

In February of 2024, Schaefer lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer. The young defender was visibly in tears as he stood on the stage wearing the blue, orange and white of the New York Islanders.

Schaefer was the first-overall pick at the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. The 6-foot-2 defender scored 10 goals and added 29 assists in 73 games with Erie over the course of the last two years. This past season, he only played 17 games for Erie due to a combination of injury and illness. 

He was named to Canada's World Junior roster and scored a goal and added an assist in the two games he played at the tournament before succumbing to an upper-body injury. Just making the team was an accomplishment for the 17-year-old defender as Canada's roster normally consists of 19 and 20-year-old players.

 Schaefer impressed in the two games he played for Canada, showcasing his elite skating abilities and offensive instincts. His performance in those two games was so impressive that he became the consensus first-overall pick for the entire second half of the season despite being unable to play for the remainder of the season.

Bulldogs Acquire Two Time OHL Champion Ryder BoultonEarlier today, the London Knights sent 2006-born forward Ryder Boulton to the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick. 

He's the first OHL player since Connor McDavid to be a first-overall pick in his OHL Draft year and NHL draft year. 

Schaefer is a fantastic add for the Islanders who just traded away Noah Dobson earlier today. He profiles as a strong two-way defender who can not only score big goals and contribute offensively but also lock down defensively. 

It is entirely possibly that Schaefer could join the Islanders as soon as next season based on his skillset and accomplishments. However, it may be more prudent for the Islanders to give their young prospect a bit more time to develop. This seems especially true given the amount of time he missed this past season. 

Whether he joins the NHL next season or not it seems like Schaefer has a bright future ahead of him with his new NHL franchise. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks were forced down to the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft as a result of the Draft Lottery that took place a handful of weeks ago.

Since then, the debate and conversation about who they will go with has been ongoing. Now, the wait is over.

The New York Islanders kicked the night off by selecting Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick. Although it was expected, it set the tone for the rest of the draft to play out. 

With the second overall pick, the San Jose Sharks took Michael Misa. After rumors started to suggest that San Jose may go in a different direction, they ultimately proved that was a smokescreen for them to end up taking Misa in the end. 

From there, the Chicago Blackhawks were on the clock. They selected Swedish forward Anton Frondell with the third overall pick. Frondell entered the draft as the number one-ranked international prospect. 

Now, with Bedard and Nazar leading the way on offense, they have another forward to put in the mix. Frondell is much more of a two-way center who models his game after Aleksander Barkov. He will provide a perfect balance to their long-term forward group. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

After weeks of excitement, anticipation and speculation, the New York Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer with the first pick of the 2025 NHL draft.

The Islanders shockingly landed the top pick back in May despite having a 3.5-percent chance of winning the draft lottery. The organization picked first overall four times previously, with John Tavares being the last choice back in 2009.

While mononucleosis and a broken clavicle suffered at the world juniors derailed most of Schaefer’s season, the 6-foot-2, 183-pound defenseman still managed to put up 22 points in 17 games with the Erie Otters and remained a consensus No. 1 pick heading into the opening night of the NHL draft.

Injury aside, it’s been a continuous upward trajectory for Schaefer, who was the No. 1 selection in the 2023 OHL draft. With tremendous showings at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge, he emerged as the clear top draft-eligible player ahead of contenders Michael Misa, Porter Martone and James Hagens.

'Stick Tap To Mom': Top 2025 Draft Prospect Matthew Schaefer Aims To Make Late Mother ProudLeading up to the 2025 NHL draft, as part of the San Jose Sharks’ due diligence, they had one of their team psychologists interview Matthew Schaefer. This was not a typical draft interview, because the psychologist was not a hockey guy and didn’t know anything about the young man with whom he was speaking. He also quite obviously didn’t know Schaefer’s backstory.

What The Islanders Get With Matthew Schaefer

Schaefer has drawn comparisons from across the scouting world to Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars, and for good reason. 

Schaefer is an elite two-way blueliner with game-breaking potential built on a remarkable transition game and impressive offensive instincts.

While his effortless skating is the main source of what drives Schaefer’s offensive game, he can also break down opponents with his hands in 1-on-1 scenarios and can work well with very little space given to him. He also has great off-puck habits, often joining the rush as a fourth forward without compromising his defensive positioning.

He also leverages his size extremely well on both ends of the ice. Schaefer is great at protecting the puck from opposing players and is a fierce competitor when defending, closing off gaps at a high level while using his physical advantages and overall athleticism to kill plays on the rush and in his own zone.

Schaefer can make an impact in all on-ice situations, and he can control the flow of the game like nobody else in this class. The Islanders truly have themselves a special talent that should have no problem making an impact at the NHL level immediately.

The New Foundational Piece On Defense

The Islanders also made headlines earlier Friday afternoon with a reported blockbuster deal that sent defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for both of Montreal’s first-round picks in this year’s draft and 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman.

Dobson, who was a pending RFA, signed a monstrous eight-year extension with the Canadiens worth $76 million, carrying an annual cap hit of $9.5 million.

Sitting here in tears. Such an emotional moment and stick taps to the #Isles for adding the cancer ribbon on the jersey.

pic.twitter.com/tNAI1Sw6Gm

— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) June 27, 2025

While it’s unclear whether or not the Islanders will continue to ship off any integral roster pieces, Schaefer will now be the Islanders’ foundational piece on the blueline instead of Dobson. 

Schaefer joins 2024 first-round pick Cole Eiserman and 2022 fourth-rounder Isaiah George as the team’s top prospects of the future, with potentially two more first-round additions to be made to the team’s pipeline in this year’s draft.

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LOS ANGELES -- With the first overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer from the Erie Otters of the OHL.

Schaefer, who was projected to go first overall, scored seven goals with 15 assists for 22 points in 17 games.

The 6’2”, 185-pound left-shot defenseman’s season was shortened after he broke his clavicle at the 2024 IIHF World Juniors.

“On the ice, I’m a two-way defenseman. I can play all over the ice, power play, penalty kill, very competitive, and I love to win," Schaefer said. "Off the ice, I love to talk, as you guys can tell. I'm a leader. Honestly, the fans mean a lot to me. If they want autographs or anything, which I don't know why they would want one, really, but if they do want pictures, I love taking the time because they come out to support us so much.”

Potential No. 1 Pick Matthew Schaefer On Islanders Bo Horvat, Adam Pelech & Mathieu DarcheLOS ANGELES -- Matthew Schaefer is not a member of the New York Islanders organization just yet, but all signs are pointing to that with the 2025 NHL Draft just a day away. 

According to EliteProspects, Schaefer is an “elite puck-rusher” who excels in transition from the defensive zone. Schaefer’s puckhandling, skating, and vision are exceptional—no other defensemen in the draft class are of the same caliber.

Despite his shortened season, Schaefer impressed scouts in the OHL, dominating with his high-end skills in all three zones. Schaefer also stood out as a productive leader for Team Canada in international competitions.

Approaching the draft, this distinguished him from other top prospects, namely Michael Misa and James Hagens.

Schaefer immediately projects as a regular in the Islanders defense, which grew thinner after top defenseman Noah Dobson was traded earlier.

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Kai Russell contributed to the story.