With junior seasons and European leagues underway, today I’m giving my first assessment of the 2025 NHL Draft.
While it’s still very early and things could very much change, a lot of indicators are that the 2025 draft is slightly down from the last few years. For example, the projected No. 1 pick, James Hagens — who, mind you, is an exceptional pro prospect — would rate behind Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard at the same age. I also don’t think Hagens is viewed as a consensus No. 1 prospect among teams, which is typically a sign of a weaker class. I personally see it as a near tie between him and Porter Martone, but I’ve heard votes from scouts for several prospects to be in the first overall conversation.
On a positive note, also in the way-too-early and things-could-change-a-lot category, this is the best QMJHL class I can remember in a long time. Four players are represented in the first-round range, for me, from the Q. Ontario is also well represented, with six players in the top 12.
It’s too early in the process for me to place the players in tiers and introduce tool grades. Those will come in a later ranking, as I will try to put out more frequent updates this season.
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Hagens was the best player on the U.S. NTDP last season. He has a dynamic combination of skating and skill reminiscent of players like Logan Cooley and Jack Hughes who have recently come through the program. Hagens’ edge work is high-end and he’s extremely elusive in open ice. He makes a ton of difficult plays on the move and is an elite playmaker. Hagens isn’t that big, but he competes and shows courage to get to the net to create chances. He has the potential to be a play-driving No. 1 center in the NHL.
Photo:
Russell Hons / Cal Sport Media via AP Images
Martone had a great season between the OHL and several Team Canada U18 appearances. He is squarely in the conversation for the No. 1 pick and quite frankly neck-and-neck with Hagens in my eyes, with Hagens getting the tiebreaker because he’s a center. Martone’s skill level and creativity with the puck are elite, which, when combined with the fact he’s a 6-foot-3 forward who can skate well, makes him a potential game-breaker versus men. He is also a highly competitive big man who can play an interior game and use his skill to get to the net.
Photo:
Natalie Shaver / OHL Images
Frondell was excellent in Sweden’s junior ranks and got some time versus men in the Allsvenskan last season. When he came up to play for Sweden’s U18 team, he immediately became their best player as well. Frondell checks a lot of boxes. He has a ton of natural skill with the puck. He makes difficult plays with consistency and can do so on the move. Frondell skates well and competes hard, so despite his average size, he has a translatable style of play to the NHL. Frondell is a great playmaker but he’s also a very dangerous shooter from the faceoff dots.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
McQueen’s toolkit speaks for itself. He is a 6-foot-5 center who can skate and has high-end offensive skills. He has game-breaking ability with the puck and can dominate a game. He is extremely talented as a puck handler, but he can also generate offense around the net and doesn’t shy from physical play. His consistency could be a bit better. For as talented as he is I expected a bit more production last season, even if he was a point-per-game player in the WHL.
Photo:
Jeremy Champagne / Brandon Wheat Kings
Misa was given exceptional status to play in the OHL as a 15-year-old and has been an excellent junior player since then. He’s a high-end skater with great skill and offensive sense. He projects to run a pro power play and be a legit offensive producer with how skilled he is and his ability to make plays on the move. He is average-sized but gets to the net and creates offense in a way that will translate to the NHL. The “exceptional” tag he got a few years ago may have slightly overstated the caliber of prospect he is, but he still has a lot of desirable NHL qualities.
Photo:
Natalie Shaver / OHL Images
Schaefer was the No. 1 pick in his OHL Draft and had a very good first season in the league. He has very good skills and playmaking ability, although I don’t think his pure offensive touch is what gets you excited about him. His main asset is his skating. He’s a powerful, effortless skater who will be able to close gaps and transition up ice at a clear NHL level. He is a competitive defenseman with size who projects to be a premier shutdown player at the highest level.
Photo:
Brandon Soto / OHL Images
Ryabkin was an impactful player at the Russian junior level as a 16-year-old. He’s a very likeable player who ticks most of the boxes scouts want. He skates well. He has a ton of skill and ability to improvise with the puck. He sees the ice at a high level and makes difficult passes consistently. He has a good shot and can finish plays from range and at the net. He competes quite hard and looks to use his body to win pucks. Other than an average-sized frame there is no noticeable hole in his game.
Desnoyers was very impressive as a point-per-game rookie in the QMJHL. The No. 1 pick in his QMJHL Draft, he has a ton of skill and projects as a legit scorer versus men. I don’t think he’s overly cerebral, but he can make plays and can beat a lot of defenders with his hands. I like Desnoyers’ game because I think it will translate very well to the NHL. He has size down the middle, he skates well, he plays hard and he plays both ways while providing offense. That could translate into a top-six center in the NHL.
