It’s official. That exciting time of the year when NHL teams go through a makeover in the form of drafting new players, aka, the NHL Draft, is almost upon us. Although ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski had already said it in December 2024, the National Hockey League just officially announced the dates for the 2025 NHL Draft. And it’s four months away.

The 2025 Draft dates will run for two days, June 27-28, 2025. If you’re wondering where the draft will take place, then fret not, as the NHL has released details about the venue and more. The league has picked Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre, marking the second time the city and L.A. Kings will host the draft. However, it looks like one particular change didn’t resonate with the fans.

A post by NHL News on X highlighted the change. “Top prospects, fans, and media will be in attendance while NHL club executives, scouts, and coaches will participate in the event virtually,” the X page quoted NHL.com. Naturally, not everyone was a fan of this decision to physically not include the very individuals who’ll pick the prospects during the draft.

The league didn’t explain why they made this decision. However, this isn’t going to be the first time such a format will be followed. In fact, the NFL and NBA have followed this decentralized model for decades. New leagues like the Professional Volleyball Federation of the rising women’s pro volleyball scene did something similar, albeit on a smaller scale.

Unpopular changes aside, those looking to catch the live telecast can do so on Friday, June 27 for Round 1. ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports will telecast the first round. Unfortunately, those same networks won’t show you the proceedings on Saturday (June 28). The NHL Network, ESPN+, Sportsnet, and SN1 will telecast Rounds two to seven on Day 2.

Yet, keeping the draft hybrid isn’t the only switch-up the 2025 NHL Draft will experiment with. In fact, Commissioner Gary Bettman announced another change that may turn out to be unpopular among hockey fans.

Another first for the NHL Draft

Commissioner Gary Bettman will play a crucial role during Round 1 of the NHL Draft, as he’ll announce the picks for the first time. Bettman even joked about the occasion after the announcement. “Hopefully there won’t be too many hard [names] to pronounce,” Bettman said on Saturday. Not a stranger to getting booed by fans, the 72-year-old has already covered his bases.

“I wasn’t looking for any more exposure. I have more than enough,” said the commissioner, as per ESPN. “But this is what the clubs told us they wanted, and we’re going to try it. And we’ll see after this year whether or not everybody likes it better,” he added. The League also addressed the curious fans who wanted to know why the Draft didn’t return to the Sphere in Las Vegas.

“It wasn’t practical to keep going back to the Sphere for a whole host of reasons, including what it cost,” Bettman said. He put costs at the forefront of why it wouldn’t be feasible for the NHL to annually spend so much, despite the end result being spectacular. Thankfully, other familiar elements will be the same, meaning there won’t be any changes in the selection process.

Draft predictions

The Ontario Hockey League defenseman, Matthew Schaefer, emerged as the No. 1 prospect among North American players in Central Scouting’s midterm rankings. James Hagens (NCAA), Michael Misa (OHL), Porter Martone (OHL), and Roger McQueen (Western Hockey League) rounded out the current Top 5 North American prospects. Meanwhile, Victor Eklund from Sweden stole the top spot among international prospects.

However, the midterm rankings came out before the league paused for the 4 Nations Face-Off, so there’s still some time for things to change. Something similar may happen for the draft lottery. As things stand, the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves at the bottom of the standings and therefore have the best odds, but it’s a race to the very bottom. So what are your predictions for the 2025 Draft? Tell us in the comments!