2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 9):

RHC Lucas Karmiris (5'11",190lbs)
Brampton (OHL): 39gp/ 13g/ 21a/ 34pts, +17, 28 PIM

Center Lucas Karmiris (ranked # 83 NA Skaters) is one of the older players in this draft class, with a Sept.27, 2006 birthday, and has suffered through injury trouble this season, as well as a bit of a diminished role due to some of the off-season additions to the Steelheads. Karmiris is an intelligent pivot who impacts his team's play in a positive way in all three zones, and as a bonus- he plays a physical game. He is an excellent skater with a smooth stride and good speed who wins races to loose pucks, separates in open ice, and plays with pace, drawing penalties by forcing the hand of defenders to avoid being burned. His edges and agility are solid- he's slippery and evasive, and can spin off of checks. A physical player, he displays ample amounts of grit and makes his presence felt on the forecheck by initiating contact to cause disruption and uncontrolled play. He dishes out hard, heavy hits all over the ice, and wins battles along the wall.

Karmiris handles well, and his puck-protection skills help him to fight off checkers, and to further evade pressure; he also catches very well, with the ability to settle down wild passes quickly while in flight, and the hand-eye coordination to knock pucks down out of mid-air, right to his handling radius. Like a miniature power-forward, he drives the middle with confidence, and crashes the net to score the ugly goals- he gets most of his tallies through working hard and battling in-tight. He can score from a distance though, as he owns a fairly hard and accurate shot, with a quick and deceptive release to fool goalies, and a deft use of screens. In front of the net, he will park himself in the low slot to battle for chances, and he has soft mitts to beat goalies in-close. Karmiris reads the play extremely well, positioning himself advantageously in open areas off-puck to make himself a playable option for teammates. He is capable of driving play, and though he may not be the most exciting or dynamic player to watch, or the most outright creative, he displays above-average offensive awareness with plus-level playmaking vision, to go with well-honed distribution skill that enables him to connect with teammates through crisp, accurate passing. He is able to see teammates through layers of traffic, and can pass over and under sticks, through triangles, and between feet to create high-danger opportunities in the slot. Competitiveness is one of the pillars of his game, and he finds success with his high-end motor and tenacity; he sprints to loose pucks, and is good on the faceoff dot. In transition, he forces defenseman back with his speed and blistering pace when flying through the middle of the neutral zone on the rush, and connects plays with short passes and give-and-go sequences.

Karmiris excels defensively, and is very active without the puck- relentless in his puck-pursuit, and highly disruptive with his reach and energetic stick to force broken plays, clog lanes, and intercept passes. His speed and tenacity help him to apply pressure to opponents and take away their time and space, with solid awareness of his surroundings, and spotless positioning. He supports his D down low and in front of the net, covering for them when they have to leave their post, and will throw hits to win pucks, or grind attackers down along the wall. A stalwart defensive player and penalty-killer who is relentless on the backcheck, he can be used in a shutdown role against other teams' top players, and he can be put out late in the game to protect a lead. Stylistically speaking, Karmiris reminds me a bit of Daymond Langkow, in that he's neither flashy or dynamic, but gets the job done in both ends of the ice. Scouts won't like his age, and he has to keep improving his size, strength, shot, and finishing ability, but I think he has a middle-six ceiling with a high NHL-floor. Look for him in the third, or fourth round.

[The Fonz]

Did Reschny get injured? Saw his stat line was 1G 2A +4 for game 1, and then can’t find him on the boxscore for game 2.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Jett Lajoie. That reminded me of Jon Lajoie the Canadian actor/comedian. LoL Pretty sure there is no connection between the two, but it did make me suddenly make me laugh remembering him.
/irrelevant thought.

[Canada 02]

talented giraffe

https://twitter.com/user/status/1903866257176477894

[stemit14]

This is directed at anyone with decent knowledge of this draft class but I imagine Sandman would know the best on this forum…can you think of any forwards likely to go in the range of the New Jersey pick or Florida pick who are near the top of this draft class in skating ability? Wondering if there are any burners that would be a decent target for the Flames.

