Complete list of celebrity guest pickers in Round 1 of 2025 NHL Draft

Ben Steiner
Ben Steiner
Jun 27, 2025, 23:39 EDTUpdated: Jun 28, 2025, 00:43 EDT
NHL Draft Celebrities
Credit: Courtesy of NHL/Sportsnet

Los Angeles is home to Hollywood, and the 2025 NHL Draft was anything but short on celebrity talent in the first round on Friday.

From Adam Sandler’s entrance as his Happy Gilmore character to make the Boston Bruins selection, to the recently crowned NBA champion Lu Dort announcing the trade, the celebrities brought a new edge to the first-ever decentralized NHL Draft.

Here are all the celebrities who made a pick, along with the players they announced for their respective teams.

1. New York Islanders – Gary Bettman

Pick: Matthew Schaefer

The New York Islanders did not go with a special celebrity on their first overall selection of Matthew Schaefer from the Erie Otters.

2. San Jose Sharks – Bayley

Pick: Michael Misa, (No. 30) Joshua Ravensbergen

The San Jose Sharks brought out Bayley from the WWE to announce their selection of Michael Misa and she later returned to announce Joshua Ravensbergen.

3. Chicago Blackhawks – Jeremy Roenick

Pick: Anton Frondell

The Chicago Blackhawks stayed on the ice with their celebrity selection, bringing out Hockey Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick to announce their selection of Anton Frondell.

4. Utah Mammoth – Tony Finau

Pick: Caleb Desnoyers

The Utah Mammoth kept things local with PGA golfer Tony Finau, who emphatically announced the selection of Caleb Desnoyers over a video call.

5. Nashville Predators – Shea Weber, George Kittle, Jordan Davis

Picks: Brady Martin, (No. 21) Cameron Reid, (No. 26) Ryker Lee

Longtime Nashville Predators blueliner Shea Weber took a break from his golf game to call in and pick Brady Martin at fifth overall. However, Martin couldn’t attend the Draft, due to his duties on his farm in Elmira, Ont.

Later on, the Predators acquired the No. 21 pick from the Ottawa Senators and turned to NFL tight end George Kittle to make the pick to claim Cameron Reid, before wrapping up their night with the 26th overall selection of Ryker Lee, as announced by country music star Jordan Davis.

6. Philadelphia Flyers – Charles Barkley, Brandon Graham

Picks: Porter Martone, (No. 12) Jack Nesbitt

The Philadelphia Flyers brought out some big hitters for their two selections, with legendary NBA player and broadcaster Charles Barkley announcing the selection of Porter Martone and two-time NFL Super Bowl Champion and legendary Philadelphia Eagle Brandon Graham announcing Jack Nesbitt.

7. Boston Bruins – Adam Sandler

Pick: James Hagens

Few hockey-loving movie stars are as well endeared as Happy Gilmore, and Adam Sandler selected James Hagens in complete movie golfer form, having to be cut off from the broadcast after dancing around with his golf club.

8. Seattle Kraken – Jerry Bruckheimer

Pick: Jake O’Brien

Fresh off producing the new F1 movie, filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer announces the Seattle Kraken‘s selection of Jake O’Brien.

9. Buffalo Sabres – Goo Goo Dolls

Pick: Radim Mrtka

Famed rock band, the Goo Goo Dolls, stepped onto the stage live in Los Angeles to announce Radim Mrtka as the latest addition to the Buffalo Sabres‘ prospect pool.

10. Anaheim Ducks – Joshua Jackson, Marguerite Moreau

Pick: Roger McQueen

Joshua Jackson and Marguerite Moreau from the film “The Mighty Ducks” flew in perfect tandem formation to announce the selection of Roger McQueen, who had visited Disneyland just days before the NHL Draft.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang and his son, Alex

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and his son Alex made the pick for Benjamin Kindel and came back at the No. 22 and No. 24 pick to grab Bill Zonnon and William Horcoff.

13. Detroit Red Wings – Dave Coulier

Pick: Carter Bear

Dave Coulier made his Detroit Red Wings jersey famous on the sitcom “Full House,” and brought it to the big stage, announcing the pick of Carter Bear virtually from Little Caesars Arena.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets – Meredith Gaudreau

Pick: Jackson Smith, (No. 20) Pyotr Andreyanov

The widow of Johnny Gaudreau, Meredith Gaudreau, announced the selection of Jackson Smith in one of the more emotional moments of the first round of the NHL Draft.

15. Vancouver Canucks – Mikael Samuelsson

Pick: Braeden Cootes

Former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Mikael Samuelsson made the first Canadian pick of the NHL Draft, announcing the selection of Braeden Cootes.

16. New York Islanders – Kevin Connolly

Picks: Victor Eklund, (No. 17) Kashawn Aitcheson

The New York Islanders had back-to-back picks in the first round at No. 16 and No. 17, and used actor Kevin Connolly to select Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. Midway through, NBA champion and famed Montreal native Lu Dort also made a cameo appearance to help announce the Noah Dobson trade.

18. Calgary Flames – Lanny McDonald

Pick: Cole Reschny, (No. 32) Cullen Potter

One of the most famous former Calgary Flames, Lanny McDonald might be known for making the calls for new inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but he turned to the other side of a player’s career at the NHL Draft, announcing Cole Reschny at 18th overall, before returning to announce Cullen Potter with the final pick of the first round.

19. St. Louis Blues – Nikki Glaser

Pick: Justin Carbonneau

Actor and comedian Nikki Glaser cracked a few jokes as she announced the first-round pick for the St. Louis Blues, unveiling Justin Carbonneau as the newest Blues youngster.

23. Ottawa Senators – Tom Green

Pick: Logan Hensler

Canadian comedian and actor Tom Green brought his dog on screen to announce the Ottawa Senators’ selection of Logan Hensler at No. 23 overall in Friday’s NHL Draft.

28. Winnipeg Jets – Eric Comrie

Pick: Sascha Boumedienne

The Winnipeg Jets brought out backup goaltender Eric Comry to make the 28th overall pick, grabbing Sascha Boumedienne.

31. LA Kings – Isaiah Mustafa

Pick: Henry Brzustewicz

It took the LA Kings until the 31st pick to make their first selection, and they turned to former football player, turned actor, Isaiah Mustafa to read the name of Henry Brzustewicz.

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