With the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, the Islanders selected Erie Otters (OHL) defenseman Matthew Schaefer to help stabilize their back end for years to come. Schaefer registered seven goals and 15 assists to go along with a +21 rating in just 17 games this past season after dealing with a collarbone injury.

Matthew Schaefer has been voted onto the Island. Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, was selected No. 1 by the New York Islanders in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at L.A. Live's Peacock Theatre on Friday.