NHL draft: Islanders not revealing plan for No. 1 as event descends on L.A.

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer

Barely a month into his new role overseeing the New York Islanders, Mathieu Darche understands there is not much he can take credit for yet in placing his stamp on the franchise.

The 48-year-old first-time general manager was still employed by Tampa Bay in early May when the NHL lottery balls bounced the Islanders’ way, vaulting them 10 spots in the order to land the first pick at the draft in Los Angeles on Friday.

“I can’t even say it was the Darche luck,” he said with a laugh earlier this week.

The hard work of turning around an Islanders team that has missed the playoffs twice in the past four years, and not won a series since reaching the 2021 semifinals, starts now with New York anticipated to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

Though Darche won’t disclose his plans for No. 1, what is clear is the Islanders have the opportunity to add a young, NHL-ready cornerstone to a team that was just two points out contention before collapsing down the stretch with a 3-7-4 finish.

“I’m going to get a great player that’s going to push our organization forward and a player that hopefully plays for us for 15, 20 years,” he said, before being asked specifically about Schaefer.

“He’s an impressive young man,” Darche said of the two-way defenseman for the Erie Otters who has shown poise and perseverance after losing his mother to cancer amid other challenges. “He’s a hell of a player. He’s a great person. But having said that, there’s a lot of other kids at the draft that we met that are very impressive.”

The San Jose Sharks hold the second pick and are poised to add to a developing young core, which includes 2024 No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini.

“It’s been some tough seasons for our fans, as well, to kind of get through. But I think we’re starting to turn the corner,” Sharks GM Mike Grier said of a team that has finished 29th or worse in four of the past six years since most recently reaching the playoffs.

Grier declined to speculate on who might go first, while noting the Sharks are in good spot to land an impact player at No. 2.

If Schaefer goes first, San Jose will have several options at center, with OHL Saginaw’s Michael Misa and Sweden’s Anton Frondell among the candidates.

Chicago is set to pick third, followed by Utah, which also jumped 10 spots in the order following the draft lottery. At No. 5 is Nashville, followed by Philadelphia – two teams that will have considerable influence on the selection process with three picks apiece in the opening round of a draft that concludes with rounds 2-7 on Saturday.

“There’s definitely a lot of ammo to try to do different things, and not necessarily moving up or down, but it could be acquiring for the future,” Flyers GM Danny Brier said.

THE TOP TALENT

The top-ranked U.S.-born prospect is Boston College center James Hagens, who is from Long Island.

The consensus is the pool of top-tier-rated prospects goes seven deep, though there’s a debate over how teams rank players beyond Schaefer, Misa and Frondell. That means the intrigue at the draft is anticipated to start with Utah at No. 4.

Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong doesn’t buy it.

“It’s interesting because there’s so many things that can move, right?” said Armstrong, who added a top-line forward in acquiring JJ Peterka in a trade with Buffalo on Wednesday without sacrificing Utah’s draft position. “We’re in that process of exploring what’s going to come to us at 4, and I like what’s there.”

It’s teams like the Sabres, owners of the ninth pick, that are weighing their options to see how the first round unfolds.

“The intrigue and nervousness will be how we view the top six-seven and will one of those be there at nine for us?” Buffalo assistant GM Jerry Forton said.

POOL OF PROSPECTS

This year’s pool of draft prospects is regarded as strong, but lacks a high-caliber star such as Celebrini, and with Canadian forward Gavin McKenna long-tabbed as the No. 1 pick next year.

Forwards are expected to dominate the top 10 selections beyond Schaefer, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds and considered an elite skater and a reliable defender with playmaking upside.

From Hamilton, Ontario, Schaefer has the chance to be the first OHL player to go No. 1 since 2015, when Erie star Connor McDavid was selected first by Edmonton.

“Nothing’s really kicked in too much right now because I don’t think about it too much,” Schaefer said Thursday. “I guarantee you tomorrow night, though, it for sure will.”

The Islanders have previously picked No. 1 four times, with John Tavares the most recent in 2009. The last time they took a defenseman atop the draft was 1973, and Denis Potvin helped them win the Stanley Cup four times in a row from 1980-83 on the way to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

New York, however, has lagged in first-round picks in recent years as a result of trades. This marks just the second time in six years the Isles have a first-round pick after selecting Cole Eiserman at No. 20 last year under Darche’s predecessor, Lou Lamoriello.

“Regardless of who we pick on Friday, we’ll get a special player that’s going to help the New York Islanders fairly quickly,” Darche said.

