With the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs done and dusted, the teams that are out of contention have already begun their preparations for the next season. Be it redrawing their strategy or scouting sessions to pick top talent, the teams are doing it all. As the preparations for the upcoming season are in full swing, an important event is set to take place today: the NHL Draft Lottery Night. But ahead of this crucial day, it is already advantage Chicago Blackhawks.
Now the Blackhawks’ season went just about as well as their previous seasons have, which is to say, not well at all. It was yet another year of disappointment as the Hawks finished dead last in the central division, the same way they’ve done for the last 3 seasons. They had just 25 wins in 82 games, resulting in one of the worst records in the league, outdone only by the San Jose Sharks with 20 wins. But if there’s one silver lining for the Hawks (as hard to come by as they are), it’s that their chances at a top draft pick have, of course, skyrocketed.
As per the latest odds by Tankathon, the Blackhawks have a 13.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2025, and this is only the second-best to the San Jose Sharks, who are in with a 25.5% chance of grabbing the top pick. According to the draft rules, the lowest-placed team gets the most series of numbers. This year, the Sharks will be assigned 185 numbers because they are the bottom-placed team this season.
It’s NHL Draft lottery night! #Blackhawks have a 13.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2025. Here’s a look at the full odds, per @tankathon. pic.twitter.com/D9MgxxJJdY
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) May 5, 2025
This assumes all the more importance for the Blackhawks, who are in the middle of what has become a years-long rebuild. But will a No. 1 draft pick be the missing piece of the puzzle? The top pick for this year’s draft is Matthew Schaefer, the 6’2″ tall defenseman who represented Erie in the OHL. Additionally, the likes of Michael Misa and James Hagens are also some of the top draft picks. With the Hawks all but guaranteed a top pick, No. 1 or not, their rebuild will be headed in a positive direction.
But all eyes will be on the defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who is the top prospect at this year’s NHL draft. The lucky team who gets his signature looks like they’ll be in for a major defensive boost.
NHL scout makes big revelation ahead of draft lottery
At just 17, Schaefer has already caught the eyes of the NHL world with some stunning performances of late. He is the top-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of 2025 draft prospects, owing to a consistent run of performances last year. Interestingly, he hasn’t played since the World Junior Hockey Championship in December last year but remains as the top prospect in the draft.
Heaping praise on him, Dan Marr, the vice president of NHL Central Scouting, said, “He is the complete package playing a dynamic style that generates results and influences the outcome of games. Schaefer easily projects as a future All-Star in the NHL.”
Further, Matthew Schaefer has scored 22 points in 17 games while playing for the Erie (Pennsylvania) Otters. Moreover, he had 2 points in the same number of games at the tournament before he broke his collarbone and remained sidelined for the rest of the season. Nonetheless, the teams are set to go all out for him, given his exploits at just 17. Do you think that the Chicago Blackhawks will land Schaefer for the next season? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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