Photo Credit: cnn.com

Do they trade back and gain more capital and players? Do they make the pick? Which prospect should the team draft? Should they stick with Schaefer, Misa, or go with the Long Island native Hagens?

The result was that Darche and the team decided to take defenseman Matthew Schaefer, a generational talent, while retaining their other 2 first-round picks to select Victor Eklund and Kashawn Atcheison!

Many NHL execs and scouts praised the team for having an outstanding draft, as they selected 9 players, the most since Lou Lamoriello took charge of the team! This article will recap the very exciting and busy draft weekend in Long Island!

Photo Credit: nyihockeynow.com

Day 1

On the day of the NHL Draft, the Islanders were very confident in keeping the first overall pick but had a growing debacle with Noah Dobson. Since Darche and Dobson couldn’t agree on a reasonable contract, the team decided to find a way to trade him, as Columbus and Montreal became very interested in the 25 year old defenseman.

This led to Dobson’s camp leveraging a trade to Montreal because of his desire to sign a long-term extension with the Habs. The Isles’ return in this trade involved the #16 and #17 picks, which became crucial since they had three first-round selections, giving them a path to trade up to select Schaefer/Misa AND James Hagens.

As the NHL Draft became underway, the Islanders were on the clock and very confidently selected Matthew Schaefer to become the next cornerstone on Long Island. Schaefer was very emotional and proud, as he kissed the cancer ribbon on his jersey to celebrate his mom. He spoke for several minutes, talking about his play style, facing the Rangers, and how passionate he was to become an Islander!

Unfortunately, the team wasn’t able to trade up to select LI native James Hagens, as he was selected by the Boston Bruins with the #7 pick. This meant that Darche would most likely keep the #16 and #17 picks, which would strengthen the team’s farm system even more!

Darche selected 2 high-quality players in Victor Eklund (LW) and Keshawn Aitcheson (D). Eklund was considered a top 7 pick in the draft, while Aitcheson was described as a top defenseman, demonstrating how successful of a draft Darche had in his first rodeo as the Islanders GM!

Day 2

Heading into Day 2 of the draft, the Islanders were praised for their 3 first-round picks, as many websites and blogs gave the team A+ marks! This led to the team using their lone second-round pick on Daniil Prokhorov, a 6 ‘8 Russian winger who scored 20 goals in the MHL. Prokhorov is a very raw forward, but he is physical, fast, and plays with maximum effort, as he can become an enforcer in the NHL.

Some of the later picks for the team include Luca Romano (C), Tomas Poletin (LW), Sam Laurilia (D), Burke Hood (G), and Jacob Kvasnicka (RW). Most of the position players can score and defend, as speed and effort are constant quirks among all of the draft picks!

Aftermath

Overall, the Islanders have a very bright future after the excellent work of Darche and the FO in the 2025 NHL Draft. Schaefer and Aticheson could become top defensemen in the NHL for years to come, Eklund could be a household name in the near future, and the farm system for the Islanders has strengthened dramatically over the last few months!