It’s not that I think that’s the most important skill. It just seems like it’s been a while since the flames drafted someone that had high-end speed (Emile Poirier, maybe?). Seems like the flames rarely prioritize that particular skill over hockey IQ and puck skills. Maybe because they have such a great skating coach in their system. Seems to be a very common footnote for flames forwards that are drafted to be either “skates well for his size” or “needs to work on his skating”. It’s rarely (if ever) “elite skater” or “one of the fastest players in the draft”.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Did Reschny get injured? Saw his stat line was 1G 2A +4 for game 1, and then can’t find him on the boxscore for game 2.

He didn't play last game for Victoria, not sure if he's injured or if they're just giving him a rest for the playoffs.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by stemit14

This is directed at anyone with decent knowledge of this draft class but I imagine Sandman would know the best on this forum…can you think of any forwards likely to go in the range of the New Jersey pick or Florida pick who are near the top of this draft class in skating ability? Wondering if there are any burners that would be a decent target for the Flames.

It’s not that I think that’s the most important skill. It just seems like it’s been a while since the flames drafted someone that had high-end speed (Emile Poirier, maybe?). Seems like the flames rarely prioritize that particular skill over hockey IQ and puck skills. Maybe because they have such a great skating coach in their system. Seems to be a very common footnote for flames forwards that are drafted to be either “skates well for his size” or “needs to work on his skating”. It’s rarely (if ever) “elite skater” or “one of the fastest players in the draft”.

Players with speed in our range:

C Carter Bear
RW Cam Schmidt
C Braeden Cootes
C Jack Murtagh
LW Cullen Potter

Players like C Brady Martin, C Cole Reschny, C Will Moore, C Cole McKinney, C Ben Kindel, and C Jake O'Brien are good skaters, but need work.

Out of the above players, the only one that is truly elite is Cullen Potter.

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by stemit14

This is directed at anyone with decent knowledge of this draft class but I imagine Sandman would know the best on this forum…can you think of any forwards likely to go in the range of the New Jersey pick or Florida pick who are near the top of this draft class in skating ability? Wondering if there are any burners that would be a decent target for the Flames.

It’s not that I think that’s the most important skill. It just seems like it’s been a while since the flames drafted someone that had high-end speed (Emile Poirier, maybe?). Seems like the flames rarely prioritize that particular skill over hockey IQ and puck skills. Maybe because they have such a great skating coach in their system. Seems to be a very common footnote for flames forwards that are drafted to be either “skates well for his size” or “needs to work on his skating”. It’s rarely (if ever) “elite skater” or “one of the fastest players in the draft”.

Luke Misa is an elite skater.

[Sandman]

Yeah, the only thing about Misa that isn’t high-end is his size. He’s a transition beast who drives play, and is an excellent defensive player, too.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 10):

RW Lirim Amidovski (6'1",174lbs)
North Bay (OHL): 67gp/ 19g/ 13a/ 32pts, -10, 38 PIM

RW Lirim Amidovski (ranked #85 NA Skaters) ended the OHL regular season with a bang, picking up 4 points in the final 3 games, with a +7 for the North Bay Battalion- who finished in a tie with the Greyhounds for 14th-overall in the standings, but were second-last in goals-for. Though he is outperforming his stats (he is 5th in scoring for North Bay, 2nd in goals), he is a bit older by draft standards with a Dec.22, 2006 birthday. Amidovski was one of the better players in January's OHL Top Prospects Game for Team East, picking up a goal and a primary assist on a line that also featured Owen Griffin and Aiden Young. He is a north-south power-winger with a workmanlike approach and a robust physical game, who moves the needle with his high-end workrate and relentless motor. A workhorse who rides his intensity and keeps defenders on their toes with his pace, he is highly involved and engaged, and seems to be in the middle of every play when he is on the ice. To separate man from puck, he hits hard, initiating contact early and often, and throws his weight around in all three zones. He forechecks like a heat-seeking missile, with physicality and tenacity to bring havoc to puck-carriers, and wins battles in the trenches- he is often borderline dominant along the boards and down low.

