My Final 2025 NHL Draft Ranking
This was the best year of my scouting life so far when it comes to seeing games live, being at tournaments, and getting a lot of reports in. The standard has been moved onto higher level once again!
This year was as wide open as you can essentially get for the entire year, similarly to the 2022 Draft year. But there are a lot of different player types that were excellent up top and there is a real depth to this draft when it comes to depth players and role players. But the top crop really stood out this season.
Whether that’s highly skilled forwards in James Hagens or Michael Misa, who drove play extremely well and produced just as well. Whether that’s Matthew Schaefer who was an absolute two-way force on the back-end in games he played, two-way responsible center with insane face-off numbers in Caleb Desnoyers or it’s power-forward Porter Martone or two swedish teammates in Djurgardens in Victor Eklund and Anton Frondell.
This has been a great year to scout and a lot of different needs that can be covered for a lot of different teams. Ranking would look different if the approach of different teams was taken into account, but this ranking represents my values in hockey, what I love in the game, what I don’t and which players I project into what roles individually. I would try to keep the player descriptions short, but straight-to-the-point.
My evaluation is based on a combination of multiple views of the players, whether that’s live + video or just video; basic analytical analysis; realistic projection that involves likelihood of hitting potential, what the floor might look like, what the realistic middle ground could be and how likely is each of the ranked players to carve out a role in the NHL based on those factors in their game. And obviously lots of reversal work back to years prior and tweaking/changing up the process and trust in said process.
I try to get as many live views in on players because video is a good proxy, but due to geographical location, I can only watch certain leagues live and I obviously go to tournaments, but not all of them play in those. The players outside of this ranking are players that I likely have seen over the last two seasons, but DO NOT project into NHL players based on my evaluation or I have not seen them play, since there is 400+ players in my initial database.
This would be a Top-80 ranking with 16 honorable mentions, or should I say “wild cards”, because these are the players who would for somebody else who would not differenciate different projections be ranked much higher than 80+ and for me too, but these are usually guys with higher ceilings and very low floors, or the so-called “boom-or-bust“ selections. This would be done in eight individual tiers and ninth is the honorable mentions group, which are wild card boom-or-bust players.
The last bit of writing before the actual things that matter is about the players themselves. I rank based on the on-ice product, not off the ice. I know a few players personally just through being around the rinks and seeing games live, but I don’t have the type of access to them that NHL teams do yet and so that eliminates a key element of evaluation in my process, because you have to have good, hard-working people entering NHL organizations. It’s what you build a winner out of.
In this ranking, I would share a small glimpse of what the player is, what I expect him to be, what I expect his role to look like once he is ready for the NHL and teams that might be the best fits for said players style-wise.
Tier ONE - elite contributors, first-line/top-pair players
1. Matthew SCHAEFER - D, LH, 6’2/183, Erie/OHL
All-round defender that does it all. A prototype of a modern-day blueliner. He plays big minutes, moves the puck extremely well, supports offence, provides quality defensive habits with great gap control and sustained pressure he puts on forwards and once he fills up the frame, he could even be more of a physical presence.
He controls the game so incredibly well, always in position to make the best decision possible whether that’s on the puck or off of it. He is going to be a top pair, number one defender for his next team and be a critical piece to future play-off success, very similar style of player to Drew Doughty.
Team Fit: All of them
2. Michael MISA - C, LH, 6’1/184, Saginaw/OHL
He’s a DAWG. Great goalscorer, great producer, great in transition, great on faceoffs as a center, which is important. He is incredibly smart and has that dog in him that pushes him far. He was amazing in the OHL this season, the playoff went poorly for him and the entire Saginaw team.
However, he won the Memorial Cup last year as their 1C, so this quick series this season has basically been a bit of a bump along the way. Reminds me of a fast John Tavares. Just strong, smart and great at everything that he sets out to do. Very likely a 1C for a significant part of his NHL career, would produce on a consistent basis year after year.
Team Fit: Islanders, Sharks, Blackhawks
3. James HAGENS - C, LH, 5’10/177, Boston College/H-EAST
Hagens is as smooth of a player as you can get this year. Incredibly smart playmaker, who is one of the most elusive, beautiful and efficient skaters in the entire draft class. Weirdly, he is getting overlooked a lot this year on the public side, citing bad performances for whatever reason.
He has been phenomenal in his freshman year in college, phenomenal on the international level for the US’ under-20 team at the World Juniors, leading them to the victory. He is very smooth, but what I love about him is that he drives the net despite the size thing. He usually skates into the zone, does a give-and-go with one of his wingers and then straight to the net at high speed and he often passes out to one of his wingers to score or scores himself.
Faceoffs need to improve and there would always be concerns about his size, but he has been nothing short of excellent in my viewings, whether that’s live at U18s in Finland or on video. He is likely going to be a really excellent offensive center for a team and would likely need to be playing higher offensive-zone-start minutes at times, but an excellent playmaker at 1C for someone.
Team Fit: Islanders, Sharks, Blackhawks, Mammoth, Predators
Tier TWO - certain top-six players (top line or second line depending on the team)
4. Caleb DESNOYERS - C, LH, 6’2/178, Moncton/QMJHL
Responsible. That’s probably the best way to describe Desnoyers’ game. He has the highest faceoff percentage of the players I have in my rankings, he does a lot of excellent defensive work as a center, he is somewhat physical when he needs to be, he competes well, he plays with a ton of pressure.
He excels at producing when it matters the most and he often leads the way to victory for his teams. In the span of last 12 months or so, he has won the U18s in his under-age season, won the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, won QMJHL playoffs. On top of that won QMJHL playoff MVP, first-all-star-team selection in both rookie and regular category.
He is likely to be a top-six center with a lot of resposibility on his shoulders as he develops into a long-time playoff performer for an NHL team. He might not be producing the way you would like a top-tier pick to produce, but he is going to be one of the best up-and-coming two-way centers in the NHL for years to come.
Team Fit: Blackhawks, Mammoth, Predators, Flyers, Bruins
5. Porter MARTONE - RW, RH, 6’3/208, Brampton/OHL
Martone’s an interesting player. He has all the potential in the world, size, great hands, great shot, great playmaker, drives the net well, very smart, great leader at such young age. The sky is the limit on this player.
And here comes the but of it all. At times, he just looked disengaged in my viewings, like he is finding his place and can’t really do that. He was excellent as a captain of the under-18 squad last year in Finland, excellent as captain of the Brampton Steelheads in OHL and has been selected to play at the World Championship for Canada, which is as rare as you can get.
Consistency always improves with most of the top selections, so I’m not worrying about the but I presented as much. He is going to be that modern-day, big, playmaking power-forward in top-six of some team. Somewhat of a unicorn, but I don’t see him as much of physical presence as maybe public portrays him to be yet. That could come.
Team Fit: Sharks, Mammoth, Blackhawks, Flyers, Bruins, Kraken
6. Victor EKLUND - LW/RW, RH, 5’11/161, Djurgardens/SWE2
Always preforms when you need him to perform. He is a player that other players love to watch, I feel. Just so incredibly energetic, cool, fast, straight-to-the-point type of player that excels in playing a tight, checking game with a lot of pressure on the line.
He is a tad smaller, mostly in weight, which will come with more development time. He compensates for it with an insane motor and drive to the net. He is an energizer bunny of any line he joins, they are all faster with him.
When he gets into his energy-zone, he is usually just speeding through the neutral zone, cutting inside from the left side and going to the net at mach f*ck. He projects as an energetic, creative second-line winger for a team.
Team Fit: Bruins, Kraken, Sabres, Ducks, Penguins
7. Anton FRONDELL - LW/C, LH, 6’1/198, Djurgardens/SWE2
You can’t really go wrong with Frondell. Modern-day power-forward scorer. Very streaky right now, gets hot and cold often, but that’s common thing among certain player group that is yet to hit their stride.
