LOS ANGELES -- Mason West has role models for his journey toward making the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him in the first round (No. 29) of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Friday.New York Islanders captain Anders Lee and Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson have navigated parts of the journey West hopes to make.

The more you pick early … you’re more likely to succeed,” said Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson of the NHL draft.

The Toronto Maple Leafs owned this first-round pick and sent it to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of a February 27, 2023, trade that sent Sam Lafferty, Jake McCabe, a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024 and 2025 to Toronto in exchange for Joey Anderson, Pavel Gogolev, a second-round pick in 2026 and a conditional draft pick.