NHL to Make Historic Change for 2025 Draft

The NHL is heading in a new direction for the 2025 NHL Draft with the commissioner getting a unique first.

Feb 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks during media availabilities before the Los Angeles Kings play against the Utah Hockey Club at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The NHL recently announced that the 2025 Draft will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and it won’t be your typical affair. For the first time, the NHL Draft will be decentralized, meaning team executives, scouts, coaches, and other personnel will not be at the event in person. Each team will meet at their own headquarters and submit their selections virtually.

Top prospects, their families, media, and league executives will still be in attendance, including NHL commissioner Gary Bettman who will be making a unique first near the end of his career. Without team executives attending, Bettman will have the responsibility of announcing each first-round pick for the first time in his career as NHL commissioner.

The 2025 #NHLDraft is heading to Los Angeles June 27! pic.twitter.com/3eSw7QXqqO

— NHL (@NHL) February 22, 2025

“Hopefully there won’t be too many hard (names) to pronounce,” Bettman said.

Much like the NFL’s Roger Goodell and NBA’s Adam Silver, Bettman will read each team’s selection and welcome the prospect on stage. Bettman has always been around for the NHL Draft and has been part of the welcoming of prospects, but he’s never been the one behind the microphone making the announcement.

According to Bettman, a majority of the teams wished to go this route for the draft.

“The clubs asked for this,” Bettman said. “I wasn’t looking for any more exposure. I have more than enough. But this is what the clubs told us they wanted, and we’re going to try it.”

It’s not out of the question that the NHL brings back the old model in the future, but at least for 2025, things will be decentralized.

There will still be space for teams to send notable representatives to read their draft picks. That’s a practice that each league has done for years at the draft and likely won’t be stopping in 2025.

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