With the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, the Islanders selected Erie Otters (OHL) defenseman Matthew Schaefer to help stabilize their back end for years to come. Schaefer registered seven goals and 15 assists to go along with a +21 rating in just 17 games this past season after dealing with a collarbone injury.

The selected players ranged from Matthew Schaefer, taken by the New York Islanders with the No. 1 pick and regarded as a future star, to Ygor Midlak, a goaltender who was the 224th and final selection by the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.