Amidovski drives the middle and attacks the net, exhibiting soft hands in-tight and keen hand-eye coordination for tipping shots. He will park himself in front of the net to provide a screen, and battle for position to pick up garbage around the crease. Like a true power-forward, he will lean into defenders to barge his way inside, and will crash the crease in search of second-chance opportunities. Though he gets most of his looks close-in, and is a very inside-driven scorer, his shot is a strength of his and he can fire it off while in-flight. He uses screens well, and can fire off the catch- both his wrister and one-timer are hard and heavy. There isn't a whole lot of flash-and-dash in his game, and though he shows glimpses of high-end playmaking at times, he doesn't look dynamic or very crafty; he has intelligence and good ideas, but lacks the skills to execute, and needs better precision in his passes. He does read the play well however, making an effort to funnel pucks to the middle, and creates advantages for teammates with his presence in the slot, and by drawing defenders off-puck with his forays up the middle. He's not a burner, but he moves well in a straight-line, and augments his speed with his high workrate- he can beat defenders wide on occasion, win races, separate in open-ice, and is able to keep up with smaller players when pursuing the puck. Going forward, his agility, balance, and edgework will need a bit of work.

There's some value in his transitional game, but he keeps it relatively safe and simple with short passes to connect plays, give-and-go patterns, and often chipping-and-chasing. He skates his routes hard off-puck with a high activity rate to open space on the rush, and there's some deception tactics in the form of shifts of weight and fakes to make his way through traffic when he has possession. Even still, though he owns tight puck-protection skills, he needs work on his puck-control as his hands have some difficulty in keeping up with his feet when in full-stride. Amidovski is often the first forward back in the defensive zone on the backcheck to force dump-ins, cause turnovers, and affect uncontrolled plays, with a heavy approach. He is an excellent penalty-killer, exhibiting high awareness, staunch positioning, and smart use of his stick to kill plays. He is engaged, disruptive, and smart defensively, and displays good details and habits. Amidovski will put up much bigger numbers in the two years to come, but even though he is quite impactful, he may never be a top-six player in the pros- there's an NHL player here though, with good potential. Look for him in the middle-rounds.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 11):

RW Aidan Lane (6'2",192lbs)
Brampton (OHL): 13gp/ 7g/ 6a/ 13pts, +10, 2 PIM
St.Andrews College "C" (PHC): 14gp/ 7g/ 14a/ 21pts, 28 PIM
St.Andrews College (U18 AAA): 55gp/ 34g/ 52a/ 86pts, 52 PIM

Winger Aidan Lane (ranked # 114 NA Skaters) is no longer a big secret, and has been breaking necks with how quickly he's been turning heads with Brampton. He was only playing part-time in the OHL while he spent the majority of his season in Prep Hockey (second in scoring in the league), with an eye of playing for Harvard next year; he only joined the Steelheads at the beginning of March- when his time at St.Andrews came to a close, taking advantage of the new rules that allow CHL players to commit to University teams. Lane looks comfortable in the OHL as a two-way power-forward with high motor and skill, and though he was known primarily as a pass-first playmaker in the Prep league, his stats with Brampton paint him as more of a goal-scorer- this could be due to the fact that he's having to get used to having less time and space to make decisions. Still, he reads the play well and reacts quickly, making sound decisions that put teammates in advantageous positions, with crisp, accurate feeds. He is showing glimpses of his playmaking vision, always skating with his head up to scan his surroundings, and displays a good awareness of space in finding open lanes- he can pass cross-ice, and finds teammates in the slot.

Lane is inside-driven, and finds space in the slot to fill at just the right time. He owns good hands in-tight, and occupies space at the net-front to tip shots with his high-end hand-eye coordination and keen sense of timing. He creates offense off the rush, and will crash the crease for chances. Shooting is another strength of his, displaying a blistering catch-and-release wrister, as well as a bomb of a one-timer- both of which he can use to score from distance. Off the puck, his positioning is well-developed to support the play in all three zones, extend offensive-zone time on the cycle, and stay playable in high-danger. Though he is still learning to keep his feet moving in the OHL, he is a solid skater with a quick short-burst and a peppy first-step, but he could use another gear on his top-end. He employs fluid mechanics on a long stride, and he's fairly agile with some lateral mobilty; he makes quick cuts, and pivots away from checks rather smoothly. Lane exerts tight puck-protection using his long wingspan while shielding the puck from checkers with his body, keeps his feet moving through contact, and can make plays while being pinned to the boards. He controls the puck well, and displays deft handling in small-areas.

