On Friday, the New York Islanders hired Mathieu Darche as the seventh general manager in franchise history.
With this, he is set to become the second GM to select first overall in their first career NHL Draft since 2000 and the eighth to do so since 1980.
The most recent first-time general manager to accomplish this feat was Kent Hughes with the Montreal Canadiens, when he selected Juraj Slafkovsky in 2022.
Here are the other GMs to do this:
Darche’s options at No. 1 include defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forwards Michael Misa and James Hagens.
Given Darche has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since the 2019-20 season – a team that has made only one first-round pick and just two top-50 selections during that span – making a pick this early in the draft will be a new experience for him.
Round 1 of the 2025 NHL Draft is on Friday, June 27.
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Michael Ostrower wrote this story.