BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The NHL Draft kicks off at 7pm ET Friday with lessons learned from its inaugural year in the decentralized format.
Gone is the maligned “Draft House” that televised virtual interactions between draftees and front offices but was hampered by delays and other tech issues. Rightsholders will interview the draft picks from a high-tech set just off the stage that will be customized for each player, with family photos woven into the background.
With teams working remotely, the prime real estate directly in front of the stage where GMs once sat has been replaced with a collection of couches that will put prospects and their families front and center. NHL Central Registry will also have an increased presence, placed stage-right so that its work processing transactions in real time can replace some of the action lost with front offices no longer in the public eye.
NHL President of Content & Events Steve Mayer admitted to some minor surprise when clubs voted to keep the draft decentralized after last year’s foray. But he knew there were ways to improve the product and pick up the pace as the draft returned to an arena for the first time since 2023.
“With every one of our events that we do, whether it’s outdoor games, all-star games, drafts, we try things. We’re not afraid to experiment,” Mayer said Thursday inside of KeyBank Center while showing off a virtual display for top prospect Gavin McKenna. “We’re not afraid to be innovative. We’re not afraid to take a chance. And some things work, and some things don’t. And we also are not afraid to admit that some things don’t work. We did a ‘Hockey House’ where a player who got drafted got to meet his team. On the surface, great idea. But it didn’t hit for many reasons, and we recognized that.
“We also get so much feedback,” Mayer added. “We are tweaking as the day’s going on, up until the time we go on the air, until the time we go off the air. We’re always trying to make it better.”
Top draft prospects will take part in a youth hockey clinic Friday morning before red carpet arrivals begin at 5:15pm. The Upper Deck NHL Draft Fan Fest runs from 4pm-7pm in the Ticketmaster Alumni Plaza outside the Sabres’ arena, and picks back up at 10am Saturday before rounds 2-7. On Thursday, the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition held a street hockey event on Buffalo’s East Side and announced a $20,000 grant to expand hockey access in underserved communities.
Upper Deck returns as the title sponsor of the draft for the fifth straight year. It will have a booth in the KeyBank Center concourse where fans can personalize a trading card to take home at no cost, and also has a promotion planned for free digital card sets.
Despite the tech issues, the first round of the 2025 draft boasted the second-best U.S. audience on record, with ESPN averaging 534,000 viewers. Coverage of Friday’s first round will be on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, with U.S. television coverage flipping to NHL Network on Saturday for rounds 2-7.
