Scouching’s Penultimate 2025 NHL Draft Ranking

We’re back with new draft rankings! What a day to be alive. It’s been a heck of a season to this point, with nearly 200 players in my tracked database and plenty more who have crossed the radar, and we’re left with around 80 names plus my Watchlist of 25 curiosities to keep tabs on in the future. All in all, I am growing a bit more optimistic about this class as a whole as time goes by. If you’re a team drafting in the first handful of selections, you’re very likely landing a very, very capable NHL player in a key role of some kind. If you’re a team drafting in the next handful of selections, you could very well end up with a very dependable complimentary player who could also fill highly impactful roles. Once we get to the names beyond my third tier, especially as we approach the 20s things open up very rapidly, and my shoulders begin to shrug with more and more vigour. That’s not to say these aren’t desirable players, but the likelihood of reaching a high end role is either quite uncertain, or their potential NHL role may be somewhat limited relative to those at the top end of the board. This isn’t unusual in my experience with the draft, but the 2025 class seems particularly weighed towards very intelligent and well-rounded players who may not bring high end skill or pace of play, but bring plenty of tools to the table that should lead to some kind of NHL gig in the future. What is very interesting about this class is that things do very much drop off heavily in terms of projection and confidence, and much more so than I remember from years prior. I have names on this list that I personally really, really believe in, and they show up much higher than I expected because that line of “this player is very very exciting and that’s worth something” occurs quicker in this draft than I’m used to. I don’t want to say that this draft class is “weak”, but the uncertainty is definitely there, and it feels like we may be looking at a sizable pool of player that have the potential to round out an NHL lineup one day rather than big swings that could find themselves among the best in the game.

Before we get into the list, it might be helpful to take the time to briefly outline my philosophy so you can get in my head a little bit and understand where I come from a little better when I see the game. If you take 10 different evaluators, you’ll probably get some differences in priorities and preferences, so knowing what you’re getting into should add to the experience. At my core, I focus on possession. Hockey is a game in two fundamental states. You have the puck, or you don’t. The ultimate goal should be to find players who are as good at gaining and maintaining possession in some way, getting the puck into a desirable location, and getting the dang thing into the net as much as possible. In my view, the priority should be in that order. You can’t have the third aspect without the second, and you can’t have the second without the first. As such, I see speed, tenacity, competitiveness, and quickness as key, both mentally and physically. I don’t care so much about how big you are, how good of a shooter you are, how hard you hit, I just care about what you do on the ice and if you’re moving the needle in the right direction. In my experience, the best young needle movers with regards to competitiveness, pace, and creativity are the ones of who are often hardest to find when they grow up big and strong to be NHL players one day. I value players who elevate who they play with more than anything. They’re dependable every shift, they're focused on the ultimate task of the game situation, and they think creatively to make baby steps happen that ultimately lead to scoring chances, and ideally some goals go in here and there.

I’ll also note that the positions listed are almost universally those from the games I’ve specifically watched and tracked of these players. A defenseman is listed by either handedness or the side of the ice they play on should it be the opposite to his natural shooting side (i.e., RSD is a left handed defender playing on the right side).

Tier 1 - This is Not What I Expected

• #1 | Matthew Schaefer | LHD | Erie Otters | Dec. Rank (1)

  This is a really tricky start to the list. Schaefer hasn’t played since a brutal collision in the World Juniors which makes a strong evaluation very difficult. I’ve gone back and looked at the tape that is available of his play, and I still feel quite confident that he’s the first name I’d push for in the 2025 class. A broken collarbone is common and almost certainly shouldn’t have long term impact on his overall play. His pure defensive zone play might need some work, but everything else is simply top notch. His pass vision is unmatched by other defenders this season. The way he can open up the ice handling the puck, skating laterally and whipping pucks around the ice makes him a huge threat all over the ice. The puck rushing ability that landed him his injury is still something to really behold when he jumps into the rush. He’s a bit of an unconventional defenseman projecting to the NHL and I’m not sure exactly who he reminds me of. He isn’t Cale Makar, but perhaps a John Carlson? Dan Boyle for all my fellow Millenials and Gen X’ers out there? Someone not shy to step up in the offensive zone, jump into the rush, and run offenses themselves that outpaces any defensive issues. Schaefer has the advantage of being just over a week separated from 2026 NHL Draft eligibility, and at his scoring pace this season, an 88 point OHL season for a defenseman before being draft eligible would be unmatched. Better than Drew Doughty, Ryan Ellis, Chris Pronger, and many other notables. He’s a creative, dynamic offensive threat with scoring and playmaking ability, and between him and my #2 and arguably my #3, it’s a very very very close call and I could go either way.

• #2 | Michael Misa | C | Saginaw Spirit | Dec. Rank (2)

  Michael Misa has really grown as a player over the last calendar season in my eyes. It’s easy to see how his game might struggle on the wing, and plopping him up the middle is exactly where he should be. Misa feels the game unlike almost any other player I’ve seen in the last few years. Passes that appear difficult or poorly thought out are cleanly placed through tiny spaces. He has the capacity to wait an extra split second to create better chances and evaluate secondary options. He isn’t a pure sniper, but he’s a diverse and capable scorer. He isn’t a fancy spin-passing playmaker, but he cuts defenses to pieces. He doesn’t move his feet like some of the high motor players out there, but calling him slow would be incorrect. He’s explosive, jumps into space effectively, and picks his times to be quick extremely effectively. His last few games I’ve seen have been a bit quieter than previous performances when it comes to scoring chances for himself, but a large part of that stems from the presence of Igor Chernyshov as a partner in crime. Chernyshov is more of a pure offensive threat with finishing ability that Misa has been able to work off of to great success. Misa elevates whoever he plays with and covers all three zones with great anticipation and remarkable efficiency and likely slots into any NHL team well as a highly effective, but perhaps not a flashy centre that just plays darn good hockey.

Tier 2 - This is Also Not What I Expected

• #3 | James Hagens | C | Boston College Eagles | Dec. Rank (3)

  I think people have lost the plot a little bit with James Hagens over this season. You look at his production relative to other elite NHL prospects playing in the NCAA and it’s forgivable to think something went wrong, but in my view, Hagens has shown exceptional growth in his game at a difficult level of play in a tough role. Largely centring Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, it seemed like their play styles didn’t quite resonate as expected to my eye. Leonard loves to possess the puck just as Hagens seems to, and it felt like Perreault had issues keeping up outside of being a complimentary give-and-go option with some finishing ability that Hagens was zipping past all night. Play just felt disjointed and strange a lot, but Hagens always looked great with an off-puck forechecking menace in Teddy Stiga just as he did last season at the U18s, and I would imagine those two are reunited next season if Perreault and Leonard jump to the NHL. Hagens specifically has shown consistently excellent metrics in many areas of my work. I would love to see him land more scoring chances for himself as he was one of the more infrequent shooters at the top end, but his wrist shot can be a tough one to stop when it comes out. Where he really shines is as a playmaker, with great success on the rush and in the offensive zone connecting with linemates and moving the puck where it needs to go. He’s quick on his feet, highly skilled, and highly creative. The thing that he’s really improved since he arrived at Boston College is the physical side of the game. The first few games of the season, he seemed completely allergic to chipping in off the puck outside of the offensive zone, but as Christmas approached, something shifted. He’s attacking puck carriers much more directly and throwing hits at a rate beyond names like Frondell, Bear, Martone, Nesbitt, and Desnoyers. He’s come a long way this year, and while I have him a shade behind the best in the class, he’s got a ton of potential to be a flashy, offensive second line centre with a growing level of grind to his game. He may be a bit undersized, but the speed, skill and quick strike playmaking is impressive, and another season in college could do him extremely well to refine the areas that are still a bit deficient.

