The NHL draft is coming up this weekend, a chance for teams to add young players they see potential in to make it at the highest level.
The Detroit Red Wings‘ first pick is at No. 13, where they landed after their draft lottery misery held again and they were bumped back a spot. (They’ve either been pushed back or stayed in place yearly since the playoff streak ended in 2017.)
Steve Yzerman has done an excellent job with his first selections since being named general manager in April 2019, with Moritz Seider (2019), Lucas Raymond (2020), Simon Edvinsson (2021) and Marco Kasper (2022) all having established themselves as key parts of the roster. Nate Danielson (2023) and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (2024) are still in the development stages.
The NHL is doing something different with the draft starting this year, so with that in mind, here is everything you need to know:
When and where is the 2025 NHL Draft
The first round begins at 7 p.m. EDT Friday, June 27 (ESPN, ESPN+) and Day 2, which features Rounds 2-7, begins at noon EDT on June 28 (NHLN, ESPN+). The event takes place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Decentralizing the event
In the past, general managers and their hockey operations personnel would all be at the draft, seated at tables on the event floor in close proximity. It made for fun watching from the media seating section – is that GM on his phone making a trade? Or ordering coffee? In between picks, GMs would sometimes wander over to the dividers and chat to eager reporters. No more of that.
From now on, GMs and their coteries are staying at home, or in a location of their choosing. Each team will have a representative in LA. to greet the players drafted, as the NHL will invite top-50 prospects (others are welcome to attend) according to the final rankings from NHL Central Scouting, to attend.
What picks Red Wings have in 2025 NHL Draft and how they got them
The New York Islanders won the draft lottery and moved up from No. 10 to No. 1. That didn’t impact the Wings, except to remind them they never have had any such fortune. But when the Utah Hockey Club won the second drawing and moved up from No. 14 to No. 4 (teams can move up a maximum of 10 spots), that bumped the Wings, who were at 12th, back to 13th. On Day 2, the Wings hold picks at Nos. 44, 75, 76, 119, 140, 172 204 and 211.
The extra pick in the third around (75) stems from having traded Olli Määtta to Utah last October. The extra pick in the seventh round (211) dates to March 2023 and was the return for sending Jakub Vrana to the St. Louis Blues.
Could Red Wings make trades at 2025 NHL Draft?
When teams are on the clock to make their selections, there’s always a thrill in the building, but nothing can match the energy when the emcee says “we have a trade to announce.” The last time the Wings made a deal during a draft was in 2023, when they acquired Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto from the Edmonton Oilers for future considerations. It was a salary-dump move by the Oilers, and the Wings thought they were getting a gritty forward who could score in the 10-goal range in Kostin. (Yamamoto was bought out). But Kostin turned out to be a dud, and Yzerman unloaded him at the 2024 trade deadline for a minor leaguer who was gone at the end of the season. The Wings made a trade on the second day of the 2022 draft (before selections began) when they acquired Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues for a third-round pick.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings at 2025 NHL Draft: Time, channel, picks, trades, more
