New York Islanders pro scouting director Ken Morrow knows a thing or two about so-called hockey miracles.
Witnessing the Islanders win the NHL draft lottery on Monday and vault nine other teams in the order for the right to have the No. 1 pick represented yet another memorable moment for the four-time Stanley Cup champion and member of the 1980 gold-medal-winning “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic team.
“I’ve had a lot of thrills in my hockey life, but this is right up there at the top,” Morrow said. “The hockey gods smiled on us. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for Islanders fans, for our ownership, for the entire Islanders organization.”
The Islanders, who missed the playoffs for the second time in four seasons, are in the midst of a front-office shakeup after not renewing general manager Lou Lamoriello’s contract on April 22. And they earned a remarkable lottery win by entering the day with a 3.5% shot — the 10th-best odds — of seeing their numbers come up.
New York wasn't the only team to buck the lottery odds. The Utah Hockey Club won the second round of the lottery, and made the jump from 14th to fourth under the rules limiting teams from moving up no more than 10 spots in the draft order.
“A couple of seconds ago, we were just like 10 back, so it still hasn’t sunk in,” Utah GM Bill Armstrong said of a first-year franchise that finished just seven points out of a playoff spot. “This is an exciting moment for us. It’s a game-changer for us.”
The San Jose Sharks will pick second after entering the day with the best odds, 18.5%, to win the lottery and a 25.5% chance of landing the No. 1 choice. San Jose, which finished last for a second consecutive year, was seeking to become the NHL’s first team to win the lottery and pick first in consecutive years.
“We definitely lucked it out last year to be able to select Mac,” Sharks GM Mike Grier said in referring to selecting Boston University center Macklin Celebrini first overall. “This year would have obviously been nice to have the pick and have the choice of all the players. But picking two, we’re still in a pretty good spot so we’re happy.”
The Chicago Blackhawks had the second-best chances to win the lottery and will pick third. The remaining 12 teams moved two spots back in the order, starting with Nashville dropping from third to fifth. The final 16 draft spots will be determined following the playoffs.
The Islanders have the right to pick first for the fifth time in team history, and first since selecting John Tavares with the No. 1 choice in 2009.
This year’s draft will be held in Los Angeles with the first round taking place on June 27, followed by the final six rounds the next day. Top prospects will convene for the weeklong predraft combine being held in Buffalo next month.
The prospect pool is not considered as deep at the top as last year’s class, or next year’s group, with Canadian junior forward Gavin McKenna long regarded as the No. 1 candidate.
Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer is NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked North American prospect followed by OHL Saginaw center Michael Misa and Boston College center James Hagens, the top-ranked U.S. born prospect. Hagens is from Long Island and grew up an Islanders fan.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds, Schaefer maintained his No. 1 position despite missing the final three months of the season after breaking his right collarbone representing Canada at the world junior championships in December.
Schaefer has the potential of becoming only the fifth defenseman selected No. 1 since 2000, and first since Buffalo chose Owen Power in 2021. And he also has the chance of being the first OHL player to go No. 1 since Edmonton drafted Erie’s Connor McDavid in 2015.
The top-ranked international skaters are center Anton Frondell and right wing Victor Eklund, who are teammates with Djurgarden of Sweden’s second division league.
New York’s jump from 10th to first is the biggest involving a team winning the No. 1 selection. And it comes after the last-place team won the lottery to retain the first pick in four of the past five years and 12 times overall since the NHL launched the format in 1995.
The New York Rangers enjoyed the previous largest move up to No. 1 in 2020, when they were grouped among eight teams — ranked eighth to 15th — with the same odds to win the lottery after being eliminated in the COVID-altered play-in round of the expanded 24-team playoff format.
The lottery was held at the NHL Network studios in New Jersey, and conducted live for the first time in the event’s 30-year history. Previously, the lottery was held shortly before the broadcast in front of a limited audience of sequestered observers, followed by the draft selections being revealed in reverse order.
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno and AP sports writer Josh Dubow contributed to this story.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Canada's Matthew Schaefer, right, battles for the puck with Switzerland's Basile Sansonnens, second right, and Eric Schneller (26) during the third period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship pre-tournament game in Ottawa, Ontario,, Dec. 19, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams have been reminded time and again how close the margins are between winning and losing. Their latest lesson, a 38-37 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, could prove to be the most costly.
Instead of taking control of the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, which would give them a bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason, the Rams (11-4) dropped to fifth and would be looking at a cross-country flight to play whoever wins the NFC South.