• #4 | Victor Eklund | RW | Djurgårdens IF | Dec. Rank (5)

  Eklund is one of those players who I didn’t expect to be this high this season, but whenever I check him out, then check out other names in this range, I just come away continuously impressed with his game. I’m not totally sure exactly how much scoring he’ll do in the NHL, but I could very easily see him being an insanely effective possession player that is a thorn in the opponent’s shoes with relentless physicality, pace, and speed that is tough to counter. He’s a heck of a shooter but his shot selection needs work. He’s a heck of a playmaker but his timing and ability to slow the game down a bit is also a little deficient. That said, he still drives very very good results in a pretty big role on a men’s team in Sweden. Continuously controlling about 2/3 of the possession and shot attempts from scoring areas while on the ice, Eklund is effective, hard-working, and will endear himself to fans very quickly. He’s very different to his brother William, but they could offset each other very easily should Victor land in San Jose. He’s an excellent open ice skater with huge efficiency everywhere, and the only real area that needs improvement is in the offensive zone especially with regards to his shooting. This is not an uncommon issue for young players playing in the men’s level, but it’s a roadblock to projectable scoring in the NHL. Nevertheless, I love Eklund, and I know the Djurgårdens crew does as well. I could see him slip on draft day like his brother did, but I could easily see him be undervalued like his brother was.

• #5 | Porter Martone | RW | Brampton Steelheads | Dec. Rank (4)

  I swear that bumping Martone down to this spot gave me great pain, but Eklund has just been so projectable and so successful at a higher level of play that I had to weigh the coin flip in his direction. Martone is a player I’ve watched and loved for years. He’s a selfless player who might be one of the best overall analytical profiles in my entire database. There’s almost nothing he doesn’t do successfully in good volumes. Scoring chances for himself? Check. Generating chances for others? Check. Offensive transition success? Check. Defensive transition involvement and success? Check and check. Hits? Check. Forechecking results? Check. He just does everything you could ask a player to do, especially as a winger. He is the source of well over 50% of Brampton’s shot attempts with him on the ice, and he earns it. Martone might not be a play driver who can carry pucks across three lines at 40km/h and run a line with anyone, but he is an elite complement to guys like the names ahead of him which is what places him in this slot. He wears the C in Brampton for a reason and it becomes very clear when you watch the team play. He just goes out and plays like someone you want to play with, even if he isn’t an obviously dominant presence. He sneaks around with intelligence and doesn’t overthink the game. I can’t say enough good things about him and simply can’t wait to see where he goes in the NHL Draft. I hope that his landing spot respects his finesse, pass vision and mid-range scoring ability rather than seeing his raw size and trying to make him into a traditional power forward. He brings so many traits to the game that a team needs in the modern era, and while his scoring rate has come back down from orbit a little bit, I don’t think the quality of his play has declined whatsoever. This year’s top 5 is so close to me, and Martone unfortunately finds himself at the back end of it. If he reads this, I apologize and have full faith that he can prove me wrong in the future.

Tier 3 - The Skills to Really Pay the Bills…(Probably)

• #6 | Cullen Potter | C | Arizona State Sun Devils | Dec. Rank (7)

  Sneaking his way up one slot, my logic here is that the class evens out extremely quickly, and I always default to players who bring great joy to the game, push pace, and electrify the crowd to get points on the board. Potter is that, and I haven’t found anyone else who consistently brings that kind of energy to this extent. I must stress that he’s a 2007-born playing centre, a position he didn’t play last year, and has grown a tremendous amount in that role. Incredibly efficient pushing pucks up the ice in a variety of methods, driving half of his team’s offense, and chipping in defensively more than you might think, Potter’s overall metrics at 5v5 don’t trail a guy like Hagens that much. The name that has come to mind more and more recently with Potter is Kyle Connor, who potentially like Potter, ended up as a mid-first round pick after a hugely productive USHL season. You can question Connor’s defensive results, but you can’t question the speed, skill and finishing ability he has that continuously puts him among the league’s best scorers. Obviously that’s a high bar to meet, but Potter is explosive and dynamic unlike so many in this class, and I believe his low assist totals often stem from outskating linemates and skating into unwinnable offensive zone situations a little too often. Is that his fault? I’d say at times yes, but surroundings matter in hockey, and again he is one of a small handful of 2007-born NCAA players this season. Every game he excites me, and every game the number of times I wonder what the hell he’s doing has declined over the season. There’s part of me that wanted to put him a tier higher, but I do wonder about how effective he’ll be in the NHL under physical pressure, but if a guy like Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, Jordan Kyrou or Kyle Connor can make it work successfully, I could see Potter being the next one that does the same at whatever position he lands himself in.

• #7 | Jackson Smith | LHD/RSD | Tri-City Americans | Dec. Rank (6)

  Ok so around here in the class is when I have absolutely no clue what direction I’d go, but I’d probably lean towards the players with pure talent and tools that you absolutely need in the NHL. Jackson Smith headlines that group of players, especially after Potter is off the board. Smith is a remarkably fluid skater for his size, covering ice in all directions extremely well, which bodes well for NHL projectability. He’s physical often, almost to a fault as he can fail to follow through on hits and end up a bit leaky on defensive transitions, but his overall results in that area are excellent. I get asked a lot about which players datasets don’t quite line up with my read on them as a player, and Smith is probably the best example of that. While on the ice at 5v5, Smith gets absolutely run over driven largely by completely absent offensive output from Tri-City with him on the ice. He’s not a poor offensive transition player whatsoever but he often relies on passing when those receiving those passes simply can’t finish the job. Of the offense that Tri-City generates, he’s the source of a third of it. There are some really impressive playmaking moments through scoring areas as well, and Smith simply brings an excellent talent profile that good coaches and development staffs could foster extremely well over time. He feels much more settled and comfortable in recent viewings, seeing the ice better and picking better times to push play up the ice, but he isn’t perfect. In this class, he brings big upside and potential which I value, and will be very curious where he goes at the end of the day.

• #8 | Lynden Lakovic | LW | Moose Jaw Warriors | Dec. Rank (9)

  I’ll admit that after our interview with Lynden Lakovic, I’m a little bit biased in his favor. He just seems like a kid who sees the game similarly to how I do. Tactically, procedurally, logically and from a bird’s eye view featuring everyone he’s on the ice with. Similar to Martone, Lakovic just drives great results in almost every discipline. I think people are down on him a bit because of his size and clear lack of physicality and hitting ability, but frankly I don’t think that’s a huge hurdle. Sure, he might need to gain a bit more of an edge to be more effective defensively in the NHL, but the skating ability, skill, reach, and finishing ability is undeniable and awesome. Similarly to Martone, I don’t think Lakovic is a central line driver, but he’s an elite complimentary piece working give and goes in the neutral zone well, with great puck touches and anticipation skill before receiving pucks. He rarely takes a poor shot in the offensive zone, protecting the puck well and looking for seams and pathways to better scoring areas, driving some of the best shooting metrics among my highly tracked players. In the offensive zone, he’s simply lights out, with great forechecking ability, strong playmaking metrics and remarkable finishing ability. 56% of Moose Jaw’s offensive output has flowed through Lakovic somehow, and without him that team would be completely different. I don’t know what his NHL future is, but to me if you don’t get a Porter Martone, Lynden Lakovic might not be a bad consolation prize.

