Kashawn Aitcheson was pure value at No, 17. His love of open ice hitting is going to make him a fan favorite from the second he joins the organization, and he’s a brilliant complement to Schaefer, who plays a more positional, control style game. There’s a very real chance Schaefer and Aitcheson can be a top line pairing for the next decade.

The NHL held its first decentralized draft outside of the COVID year. It took away from the interesting parts of the first round.

W ith the 2025 NHL draft in the books, hockey fans have free agency on July 1 and their respective teams' development camps to hold them over for the next-two-and-a-half months as the NHL enters its dead period until rookie camp starts in early to mid-September.