I talked about it a little bit on other social media platforms, but he really isn’t a center as people like to note him as such. Maybe a secondary or tertiary position in his arsenal, but not a full-time center. He has took like 20 faceoffs over last two years in HockeyAllsvenskan and J20 Nationell in like 80+ games.
And the only reason he was a center for Swedish teams in his age group is because they really have nobody else beyond Eric Nilson and Gustav Hillström and they have a ton of wingers who can’t play center at all. He projects as a 25-30 goal, 60-ish power-forward for a team.
Team Fit: Blackhawks, Flyers, Bruins, Kraken
Tier THREE - second-line contributors, number-two defenders
8. Kashawn AITCHESON - D, LH, 6’2/196, Barrie/OHL
Unicorn. He is just spectacular to watch. He hits people like a truck, he scores a ton of goals from the blueline with that heavy shot of his, he is an excellent and efficient skater and he is a clutch player often times, having one of the most game-winning goals this season in the OHL, playoffs included.
Needs to work on his puck-moving a little bit, it lacks a bit of smoothness, he sometimes overthinks passes, but it’s not really much of a worry, to be completely honest with you. It’s a simple tweak that he would figure out within a year or two in his development journey with an NHL level guidance.
He projects as a top-four shut-down defender that plays heavy, contributes offensively and provides a lot of scoring from the blueline and as he builds up that frame, he could add another physical dimension to what is already a physical presence on the ice.
Team Fit: Bruins, Kraken, Penguins, Rangers, Red Wings
9. Cole RESCHNY - C, LH, 5’10/183, Victoria/WHL
Reschny isn’t likely to go in this range, so his team fits could look a bit different to rest of the players in this range, but I love him. He is an absolute gamer. The quality he brings in terms of energy, creativity, play-driving, winning faceoffs, being a player with that dog-on-the-bone type of mentality, it’s evident from the first shift he takes.
It was certainly so at the U18s in Texas, where upon arrival, he became their most trusted player in all situations. He plays all situations and does it well. Directs a powerplay well, too. He projects as a second-line playmaking center that plays in all situations and is a trusted dawg for a head coach.
Team Fit: Flames, Blue Jackets, Senators, Kings, Blackhawks
10. Brady MARTIN - RW/C, RH, 6’0/186, Sault Ste. Marie/OHL
Martin’s listed as a center, but he really isn’t going to be a center on the NHL level. That doesn’t take away from his qualities, I would almost say it pushes them into spotlight more. He punishes people.
He is of course excellent two-way player, responsible, plays all situations, produces well and is a leader on the ice, competitive. But he punishes people. He likes to hit people and for those people to feel every inch and pound of his body on them for next week or two afterwards.
Lots of teams are gonna fall in love with him, maybe take him too high for what he would be on the NHL level, which is a second-line power-forward that produces to a degree, but mostly hits a lot, which I can’t fault them for. If you love old-school hockey with modern-day skill, he has THAT. I love this player’s game.
Team Fit: Bruins, Kraken, Sabres, Ducks, Penguins, Rangers
11. Jake O’BRIEN - C/RW, RH, 6’2/172, Brantford/OHL
I’m a tad lower on O’Brien than the rest of the public scouting community. I like him, but there is something about his game that doesn’t project as well. Why? Maybe it’s just past habit of looking too much into a player and then being like “okay, but what is he actually going to be? I have no idea” type of thing. He is a powerplay merchant in a way.
Amazing production on the powerplay, feeding Lardis’ goal production this season, but he has the highest production share between powerplay and even strength of any of my ranked forwards in this class between regular season and playoffs. It’s almost a 50/50 split (54 PP points, 55 even strength points). And he is a responsible defensively, he has good two-way habits in neutral zone and creates a lot, evidently, off the rush and upon entry.
But is he even going to be a center? Among the four centers who took over 400 draws on his Brantford team, he is dead last at 44.7%. Is he going to be a center? Or is he going to transition to a wing position and be a creative playmaker from the wing position and be a powerplay presence Jordan Kyrou style? Kyrou was much better on the dot and still transitioned to the wing. That seems more than likely scenario for O’Brien.
Team Fit: Flyers, Bruins, Sabres, Ducks
12. Roger McQUEEN - RW/C, RH, 6’5/197, Brandon/WHL
McQueen is a hot topic this year. The risk is immaculate, not even the player himself, but the injuries surrounding the player. He has missed majority of this season and on occassion different parts of season prior to this one. Never had a fully healthy season since age 15. But, the skill level of this player is also immaculate.
The combination of size, speed and the hand-eye combination is insane and something you can’t really replicate unless you have someone who is willing to revamp his entire game like Tage Thompson. I doubt he would stay a center past the juniors, but the skill level and upside are both insane, so he is still high in my books, but just outside of top-ten rank due to the risk that’s coming.
He is likely to be a productive, offensive winger that can substitute at center if needed, but not his primary position. A player that does a lot of the damage driving the net and creating plays from behind the net using his size, reach and when filled out, his frame
Team Fit: Kraken, Sabres, Rangers, Red Wings, Blue Jackets
13. Carter BEAR - LW/RW, LH, 6’0/179, Everett/WHL
Relentless. That’s how I would describe Carter Bear’s overall game, relentless. He pressures opposition’s defenders by being an absolute dawg on the forecheck. Very good all-around player. Really explosive skater, great in transition, great shot, great playmaking, plays all situations and does well in all of them.
Everett was one of the top teams in WHL this year in terms of possession and he was leading that pack with his numbers in puck-possession metrics. He is an excellent player that plays with a ton of heart shift in and shift out and projects to be a two-way, 200-foot, speedy middle-six winger that does it all and scores on a pretty consistent rate. Reminds me a lot of Travis Konecny without having Travis’ upside.
Team Fit: Ducks, Penguins, Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Canucks, Canadiens
14. Benjamin KINDEL - C/RW, RH, 5’10/176, Calgary/WHL
Another player that I expect to drop further down than what I have him. But I love this player. And I usually don’t like smaller guys, because the projectability goes down a lot, as you would see later in my ranking. He is fast, direct, responsible, wins a ton of face-offs, creative, productive. What I love about him is that he just oozes confidence when he is on the puck.
He is really aggressive in the neutral zone when he is hunting for turnovers and loose pucks. He is very straight-forward player in his nature. Not one to overcomplicate offense. Uses his speed to create an entry and sends it straight to the net and whether he shoots it himself or passes it to one of his wingers is anyone’s guess at any moment, very unpredictable. Very projectable second-line producer, whether that’s as a center or a wing, he can do both well.
Team Fit: Flames, Blue Jackets, Capitals, Jets, Hurricanes
15. Cullen POTTER - LW/RW, LH, 5’10/171, Arizona State/NCAA/NCHC
Potter is a magician, and not just the Harry fella. He is a speed demon that creates a ton of offensive pressure using that speed, creativity and sometimes I would even say overaggressive offensive approach of just sending the pucks to the net even if it’s not the best course of action at that point in time. But he creates a ton and I love that. His speed and skating ability is insane, on par with the top of the class.
He is really creative, finds his linemates through multiple defenders and the only real knocks on his game would be unrefined defensive game, which as a guy who likely ends up being an offensive winger playing a lot of OZ starts doesn’t matter that much and his physical lacking. He is pretty small-ish and not that much weight on his frame, so he gets outmuscled in battles if he ends up in them. I anticipate him being a creative, offensive winger on the NHL level that drives the play extremely well.
Team Fit: Flyers, Capitals, Hurricanes, Predators
16. Lynden LAKOVIC - LW, LH, 6’4/190, Moose Jaw/WHL
Lakovic was on a bit of an island with Moose Jaw this season. By light-years their best player, he was top of the team in pretty much every metric and it would be pretty bad if he wasn’t. He has a really good shot, the combination of size and offensive output he gives you night after night without much of any real significant help on his team is incredible.