• #9 | Anton Frondell | F | Djurgårdens IF | Dec. Rank (14)

  Frondell makes a huge jump up the list this time around from the mid teens into the late top ten. I am really unsure of exactly how high up a lineup Anton Frondell will find himself, but that’s only because I could see him adequately filling a role on almost any line complimenting almost any other player. He’s physical, he goes to the net, he forechecks well, and his puck touches through the neutral zone are strong. I question the puck carrying and handling ability and how it could limit his potential, but as an off-puck do-it-all type, there’s lots to love about Frondell. He finds gaps and seams well, grinds the game down and does the dirty work you need a player to do. I don’t know if he’s a centre in the NHL and I’ve found his HockeyAllsvenskan play was at it’s best while he was on the wing, but as a great 200-foot 3C down the road, I could see a future there, but as a winger he could compliment just about anyone and be a projectable and effective player able to chip in everywhere you need. I might be cooler on him than many, but there are just a few other names that may be less projectable but bring tools that I think could bring more of an impact in multiple areas.

Tier 4 - The Perennial ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Tier

• #10 | Benjamin Kindel | C | Calgary Hitmen | Dec. Rank (13)

  Around this range of the draft, my logic simply becomes “who do I like the most and who drops the least the more I see them”, and Ben Kindel holds strong in the 10-15 range. Take everything written about Michael Misa, and copy it over and turn the knob down a notch or to and I feel like you have Ben Kindel. Literally every single metric save for one is top percentile-level with Kindel, he just doesn’t look like an elite flashy player and he doesn’t throw hits. That last part might be a bit problematic, but in my opinion you can work around that and not every elite NHLer is known for their physical play. Kindel is a bit small, but his anticipation skill and read of the ice on and off the puck is simply spectacular at times. He always seems to know where everyone is, will be, and how to get them the puck. Huge pass volumes, huge transition involvement, huge efficiency going both directions, great shot selection and volumes, top-end slot pass volume with huge shot assist generation, Kindel is just all around an elite analytics profile from this season. Some of the highest rates of offensive zone turnover generation as well as defensive zone cycle breaks, he just gets in the way of play and marches the puck up the ice with ease. It’s very Tom Brady-like. Not flashy, but against him you probably lose. Projectability to the NHL is still a question that holds him back from being right at the top of my board, but I’m optimistic about his outlook. He doesn’t have escape speed or truly elite puck protection ability, but as a pass-focused supportive centre that is a great 5v5 presence with potential penalty kill potential, I’m a huge, huge fan of what Kindel brings to the table and have greatly enjoyed watching him relative to some of the names behind him on this board.

• #11 | Carter Bear | LW | Everett Silvertips | Dec. Rank (8)

  Bear drops out of the top 10, but I wouldn’t categorize it as a “drop”, but there are limits in Bear’s game that hold him back from being right up there with the best of them this season. He’s feisty, competitive, physical, but highly skilled. He’s the source of half of Everett’s offensive output in my sample with great defensive metrics in transition, but his passing vision and timing does need a bit of work. He finds himself forcing his way out of pressure situations a bit too much and would love to see a bit more open ice success from him in the future. His offensive threat metric trails behind his cohort in this range, but similarly to Anton Frondell, I still see a guy who will fit in somewhere on an NHL team. Offensive output might be a question, but he does the things you need to do to win. Hit, skate, handle the puck, go to the net, be competitive, he’s got it all. I don’t think he projects as a centre but as a winger I think his tools are best utilized and project as well as possible.

• #12 | Michal Svrcek | LW | Brynäs IF | Dec. Rank (53)

  The first likely eyebrow-raiser on the list as Svrcek rockets up to the top 15 after being a second rounder on my December list. The feeling Cullen Potter gives me? Svrcek does the same in so many ways. What changed things was a third viewing of Svrcek at the J20 level where he absolutely ripped apart his opponent, and earned himself a long stint with the SHL team where he most definitely did not look out of place. The SHL is a fast league, and he was right there grinding play and driving good results for a 17 year old at that levels. He’s a fantastic playmaker with great vision but the motor he has off the puck is simply ridiculous. I clocked him as one of the fastest players blueline to blueline in an SHL game and his overall profile looks great. Forechecking, transition involvement, shot volumes from scoring areas, it’s all great. If he can learn to drive into scoring areas a bit more in the SHL he could be absolutely lethal. Between my sampled games in J20 and the SHL, 50% of his team’s offense came off his stick through shots or passes, and he’s undeniably one of the most exciting players likely to be available on day two if you ask me. Of all SHLers at this age, he is the only player who has over a 50% shot differential while on the ice at 5v5 at time of writing, and that is not an easy accomplishment especially when he’s on the ice for playing up to 10 minutes a night at that level. He’s a vicious forechecker with relentless pace, and while he needs to work on his shot release, his skill, playmaking, speed and tenacity are impossible to ignore and I hope that his U18 performance gets him on more radars with a relatively talented Slovak forward group.

• #13 | Braeden Cootes | C | Seattle Thunderbirds | Dec. Rank (16)

  I had a bit of a revelation a few weeks back while speaking with a devoted subscriber of the project where a lot of the things I really love and a lot of the things people question about Braeden Cootes are similar to the chatter about Marat Khusnutdinov all those years ago. Undersized and not the most productive guy playing centre, Cootes is still an easy case to see playing in the middle of an NHL lineup somewhere. The analytical profile isn’t great, but where it’s good, it’s very good. His speed and off-puck anticipation go hand in hand to make a great defense-first centre who carries the puck very well and has a skill level that he can deploy at a high pace of play. I think there’s a good floor to his future, but I do want to see more out of him. Quicker decisions through his passing, another step of quickness to evade and escape pressure, and more attempts to drive into the middle of the ice for scoring chances, but he has some really impressive moments with a combination of talents that a smart team should recognize could play a competitive role down a lineup regardless of his size.

• #14 | Jake O'Brien | C | Brantford Bulldogs | Dec. Rank (20)

  O’Brien moves up a bit on the board, and he leads the crop of smart playmaking centres who may not carry a ton of pace in their game, but simply go with the flow making great reads, adapting to pressure well, keeping pucks away from opponents and driving great possession results with their overall impact. Similar to Kindel, blocking shots isn’t necessarily his forte, but his off-puck results are great. His shot selection is one of the best available, rarely wasting his chances and not shooting pucks from places he won’t score from, and his slot pass numbers are also quite good. He’s one of the best players in the class at finding creative ways through opponents and adapting to play on the fly, I just wonder what his upside is going to be in the NHL as he is. I think there’s plenty to work with though and plenty of traits that I think should help him find a role somewhere in the middle of an NHL lineup.

