First-time GM Mathieu Darche made room for his 17-year-old phenom by signing defenseman Noah Dobson and then shipping him to Montreal for a player and two picks, giving the team three of the first 17 players off the 2025 board. The uptick is tangible. And that's not all.

Diversity was on display at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Friday and Saturday. More than 20 players of Black, Indigenous, Asian or Latin American heritage were selected. Here’s a look at each:

The NHL held its first decentralized draft outside of the COVID year. It took away from the interesting parts of the first round.