He has a ton of potential and upside. He lacks strength yet to be a power-forward type. For me, he is mostly a skilled, dual-threat winger with a ton of potential to put on muscle and be stronger and maybe be a power-forward down the line if his future team puts that emphasis onto his game. Projects as a second-line scoring winger that has size and speed and uses those assets to produce.
Team Fit: Rangers, Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Canucks, Canadiens
Tier FOUR - higher-upside middle-six F, number-three D, tandem-starter G
17. Radim MRTKA - D, RH, 6’5/202, Seattle/WHL
I don’t see the hype here as public side does. Sure, he is tall, he produced as a rookie in WHL upon arrival early in the season, he has a lot of potential left to develop physically with that frame of his. To me, he is a very risky player to target if you have a top-ten selection in this draft. He is very raw, makes a lot of mistakes. Some of the things he does drive me insane, quite frankly.
There are moments where he shows flashes of something I have never seen a 6’5 defender do, but then proceed to make three wrong reads, let two two-on-ones go on a goalie because he decided to join a play up front for some reason and make a pass to nobody. He is gonna be good, real good even, but he is a flawed player with ton of potential for growth or bust. To me, he projects as a second-pair all-around defender once he figures things out throughout his development.
Team Fit: Bruins, Kraken, Sabres
18. Jackson SMITH - D, LH, 6’4/194, Tri-City/WHL
Another highly-skilled, this time offensive, blueliner. Smith excels at breakouts, first pass and everything that has to do with passing game. He was on top of his team in terms of all kinds of analytics this season, particularly leading the charge at xGF% and CF%, which are rather flawed statistics, but when you are the only player in the positives from that team in the entire season, it says something to me.
He is their top performing player and his usage certainly looked the part. He was playing almost 25 minutes a night, only one of those minutes on the penalty kill, so not really a defensive type and he lacks positional game to really be a good defensive guy. He is an offensive-minded defender and he likely is used as such down the line and into the NHL. He had a great production, too.
He was rather above average at the U18s, for me at least. He was decent defensively, active offensively, but hasn’t shown much excitement at that tournament and was out-shined by next year’s crop of guys, in my opinion. He still projects as an offensive play-driver and powerplay quarterback, which at 6’4 is an excellent projection, very similar player to what Jake Gardiner, which is flawed, playdriving, minute-eating offensive defender that does his job moving the puck well on the second pair.
Team Fit: Kraken, Rangers, Red Wings, Canucks
19. Cole McKINNEY - C, RH, 6’0/200, USA U-18/NTDP
One of my favourite players of this draft class. Super aggressive on the forecheck, in neutral zone, he hunts down breakout schemes and exploits them on a consistent basis. He is a productive, speedy, two-way center who plays all situations, he can score for you, he can create plays upon zone entry while being a responsible guy at all times and never out of position.
I talk a lot about other players and there is not much here to add. Just an excellent presence all-around the ice and a player I look forward to watching in the NHL one day shutting down a top line of some team in the playoffs. Very projectable middle-six center that wins a ton of faceoffs, plays all situations and is a pivotal part of his future team’s defensive scheme.
Team Fit: Flames, Senators, Predators, Kings, Blackhawks
20. Malcolm SPENCE - LW, LH, 6’1/203, Erie/OHL
Another player I enjoyed watching live since his pre-draft year, when he was part of Team Canada at the U18s in Finland and at Hlinka Gretzky Cup two summers ago. Speedy, responsible, physical, two-way power-winger that plays a modern-day game with old-school hunger. He is that typical powerforward that excels in playoff-style environment and under a lot of pressure.
He seems like the type of player that would embrace high-stakes situations and thrive in them down the line. That’s what I saw of him live at these tournaments prior to his draft year and in the playoff action for Erie this season on video. Projection for Spence is a middle-six winger that plays all situations who plays with an edge, precision and hunger for success who can do it all and give you his all.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Flames, Blues, Senators
21. Justin CARBONNEAU - RW, RH, 6’1/191, Blainville-Boisbriand/QMJHL
Carbonneau is a highly-skilled offensive scorer. Not much in his game that screams defensive reliability in my video viewings. But as a purely offensive guy, he has been excellent all season long. Great hand-eye co-ordination, puck-handling skills, powerful skating and just drive to the net.
He knows how to put the puck in the net and he does it extremely well. Bit of an underrated player, but somehow limited off the puck. Still a projected middle-six goalscorer that would be a consistent threat to score 20+ goals and around 40-50 points in the NHL every year.
Team Fit: Canucks, Canadiens, Flames, Blues
22. Logan HENSLER - D, RH, 6’2/192, Wisconsin/NCAA/BIG10
Just a steady defender. Steady as they come this year. A bit of a limited upside for Hensler based on my live/video viewings over last two years, but he is just so steady. He brings that calming presence shift-in and shift-out, never really makes big mistakes, occassionally joins the attack.
However, most of his offensive efforts come from the blueline and his first pass on breakout. He has a good shot and is a really efficient skater with strong gap control and positional game in DZ. Very reliable. Projecting to be a steady second-pair puck-mover that can be utilized in shut-down situations.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Canucks, Canadiens
23. Cameron REID - D, LH, 6’0/193, Kitchener/OHL
Smart, puck-moving, two-way defender whose size is not ideal, but he compensates for it with strong and consistent overall game. He plays a ton of minutes for Kitchener, over 24 minutes a night on average, 26+ in playoffs. Reid plays all situations and brings an all-around game to the equation. He is a strong skater, joins the attack frequently and is a really smart player.
He projects to be a second-pair, puck-moving defender that can run a powerplay well and could be a secondary penalty kill option on defense despite the size. Whether that would be first or second powerplay on the NHL level, I’m not sure, but I would not be surprised if he does.
Team Fit: Blues, Kings, Hurricanes, Sharks
24. Pyotr ANDREYANOV - G, LH, 6’0/207, CSKA-JR/MHL
So, I know jack-all about goalies in terms of technique and actual playing ability beyond simple terms, but when I was watching these next two guys.. I mean.. they STOOD out. Especially Andreyanov, who is smaller in size, but super athletic, always in the right spots and he, historically speaking, has one of the best save-percentage totals throughout his life and projects to be in the top tier of goalies that have came out of Russia. over last decade or so. He is up there with guys like Shesterkin, Sorokin and others, which tells me a lot.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Capitals, Predators, Flyers
25. Semyon FROLOV - G, LH, 6’3/203, Spartak-JR/MHL
Again, knowing jack-all about goalies, he stood out as well. Very athletic, very quick in his crease, always in the right angle. And I come back to the statistics. He played on an amazing team and he was amazing. As I said, I have no informed detailed opinions on details of the goalie beyond simple things I see, but he stood out to me and I think after talking to people who know more than me, he really is excellent. He is always on top of things, never really out of any save in any situation and to me, he was steady.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Capitals, Predators, Flyers
Tier FIVE - lower-upside middle-six F, number-four D, higher-upside tandem G
26. Braeden COOTES - RW/C, RH, 6’0/183, Seattle/WHL
Loved him at the U18s. He was great all-around presence for the canadian squad, utilized in every situation and trusted up or down a goal, didn’t really matter. Always worked incredibly hard shift-in and shift-out and was rewarded for his hard work with a great performance at the tournament which was a strong exclamation point after a rather successful year with Seattle in the WHL. Projects as a higher-upside, 200-foot, two-way, third-line player with potential to move up to the second line depending on the team and circumstance.
Team Fit: Canucks, Canadiens, Flames, Senators
27. Jack NESBITT - C/LW, LH, 6’4/185, Windsor/OHL
Lanky, strong, two-way center that plays the right way. He checks well, he goes to the places where you expect a player of his build to go, which is to the net. I found him very responsible overall, plays all situations, is willing to go battle for loose pucks and win those battles using his size. He needs to put on a muscle to be more of a force at his height, but that would come with few years of strength training. He projects to be a shut-down, responsible, two-way center and his game kind of reminds me of a younger Adam Lowry and he could emulate some of his habits in his game over time.