• #15 | Cameron Schmidt | RW | Vancouver Giants | Dec. Rank (12)

  One week, I feel like Cameron Schmidt is a top 15 guy in this class, and the next week I feel like he’s barely a first round pick. Some games I’ve seen he’s electrifying and all over the ice, some others he’s getting absolutely run over by the opponent and is unable to gain any kind of advantage. He’s on the list of most exciting players available in the entire class though, and you can clearly tell that this is a feisty, competitive player, but the odds are stacked against him a little bit. He’s very, very small, taking up very little space on the ice and is very much defensively absent and ineffective in transition. He’s a fantastic puck carrier though with evasive skill and quick footwork to push players back, which is something he’ll absolutely need to do at higher levels. The weird part of my dataset on Schmidt is that his playmaking attempts outpace his dangerous shot attempts. Most often he’s shooting the puck from the perimeter, but that trend has improved since October. Part of me wonders what better surroundings would do for Schmidt as many of his playmaking attempts go unfinished, and he still is responsible for half of Vancouver’s offense with him on the ice. He’s a pure machine gun offensive player who is going to need good surroundings in order to get to his ceiling, and he’ll need patience and encouragement to get there as well, but if he does, he could be an electrifying offensive zone threat. Are we looking at the next Daniel Sprong? Perhaps, but I’m on the record as a Sprong Stan and in the right scenario, you can get some very good overall output from a player like that.

• #16 | Logan Hensler | RHD | University of Wisconsin Badgers | Dec. Rank (28)

  I see an NHL player in Hensler, but I’m not sure exactly what he’ll do there. He’s mobile, there’s some skill there, and he’s got some good defensive fundamentals, especially on defensive cycles and on the physical side. His metrics across the board are… fine? He’s a smart, safe passer who has had some eyebrow-raising moments in the offensive zone to create chances, he doesn’t pepper the net with shots to get cheap production, and his defensive transition metrics are solid. As a safe, shutdown guy down your lineup, there’s a future there, but you see moments of something more… I just don’t know what the end result is. He’s gotten better as the year has worn on looking more comfortable at NCAA pace, connecting on more passes and gaining some offensive zone confidence. Wisconsin remains a perplexing team/program so I’m not sure how much that factors into what is holding Hensler back, but I felt his World Junior performance was pretty ho-hum, and I’m always a little bit wary of “good at lots of stuff but great at nothing” profiles projecting to high-end NHL roles. He’s got the size, physical edge, skating ability and simple execution on the puck to find some kind of job, but where he goes in the draft? I have no clue but anywhere in the range of this tier would not surprise me in the slightest. He’s improved over the season quite a lot, looking more fluid, mobile and assertive which is a welcome development.

• #17 | Bill Zonnon | C | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | Dec. Rank (22)

  I adore Bill Zonnon’s game and while I think he has a way’s to go to be worth drafting him this high, I see a heck of a team player who is going to shine in the playoffs assuming he gets there at some point. Zonnon is clunky on his feet but he is fast. An aggressive forechecker who drives offensive transitions extremely efficiently, I would love to see Zonnon carry pucks himself a little bit more and control a bit more possession than he already does. His shots tend to come from the most dangerous areas but he also takes plenty of attempts from no-man’s land, and his analytical profile is a little underwhelming on the surface, but you just watch him play and see a guy who could really make a great impact in the NHL. I see him and think William Carrier who was a big, skilled QMJHL forward that was a key forechecking presence on the Vegas Golden Knights as they marched their way to a Stanley Cup victory. I see a bit more finesse and playmaking ability out of Zonnon, but when things get to the NHL level, I think his physicality, speed and raw intensity is what will keep him in the league. He is also underratedly dynamic, stopping up to create gaps and make passes easier but this is something I’d love to see more of in the future. The pace at which he makes plays and participates in forechecks to me is what makes him a more interesting and safer projection than some of the names behind him like Martin, Desnoyers and McQueen. I just would love to see him go over the boards and electrify crowds with his physical, hard-working style of play with moments of skill and finishing ability that could be a very useful combination to have for any roster.

• #18 | Eric Nilson | C | Djurgårdens IF | Dec. Rank (10)

  It seems that the cat is out of the bag on Nilson, and he’s lower on my list than he was in December, but I think I remain his biggest fan in scouting circles. I adore Nilson so much, but his play and output stagnated a little bit as the season wore on. The last game I saw of his was extremely poor to the point that I have to believe that it was an outlier, but through it all he remains a tremendously efficient player with huge pass volumes and success. Similar to Martin, his off puck metrics are great in almost every discipline. The issues are that I believe he really needs to work on getting better scoring chances on his own with low shot volumes in general and poor shot selection on top of that. Nilson also needs to fill out as he’s gone through a bit of a growth spurt and can be knocked off pucks a little too easily without the quickness and skill to get around forecheckers reliably. He’s physical but it’s hard to project as he is. Djurgården has a ton of young talent and are a threat to be promoted to the SHL but regardless could have an exciting team filled with players like Nilson that could foster good development across the board. He didn’t look out of place in his limited HockeyAllsvenskan time, but physical pressure stopped him from being a consistent difference maker. His intelligence, defensive ability and creativity passing the puck is remarkable and I think there’s a ton of developmental headroom to Nilson that could make him a potential steal down the road.

• #19 | Brady Martin | C | Soo Greyhounds | Dec. Rank (43)

  I finally have seen the light on Brady Martin, but only insofar as seeing that he has a very, very projectable NHL floor, and the bar for that type of profile in this draft class being valuable is quite low. He’s got a good frame to work with he drives very good metrics in transition and off the puck, and is perfectly adequate at creating offense for others in the offensive zone with good shot assist rates. He shoots from everywhere and I absolutely need to see a better ability to get to the net and drive pucks into scoring areas himself in order to project as a truly offensive weapon, but he shows all the signs of being perfectly capable to do so. He hits opponents a ton, blocks defensive zone cycles and causes turnovers in the offensive zone at a rate that makes him impossible to not value in this class. I do think his skill level and ability to generate speed could be a developmental hurdle, but at the very least you have a player who is determined, physical and confident in all the ways you need an NHL centre to be down the lineup. There are an assortment of players in this draft that I think could slot in as 3rd line centres in the NHL and Martin is definitely one of the ones I could see being quite good in that role.

• #20 | Caleb Desnoyers | C | Moncton Wildcats | Dec. Rank (26)

  Desnoyers is a bit higher on my board but considering many now have him in the 5-10 range it almost doesn’t matter. He’s going to go before I would take him and that’s fine. I’m willing to see how things go with him and if I’m wrong in my analysis, I’m wrong in my analysis. In many areas his analytical profile is very strong with great playmaking ability, great shot assist generation, landing a lot of scoring chances on his own and running play up the ice well. He’s physical and benefits from offensive zone turnovers with the best of them. Analytically the only hole there is his shot selection with 56% of his attempts coming from the perimeter, so I’m sticking my neck out here a little bit. I just believe that translating him to the NHL is a tough thing to do and I’m not sure what I’d be comfortable doing with him there if not a third line centre, but a very good one at that. I find that Desnoyers isn’t particularly proactive but is very good at being reactive, and in my opinion that limits your NHL potential, especially on the defensive side of the puck. His skill is good but not great, he’s decently quick but doesn’t really escape from pressure well, and I find that he greatly benefits from linemates and sloppy opposition through his apt positioning and quick thinking. I have seen him a ton this year, and it may just be that he doesn’t check the boxes I look for and if I’m incorrect there is some reflection to make, and perhaps I should just depend on my data a little bit more, but Desnoyers has not looked like a top 10 pick in this class to me and we’ll just have to see how things play out from here.

