NHL to hold first decentralized draft on June 27 in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the NHL draft comes to Los Angeles this summer, expect a lot more Gary Bettman.

The 2025 NHL draft will take place June 27 and 28 at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theatre, the league announced Saturday, and Bettman — the NHL's commissioner since 1993 — will be center stage as he is set to announce each first-round pick for the first time.

“Hopefully there won’t be too many hard (names) to pronounce,” Bettman said before the Los Angeles Kings hosted Utah on Saturday night.

The draft will be the first for hockey to use the decentralized model that has been standard for the NFL and NBA for decades, with team staffs participating virtually from their home cities.

Bettman and top prospects will still be in attendance for the event, with Bettman’s role expanding beyond that of master of ceremonies for the first round. Teams had traditionally announced their own selections, but that role will now pass to the 72-year-old Bettman, long a lightning rod for boos whenever he gets on a live microphone in front of hockey fans.

“And remember, the clubs asked for this,” Bettman said. “I wasn’t looking for any more exposure. I have more than enough. But this is what the clubs told us they wanted, and we’re going to try it. And we’ll see after this year whether or not everybody likes it better.”

Bettman appreciated the personal touch each organization put on its announcement, pointing out how they would be “thanking somebody at home, honoring somebody, remembering somebody." But most teams concluded it was easier to navigate the draft from their home offices after two years of holding it virtually because of the pandemic.

An expanded presence for Bettman might not be the only change to how the draft is presented. President of events and content Steve Mayer said “prospects and our fans can expect a first-rate event with a new look and creative approach,” adding that details will be released in the coming months.

The draft was conducted in person the past three years following the coronavirus pandemic. The NHL bid farewell to the old format with a bang at the Sphere in Las Vegas last year, using the gigantic screens inside and outside the 18,000-seat venue to spectacular effect.

“It wasn’t practical to keep going back to the Sphere for a whole host of reasons, including what it cost,” Bettman said. “It was extraordinary. We spent multiples, maybe exponentially, of what we normally spend for a draft. But if we were going to finish off the way we did it under the old format, we were going to do it as big as we could.”

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