Team Fit: Blues, Blue Jackets, Flyers, Predators, Kings, Capitals, Jets
28. Milton GASTRIN - C, LH, 6’0/188, MoDo-JR/J20-Nat.
Smart, two-way center that plays an extremely sound positional hockey. He is always in the right spots, no matter what zone the play is in, he is always in a correct spot to influence the game the right way. He is not a player that would amaze you in any special way, but don’t be surprised if one day he is on the ice in game 7 and he is in the exact spot to score a game-winning goal. He oozes that from his game. Very smart, very engaged, active all the time on the forecheck, backcheck and he just does the right things consistently. Very easily projectable player into the future middle-six role.
Team Fit: Blues, Flyers, Predators, Kings, Capitals, Jets, Hurricanes,
29. Bill ZONNON - LW/RW, LH, 6’2/187, Rouyn-Noranda/QMJHL
I love this player. He is a freaking tank out there. Big, strong, great skater, plays all situations, is trusted in everything this early and drives the play very well consistently. He is one of the top performers for Rouyn-Noranda this season, from my viewings their best player by far. Like I said, he is a horse. If he surpasses his projection, he could be one of those unicorns that NHL teams love. But those are extremely rare. He hits people like a truck, he sets up plays all around the ice and drives the net hard. He projects to be a middle-six winger, who can step in as a center if needed, but he is a winger to me. Very projectable player and a safe-ish pick.
Team Fit: Capitals, Jets, Hurricanes, Sharks, Flames
30. Shane VANSAGHI - RW, RH, 6’2/210, Michigan State/NCAA/BIG10
Boy oh boy, this guy brings his A-game on a consistent basis. I only saw him live at the U18s last year in a depth role as a pre-draft player on the US team, but he was excellent there. Creating space, going straight to the net, finishing hits and just being a punishing bottom-six presence all throughout the tournament. He has a really good shot, he has the offensive part to his game, but hasn’t really showcased that on a consistent-enough rate to me.
But his off-puck abilities and hard-core physical style that just drows opponents is the biggest thing I saw from him this season and last. To me, Vansaghi could have been much higher if I was more confident in his production coming through at some point, because to me, he is skilled enough to produce more. He plays a lot like Matthew Knies played in his draft year, almost eerily similar style and skating, but Knies was much more productive comparatively every year prior to and in DY.
You are realistically getting a third-line checker who plays a shut-down role and scores on a consistent enough rate to warrant a heavier-than-usual third line usage, but his potential is sky high if he is more consistent and uses his skillset much more. I would even put him in a conversation for a top-15 spot in hindsight if it comes through. Which might or might not happen. Realistically, late-first-round ranking with other middle-six projected players feels just right here.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Flyers, Kings, Blackhawks, Capitals, Sharks
31. Blake FIDDLER - D, RH, 6’4/209, Edmonton/WHL
Just a secure, all-around defender that uses his size and reach to his advantage defensively. Very good skater, very good anticipation defensively, makes smart decisions consistently and doesn’t try to do anything stupid that he doesn’t have the skill for. He is quite useful offensively, he has a strong first pass, very heavy shot and likes to be involved, but not over-reach outside of his capabilities. Very smart player and projects to be a middle-pair, two-way, shut-down defender for years to come.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Senators, Predators, Capitals, Sharks, Flames,
32. Kurban LIMATOV - D, LH, 6’3/198, Dynamo-M-JR/MHL
I loved my viewings of Limatov. He is just so freaking good overall. Very smart, very good results, he gets the offense going from the first pass out, he rarely makes stupid decisions. He is extremely good skater for the size and uses that skating to evade trouble from the forechecking players. Very reliable and has played both left and right side this season, sometimes even changes it up throughout the game based on the need of the team. He projects as a middle-pair, shut-down, puck-moving defender that can be relied upon.
Team Fit: Capitals, Jets, Hurricanes, Canadiens
33. Václav NESTRAŠIL - RW, RH, 6’5/187, Muskegon/USHL
One of those guys who had strong second half of the draft season and finally his size and some of the strength came through here. He is extremely tall and has really good on and off puck skillset, he reads the plays well, plays a rather strong possession game, he tends to be in right places at the right time. The biggest upside is in his frame. He is extremely tall for a skilled forward and has yet to fill out that frame since he is a few years behind everybody else in terms of body composition, but once he fills out his frame, he could be something FUN to watch. All the tools to be a middle-six, two-way contributor in the NHL.
Team Fit: Blackhawks, Flyers, Sabres, Rangers, Mammoth
34. Charlie CERRATO - C, LH, 6’0/190, Penn State/NCAA/BIG10
Sure, Cerrato is a double-overager and was passed over twice. I wanted him to be picked last year too, unsuccessfully. Hopefully he could finally be picked this year. He has all the tools to be a middle-six center for a contending team. Great puck-possession game, transitional game, defensively responsible, plays all situations, wins a ton of faceoffs, produces. He is also relentless on the forecheck and drives the net hard. He projects really well into a contending team’s middle-six and a big freshman year with Penn State showcased a lot of those skills.
Team Fit: Lightning, Penguins, Maple Leafs, Devils, Golden Knights
35. Alexander ZHAROVSKY - RW, LH, 6’1/163, Ufa-JR/MHL
Zharovsky is a player with some of the best hands in the draft class. He is incredibly skilled on the puck, but rather flawed without it. He is speedy, he is efficient skater and drives the net, which is important part of the equation for a skilled player to develop into an NHL player long-term. He would likely be a middle-six offensive player that creates a ton on his off-wing side.
Team Fit: Sabres, Capitals, Flyers, Wild
36. Sascha BOUMEDIENNE - D, LH, 6’2/176, Boston University/NCAA/H-EAST
Boumedienne is a weird one for me. He had excellent production at the U18s in Texas and was very good offensively there, decent defensively. On the college level, he was really good defensively and made almost no impact offensively. Could mean he is great at both once he streamlines that and I regret putting him in early-second-round range or he could end up being rough in both and production at U18s was just a blip. No idea, but I like the player despite that uncertainty. Great skater and his habits are really down, so it’s more than likely that the first scenario actually happens.
Team Fit: Blues, Blue Jackets, Flyers, Kings, Jets
37. Carter AMICO - D, RH, 6’5/225, USA U-18/NTDP
It’s a shame Amico got hurt so early in his draft year, because he would have been a phenomenal player to see play, especially if you like a smart, great-skating, range-y defender. I love those. They are really projectable, even though they lack the upside to push further than third pair, which is projection for Amico, too. Projects into a number-five defender that plays a really good defense-oriented role.
Team Fit: Blackhawks, Canadiens, Flyers, Lightning, Maple Leafs
38. Alexei MEDVEDEV - G, LH, 6’2/178, London/OHL
Excellent, mobile goaltender on one of the best teams in the junior world doing excellent goaltender stuff. He has been a strong presence in a tandem position with the Knights and has been spectacular to follow. *Insert my speech about me being uneducated when it comes to goaltending evaluation*, but to me, he looked like a nice warm blanked even when the defensive side was burning a little bit at times for the Knights this season in very rare occurances. There is a saying that goalies are bit of a voodoo, which is not true and goalie enthusiasts fight this notion every year. He is as safe of a goalie selection as you can get.
Team Fit: Flyers, Capitals, Jets
39. Joshua RAVENSBERGEN - G, RH, 6’5/190, Prince George/WHL
In my very basic evaluation, I loved Ravensbergen last year more than this one. He carried that Prince George team to a great playoff result with excellent performances throughout the entire season, but this year, he kind of fell off a little bit. He is not at all bad, but the raw qualities that he has really pushed through this season, he sometimes wasn’t really that consistent and there were occassions where he was unplayable, which happens to goalies who have high upside and are on that boom-or-bust line. He still projects to be a tandem goaltender in the NHL.