• #21 | Gustav Hillström | C | Brynäs IF | Dec. Rank (NR)

  From unranked to top 20, Hillström has significantly grown on me the more and more I see him... Obviously. I’m not sure there’s a centre in this draft who combines off-puck intelligence and pure skating ability in this class outside of the top group. He’s just pasted to opponents in the SHL, getting involved in play often showcasing flashes of skill that elevates his game and those he plays with. He’s a little bit outmatched in the SHL as he is, but he’s also been playing on the wing in my viewings which is not where he has been playing for the junior team. He’s a long term bet in my view as he could fill out, add another gear and gain some more offensive confidence, but the SHL is a great place for him to develop and learn. He’s got a solid frame to build on, and while I think he’s going to end up a few slots lower on my board at the end of the year, he could be a really great bet to make at the end of the first round this year. In reality he could go significantly later than he should, but plays the centre position exactly how I would want it to be played. Good skill, exceptional smarts with a skating ability to always be in the right places, and offensive headroom to develop, but likely brings a good 200-foot impact to the game that could pair with almost any kind of player on his wings.

• #22 | Radim Mrtka | RHD | Seattle Thunderbirds | Dec. Rank (15)

  I really struggle with what to do with Radim Mrtka. I think he’ll be a player drafted before I would take him, but that’s only because I have more doubts about just how valuable he could be to an NHL roster. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got the size, mobility and reach to make it work, and he’s a hard, crisp passer who defends well in transition and I think he’ll make a good middle pair defenseman who can kill penalties and eat good minutes. If his name came up over a name like Bear, Cootes, or Svrcek, I could very, very easily be swayed to go after Mrtka, his defensive zone impact in pursuit of puck carriers relies too much on his raw reach which feels like a limitation, and I don’t buy his offensive zone play as projectable to the NHL. Going back to last year though, I see similarities to names like Levshunov and Silayev here where there are good tools that are deployed okay but the results and offensive upside are a bit questionable. It’s a tough one for me with Mrtka but I’m very very malleable on this one. He stays where he was in December but this range is remarkably close and there is an argument for him to be the guy at 10 as much as there is for him to be here depending on what you value and what you’re looking for.

• #23 | Ryker Lee | RW | Madison Capitols | Dec. Rank (54)

  As a passionate subscriber of ours puts it: “RYKER YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”. Not much is needed to explain Ryker Lee. The first few games I saw this season, I simply did not see a high end prospect there, but he looks more and more comfortable and confident in the USHL as the year has worn on with point production that has just gotten better and better. He’s one of those high excitement players on the wing that is a pretty simple projection to being a very, very talented college scorer with potential NHL upside. He needs to improve his shot selection, but his skill level and work rate are impressive to say the least. He’s a great forechecker, with excellent offensive instincts, feeding teammates passes in dangerous areas with ease and driving a ton of offense for his team. He has the work rate, skill, creativity and finishing ability to be an offensive leaning finisher if he develops well, and in this range of the draft if you want to swing for a bit more upside and offense, he’s a great option with less questionable downsides. He’s just plain fun, and a very exciting player and in this tier, he’s a reasonable addition in a sea of safer, simpler profiles.

• #24 | Roger McQueen | C | Brandon Wheat Kings | Dec. Rank (11)

  So, I’m not Bob McKenzie or anything, but through the grapevine, things are not looking awesome for Roger McQueen. It’s unclear if his injury is still nagging him somewhat, and reading up on what spondyolysis is, it is essentially a fracture in the part of your spine that prevent one vertebrae from slipping forwards on a vertebrae below. They are essentially struts behind your spinal column that brace the vertebrae from behind. Generally these injuries stem from stretching motions common in volleyball, gymnastics, rugby or ballet. It seems quite unpleasant and in the past it has withheld athletes from pursuing their sports into adulthood. Fun fact, according to Wikipedia, Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor Who was on a path to be a professional soccer player but this same injury forced him out. Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible for McQueen to turn into a great NHLer. I would never do that, but it does add a significant level of risk to the equation especially if you’re considering picking him with one of the earliest picks in the draft. He’s a very big kid, he’s likely going to be putting on more weight from here which adds to spinal concerns. Hockey is a physical sport with plenty of spinal attacks, and twisting motions that are known to aggravate the vertebrae. I didn’t think McQueen was particularly elite in the summer watching him last year, when he was apparently battling injury. I didn’t think he was particularly great before missing time to this injury, and I haven’t thought he’s been great since returning, and all in all, for me it’s just too much risk to really put him higher on the board. Behind him, there are players with risks to hit upside, or pitfalls that might really limit NHL potential, and it’s hard to ignore what McQueen could become if all goes well. He’s a physical player with some great pass vision and moments of high end skill for a big man, but I’m not sure what his projection really is, and it may be because I haven’t seen him play fully healthy in a very very long time. Where he goes in the draft? Not a clue. I’ve been told that drafting him top 10 would indicate you’ve lost your mind, but that’s probably not a universally held belief. He may very well be a player a team throws a flyer at around where I have him ranked but I have absolutely no clue how to come down in his case at this point.

• #25 | Justin Carbonneau | RW | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | Dec. Rank (27)

  I said it in December and I’ll say it again. If the NHL were a one-on-one or two-on-two league, Carbonneau is likely a top five pick. This is not that, however. Carbonneau is a very skilled, very confident offensive player with huge slot pass volumes and dangerous shot attempts. He’s a very good offensive transition player in transition, especially carrying the puck, but my god are there holes in his game. Those slot passes are often directed at nobody. His raw pass volumes and success are very poor for a scoring forward. He’s ineffective defensively and leaky on backchecks that I just have so many questions about. Similar to Cam Schmidt, he’s everywhere on my list given the week, but he can be simultaneously so interesting and so frustrating and in a sea of players with a bit more confidence to reach important NHL roles, it just knocks him down a few pegs in this tier.

• #26 | Malcolm Spence | LW | Erie Otters | Dec. Rank (19)

  Malcolm Spence has been essentially the exact same read for me from October through today. He is a pretty easy to project player who could slot in as a physical bottom six winger with some good puck protection skill and forechecking ability. His shot threat is legitimate from mid-range, his offensive transition results are perfectly adequate, but I just don’t know how high he’ll get up an NHL lineup. If he keeps his playmaking simple, he can be successful, but his overall offensive threat level trails others in this class, and his defensive impact has been underwhelming in transition and on defensive zone cycles. I think he’s a relatively safe and projectable pick for almost any team with the physical tools he brings and how he can play under pressure with the puck, but I just wonder about his NHL upside and haven’t been able to craft an argument that would put him in a potential top-6 role with good point production.

Tier 5 - Some Pretty Solid Options Too

• #27 | Sascha Boumedienne | LHD | Boston University Terriers | Dec. Rank (40)

  This is another player who I’ve gone back and forth on every single time I’ve seen him. I was a little bit down on where others had Boumedienne to start the year, but in this class, he quickly becomes an intriguing project to build on that could be a good development case that matures into a solid possession-focused defenseman with great skating ability who really thrives in the offensive zone. His range allows him to gather pucks quickly and effectively, he’s got some interesting tricks to pull off in order to push into the neutral zone, and the skill level is pretty good for a defender in this class. That said, his defensive results and video evidence are a mixed bag. While on paper he isn’t getting filled in in the defensive zone, he struggles on the rush with his backwards skating and mobility, and there just isn’t much of a physical edge to his defending as of right now. Like Hensler, it is very difficult for me to project exactly what Boumedienne could be, but if I had to put money on it, I could see a mobile bottom four defender that I might experiment with on the power play who carries some issues tracking defensive rushes, but uses his footwork and speed to win races and defend through his positioning. Time will tell, and I’ll see him at least a couple more times before the end of the season, but he’s moved up quite a bit here and has become an interesting curiosity in this class.