Lane plays a physical game, but economical in the way that he usually only initiates bodychecks when there's a distinct purpose to it. He uses his frame to win inside position, skates through hands, wins battles in greasy areas, pushes opponents off the puck, shoves attackers away in races, and will throw hits to dislodge pucks and win possession. Like a true power-forward he will drop a shoulder and leverage his size and strength to bulldoze his way to the middle, and he overpowers defenders in net-front battles. On the forecheck, he engages his adversaries with speed and physicality to force mistakes. On the backcheck, he does much of the same to put pressure on opponents to force turnovers and uncontrolled plays, while making smart decisions with loose pucks off of retrievals. In the defensive zone, he exhibits sound positioning and awareness, and plays aggressive in launching himself at puck-carriers. In transition, he skates mostly north-south routes and makes simple plays to avoid turnovers, but will use delays and cutbacks when needed to maintain position. It may not be fair to call him a "hidden gem" anymore, as I would imagine the scouting world has taken notice. He needs to work on his skating and stength, and will have plenty of time to develop at Harvard, starting next season. Look for him in the second, or third round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 12):

C/RW Owen Martin (6'0",183)
Spokane (WHL): 39gp/ 13g/ 21a/ 34 pts, +16, 20 PIM

The Spokane Chiefs finished the WHL regular-season in 4th-place overall, and they were 2nd in goals-for; C Owen Martin (ranked # 69 NA Skaters) doesn't usually get to play big minutes with how deep and talented a team they are, and he missed a huge chunk of the season due to injury. In 13 games in February however, he amassed 19 points. Martin is an all-situations pivot who plays both sides of special teams, and does a lot of the dirty work for his linemates, including retrievals, digging out pucks, winning possession along the wall, pushing pace on the forecheck, being a general nuisance to cause turnovers, and playing a smart off-puck game. He displays some vision and hockey sense, with passing being his primary weapon, but scouts say he doesn't use nearly enough deception in his on-puck play, and needs better precision in his feeds. There are flashes of high-end creativity at times, with his connective playmaking being a big asset. Off the puck, he works hard and stays active to make himself a consistent playable option, and he supports the play well in all three zones.

Martin is more of an advantage-creator, complimentary piece, and facilitator than a play-driver, with no real dynamism in his game; he won't bring anyone out of their seat, but that shouldn't be confused with a lack of intelligence or offensive awareness. In the offensive zone, he locates soft spots in coverage to occupy, dips in-and-out of space around the net, and reads the ice well- he knows his next move before the puck arrives to his blade. He finds ways to cut inside, and has a pretty good shot with pinpoint accuracy; he gets good power on his catch-and-release wrister, with the ability to use screens to fool goalies. There's no fear in him to drive the middle, or go the net, and he has fairly soft hands in-close- although he hasn't shown himself to be a huge goal-scoring threat, with only 13 tallies. Martin doesn't back down from the rough stuff, showing compete in the hard areas of the ice, and he will throw hits to dislodge pucks. Mobility-wise, he's a good skater, more quick than outright fast, but definitely not a burner. He shows a bit of an explosive burst at times, and can change pace and direction on a dime, but needs to build another gear or two. He is a strong transitional player, connecting plays for entries, but he skates mostly straight-line routes in his carries, weaving through traffic, pushing pace, and driving defenders back. He's an excellent stickhandler and can sometimes make defenders look silly with his slick dekes and dangles. Once he gains the zone, he cuts back to open space and find options, and uses delays to draw pressure away from teammates- this is a huge part of his game.

