NHL Shifts to Decentralized Format for 2025 Draft in Los Angeles

Commissioner Gary Bettman will announce first-round picks as teams participate virtually for the first time.

The 2025 NHL Draft will take place June 27-28 at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, marking the first decentralized draft in league history.
Under the new format, team executives, scouts, and coaches will participate remotely from their home cities, while top prospects and Commissioner Gary Bettman will attend in person.
Bettman will announce the first-round picks, a role traditionally performed by individual teams, following a request by NHL clubs to adopt this change.
The shift to a decentralized draft aligns the NHL with the NFL and NBA, which have long used similar formats, and aims to streamline logistics ahead of the July 1 free agency period.
Top prospects for the 2025 draft include defenseman Matthew Schaefer, forwards Porter Martone, James Hagens, and Michael Misa, as well as international standouts Victor Eklund and Anton Frondell.