PERSISTENCE PAYS FOR SWEDES

Victor Eklund refused to take no for an answer in badgering his Tier 2 Swedish league coach Robert Kimby to have him play on the same line as long-time friend Anton Frondell last season.

“Yeah, I think I told him 10 times,” Eklund recalled at the NHL pre-draft combine in Buffalo earlier this month. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don’t know.’”

And then, one day after the Christmas break the two got their wish in eventually helping Djurgarden win a championship, and propel the pair to the top of central scouting’s rankings of international skaters.

Frondell, a center, is ranked first and a candidate to be selected as high as No. 2 by San Jose at the NHL draft in Los Angeles on Friday. He’s a powerful playmaking skater who had 11 goals and 25 points in 29 games last season, second among league players 18 or younger.

Eklund prides himself as a pesky winger, and regarded as a top-10 selection after finishing ahead of Frondell with 19 goals and 31 points in 42 games last year.

“I just knew from the beginning that if we got the opportunity, we’d take it and be the best line,” said Eklund, whose older brother, William, was a 2021 first-round pick (No. 7), and completed his second full season with San Jose. “The coach probably got sick of me asking.”

The two have known each other since playing on competing teams as 10-year-olds in Stockholm. And they’ve been teammates since 2021.

“I remember he actually made a move on me, like the puck between my legs,” Eklund said. “He says he doesn’t remember it, but I do.”

Sitting next to Eklund, Frondell responded with a smile, saying: “I actually do remember that move.”

PIGSKIN TO PUCKS

Mason West was so pre-occupied juggling football and hockey as a high school junior, the 17-year-old didn’t realize he was entering his NHL draft-eligible year.

That’s before the 6-foot-6, 215-pound hockey center/quarterback from Edina, Minnesota, got his invite to the NHL scouting combine.

“I was just taking it one day at a time,” said West, who is committed to play at Michigan State, and had a goal and nine points in 10 games as a rookie with Fargo of the USHL this year.

“I didn’t really know the NHL stuff was going to happen this year,” added West, ranked 27th on central scouting’s list of North American skaters. “I kind of just kept working hard and opportunities came my way. So I’m just going to keep the same mindset.”

After splitting his time at football and hockey evenly, West went all-in on hockey following the opportunity to play in the USHL. He’s not giving up entirely on football yet entering his senior high school season.

“I try to set goals for the football and hockey year to try to win a state championship in both,” said West, who describes himself as a pocket-passer in football. “I’ve been able to do that in hockey, but not football yet. So that’s kind of the reason I have to go back and maybe win one.”

West’s idol is New York Islanders captain Anders Lee, who is from Edina, and also played quarterback in high school.

TRADING PICKS

One draft pick has already changed hands this week, with No. 117 (a fourth-rounder) going from Vancouver to Edmonton for Evander Kane, and plenty more are expected to get traded through Saturday.

Maybe even the 27th selection by the Washington Capitals. Just don’t tell assistant GM Ross Mahoney.

“Any chance we trade the pick? What are you doing to me? I’ve been working all these months trying to – yeah, there’s always a chance that a pick could get moved,” Mahoney said. “When you’re on the amateur side, you love to make picks. That’s your job. That’s what you do as a group. But if you’re making a trade to acquire an asset that you think is going to improve your team … you go with that.”

Darche said the Islanders aren’t trading out of the top spot. San Jose and Chicago are next, and Utah’s Bill Armstrong said he and counterparts around the league have had discussions about the No. 4 pick.

“It’s very rare that it’s done that you could move from four to two or two to one,” Armstrong said. “But, do you have to explore it? Yes. That’s part of my job every morning. I wake up and go to work and see if we can better the pick or if we can come up with different options to maximize where we are.”

ICE CHIPS

Yes, Boston College center James Hagens has seen the “Bring Hagens Home” bumper stickers when back home on Long Island. “It was pretty funny, gives you a good smile,” said Hagens, who grew up an Islanders fan. As for whether he made eye contact with the person in the car with the sticker, central scouting’s top-ranked U.S.-born prospect laughed and said: “Nah, I just tried to put my head down as he drove by.” … Since 2015, 11 U.S.-born players have been selected among the top five picks, including Auston Matthews (2016) and Jack Hughes (2019) going No. 1. … Among mother-son hockey connections, Arizona State forward Cullen Potter’s mother Jenny was a four-time U.S. Olympian. She was a member of the 1998 gold medal-winning squad, and holds the U.S. record with 32 career points in Olympic competition – five more than Hilary Knight, who is set to make her fifth Olympic appearance in February.

AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno and AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this story.

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