2025 NHL Draft Thread

[YyjFlames]

Oh, and sandman, seems like the Royals are finally going to produce talent again. Everyone was working out there and they are clearly finding and attracting talent with Patrick now coaching.

It’s been a long road of mismanaged and poorly coached teams over here, so it’ll be nice to see them be competitive for the next while.

[The Fonz]

Reschny ended the game with 1G + 3A, in on every Vic goal. I’m worried he’ll be gone by the time the Flames pick with the way he’s been playing.

20pts in 8 playoff games.

[Lewis_D]

Originally Posted by YyjFlames

I went to this game (skip to the end for the flames tidbit)… Royals were at home and were matching Reschny’s line with Catton/Cristall’s line, and for most of the game Reschny’s line was clearly better. Reschny also was much better in the face off dot than Catton.

His vision is excellent, hitting the trailing forward on one of the early goals and sending a puck across to his open winger for the game winner in the last half minute. He finds open ice and is always moving out there, and he’s both the main guy on the power play and a big part of the penalty kill. He also works hard on the back check, using his smaller size as a bit of a tool to pickpocket guys (similarly to how Johnny did).

Cristall had a pretty good game, working hard and grinding quite a bit, but other than a few creative plays, Reschny showed much better than Catton. It’s one game, but he’s been putting up better numbers than Catton since January and has found another gear in the playoffs. I feel after this series, he shoild go in the top 10… with how good he’s showing against a top 10 pick from last year.

I don’t think he’ll fall to them, but the Flames must be interested. A certain scouting director walked through the front lobby during the first intermission when I was having a beer. I didnt talk to him, but man that guys’ tall and noticeable. Might have been lost to be coming through the front lobby!

How bout that Trembecky kid too!

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I wouldn't get too attached to #18 or #22 just yet, with our luck it'll be a NJD/FLA conference final

With our luck, it'll be a NJD/FLA Stanley Cup final!

[looooob]

Simmed lottery once this morning over coffee- Flames won. I'm done

[chummer]

Originally Posted by looooob

Simmed lottery once this morning over coffee- Flames won. I'm done

Nice, what spot would we draft if the Flames won?

[looooob]

Originally Posted by chummer

Nice, what spot would we draft if the Flames won?

6th. the autodraft has us taking Desnoyers (McQueen,O'Brien and Martin the other notable Cs still on the table at 6 in this mock)


at 18 they have us taking Hensler but Kindel, Potter, Cootes, Reschny etc all still there


at 6 and 18 (sigh) they could stock C pretty well

[chummer]

Ok thanks looooob

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by looooob

6th. the autodraft has us taking Desnoyers (McQueen,O'Brien and Martin the other notable Cs still on the table at 6 in this mock)


at 18 they have us taking Hensler but Kindel, Potter, Cootes, Reschny etc all still there


at 6 and 18 (sigh) they could stock C pretty well

Yq i would be good with desnoyer and Hensler or Cootes. Dont think Reschney makes it near 18.

[Bleeding Red]

Not sure if this may have been mentioned before, but a question - isn't there a new rule preventing teams from getting multiple #1 draft picks in consecutive years?


If SJ wins the lottery, do they get bumped to #2?

[Yanda]

The Edmonton rule, they can win more than once but only so many times in x years

[prizefighterinferno]

Anyone have any insight into Carter Bear's achilles injury and whether or not he could slip into the late teens? Was projected as more of a 10-15 guy beforehand.

Would be pretty exciting to leave the draft with say Bear and Reschny.

[Monahammer]

Win lotto, try and trade 6th +Mews for 2nd... draft Misa?

Is that too much to dream for?

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Bleeding Red

Not sure if this may have been mentioned before, but a question - isn't there a new rule preventing teams from getting multiple #1 draft picks in consecutive years?


If SJ wins the lottery, do they get bumped to #2?

You can win twice in 5 years IIRC.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Bleeding Red

Not sure if this may have been mentioned before, but a question - isn't there a new rule preventing teams from getting multiple #1 draft picks in consecutive years?


If SJ wins the lottery, do they get bumped to #2?

Since SJ finished last last year, they did not technically win the lottery. Since that one didn't even count.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Win lotto, try and trade 6th +Mews for 2nd... draft Misa?

Is that too much to dream for?

Unfortunately yes.

Say Chicago keeps their #2 place. They need Misa as much as anyone. Plus they have a ton of young defensemen. A week ago they had 6 dmen playing averaging 21 years old and beat the Bruins 5-2.