Martin skates just as hard on the backcheck as he does on the forecheck; he's an excellent two-way contributor, and anchors his line with his defensive play- not just in his own-zone, but in all three. He exhibits pristine positioning, spotless defensive awareness, and he reads the play well to be perpetually a step or two ahead of the play. Martin skates into his adversaries' hands, and is highly disruptive in the way he gets into lanes, blocks shots, intercepts passes, and steals pucks. Going forward, he will need to further develop his strength and speed, and could use more power in his shot. Deception is a huge part of the game these days, and Martin won't get far unless he learns how to use it to make space for himself. There are skills here that are translatable, but he would do himself a favor by improving his offensive toolkit, and by developing a few more NHL-quality traits; scouts would like to see him take more calculated risks in order to drive play more, and to develop his creativity. With his defensive mind, he will have a solid NHL floor as bottom-six two-way player- if he keeps developing his transitional game. There's plenty of hope though, that he can reach his ceiling as a second-line two-way contributor, though he might get switched to the wing- but with a faceoff percentage of 56.5, he's got a shot at being a full-time C. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.

[DuckSauce]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Players with speed in our range:

C Carter Bear
RW Cam Schmidt
C Braeden Cootes
C Jack Murtagh
LW Cullen Potter

Players like C Brady Martin, C Cole Reschny, C Will Moore, C Cole McKinney, C Ben Kindel, and C Jake O'Brien are good skaters, but need work.

Out of the above players, the only one that is truly elite is Cullen Potter.

Is Kindle a C or RW?

It will be interesting to see what impact this injury has on Bear.

[Wastedyouth]

Wonder how Bears achilles injury might affect his draft stock. That's a bad injury and for a lot of players, they seem to never come back the same afterwards.

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by DuckSauce

Is Kindle a C or RW?

It will be interesting to see what impact this injury has on Bear.

Kindel is I think primarily a winger, but has taken draws.

The last few games he hasn't been taking many and has been primarily a winger.

[Tkachukwagon]

Could Misa go first overall?

https://twitter.com/user/status/1904224756783874230

[Tbull8]

If the Sharks are going 1st, I think they go Schaefer. Anyone else? Wouldnt surprise me if Misa goes 1

Columbus and Seattle may also lean towards Schaefer since they both have pretty solid forward groups, but are missing a stud on the backend

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

If the Sharks are going 1st, I think they go Schaefer. Anyone else? Wouldnt surprise me if Misa goes 1

Columbus and Seattle may also lean towards Schaefer since they both have pretty solid forward groups, but are missing a stud on the backend

I agree. Picking Schaefer sets them up very nicely in key positions:
- Celebrini/Smith: Number 1 and 2 centres
- Schaefer/Dickinson: Number 1 and 2 dmen.
- Askarov: #1 goalie

So they are in good position in the toughest to fill spots. Finding the wingers will be the easier part.

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I agree. Picking Schaefer sets them up very nicely in key positions:
- Celebrini/Smith: Number 1 and 2 centres
- Schaefer/Dickinson: Number 1 and 2 dmen.
- Askarov: #1 goalie

So they are in good position in the toughest to fill spots. Finding the wingers will be the easier part.

Eklund has been impressive as a 20 year old winger keeping pace with Celebrini points wise, and they have Chernyshov who tore up the OHL once he joined Saginaw this year. Flames draft last year was impressive but San Jose seems to be the big winner with Celebrini, Dickinson, and Chernyshov and Wahlenius.

Grier has had some help with high draft positions but has also sold off for draft picks and used them well. Will be interesting to see how quickly they become competitive but they have all the pieces.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 13):

C/LW Jordan Gavin (5'11",179lbs)
Tri-City (WHL): 35gp/ 14g/ 16a/ 30pts, +2, 0 PIM
Brandon (WHL): 33gp/ 7g/ 20a/ 27pts, +6, 0 PIM

