Which top draft prospect can make an impact for the NY Islanders next season?

What differentiates the 2025 NHL Draft from previous years is that none of the top prospects available are head and shoulders above the rest. 

The last two seasons, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini were essentially already selected as soon as the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks won the first overall pick in the lottery. 

Who can make an immediate impact?

But this year, especially with the NY Islanders sitting with the first overall pick, it appears an unnamed Islanders GM will be debating between Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, and James Hagens. 

While they all have superstar qualities, are they ready to make the immediate jump to the NHL level?

Schaefer, who many have as the No. 1 prospect, only played 17 games in the OHL this season, missing the start of the Erie Otters' season due to mono, and not appearing in a game after New Year's because of a broken collarbone suffered in the World Junior Championship with Canada. 

Schaefer turns 18 on September 5, about a month before the NHL season begins. If the Islanders ultimately select him, they can allow him to play up to nine games in the NHL and then send him back to Erie to play out the remainder of the season without burning a year of his ELC.