• #28 | Shane Vansaghi | RW | Michigan State Spartans | Dec. Rank (18)

  There’s a bit of a pattern with players around this part of the board. I just don’t really know exactly what kind of realistic NHL ceiling there is. In Vansaghi’s case I do see a player who has an obvious style of play that is definitely needed in the NHL, and in limited usage he does drive very good results in important areas of the game for a great NCAA program. He’s a main generator of offense while on the ice with 42% shot attempt creation, he’s one of the most active physical players in the draft, he has great forechecking results, and gets a very good share of his own chances from right in front of the net. I still just don’t know how much he’ll be able to make an impact on NHL teams with the puck without some great development from here. His skating is fluid in open ice and forechecking but clunky when anticipating and getting through defensive pressure. He’s had some impressive flashes of skill and powerful net drives, but it hasn’t been particularly consistent. All that said I still believe he’s a pretty safe bet to translate into some kind of depth physical menace who can chip in offensively here and there, and I could see a player willing to go over the boards and just attack the opponent in an checking role. He’s lower than he was to start the year, but it’s only because his profile has remained relatively stagnant and somewhat limited, but very focused. I could see him go earlier than this, but he could be a nice auxiliary piece for a team to add on day two.

• #29 | Cameron Reid | LHD | Kitchener Rangers | Dec. Rank (24)

  I’ve seen Reid in person a number of times this season and tracked a good sample on him datawise, and I keep finishing games thinking that Cameron Reid is a very good player at this level, but wondering what he is going to be in the NHL leaves me wondering who he reminds me of. To me, Reid is at his best when doing two things: Skating forwards and attacking defenders head on, and short to medium distance passing. His timing, patience and vision are all very very good, able to keep things safe and smart all the way up the ice more often than not. The defensive side of the game is more of a question mark. Yes, his volume of shots against from scoring areas is quite low, but I think that’s more a testament to the hard skating group that fills Kitchener’s roster helping him out, as his rate of breaking up defensive zone cycles is low, he isn’t a particularly physical defender, and his involvement in defensive transitions is relatively low. His success in those situations largely depends on sitting back and letting play come to him, with relying on stick checks and positioning to gain possession back. I’d love to see him work on his gap control to make his stick checking more present and effective. With Reid though, I go back to wondering what he does in the NHL with his style of play. I don’t know if he has the offensive tools to outperform the potential defensive holes in his game, but when the puck is on his stick, he can really shine. There are echoes here of Thomas Harley to me a little bit, but Harley was essentially just a bigger, more offensively aggressive version of Reid. I could see Reid be a curious talent-based flyer a team takes in the 2nd round and fans scratch their heads a little bit, but Reid strikes me as the kid of defenseman that NHL teams might balk at a little bit. I could be wrong, and he’s a first rounder to me, but I think back to my notes and thoughts on a name like Luca Cagnoni, and I definitely felt there was a bit more of a projectable NHL style of offensive defenseman there than in Reid.

• #30 | Blake Fiddler | RHD | Edmonton Oil Kings | Dec. Rank (25)

  I might regret having Fiddler this low in the future, and if I were working for a team and his name came up in the 20s somewhere, he’d be worth discussing, but every game I’ve seen him, I just see a player who is well-rounded, safe, and carries the same playstyle that NHL scouts seem to be looking for these days, but whenever I track data on him, things just come out looking a little differently. There are times when Fiddler really pops with a great offensive rush, or jumping into a rush with others and pushing play to the net with some of the highest rates of dangerous shot attempts of defensemen in this draft, but everything else is pretty mixed. He’s moderately physical, moderately successful breaking up defensive cycles, has huge pass volumes with acceptable results, even if there are questionable decisions at times, and his transition efficiency is perfectly fine as well. He’s a bit too passive for my preferences, especially offensively, but I’m sure that can be changed. He’s young, and he’ll get plenty of rope to develop with so perhaps I have him too low, but I’ve also seen a player who can be beaten by faster, more aggressive players at this level especially on the rush. He’s a player that I think will play NHL games, I just believe there are swings you could take that might find their way higher into an NHL lineup, but at the end of the day, all these names might come out in the wash based on their play style, strengths and areas of improvement.

• #31 | Cole McKinney | C | U.S. National U18 Team | Dec. Rank (NR)

  A player I definitely have seen the light on in recent months. I’ll admit it took some folks to point me in the right direction but once I started analyzing McKinney, I haven’t looked back. Now, I don’t think he’s destined for NHL greatness, but I do think he’s destined for the NHL, and in a valuable role. There were times where I had him higher on the list and I could take him earlier in the first round for sure, but there are definitely questions. What isn’t in question is his resilience and ability to think under pressure. He’s a major driver of offense for the NTDP, and I believe he’s a major source of where Jack Murtagh’s offense has come from. McKinney is a natural centre who sucks in defensive pressure and defuses that pressure with ease, and to me that is very, very valuable. If you love guys like Brady Martin and he’s off the board, McKinney is a solid consolation prize. A very, very efficient transition player with great stick checking ability and a capable carrier, passer, and off-puck receiver through the neutral zone, McKinney has a little bit of everything is a good way from what I’ve seen. I don’t know if I see more than a bottom two line centre here, but getting that on day two is a successful pick and something tells me he might be a guy that moves up the board as more and more people see more of him, especially at the U18s.

• #32 | Benjamin Kevan | RW/C | Des Moines Buccaneers | Dec. Rank (38)

  Benjamin Kevan is a little bit of a boom or bust player, but every time I’ve seen him, I’ve seen some very interesting potential. There’s a ways to go to get there and his offensive game is very difficult to project to the NHL, but he’s an impressive skater on the forecheck and creating gaps to make himself a breakout pass target. He’s one of the less active passers with the puck in transition, and he’s going to need to get stronger to fight off and evade pressure at higher levels, but he drove play up the ice very successfully more often than not. He’s one of the worst in the class when it comes to shot selection, peppering the net from all over the offensive zone and not really generating offense for linemates while on the ice. All that said, I can’t help but feel like there’s something more to Kevan in the future. Working dump and chases a bit more, making quicker decisions in the offensive zone to generate shots from other players he’s on the ice with, and coaching down the shot-based tendency he has a bit. He’s one of the most active transition threats of all wingers in this class, and he brings a great flow to his skating stride, but he’s a work in progress likely to need a good college stint to be a likely NHL projection.