Team Fit: Predators, Sharks, Sabres
Tier SIX - third-line F, number-five D, lower-upside tandem G
40. William HORCOFF - LW/C, LH, 6’5/199, Michigan/NCAA/BIG10
Horcoff has a great shot, efficient skater without necessarily having that top notch speed yet. Very lanky, very good two-way guy and a player you can trust in every situation, but still very raw physically. Jump to NCAA hockey was unexpected and happened rather quick and not much can be taken from it, frankly. That shot of his is amazing and something you can build on and when he gets more muscle, holy moly that can be a weapon. Projects as a third-line, checking, scoring forward.
Team Fit: Sharks, Blackhawks, Canadiens, Predators, Mammoth, Bruins
41. Ryker LEE - RW, RH, 6’0/170, Madison/USHL
Highly-skilled winger that projects surprisingly well into a middle-six or a third-line role in the NHL level. He drives the play extremely well, he is responsible and has strong off-puck habits such as being in the right spots to capitalize on mistakes of opposition and create a lot of counter-attacks. He has great hand-eye and great puck skills that go a long way transitioning into NHL further down the line.
Team Fit: Flyers, Capitals, Islanders, Red Wings, Devils, Lightning, Golden Knights
42. Lucas BECKMAN - G, LH, 6’2/182, Baie-Comeau/QMJHL
Knowing basic stuff about goalies really lets you make appreciate a gut-feel on a player and Beckman is an example of a goalie where he is just so predictable and tracks the play well and plays with a mature head where he just knows what to do and barely ever panics and my gut-feel really thinks this guy would succeed long-term even if he might not be the highest-upside or highest-potential option.
Team Fit: Penguins, Red Wings, Mammoth, Oilers, Golden Knights
43. Matthew GARD - C, LH, 6’5/192, Red Deer/WHL
If you were looking for a player to be like “oh yeah, this player is going to be a 3C for a contender at some point”, Gard is your guy. He is responsible defensively, plays a ton of short-handed minutes already, is trusted in defensive situations playing for Red Deer while being their most productive player. I really like the size he brings into battles and there is a lot of growth there to be done, but to be already as physically impressive as he is now, having that defensive element, I believe contenders would really want to draft this player in the second round.
Team Fit: Canucks, Devils, Lightning, Golden Knights, Kraken, Maple Leafs
44. Jakob IHS-WOZNIAK - RW/LW, RH, 6’2/180, Lulea-JR/J20-Nat.
What an up-and-down season for Ihs-Wozniak. He was one of the top players heading into the draft year from pre-draft year based on performances prior to this season, but he started off poorly at Hlinka and was struggling to put the foot down on the pedal in the first half of the season. He got better as the season progressed and what stood out in that struggling period was that his details were still quite present.
He was still battling in the corners, digging pucks out and being good and quite smart in transition, but he was struggling to find the net and teammates consistently. That broke through in second half and I feel he got better towards the end of the year and was rather good at the U18s in Texas, but he doesn’t project that well despite the production in J20 Nationell. To me, he projects as a third-line, checking winger down the line that provides some offense, kinda similar to Joel Armia style of player.
Team Fit: Sharks, Blackhawks, Capitals, Sabres, Islanders, Rangers
45. Henry BRZUSTEWICZ - D, RH, 6’2/203, London/OHL
Smart, defensive player that has surprised me a ton this year in a positive way, but I just don’t see much upside beyond a third-pair guy that plays a smart, effective, two-way game and provides some offense. He is a safe player that really doesn’t do anything that special, but in a way, that itself is special knowing he is really projectable and I expect NHL teams to make note of that and pick him rather high, deservably so, I think. Very safe third-pair guy overall.
Team Fit: Predators, Flyers, Flames, Kings, Jets
46. Vojtěch ČIHAŘ - LW/RW, LH, 6’0/176, Karlovy Vary/TELH
I did not expect Čihař to have the season that he had, especially in the first half of the year where he was excellent middle-six player for a playoff team in czech extraliga, which is a big deal. I have went to see him live couple times and his speed and details really popped off early in the year. Struggled in second half to get scoring going, but his details stayed. Such as neutral zone reads, finishing every check, being one annoying guy on the forecheck, winning battles and feeding his teammates. Very projectable player to me and a player that would likely become a responsible, two-way, speedy third-line winger.
Team Fit: Sabres, Rangers, Red Wings, Canucks, Devils, Bruins, Wild
47. Jack MURTAGH - LW, LH, 6’1/198, USA U18/NTDP
Interesting player. I don’t really know where to put him when it comes to projection into NHL. He is a really good shooter, pretty average at everything else, speedy, checks well both sides, but he is kind of this player that doesn’t have a signature asset in his game that I love. He is just good overall and should make for a solid NHL forward, but the lack of overall upside and specific asset in his game are something that just doesn’t let me move him higher than what public consensus thinks this player is. Projects as a good, solid third-line winger.
Team Fit: Capitals, Rangers, Red Wings, Devils, Bruins, Wild
48. Mason WEST - C/RW, RH, 6’6/215, Edina High/USHS-MN
One of the most high-upside players with a size/skill combination that should make every scout make notice of him. I’m not convinced he has top-six qualities, but he can definitely utilize that size and faceoff ability to be a third-line center for an NHL team. He is a good skater for the size, I think. He needs to get stronger, since he doesn’t really tend to win a lot of battles, at least he hasn’t in the short USHL stint with Fargo this season. To me, he is a player you can build into anything you want and I think he could be a very good third-line center for an NHL team.
Team Fit: Blackhawks, Kraken, Mammoth, Canadiens, Bruins, Lightning, Maple Leafs
49. Linus FUNCK - D, RH, 6’3/183, Lulea-JR/J20-Nat.
A player that I don’t see ranked anywhere on the public side, but I believe would have strong NHL interest due to his puck-moving skillset, two-way ability, smarts, size and potential to fill out that 6-foot-3 frame of his long-term. He is a bit of a wild-card when it comes to where he could be selected, but I love his game and there is a ton of potential for a big, puck-moving, two-way, third-pair defender there.
Team Fit: Islanders, Red Wings, Canucks, Wild, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Penguins
50. Aron DAHLQVIST - D, LH, 6’3/205, Brynas-JR/J20-Nat.
Dahlqvist is a defensive defender in his most pure state. He is great positionally, great reads in the neutral and defensive zones, great gap control and quick puck-moving on the breakout to evade any trouble. Oh, and did I tell you he is also an absolute menace with his hits? No, well, he likes to hit people and make them feel it for the next week. Very punishing defender. Lacks higher upside, so anything beyond a third-pair assignment is wishful thinking, but a guy you would love to have on your third pair.
Team Fit: Canucks, Flyers, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Golden Knights, Bruins
51. Finn McLAUGHLIN - D, LH, 6’2/203, Muskegon/USHL
Second over-ager on my list behind Cerrato. McLaughlin is a two-way, strong, puck-moving defender that has extremely good analytics when it comes to puck play and from watching video of him, he is very intelligent defensively, too. He has the whole package and whether he played with Fargo or Muskegon this season, he played a ton of minutes and instantly became their most important defender on the defensive side of things. That and the puck-moving aspect of his game make me believe wholeheartedly that he could be a puck-carrying, responsible, third-pair defender after development.
Team Fit: Bruins, Wild, Blackhawks, Penguins
Tier SEVEN - high-likelihood bottom-six F, number-six D, tandem-backup G
52. Jack IVANKOVIC - G, LH, 5’11/170, Brampton/OHL
Smaller goalie who is athletic, moves fast and has really good reflexes. In tournaments for Canada, he excelled to the point of domination, but once he wasn’t behind as strong of a defensive group with Brampton, he struggled a little bit at times. Mostly behind traffic, he was sometimes out of position and relied on his athleticism to get pucks. To me, he is a tandem-backup goaltender if he hits that potential he has.
