3 most unexpected NHL draft day slides of all-time ft. Brayden Point

Friday marks the first night of the 2025 NHL draft, which will kick off from Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. While the expectation is that Matthew Schaefer will wind up being the top pick, with Michael Misa and Anton Frondell likely rounding out the top three. However, in the past, we've seen a number of players who expect to hear their names called on night one wind up sliding in the NHL draft.

Let's take a look back at the three most unexpected NHL draft day slides of all time.

Three worst NHL draft day slides of all time

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers - Source: Imagn

#1: Brayden Point (2014)

Heading into the 2014 NHL draft, Brayden Point was projected to go as high as 13th; however, on draft day, he wound up going in the third round with pick No. 79.

Despite logging a whopping 91 points in 68 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, at 5-foot-10, Point's size made teams cautious.

Point, of course, has since gone on to make every other team who passed on him regret their decision as he played a major role in the Tampa Bay Lightning's back-to-back Stanley Cup wins.

NHL: Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles Kings - Source: Imagn

#2: Nick Ebert (2012)

A year before the 2012 NHL draft, Nick Ebert was believed to be a top-five pick, or at the least, a top 10-15 pick.

Instead, the season leading up to the draft wound up being a tough one for Ebert as his production numbers dipped slightly from 41 points during the 2010-11 season to 39 points in the 2011-12 season.

As a result, he fell to pick No. 211; however, unlike Brayden Point, Ebert was unable to prove the doubters wrong, and ultimately wound up never suiting up for LA.

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes - Source: Imagn

#3: Jakob Chychrun (2016)

Heading into the 2016 draft, Jacob Chychrun was expected to be a top-six pick after an impressive pair of seasons in the OHL. Instead of landing in the top three, or even the top five, Chychrun was selected 16th by the Arizona Coyotes.

Since then, Chychrun has continued to impress, and this past season, he posted his best year in the NHL, logging 47 points in 74 games with the Washington Capitals.