• #33 | Leo Sundqvist | RW | Brynäs IF | Dec. Rank (NR)

  Another player I had completely unranked, but was on my radar after first seeing Michal Svrcek earlier in the season. I’m surprised there hasn’t been any attention pointed towards the Brynäs boys, considering all three in Svrcek, Hillström and Sundqvist have all worked their way into the SHL, played for more than 60 seconds in a game, and have landed production on the team that finished first in the league this year. All three haven’t looked out of place at that level of play and are likely to be there for extended looks next year considering how this season has gone. Sundqvist is about two things: Go Fast, Score Goals. He is quick, can get away from pressure easily and is a ruthless finisher once in the offensive zone. In the SHL I clocked him as one of the fastest players in the draft on the rush off the puck, and his SHL data, especially on the offensive side of the puck has been very impressive, albeit in a short sample. He has landed a silly number of scoring chances for a player in the SHL, he’s generating offense for his linemates at a steady rate, he’s underratedly pesky and physical with very high defensive transition involvement, and while I think there’s a bit of a tough road ahead, I could easily see him being one of the most exciting options in this class very quickly. He’s very compact, and needs to work on his puck control, especially settling pucks on receptions in the neutral zone, but there’s so much to be curious about in his game that has really surprised me. Since October he’s been a glitter player I’ve been curious about, but once I saw him and the other Brynäs Boys in the SHL together, they’ve all really shown some great potential to bet on long term.

• #34 | Quinn Beauchesne | RHD | Guelph Storm | Dec. Rank (52)

  Every time I see Quinn Beauchesne, I go out of my way to go “ok maybe this is the time where I really fall off the train”, and I finish the game, look at my list, and simply cannot move him anywhere. I really love this kid, and he plays such an effective, modern and underrated style of defending that I think could be more visible in the NHL in time. Beauchesne may not be big, but he’s also not small at all at 6’0” and almost 190 pounds. With three points in 13 games going into the CHL/NTDP Challenge series, Beauchesne has steadily become more productive with 17 points in his 27 games he’s played in 2025, good for a 22.4% involvement in Guelph’s offense over that time. If he had kept that pace for the full season, he’d be near a 50 point performance with higher involvement than Cameron Reid, and we’re talking about Cameron Reid being ranked in the middle of the first round. Obviously I’m cherry-picking here, but Beauchesne has really seemed to regress into what I thought was there when I saw him early in the year. He sees the ice extremely well, clearly seeing options, and while his pass execution isn’t always great, when he’s really on, he’s a great juggler of options in the neutral zone. He’s often deceptive, faking various options and keeping opponents guessing. I’ve seen him try some really impressive passing ideas in the offensive zone as well, and he just seems like such a great personality to have around on top of it all. I’ve watched so much of him this year because he’s one I want to be sure about considering I’m on a bit of an island with him. He’s mobile, tactically precise and effective defensively, physical when you need him to be, and has some offensive upside that I’d love to dig into over the next few years as the Guelph Storm hopefully work their way up the OHL standings.

• #35 | Cole Reschny | C | Victoria Royals | Dec. Rank (17)

  I’ll admit that at time of writing I watched the Victoria Royals in the playoffs last night and Reschny tore a hole through the net on a 3rd period goal he scored against Tri-City, so it pains me extra to have him this low. Let me be clear, I love Cole Reschny. I really, really want him to be an NHL player because he just does so, so much to earn everything he gets on the ice. 92 points this year were hard-earned through battling under pressure, thinking creatively on the fly, and just showcasing high end cerebral traits that made him a huge, huge threat that has rejuvinated a Victoria Royals organization that has had zero players drafted off their team go to the NHL. Is Reschny the first? I so, so badly want him to be. He’s small, but plays a big man’s game so well at this level. Resilient, adaptive, smart and efficient, he’s anticipating play well, getting plenty of scoring chances from mid-range, and thrives as a playmaker in the offensive zone. A fantastic puck carrier who just doesn’t get much of a chance to carry pucks as much as I’d like, he does lack a level of speed and agility that a player his size likely will desperately need in the NHL in order to producer. To me, it’s a make-or-break level hurdle, but I’m cheering for him the whole way. I could easily see a guy like Reschny slip in the draft into the 3rd round or something and similar to Cameron Reid be a curiousity that could develop into something in time. Last year, Clarke Caswell was the highly intelligent, creative and precise player that was tough to project but was a personal favorite and he fell all the way to the 5th round. If something similar happens to Reschny, he could very easily find his way onto Team Scouching as the second or third name taken off my list

• #36 | Jakob Ihs-Wozniak | RW/C | Luleå HF | Dec. Rank (NR)

  Ihs-Wozniak has really taken a turn this season in my opinion. I don’t know if someone had a talk with him or what, but over the course of this season Ihs-Wozniak has really found a competitive and intense brand of play that has led him to great success. His analytical profile is very good across the board, and there isn’t much I can poke holes in, but I’d love to see him have a bit more resistance to physical pressure to generate more dangerous scoring chances for himself, and I think his skill level and raw pace needs to improve in order to really hit a good ceiling. In the SHL he seemed to showcase a bit of an inability to keep up and stay ahead of the flow of play, getting closed in on quickly without creating a solution, but he’s still got a good frame to build on, with smart offensive instincts that may not always be remarkably flashy, but they’re effective. He’s become more punishing along the boards and is applying himself on forechecks much better, so we’ll see where he goes from here. I’ve grown to enjoy his game, and I think he could develop quite well from here, but he just finds himself slipped behind players who show a little bit more right now that I could bet on more easily.

• #37 | Adam Benák | F | Youngstown Phantoms | Dec. Rank (30)

  Part of me is thinking that there’s been a bit of an overcorrection on Adam Benak, but it is also pretty clear that he has had to reprogram a lot of how he plays the game while in the USHL. His first few performances I saw were legitimately troubling as he looked like he was working his tail off trying to be a major focal point of the team and just couldn’t get anything going, especially with the puck. As time has worn on, I think he’s become much more comfortable in a more limited but concentrated role as a more complimentary play facilitator on the rush while coming alive a bit more in the offensive zone with a bit less overall responsibility. He’s quick, but I don’t think he has the speed necessary for a small forward in the NHL yet. He’s got skill, but his frame is so small that pulling pucks around opponents doesn’t really help him as much as it does at lower levels. To counter that, making passes quicker, being more aware of open space and using his quickness to pop in and out of play has been a benefit. He’s still responsible for half of Youngstown’s offense and I’d say his profile is more promising than a player like Kevan’s, but the concerns are greater with a bit more of a questionable map ahead. I still believe in Adam, and if teams overcorrect and he’s a player you could take a flyer on in the middle rounds, you could be rewarded in the future, but I’ll admit the chances may be lower than I thought they’d be to start the season.

• #38 | Eddie Genborg | LW | Linköping HC | Dec. Rank (69)

  A big, straightforward power winger, Eddie Genborg goes over the boards and does his thing. He hits, he forechecks, and he goes to the net. Skills training definitely could unlock a bit more offense at higher levels like we see a little bit more in the J20 level, but I think he projects much more simply as a hard skating, powerful player who is relatively easy to see in the NHL doing something someday on a wing. He just does things coaches need players to do, and does them pretty well, while also being a pretty effective puck carrier which is always a bonus. I hate to be so brief with Genborg, but he’s just an archetype that is very necessary, but also very straightforward. A good, resilient and physical force who keeps his game simple and effective that should translate to North America just fine. Where he goes from there might just be up to what coach needs someone like him somewhere in a lineup.