Team Fit: Blackhawks, Penguins, Kings, Blue Jackets
53. William MOORE - C, LH, 6’2/174, USA U-18/NTDP
I don’t really agree with the consensus love for this player. Not sure if I just don’t see something that’s clearly there or whatever the thing is, for me it’s not there. And he has the tools, size and faceoffs to be a good middle-six center, but the hockey IQ is just not there when I saw him live at the U18s in Texas.
Boneheaded decisions, trying to make plays out of nothing and losing pucks consistently. Lots of talent in this player and I think eventually he is too skilled to completely fail, but I don’t see a top-six player there. High-upside player, low-floor, but I can see a future where he is a bottom-six center in the NHL despite this early negativity from my end. Lots of good tools to be utilized.
Team Fit: Capitals, Sabres, Canadiens, Rangers, Devils, Bruins
54. Ethan CZATA - LW/C, LH, 6’1/176, Niagara/OHL
One of the very best in this range when it comes to off-puck habits. He is great forechecker, great neutral zone reads, cloggs up the middle really well defensively and doesn’t let much go through him. On puck, he is one of the top guys on his Niagara team, but he’s not really that impressive. One of those high-floor, low-upside guys you plug into your bottom-six and get good results and have a strong penalty killer. Whether he plays a center or not is yet to be seen, he is not that impressive on the dot, so maybe he is designated checking winger in NHL, but a solid player overall.
Team Fit: Devils, Bruins, Lightning, Kraken, Maple Leafs, Golden Knights, Flames
55. Gustav HILLSTRÖM - C, RH, 6’2/174, Brynas-JR/J20-Nat.
One of the top faceoff guys this year. Hillstrom has strong off-puck game, really limited offensive creativity, but the things he does well are simple and translatable. He has a good shot, he is relatively physical, smart defensively, decent set of hands. His faceoff ability, size and positioning game would allow him to be a consistent contributor on the next level in the professional setting. He is projecting to be a bottom-six center that is trusted by his coaches to win draws and win his minutes.
Team Fit: Canucks, Canadiens, Bruins, Lightning, Leafs, Penguins
56. Ryan RUCINSKI - C, RH, 5’10/176, Youngstown/USHL
I don’t see this player ranked anywhere for some reason. I just don’t get it. Sure, he is not that tall, but he is stocky and plays like a player who is 6’2. He wins a ton of draws out there, he is one of the best possession players on the Youngstown team, gritty, engaged all the time, he brings speed and that creativity that he has.
That combination is a future NHL contributor. To me, his game projects into a bottom-six role on a contending team that relies on forechecking, creating pressure through continuous puck-pursuit and chance-creation. To not see him ranked anywhere is interesting. The fact that he might not get drafted is bonkers.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Penguins, Maple Leafs, Stars, Panthers, Oilers
57. Kirill YEMELYANOV - C, LH, 6’0/170, Lokomotiv-JR/MHL
Another under-appreciated player in this draft class on the public side. He is extremely detailed and it was a matter of when and not if he starts producing again. He had a rough first half of the season offensively after a decent outing in pre-draft year, but he picked it up later in a year and was one of Lokomotiv’s best players in the playoffs. Extremely detailed, controls the game well, wins his minutes analytically and wins a ton of faceoffs consistently. I believe there were just a handful of games this entire year where he went below-50% on the faceoff dot. That’s an insane consistency. Projects into a bottom-six center that is relied on defensively.
Team Fit: Wild, Penguins, Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Golden Knights, Panthers, Flyers
58. Tomáš POBEŽAL - LW/C, LH, 5’9/178, Nitra/SVK
I love this player, despite his size and lacking higher-end upside. He is a fighter out there. I have seen him live maybe dozen times over the last two seasons with Nitra and under-18 team last year in Finland. He is a true checker. Great reads in neutral zone, great habits to create turnovers and create chances off of them. He always drives the net hard, gets involved in scrums, starts fights when he finds it necessary and has a really strong shot for an under-sized player. More-than-likely he would become a checking winger in the bottom-six of a contending team, because he is energetic and lacks faceoff ability right now.
Team Fit: Penguins, Mammoth, Devils, Avalanche, Lightning
59. Jacob ROMBACH - D, LH, 6’6/196, Lincoln/USHL
Very safe pick in Rombach. Big, lanky, very good skater, doesn’t lack in puck-moving department, but he lacks any offensive ability. He is not a player you should expect offense to come from, but he is someone you want on your third pair that can play a lot on the penalty kill and in defensive situations because of his size, range and positional play thanks to those two assets.
Team Fit: Mammoth, Flyers, Wild, Sharks, Lightning, Maple Leafs
60. Peyton KETTLES - D, RH, 6’5/190, Swift Current/WHL
His defensive presence is felt every time he steps on the ice. Very projectable defender. Blocks a ton of shots, plays the puck safely, has a bomb of a shot when he uses it, but he is often the last line of defense for a team and I expect him to be kind of a defensive partner for an offensive defender that creates a ton, but struggles defensively. Kettles’ range is impressive and his gap control and positioning are also impressive to me.
Team Fit: Kraken, Flyers, Mammoth, Red Wings, Lightning, Maple Leafs
61. Eddie GENBORG - LW/RW, LH, 6’2/193, Linkoping/SHL
No wonder people love him so much. He is energetic, fast, engaged all the time and plays at 110% all the time. He crushes people, drives the net hard and scores a lot of goals. I don’t see a big upside in his game, but for the niche that he brings, he is one of the best in the class. High-floor checker is what his projection is and I think being a bottom-six checking winger who scores sometimes is a pretty damn realistic projection for this future fan-favourite.
Team Fit: Sabres, Flyers, Islanders, Red Wings, Canucks
62. Tomáš POLETÍN - LW, LH, 6’1/205, Pelicans/U20-SM
I like this player for what he is and if people stop expecting him to be more than what he is, that would be the best. He is not an offensive juggernaut, he scores quite often for a checker who parks himself net-front, wins battles and is a good glue guy on the line. He is projecting to be a bottom-six checking winger who can play with any style of player and make it work as we saw with czech under-18 team.
Team Fit: Wild, Bruins, Predators, Lightning, Golden Knights
63. Ján CHOVAN - LW/C, LH, 6’2/184, Tappara/U20-SM
Best example of a low-upside, high-floor player in this range. He struggled to create offense in finnish junior league all year long, but his off-puck habits have been excellent. Once he became physical, it elevated that part of the game to another level. He was producing on the national team level consistently, being in the right spots and showcasing his offense in clutch moments while being invisible at less important ones while being an important part of the defensive structure. He has strong neutral zone habits, finishing checks, breaking up plays of the opposition. Once that offence comes, there is a lot of potential for a bottom-six contributor in the NHL. But that offense needs to come.
Team Fit: Blackhawks, Bruins, Mammoth, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Golden Knights
64. Conrad FONDRK - LW/C, LH, 6’0/193, USA U-18/NTDP
This player is interesting. Does a lot of good things, has good details overall, so you can play him at position in the bottom-six and make him into a style of player you desire, because he is just good at everything. Nothing stands out in a significant way about his game except for the fact there is nothing bad in it. He is just a fine player. One of the guys I don’t expect to be much impactful down the line, but he would have a job just because of reliability and positional versatility.
Team Fit: Canadiens, Penguins, Sabres, Predators, Devils
65. Francesco DELL’ELCE - D, LH, 6’1/180, UMass/NCAA/H-EAST
A smart, two-way defender that controls the game on a consistent basis with UMass in the NCAA. He has the skating, he has the puck-moving, he has the production and smarts to translate well into pro hockey later down his career post-NCAA. Projects to be a bottom-pair, efficient, two-way defender that can play in any situation.