No extra week to allow 37-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford to get refreshed or wide receiver Puka Nacua to recover from his intensely physical style of play. No extra week to get wide receiver Davante Adams up to speed in his return from a hamstring injury or potentially get safety Quentin Lake back from an elbow injury. No extra week to address inconsistencies in the secondary or erratic performances on special teams.
The Rams aren’t out of the race for the NFC West title and the top spot in the conference, but they will need help. And no matter where they end up, they will have to address the breakdowns which have cost them in each of their losses, setting aside the furor about how a key 2-point conversion was officiated.
There have been mistakes in the red zone. In this instance, right guard Justin Dedich was called for an ineligible lineman downfield penalty, taking a touchdown off the board on Los Angeles’ opening possession. They settled for a field goal instead.
There have been occasional lulls from the offense. Much like in their Week 3 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles, the Rams’ offense fell into a rut for a long stretch of the second half after going up 30-14 in Seattle. Three straight three-and-outs ran a total of 4:13 off the clock, while allowing the Seahawks to capture and then build momentum in front of their raucous home crowd.
There have been issues in the secondary. The Rams struggled to contain wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba when the Seahawks had no choice but to throw the ball and knew it would be headed his way.
And there have been breakdowns on special teams. Whatever progress had been made in recent weeks evaporated by allowing Rashid Shaheed’s punt return touchdown that kick-started Seattle’s comeback.
Compounding matters was a controversial 2-point conversion that tied the game at 30 in the fourth quarter, where a backward lateral was knocked forward and casually recovered in the end zone after the play had been whistled dead. Head coach Sean McVay, who is typically extremely cautious and measured in his remarks to the media, was as angry as he has ever been after a game, and that ire was still evident Friday.
“I have total appreciation for the layers and semantics of all the rules, especially being on the competition committee, there’s a lot of empathy and difficult spots (for) some of our officials. But I do believe this, that is not something that we want in the game,” said McVay, with the tone of his voice and visible frustration on his face belying his seemingly benign words.
Stafford said immediately after the defeat that the Rams’ best trait this season has been their ability to respond to adversity.
“Whether we win the game or lose the game, there’s plenty to learn from, plenty of plays we’d love to have back in probably all three phases,” Stafford said Thursday. “We’re going to do what we always do. Look at the tape, find a way to, hey, tweak a couple of things, find a way to play better.”
That might be the saving grace for the Rams, getting one more chance to learn from their mistakes before the regular season wraps up. Once the playoffs arrive, those same issues could send them home for good.
“I love exactly where we're at,” McVay said Friday. “Just like every other situation that's come up this year, we're going to come back swinging. And this is going to be a setback that's going to be a setup for a phenomenal comeback for us.”
The Stafford-Nacua connection was brilliant, resulting in a career-high 225 yards receiving on 12 catches with two touchdowns. Stafford finished with 457 yards and three scores, his eighth game this season with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Special teams. In addition to giving up Shaheed’s 58-yard return, K Harrison Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal and RB Ronnie Rivers had a lengthy kickoff return called back for a penalty.
DL Kobie Turner had 1 1/2 sacks, one tackle for loss, and an interception in one of the best games of his strong three-year career. He nearly batted down Sam Darnold’s 2-point pass in overtime that would have allowed the Rams to escape with the win.
WR Tutu Atwell. When the Rams re-signed him to a one year, $10 million contract in March, it seems like the undersized playmaker would finally have a larger role. But even with Adams sidelined, Atwell played just eight of the offense’s 92 snaps (8%) and was not targeted.
RG Kevin Dotson, the Rams’ best and most consistent offensive lineman, sustained what looked to be a serious ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return. McVay was not optimistic about Dotson's chances of playing in their next game against Atlanta. Adams is also unlikely to be available.
1 — The Rams were the first team in NFL history to lose a game where they had more than 500 yards of total offense and at least a plus-3 turnover margin.
The Rams visit the Falcons on Dec. 29, looking to not only bolster their playoff positioning but their draft standing as well. Los Angeles has Atlanta’s 2026 first-round selection after trading the 26th overall pick in April so that the Falcons could take edge rusher James Pearce Jr., and it would be in the top 10 based on current standings.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Los Angeles Rams defensive end Kobie Turner runs after making an interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Los Angeles Rams place-kicker Harrison Mevis (92) watches his failed field goal attempt during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) tries to get past Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens, right, cornerback Cobie Durant (14) during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams, left, is brought down by Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) greets Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) after an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