Photo:
David St. Louis / Moncton Wildcats
Aitcheson had a great season. He scored 39 points and played big minutes for Barrie and was arguably Canada’s best defenseman at U18 worlds. He’s a hyper competitive defender who doesn’t back down from physical play. He has the bite NHL teams will love, but he’s also a good skater with strong enough hands and hockey sense to make plays at higher levels even if offense will likely never be his calling card.
Photo:
Terry Wilson / OHL Images
Spence had a great season between his OHL play and multiple appearances for Canada’s U18 team as a top player. His compete is excellent. He’s a tenacious worker who wins a ton of battles due to his length, speed and effort. He comes back hard on pucks and is a great two-way forward. That he has good offensive touch and playmaking as well makes him a versatile forward coaches will play a lot. I don’t know if he’s going to score a ton in the NHL, but he has legit one-on-one skills and ability to create chances with a pro tempo.
Photo:
Brandon Soto / OHL Images
Ravensbergen was quite good in his first WHL season as the starting goalie for a top team. He ticks off a lot of boxes in a top NHL prospect. He’s 6-foot-5. He’s very athletic. He’s smart, anticipates the play well and is quite aggressive in challenging shooters with his big frame. He can make a lot of tough saves and does so in a way that makes him look like an NHL goaltender. He is full of pro upside.
O’Brien was a point-per-game center in the OHL this season and an important player on a good Brantford team. He shows the high-end patience and vision to hold onto pucks for an extra second to make plays. He is extremely skilled with the puck, showing the touch to create NHL scoring chances and make difficult plays often. O’Brien is also a competitive center who gets to the net, wins pucks and plays with good tempo. His footspeed is good enough for the NHL too. He has a lot of potential as a scoring forward.
Hensler came out of the gates flying last season for the U.S. program. He slowed down a bit as the year went on, but the toolkit remains extremely intriguing for the pros. He’s a 6-2, mobile right-shot with strong offensive skills and playmaking ability. He projects to be able to run a pro power play and put up offense. His defending is OK. His length and feet will allow him to make stops but he’s not a super-hard-to-play-against type.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Smith is a 6-foot-3 defenseman who skates quite well and hit 29 points as a rookie in the WHL last season. He was an important player for Canada’s Hlinka team this summer, too. He’s funky-looking at times, but he’s a powerful skater who can easily get by checkers and skate pucks up ice. He has good enough offensive skills and playmaking ability from the point. I wouldn’t call him a true top-tier puck-mover, but he has skill and a good point shot as well. If he keeps developing well he could be a top-four NHL defenseman.
Photo:
Portland Winterhawks
Mrtka has the look of an NHL defenseman as there aren’t many 6-foot-6 defenders who can skate and handle the puck well. On his best shifts, Mrtka makes a major impact with how he can make stops and get up into the attack. He has some offense, but I wouldn’t call Mrtka a natural puck-moving defenseman. He can make some major blunders, but has enough blue-line poise to be reliable in the NHL. He won’t run guys over, but Mrtka doesn’t shy from using his big body and works hard on a nightly basis.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Carbonneau was an electric player for Blainville this past season. He’s a player with a lot of natural puck skills and vision and makes a lot of high-end plays with the puck. That Carbonneau is also a clear NHL-caliber skater who can beat defenders one-on-one at full flight gives confidence in how his game will translate up levels. He’s a natural scorer with decent size.
Photo:
Sebastien Gervais / CHL
Hamilton put up 31 points in 42 WHL games for Calgary and was a major part of their offense as a 16-year-old. He’s only a 6-foot defenseman, but he’s an excellent skater with a smooth, powerful stride whose feet should allow him to make stops and retrieve pucks as a pro. Those feet, combined with a high hockey IQ, give him a real chance to be a solid NHL defenseman who can run a power play. His issues will be defensively. He’s not very physical, which you don’t like to see with his frame, and despite his skating he can get beat a bit too much.
Reschny was great in the WHL as a rookie, scoring at a point-per-game mark and playing big minutes for Victoria. He’s a highly skilled and intelligent player who can run a power play like a pro. He is a quick skater with good edges who plays with pace and makes a lot of high-end plays on the move. He is on the smaller side, but Reschny can create at the net and kill penalties. He’s played center in junior, but he may need to be moved to the wing as a pro.
Photo:
Kevin Light / Victoria Royals
Cootes is a likeable all-around forward. He’s a good, if not very good skater who plays with a lot of pace. He has strong offensive skills, playmaking and finishing abilities. He creates offense at fast tempos and in a direct manner. He’s not that big, but he plays big, showing a high compete level and not backing down from physical play. There will be some minor debates on how much offense Cootes has in the NHL, but early indicators are it could be just good enough to play.