Team Fit: Bruins, Red Wings, Predators, Penguins
Tier EIGHT - lower-likelihood bottom-six F, number-six D, backup G
66. Julius SAARI - D, LH, 6’2/187, Jokerit-JR/U20-SM
This guy is incredibly smart. No production offensively in his game thus far. He is somewhat involved, but most of his on-puck contribution comes with a perfectly clean breakout and passing game as the first guy back. Defensively, he is incredible. Plays a rather physical style of game, very smart, doesn’t lose the track of puck and positioning is always on-point. He also has one of the best gap controls in the draft and it was really visible on smaller ice surface in Texas at the U18s.
Team Fit: Red Wings, Ducks, Senators, Sabres, Lightning, Maple Leafs
67. Roman BAUSOV - D, RH, 6’5/179, Dynamo St. Petersburg/MHL
Big, rangey defender that moves the puck well and uses his size to his advantage defensively and in creating offense. He is very light and needs to get stronger, because he gets overpowered by smaller forwards sometimes, but his on-puck passing game and his off-puck positional game and gap control are on point. Just needs a tad more physicality in his game to push through in North America down the line. Projects to be a decent, two-way, puck-moving depth defender in NHL once he strenghtens up.
Team Fit: Maple Leafs, Lightning, Golden Knights, Panthers, Canadiens
68. Löve HARENSTAM - G, LH, 6’1/196, Skelleftea-JR/J20-Nat.
Again, knowing just simple things about goaltending, he is a bit of a wild card for me. Not literally a wild card option that is in the next tier, because he actually projects into the NHL pretty decently in a backup role. However, to me, he is sometimes unbeatable, sometimes unwatchable and sometimes he is just all-around meh in the net. You never know what you are going to get. Had much better pre-draft year with less expectation.
Team Fit: Bruins, Islanders, Rangers, Canucks, Lightning
69. Owen GRIFFIN - C/RW, RH, 5’10/160, Oshawa/OHL
Griffin has become one of my favourite players in this range. Half-way through the season, I had him in the wild card range, because he was good, but never really stood out in any way. And then playoffs happened and he took off like a missile. In the middle of everything, hitting people, creating havoc, driving the net and being almost a goal-per-game player in the playoffs. That was incredible to watch and all that has made him more projectable.
Team Fit: Penguins, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Panthers
70. Tommy LAFRENIERE - RW/C, RH, 5’11/172, Kamloops/WHL
Another energetic depth player to watch. While everybody was paying attention to Behm on Kamloops team, Lafreniere impressed me a tad bit more in the rare viewings I got. High compete level, great speed, great hands and just that instinct to attack the net at every opportunity, you kind of are born with that. And while Behm might be more projectable player overall, I find Lafreniere better slightly. And he can play both wing and center, primarily a winger, however.
Team Fit: Ducks, Mammoth, Panthers, Bruins, Devils, Golden Knights
71. Nathan BEHM - RW, RH, 6’2/192, Kamloops/WHL
A rather skilled winger who creates a lot of offense, but sometimes tends to lose his minutes because he lacks the defensive detail that I hope he develops further in the development process with his future team. I don’t rate him that highly compared to public consensus because despite the points he put up, he lost a lot of his minutes and didn’t have much defensive progress this season despite being a checking presence. I still project him to become a bottom-six winger that can create offense with limited opportunities, but he would need to work on his defensive game in development to carve out that role.
Team Fit: Lightning, Maple Leafs, Sharks, Golden Knights
72. Artyom VILCHINSKY - D, LH, 6’4/243, SKA-1946/MHL
This guy is an absolute unit defensively. Very smart, great gap control, great defensively, can play and has played both left side and right side as a left-handed blueliner this season for SKA-1946 team. Fits in analytically. Slower skater, but agile despite the size as he is already so big. But he can move, just needs to work on his explosiveness over the course of post-draft years. His pure defensive intelligence is top notch in this class and you really can’t teach that at this age.
Team Fit: Lightning, Panthers, Maple Leafs, Mammoth, Sharks
73. Charlie TRETHEWEY - D, RH, 6’1/200, USA U-18/NTDP
Decently good defensive player, who understands what needs to be done to win his minutes consistently, but has almost zero creativity to go with it. I expect him to be a reliable defender for his future team, but I don’t expect more than a third-pair defender. He didn’t impress me in Texas at the U18s, but he showcased some good things off the puck and when you don’t see these defenders, that’s a positive sign.
Team Fit: Sabres, Canadiens, Predators, Senators, Wild, Red Wings
74. Maxim AGAFONOV - D, RH, 6’2/198, Ufa-JR/MHL
Agafonov is a player I had issues with throughout the season. Very conflicting conversations with my mirror about that player. Solid skillset, his skating needs work, he needs to get stronger without really adding much weight, because he is already at a good weight right now, just needs to continue to repeatedly push big plates up and down and get stronger. Very good brain on this player, sometimes tends to join the attack and when he does it tends to bring positive results, but he doesn’t overdo it.
Team Fit: Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Devils, Mammoth
75. Brendan McMORROW - C/LW, LH, 6’0/173, Waterloo/USHL
I was honestly surprised McMorrow wasn’t drafted by a contender last season after what I thought were impressive U18s in Finland. He is your typical, average-sized, energizer bunny type of player. He just oozes energy, confidence and attacks on the forecheck, always first on the backcheck too, creates offense any chance he gets. Just the type of player you want to surround your bottom-six with long-term.
Team Fit: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Panthers, Oilers, Avalanche, Lightning
76. Zeb LINDGERN - D, LH, 6’1/195, Skelleftea-JR/J20-Nat.
Physical, defensive defender that does a lot of good, but to me doesn’t bring that much on-puck activity to warrant a higher ranking based on my viewings this season. Very impressive physical player, smart defensively, great gap control and positioning, but his upside is rather limited to a projected smart, offensively-limited, third-pair, depth defender, in my opinion.
Team Fit: Kraken, Wild, Oilers, Stars, Golden Knights
77. Theodor HALLQUISTH - D, RH, 6’1/178, Orebro-JR/J20-Nat.
Similar type of player to Lindgren, however I find Hallquisth less physical, slightly less smart defensively, but more balanced, two-way and not just a pure defensive guy. His first pass is impressive, barely makes mistakes, he works well with anyone, really and can adjust his game to a player type that’s playing with him and we saw that at the U18s in Texas. Projects to be a two-way, depth defender.
Team Fit:
78. Hayden PAUPANEKIS - C, RH, 6’4/196, Kelowna/WHL
Smart, two-way center that does a lot of good when he is on the ice, but offense is yet to come in a bigger way. He has the size, the speed and the smarts to be a really good bottom-six center in the NHL, but he needs to improve his offensive contribution. However, I believe that would come as soon as next season due to just the fact that he tends to keep winning his minutes consistently and create chances. Just not going through at this point in time.
Team Fit: Senators, Wild, Devils, Blue Jackets, Flames
79. Carlos HÄNDEL - D, RH, 6’1/172, Halifax/QMJHL
Händel is not that big, not that fast, not that physical, not that impressive offensively in any certain way, but he is smart and he is at his best when he plays a ton of minutes. Over last three years, he is pretty much used to a 25+ minute a night usage on any level he plays whether that’s QMJHL, junior national team or the under-18 national team. He is a player that I think bursts into the NHL just because he plays so much that he becomes undeniable down the road. Not expecting much there, but decent depth contributor overall.
Team Fit: Blue Jackets, Wild, Flames, Hurricanes, Lightning
80. Atte JOKI - C/LW, LH, 6’1/200, Lukko-JR/U20-SM
Last player on the list and 80th ranked guy is a center from Finland who I find very smart, very engaging both ways, 200-foot player with solid skating and involvement. He has a really good shot, he uses his size in net-front areas on the powerplay and is an effective presence in defensive situations. His smarts would get him close to NHL and if he comes through offensively more than he had this season, he is going to play.
Team Fit: Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Jets
Tier NINE - Wild Cards - high-upside, low-floor players who have the potential but likely won’t reach full-time NHL roles - players in alphabetical order!
