The San Jose Sharks have a big decision to make at the 2025 NHL Draft. After they fell in the draft lottery, it opened up their options from the favoured number-one draft choice in Matthew Schaefer to a handful of players to choose from.

With the New York Islanders moving up 10 spots to get the first overall pick, it does open the door for the Sharks to potentially still have the chance to draft Schaefer. If he is available, it would be foolish for the Sharks to pass on him at #2.

So let’s look at Schaefer as a potential draft target for San Jose.

Scouting Report:

There aren’t many outlets or scouts that don’t have Schaefer listed at #1. Despite being injured for a good portion of the season, he has the skill set to still be considered the top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

He is viewed as a highly skilled two-way defenseman who has great vision and a very good shot. He’s known to dominate puck possession when he’s on the ice with his deceptive skating ability. As he has shown during his time with the Erie Otters in the OHL and at the 2025 World Juniors, he isn’t afraid of taking a hit. At times, when he joins the rush, he puts his head down and drives to the net — which leads to scoring chances for him and his teammates.

He’s going to be a very good offensive defenseman in the NHL. If there’s an area he needs to improve, it would be on the defensive side of the puck. At times, he can struggle in his own zone, but that will improve over time — especially when he’s working with NHL coaches and learns more systems. It’ll take time, but he has all the makings of a true number-one defenseman in the NHL.

If he does happen to fall to the Sharks at #2, drafting Schaefer would be a no-brainer. If they can pair him with Sam Dickinson, they could have the most dynamic pairing in the NHL. While they may lack a bit of defensive responsibility, they could both end up with north of 60 points.

If the Sharks pair that duo with Macklin Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, and Will Smith up front, they would have a very, very talented group that could help outscore some of the Sharks’ issues early in their rebuild.

Schaefer has already been compared to the likes of Scott Niedermayer, Miro Heiskanen, and even Quinn Hughes, which seems like a shoe-in for the top pick. But stranger things have happened, and if the Islanders pivot to Michael Misa, Porter Martone, or Long Island native James Hagens, the Sharks shouldn’t think twice — they should take the future stud defenseman.

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San Jose Sharks' 2025 Draft Target: Matthew Schaefer