NHL AI mock draft: AI predicts the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft – USA Today
The 2025 NHL Draft is less than a week away, and after the New York Islanders moved from 10th to 1st in the draft lottery, the team has an opportunity to give themselves a massive boost. After all, they finished the regular season with as many wins as they had regulation losses. One player could help turn some of those unlucky overtime finishes into wins and propel the Islanders back into the postseason.
But who are they going to take? Is there a bona fide top prospect in this year’s draft similar to what we saw last year with Macklin Celebrini? Is this year’s top prospect Matthew Schaefer enough to bring the Islanders back to relevancy? Artificial intelligence certainly thinks so.
USA TODAY Sports asked four AI programs ‒ Microsoft Copilot AI, Meta AI, Google Gemini AI, ChatGPT AI ‒ to produce simulations of every pick during the 2025 NHL Draft’s first round. Here are the results, and whether it’s a player like Brady Martin consistently climbing into the top-ten or the San Jose Sharks choosing Swedish center Anton Frondell at No. 2, there are plenty of surprises the computers like.
The 2025 NHL Draft is set for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, June 27. Day 1 of the draft will air on ESPN. Rounds 2-7 will be the following day at 12 p.m. ET on NHL Network. The entire draft will be coming at you from L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California.
