Corey Pronman explains why James Hagens shouldn't be the NY Islanders’ No. 1 Pick

At this point, fans of the New York Islanders have seen the prospect rankings. They've seen the mock drafts, and it's undeniable that Erie Otters OHL defenseman Mathew Schaefer is the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped some fans from looking for a reason, any reason, why the hometown kid from Hauppauge, James Hagens, should be taken first overall. For them, his local roots, passion, and connection to the Islanders as a fan outweigh generic draft rankings. Some of them had done their best to make compelling cases, but one problem remains. Schaefer has distinguished himself as a tier above Hagens and the rest of this draft class.

Corey Pronman, senior prospects writer for The Athletic, joined the IslesFix Podcast on Wednesday night and explained why Hagens shouldn't be a consideration for the Islanders at No. 1.

"If [the Islanders] want to take him second overall, like, yeah, absolutely. Go for it," said Pronman. "He could be, you know, Jack Hughes, right? He could be [William] Nylander. He could be Clayton Keller. I think he's going to be a 70, 80 point score in the NHL...but they don't have the second pick. They have the first pick. And with the first pick, there's a defenseman available who, to me, has the potential to be a legit star, number one defenseman in the NHL. One of the rarest and most valuable player profiles you could ever get when trying to build a contending NHL team."

For Pronman, it's perfectly acceptable to make a case for Hagens being the top forward in the draft class. However, it was hard to watch Schaefer and conclude that Hagens is a better NHL prospect and not take the 17-year-old defenseman with the top pick.

If there a mild concerns about Schaefer, it's due to his OHL season being shortened (he played on 17 games after breaking his collarbone at the World Juniors) and some questions about his scoring. Still, he is one of the youngest players in the draft and was noticeably the best player on the ice almost every night, but in the OHL and international competition last season and projects to be the type of franchise player and organization and build a Stanley Cup contender around.

Hagens has a chance to be very, very good, maybe even great, but Scahefer's higher ceiling at a premium position and potential impact is higher and likely too good to pass up. This isn’t about who fans want—it’s about who the Islanders need. Mathew Schaefer represents that rare prospect you only get once in a rebuild cycle: the potential to anchor a blue line for a decade.