• #39 | Milton Gästrin | C | MoDo Hockey | Dec. Rank (29)

  I go up and down on Gästrin every time I see him. If this were a competition of “who has the most incredible highlight”, he might be very high on the list. He’s extremely efficient in transition with excellent puck carrying ability, good skill on the fly to control pucks, and is a massive volume passer in scoring areas to drive massive amounts of MoDo’s offense. I just wonder about his lack of a physical game, and being much, much more active on the offensive side of the puck with possession than on the defensive side without it. He comes and goes, is opportunistic waiting for offensive opportunity, but still a huge offensive driver for his team. I don’t know if he projects as a centre in the NHL, but a good, offensive leaning winger is possible, especially if he gains a bit more pace and physical edge in his game. I found his SHL tape illustrative of some issues in his game long term, but that doesn’t mean he’s a non-option. He’d be a great, fun upside option early on day 2 that might find his way into day 1, but he’s a bit of a wild card to me.

• #40 | Tomas Galvas | LHD | Bílí Tygři Liberec | Dec. Rank (75)

  The first re-entry on the list this year is one of my favorites from last year in small defender Tomas Galvas. Yes, he’s a bit small and physically underdeveloped, and I was skeptical of his improvements going into the World Juniors this year, but I thought that he was a fantastic part of the bronze medal winning Czech roster, and relative to many other defensemen in the tournament who had been drafted, let alone in the early rounds, I didn’t think he looked out of place whatsoever. If I were king of an NHL team, he would’ve been a draft pick last year, but he’s back this year and looking like another intriguing option. He’s skilled, shifty, creative, and mobile, with great production this year, especially internationally at the U20 level. If he gets picked, it’ll be to a team willing to think outside of the box who thinks there’s nobody projectable left in the draft, but to me, I think Galvas is just a defenseman who is unconventionally successful that is hard to weigh against his issues. The draft gets wide open real fast this year, but Galvas remains a good option who is likely to be a key focal point in his third World Junior tournament in December.

• #41 | Arvid Drott | RW | Djurgårdens IF J20 | Dec. Rank (23)

  I’ve cooled off significantly on Drott since the beginning of the season, but only because other players have looked more intriguing as the year has gone on and it just knocked him down a little bit at a time. I still believe he’s one of the more underrated players in the draft, driving half of his team’s offense while on the ice, with huge transition involvement with great offensive success, and showing a bit of a physical edge that could be fostered in the future. He’s very shot-heavy and I would love to see him diversify his offensive game a little better, slowing down a bit, taking a look and utilizing linemates a bit more, but he’s a fluid-footed player who can generate speed effectively. He needs to work on the finer points of his skill level, especially at higher speeds, and improving his shot release likely leads to converting on more of his attempts. The data on him is mixed but more positive than negative, the video I have is very similar, but I believe there’s something there worth betting on that you can stash in Sweden for a few years. He’s a guy who gets his scoring chances in a variety of ways, which projects well, but he never comes across as particularly dominant relative to the other Swedes higher up on my board. An interesting player for sure, and I’ll be very interested to see where he lands in the draft, but he’s a bit of a ways away from an NHL projection.

• #42 | L.J. Mooney | RW | U.S. National U18 Team | Dec. Rank (21)

  I’m still so upset at the injury L.J. Mooney was handed earlier this year. Just when I thought he was finding his legs and confidence, he explodes and misses a length of time with a knee injury. I saw the first couple games he played on the mend and he just did not look the same whatsoever and my hopes of him being a favorite in the class were somewhat dashed. Since January 1, Mooney has landed 18 points in 16 games and my last few games have been a huge step up from early in the season. Mooney is incredibly exciting, hard-working and dynamic and the last handful of performances I’ve seen have been a ton of fun. Surprising to many, he’s one of the most physically involved players in the whole draft class, being relentless with applying pressure all over the ice and doing whatever he can to outperform the questions he faces about his size. He’s still very much a complimentary offensive player, but one heck of an exciting option at that. His quickness, agility, skill level, and playmaking creativity is simply wonderful, and he has the work rate to do his best to overcome his size limitations. He’s another player who I think people will overcorrect on and let fall in the draft, and while he’s a longshot to be an NHL player, if he hits, he’s going to be awesome. His style of play requires near perfect execution and constant effort, but I just can’t not believe in the guy.

• #43 | Daniil Prokhorov | RW | MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg | Dec. Rank (NR)

  Everyone’s favorite new giant Russian has hit the stage. Prokhorov has been a curiosity of mine for most of the season after early viewings of other MHLers. He’s enormous, with a great shot he uses very often, and certainly gets the puck into scoring areas a ton. Many of the numbers I’ve tracked so far are real, real good, with physicality, forechecking ability, huge transition involvement, and strong dual threat offense. He is a player that I believe is going to be a bit of a project though. He struggles to gain separation from opponents with his skating ability at the MHL level, and his skill level while good in one on one confrontations is a bit more questionable in transition on pass receptions. Finding targets to hit with passes is also a bit mixed, with questionable pass vision and quick decisions leading to turnovers. I need to see more on him and track more data, but he’s an interesting package of tools that I could see a team take much higher than this and leave in Russia for a time. If his name came up earlier than I have him slotted, I could take the chance on him, but I’m not sure as I’m sold as others on him at this point.

• #44 | Cole Temple | F | Everett Silvertips | Dec. Rank (60)

  I’ll shout out my Puck Preps colleague and Regina-based pal Joel Henderson for flagging Cole Temple early in the year. I did like what I saw of him with the Pats but he really had very little to work with while on the ice. Funnily enough, he gets swapped to one of the best WHL teams we’ve seen in a while in the Everett Silvertips who play with the energy, creativity and drive that Temple brings and he immediately fit in well and while he last stretch of games haven’t been as productive, you still see plenty of potential and upside in Temple’s game. He’s fast, aggressive and a slippery playmaker once the puck is in the offensive zone. He does seem to struggle actually generating shots on net from threatening areas, which is a roadblock, but he’s remarkably effective moving the puck up the ice in any fashion with good defensive involvement. He’s an excellent forechecker as well and is a little bit similar to my read on Ben Kevan. There are signs of something more, but it will take time and work to get there. He’s no guarantee, but he’s a hard worker who is an admirable player that has some issues that could hold him back.

• #45 | Vaclav Nestrasil | RW | Muskegon Lumberjacks | Dec. Rank (76)

  Another gigantic project, Nestrasil has been somewhat mixed on paper but shows plenty of potential when you watch him. He throws himself into contact and forechecks well, and has moments of great creativity, pulling pucks around opponents, using footwork to change angles on opponents and create options for himself. He’s got a great release on his shot and his play has steadily improved over the course of the season. Muskegon struggles to generate dangerous offense with him on the ice, as he can be a little bit careless with passes in transition and finding ways through opponents with puck possession, but there’s potential here. Big, range-y, with good skill and an impressive wrist shot, he has traits that you need, and traits you can build on long term. If he goes much higher I wouldn’t be surprised. This tier is huge for a reason, I just see other players with a bit of a clearer profile a bit higher than Nestrasil, but he’s an interesting curiousity to keep track of.

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Tier 6 - A Bunch of Neat Swings and Meanies

Tier 7 - Fine Fellas and Longshots

The Watchlist

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Thanks for reading and perusing! If you have any thoughts, definitely reach out at any of my social media links, or swing by Scouching Live, Monday nights at 8pm EST or Thursday afternoons at 2pm EST! We take all your questions and answer as many as we can, and it’s always a ton of fun!