Martin is a very skilled forward who has the one-on-one abilities to beat a lot of NHL defensemen. His skill is quite appealing, but it’s the combination of his skill with his compete that gets evaluators excited. Martin plays hard, attacking the high-percentage areas and not shying from engaging in physical play. His skating is fine and his stride isn’t the most technically sound but he has enough natural quickness to get around at the higher levels.
Gastrin is a good-sized center who skates well and competes hard. The captain of Sweden’s age group, he is a responsible two-way player who creates offense at the net front very well. He has skill, and while I would not describe him as a dynamic offensive type by any means, he makes enough plays to go with his responsible two-way play to make me think he could be a middle-six NHL center.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Trethewey had a productive U17 season with the NTDP. His talent with the puck is obvious. He is a poised passer who hits a lot of seams and can hold onto the puck for an extra second to make a play. His vision and great shot make him very dangerous on the power play. His offense drives his play, but he has decent size, skates well and competes too. He has a lot of traits of a potential top-four NHL defenseman.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Conrad is a player with a lot of NHL traits. He’s a 6-foot-3 defenseman who can skate and move pucks. He is a calm puck-mover who can make a good first pass, and hits seams from the offensive blue line. He has a powerful stride that can turn up ice quickly. He closes on checks well, creating turnovers with his body and speed. He was a bit of a surprise cut from Canada’s U18 team, but if he comes out of the gates like I think he could, I don’t think this rating will be unreasonable.
Photo:
Charlottetown Islanders
Ihs-Wozniak had a huge year in Sweden’s league for a 16-year-old. He wasn’t that good with Sweden’s U18 team toward the end of the year and had an awful Hlinka Gretzky performance. I have no doubts on the tools and I expect a big draft season from him. Forwards who are 6-foot-2, can skate, have a lot of offensive skill and can shoot the puck are difficult to find and Ihs-Wozniak looks like a potential impactful pro winger. I’d like to see him compete a bit harder at times and I don’t think he’s a true playmaker either.
Vilchinsky has the looks of a defenseman who is going to make a lot of stops versus men. He’s a huge defenseman who is quite mobile for his size, and he has a good amount of physicality in his play too. His skill and hockey sense don’t get you overly excited, but they’re good enough to be a first-pass type as a pro, potentially to go with very good defensive play. Scouts have some minor concerns on his fitness level.
Boumedienne was quite good as a 16-year-old in the USHL. He came out of the gates on fire, although his production cooled down significantly in the second half. His skating gets you excited about his NHL projection. He has NHL footspeed and edge work, and his stride gets him around the ice effortlessly. His puck game is good, not amazing. He makes plays and has above-average skills, but he doesn’t project as a major offensive type at the higher levels and his decision making with the puck can be questionable at times.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Eklund, the younger brother of Sharks winger William Eklund, played well last season versus men and with Sweden’s U18 team. Like William, Victor is an excellent skater with a high skill level who competes well, but he isn’t a natural finisher and is on the smaller side. William’s stock rose through the season because he exhibited high-end offensive traits. I see very good offense in Victor, but I’ll need to be sold as well that he has that level of talent.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Guite’s offensive tools are hard to deny. He’s a very skilled winger with the hands and vision to make plays in the NHL. He is able to break shifts open with his puckhandling as well as his high-end shot and ability to beat goalies from the dots. Guite’s issues will mostly come down to his skating. His stride lacks power and he has a bit of an awkward technique. His compete is also just average, which makes some scouts wonder if his game will hold up in the pros when combined with his lack of speed.
Photo:
Bruno Girard / Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Lakovic hit 39 points this season and was a notable part of a very good WHL team in Moose Jaw. He is a 6-foot-4 winger who skates quite well for his size. He has a powerful and fluid stride and can easily avoid checkers. He is a creative offensive player with the hands to make defenders miss often. Lakovic sees the ice well enough but scouts aren’t fully convinced on that aspect of his game. There are a lot of indicators that he could be a good pro forward.
Limatov is an impressive pro prospect who checks a lot of boxes NHL teams will be looking for. He’s a 6-foot-4 defenseman who skates fairly well for his size. He has enough puck skills and playmaking ability to create offense at higher levels. I don’t view him as an NHL power-play type, but he’s shown at lower levels that he can make creative plays off the rush and at the blue line. He closes on checks well with his feet and doesn’t shy from using his big body, too. He could have a lot of two-way value as a pro.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos: Chris Tanouye, Michael Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