Adam BENÁK - LW/C, LH, 5’7/164, Youngstown/USHL
Highly-competitive, small, creative playmaker that plays with an edge. He is most likely to succeed on the NHL level out of this group, just because of his pure determination to push through any sort of doubt ever put on him. He is going to fall in the draft and likelihood of long-term projection is low, but I believe in him. That fire he plays with is going to propel him far.
Team Fit: Penguins, Avalanche, Canadiens, Ducks, Sharks
Filip EKBERG - RW, LH, 5’10/170, Ottawa/OHL
He really had one of the wildest changes of pace from first half of the year to the second one. Struggled out of the gate to adjust to OHL level, but goshdarnit was he excellent in the second half. He is still too small and not good enough competitively to consider him a bottom-six option and he doesn’t have enough skill for top-six role as of now, so the chances of him panning out are low, but not zero. He was amazing at the U18s in Texas and deservably named an MVP of that tournament.
Team Fit: Penguins, Sabres, Sharks, Panthers
Owen MARTIN - C/RW, RH, 6’0/185, Spokane/WHL
He is too average to really stand out enough. I don’t think there is enough in that combination that he has to become an NHL regular down the line, but he has good details, he is really good on the dot as a right-shot center. I just think the way to a bottom-six role is going to get too clogged up by specific player types that he is gonna top out as top-line AHL player and a regular call-up.
Team Fit: Ducks, Kraken, Senators, Predators
Alex MIŠIAK - RW/LW, LH, 6’0/180, Waterloo/USHL
Very specific player-type. He has enough will-power in his game to be as skilled as anyone else who fights for NHL spots, sometimes he can lack a certain thing. But he is a highly specific player because he is fast, creative, lacks any defensive habits, but he is physical and he checks people and gets into people’s faces. So, overall, I don’t think he makes it as an NHLer, but he was too interesting of a player type to just completely skip over while making this Wild Card selection.
Team Fit: Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Flames, Kings, Bruins
L.J. (John) MOONEY - C/RW, RH, 5’7/160, USA U-18/NTDP
He has energy for three people in the same small body. He fights like an absolute maniac every time he steps on the ice and plays the game. But he is also really, really small and when you are not watching him at the international tournament of sorts, he tends to let off the gas and become invisible sometimes. And of course, sometimes too small is too small, no matter how good that dawg in you is.
Team Fit: Canadiens, Devils, Red Wings, Hurricanes
Eric NILSON - C/RW, RH, 6’0/160, Djurgardens-JR/J20-Nat.
Very smart, intelligent playmaker who controls the game well, is good on the dot as a center, but is rather soft and despite great hands and offensive game, lacks details that would likely push him to a more NHL style that would fit a bottom-six role. He needs to put on muscle, which I don’t think is going to be a problem, but his projection to the NHL is really low.
Team Fit: Hurricanes, Canucks, Capitals, Stars
Melvin NOVOTNY - LW/RW, LH, 6’1/185, Leksands-JR/J20-Nat.
Novotny projects rather well, but I don’t think his style quite fits the bottom-six role on an NHL team down the line, so I don’t think he makes it due to that reason, but he has excellent possession numbers, he scores a lot and is involved with a lot of the positive things and has good overall details, but I don’t think his style is a mesh with what I think bottom-six players would look in five to six years time.
Team Fit: Stars, Canucks, Hurricanes
Daniil PROKHOROV - RW, RH, 6’5/209, Dynamo St. Petersburg/MHL
The definition of a boom-or-bust player for this draft class. He hits, he is fast and he scores a ton. He might make and if he does, we are all going to regret not believing in him except for a few brave ones on the public side of things, but I think he doesn’t pan out the way some people think he will. It’s a game of probabilities for me more than anything.
Team Fit: Mammoth, Flyers, Maple Leafs, Rangers
Luka RADIVOJEVIČ - D, RH, 5’9/165, Muskegon/USHL
Luka is smooth with it, but he is really, really small defender. Being small is not an issue, but probabilities go down a lot. He plays smart, he controls the game in a big way, plays a lot of minutes and all situations for a smaller guy, which always impresses me. He is particularly excellent on the powerplay, but he is really small and projections of this particular player type are really bleak. If there is any smaller defender from this class who I would expect to break the mold Lane Hutson-style, it’s him. But it’s highly unlikely and I would not be shocked if he goes undrafted in the wildest of scenarios.
Team Fit: Kraken, Sharks, Ducks
Petteri RIMPINEN - G, LH, 6’0/176, Kiekko-Espoo/Liiga
Smaller goaltender who has excellent numbers in Finland and comes up clutch in a big way for the national team, but the fact that he went undrafted in an excellent year and the competition to get to the NHL is super strong, his likelihood of success with his height in that way is very low.
Team Fit: Predators, Flames, Hurricanes
Luca ROMANO - C/RW, RH, 5’11/177, Kitchener/OHL
Very skilled forward, who plays a competitive style without necessarily being physical. He creates a ton around the net and generally creates a ton of offense. But he is smaller in size and I don’t think he is as skilled as guys who likely get a top-six role and I don’t think he has the style to be a bottom-six player. Likely an AHL All-Star.
Team Fit: Penguins, Hurricanes, Flames
Ivan RYABKIN - C/LW, LH, 5’11/205, Muskegon/USHL
This is my wildest take this year. He is good, he is strong, he controls the play and he produces a lot of offense. But something about his game is off-putting. He is engaged very rarely, he tends to cruise in neutral a lot, not really engaging anyone contact-wise. I expected an extremely strong draft year after a shockingly good pre-draft year, but he just disappointed me every time I watched him.
Team Fit: Flyers, Red Wings, Wild
Cameron SCHMIDT - LW/RW, RH, 5’7/160, Vancouver/WHL
I don’t know what the public side thinks this guy has other than energy and the puck going in on an unsually high rate. He is not that good defensively, he loses his minutes even in the context of his team, he is around the middle, he shoots at super high rate and unsustainable rate, he plays with a ton of energy and grit, but he makes irrational puck decision, often overlooking his teammates for low-percentage shots. When he is on, he is truly electric, like at the start of the season, I thought we were witnessing the next DeBrincat or Caufield, but that’s just not the case here. Very fun to watch!
Team Fit: Canucks, Penguins
Ondřej ŠTEBEŤÁK - G, LH, 6’2/173, Portland/WHL
Wildly inconsistent goaltender. He comes up clutch for a month, is the best goalie in the league and then for two or three months, he is just mediocre at best. Needs to work on that and he might become something, but I have seen both sides of the coin and the difference is night and day.
Team Fit: Devils, Mammoth, Predators
Philippe VEILLEUX - LW, LH, 5’9/168, Val-d’Or/QMJHL
Highly-skilled playmaker who had an insane second-half of the season with Val-d’Or in the QMJHL. Incredible passer, incredible creativity on this player and great brain, but he is very small and doesn’t really tend to engage physically and just kinda gets out of the way and uses his skillset to go around defenders, which is good for juniors, but not going to work on the highest level. Super high upside, however!
Team Fit: Canadiens, Penguins, Devils
Haoxi WANG - D, LH, 6’6/215, Oshawa/OHL
Softest 6’6 player I saw this year. He doesn’t engage in battles, he shy’s away from any contact and that genuinely pisses me off. Having that incredible skating and puck-skill that he has and not doing anything of value in that aspect is wild to me. I can see the appeal in the player, but damn it, he needs to be more involved because he is not going to get anywhere.
Team Fit: Bruins, Ducks, Sabres, Sharks
And this concludes my Final 2025 Draft Ranking and the only one that has been published like this. Can’t wait for the Draft to happen, would be cheering for all the guys and their families.
To all the fellow scouts and teams who read this, best of luck at the Draft! Same goes to the prospects, their representatives, their teams and their hard-working parents who put so much into their development into future professionals!