NHL Draft Top Prospect Youth Hockey Clinic proves big hit

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Hours before the biggest night of their hockey lives, six of the top prospects for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft found the perfect way to ease some of the tension.

Erie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Saginaw forward Michael Misa, Boston College forward James Hagens, Brampton forward Porter Martone, Brantford forward Jake O'Brien and Oshawa defenseman Haoxi (Simon) Wang joined members of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition (PIC) for the NHL Draft Top Prospect Youth Hockey Clinic at Toyota Sports Performance Center.

"It was great," Misa said. "I think it's good to just do this the day of, because you kind of get your mind off the draft a little bit too. You're kind of not stressed as much as having fun with kids."

At times it was tough to tell who was having more fun, the approximately 60 kids ages 5-10, the prospects, or the PIC members, a group that included Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves and NHL alumni Anson Carter, Georges Laraque, Mark Fraser, JT Brown, Anthony Stewart, Al Montoya and P.K. Subban. Also on the ice were retired women's hockey stars Manon Rheaume and Blake Bolden, each of whom works for the Los Angeles Kings.

"To be able to create this space and to bring all of my colleagues and the Player Inclusion Coalition and these prospects, who are just amazing with the kids on the ice on the biggest day of their lives, being able to kind of shift their mindset to give back, is unbelievable," said Bolden, a Kings community and hockey development specialist. "I think it's just going to be a moment that these kids are going to remember for the rest of their lives."

Among those youngsters was 11-year-old Jordan Moore, a defenseman on an in-house team based out of Toyota Sports Performance Center as well as a tournament team, the Toyota Sports Center Legends.

"It was exciting, but it was also tiring, because they're older than us, and they're going to be in the NHL soon," Moore said. "So they gave us a real hard time, especially when we did a scrimmage, but it was still fun, and they're all super nice."

The kids all got time to talk to the prospects and the PIC members, but the prospects enjoyed the conversations as much or more.

"I'm honestly just one of them out here, being a kid," Schaefer said. "... They didn't ask me a lot, but right when I stepped on the ice I heard, 'Schaefer, you're my favorite player.' The kid said he's a defenseman, so it feels good when you know they're able to talk to me, because then I know I'm doing my job and making them comfortable. It was so fun.

"They were amazing. I honestly live for this stuff. It's amazing, and I'm happy we were able to do this."

The PIC members were just as happy to see the prospects taking part, especially when all six could be chosen during the first round of the draft at Peacock Theater on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).

The youth clinic is usually held the day before the draft.

"I've got a 19-year-old, so I kind of understand the mentality of some of these young players," Carter said. "I'm glad that the young players embraced it, too. They've got so much on their plate. There's so much going on, the day of the draft. Typically we do this the day before the draft, so to do it the day of the draft, I really have to commend them for committing to something like this, because it could be easy for them to say, hey, no, we're all set and we're good.

"But I love the fact that they were all-in and they just weren't bystanders. They were fully engaged."

Martone said it was an easy decision to sign on for the clinic.

"I think a big thing about it is giving back to the community, giving back to kids who want to fulfill their NHL dreams," he said. "It was a pleasure, and it was an amazing experience for all of us to come out here."

The prospects and PIC members led stations for the kids that included stickhandling, skating, shooting and small-area puck control.

Once that time period ended, the kids, prospects and PIC members split into two teams and took part in a full-ice scrimmage.

"It brings you back to how you start loving hockey," Hagens said. "It brings you back to the days where you're just out there playing just to play. You're still doing that, but it's when you grow your love for the game. They're little kids ... so to be able to go out there and be a mentor to someone, just to be out there, and who they look up to, it's really special."

NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report