C Jordan Gavin (ranked #123 NA Skaters) is an older player by draft standards, with a Nov.13, 2006 birthday, and just finished his third full season in the WHL. He was drafted by the Tri-City Americans in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft, with their first-round selection, second-overall, and almost immediately starting paying dividends- with 54 points over 62 games in 2022-23, and 68 points over 68 games in 2023-24. Midway through the current season, after posting 30 points in 35 games with Tri-City, he was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings- which should have been a bit of a step up, but his production remained quite similar, with 27 points in 33 games, although he did have a rather slow start with his new team. More was expected of him numbers-wise this season though, after a point-per-game output in his D-minus-1 year on a very poor Amerks squad. Though his age will work against him in the eyes of scouts, Gavin is a highly cerebral playmaker who can do a bit of everything while affecting the play in all three zones, and was on the ice for over 20 minutes a night the last few years in Tri-City, playing both special teams. There are times when it appears like he's playing chess, while everyone else in playing checkers.

Gavin is a magician when it comes to utilizing and creating space; when he runs into a dead-end, and all passing-lanes are closed, he creates the opening he needs by slowing the game down patiently to draw multiple layers of pressure away from teammates, and stretching out defenses with cutbacks, delays, drop-backs, and button-hooks. He skates into passes with the aim of finding the next open lane, exhibits high-end positioning all over the ice, and attacks open space at the exact right time- expertly dipping in-and-out of high-danger, and sneaking around in the slot behind defenders. Gavin's hockey sense is elite, as well as his passing skill, and he displays top-tier awareness of his surroundings to know where everyone is, and where they will be- he is responsible for many highlight-reel plays every night, including feeds through the low-slot, and passes across the ice. Give-and-go chains are a big part of his passing game, allowing him to manipulate his opponents, and his off-puck game is highly tactical- he uses his timing and anticipation to relocate to advantageous positions. Questions persist however, about his pace and how it will translate, and there are some who think he isn't a true creator, but rather a playmaker that feeds off of his teammates, and will always need to play with the most offensively-inclined linemates to have success. This is definitely true of his goal-scoring, as he is totally opportunistic, and a right place-right time player who stays open and playable around the net. While he can fire off the catch with good whip on his wrister, he needs a more deceptive release as his shots are way too telegraphed, and get blocked a lot. In addition, he is way too content to make plays from the perimeter, and doesn't get inside nearly enough to maximize his shooting chances.

Zero penalty-minutes in two years (only 8 PIM in the last six seasons of hockey) is a legitimate concern, but while he isn't a hitter, he does get involved physically in terms of battling for pucks, and winning position in front of the net. He still manages to be disruptive on the forecheck, but he's still too small and weak to consistently come up on the winning end of 50/50 confrontations, and he gets pushed around a fair bit. There's not much of a board game here, either. Gavin's skating is a bit above-average speed-wise, but it looks smooth, fluid, and projectable, with a bit of a quick-burst when needed. He's slippery and shifty on his edges to spin off of checks, and make attackers miss, with excellent agility. In transition, he contributes well with his passing game, but he lacks the deception in his handling needed to beat opponents one-on-one consistently. His sublime hockey sense and elite passing skill come into play in this area, but his pace won't cut it in the pros. Gavin is a solid defensive performer though, who exemplifies intelligent positioning and pressures opponents by limiting time and space, and by getting into lanes to disrupt plays. He can be trusted with PK duty, and was heavily relied upon in this area when he played for the Amerks. His high-end sense and anticipation tells him where the play is going, so he can once again- be at the right place, right time- to force errors and uncontrolled plays. A true leader, he directs the troops on where to go in the defensive-third, and he picks a ton of pockets, steals pucks, and blocks shots.

Gavin has high-end talent, and can do things most players cannot, but he will undoubtedly be a bit of a project going forward, because most of his weaknesses are directly linked to his translatability. Learning to play with pace is a must, and he will have to learn how to make decisions at high-speed for the pros- there are few players who can slow the game down in the big leagues. In addition, he has to start getting inside more, which he has shown the ability to do, rather than playing largely on the outside. Thirdly, he needs to add a few more layers of deception to his carries, his passing, and his shot-release; scouts look for this skill in young players, and it's of great importance at the next level. There's also work to be done on his strength, physical game, speed, and his shot. It might be too early to be calling him a hidden gem, but there's plenty of teams that will be willing to gamble on his elite brain come draft day. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.