[Ba'alzamon]

IIRC, the rule specifies moving up as a result of the lottery. If you finish last and win the lottery you don't move up.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 40):

RD Evan Passmore (6'4",209)
Barrie (OHL): 62gp/ 3g/ 8a/ 11pts, -1, 58 PIM

In a draft full of behemoth defenders, righty Evan Passmore (ranked #55 NA Skaters) of the Barrie Colts, who were the OHL's Central Division Champions, seems to have plenty of fans in the scouting world. Passmore is a shutdown defender with a robust physical game, and skates quite well for a big man with fluid mechanics on a long, powerful stride. He accelerates fairly rapidly, transitions smoothly, and exhibits solid agility in his cuts and pivots, with the quickness to match footwork with smaller opponents. He is solid on his skates with good balance, and very difficult to knock off stride; when attackers try to bodycheck him, they usually end up on their backs. A violent defender with plenty of snarl, he delivers hits not only to cause disruption and separate his man from the puck, but also to punish and intimidate, making him a menace in all three zones. He seems to initiate contact every chance he gets, never leaving a check unfinished, and many of his hits result in his opponents being sprawled out on the ice in his wake. His thunderous bodychecks can shift momentum for his team and cause agitation for the opposition, and he will drop the gloves if challenged.

Passmore has a long reach, a lengthy wingspan, and an expansive range that's impossible for attackers to navigate, helping him to kill plays and extinguish the rush, and making the process appear effortless. He repels entries with suffocating gap control, and employs his smooth lateral agility to surf across the ice to layer stiff hits on top of deft stickwork to poke pucks out of danger. In the zone, he makes an effort to keep pucks away from the middle by keeping attacks outside with adroit stickwork to tip away passes to the inside and sweep pucks off of sticks, and he rebuffs opponents from cutting to the slot. He is aggressive and mean in defending his net, rubs opponents out along the wall, and dominates physically down-low. While exhibiting solid awareness and smart positioning defensively, he locks down secondary threats, blocks shots, and intercepts passes. He then recovers the puck smoothly while shaking off pressure and scanning thoroughly to get the puck moving in the right direction with mostly short and simple feeds, but he flashes the ability to stretch the ice on longer-range breakouts on occasion. Passmore's puck-skill is reasonably good, but nothing too special or dynamic, and he keeps his carries safe, simple, and brief; he sometimes has trouble maintaining control of the puck at high-speeds, and can struggle with catching in full-flight. In transition, he supports the play from the back with short connective passes, and is often the last player to enter the offensive zone.

Passmore has a virtual cannon from the point, and he can fire through traffic to the net in order to create chaos in-front and provide teammates with rebound opportunities, but he needs a more deceptive release, as his shot gets blocked quite a bit. With his team installed in the zone, he holds the line well and will pinch in to keep the play alive and extend offensive zone time. Though he lacks vision and creativity, he activates into the play quite often in search of opportunities- but he needs to improve his skill and playmaking ability to be able to capitalize more often. He is more of a facilitator than a true creator, at least right now. If Passmore can add another layer or two to his puck-skill, and hone his play a bit more in the offensive-third, he could end up potentially playing in an NHL team's second-pairing, but for now- he looks like a fantastic bottom-pairing, shutdown defender. Look for him in the third-round, with the possibility of moving up to the second.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 41):

LW Aiden Foster (6'2",174lbs)
Prince George (WHL): 68gp/ 11g/ 9a/ 20pts, -2, 136 PIM

You read that right- not many players rack up 136 penalty-minutes in the CHL these days- even most of the bad boys don't get those kind of numbers. Aiden Foster (ranked # 89 NA Skaters) was used all over the lineup in Prince George's regular season, including as an insulator in the top-six, but ranked 5th on the Cougars in the Playoffs with 6 points in 7 games (and 10 PIM) before they were were ousted from the post-season by the Portland Winterhawks. An ultra-physical and intimidating winger, he is trusted in defensive situations by his coaches, but he flashes skill and offensive ability; he is quite raw physically, and will be an absolute beast when he gets stronger and fills out. He isn't the prettiest skater, with an upright stance on a short and choppy stride, and requires a bit of runway to accelerate, but he's like a freight train at top speed and impossible to stop when he gets a bit of momentum behind him. There's work to be done in this area and his mechanics need fixing, but as he adds strength to his lower-body, some of his issues will correct themselves.

Foster plays a heavy game with a hard-nosed style, and he's pretty mean to boot, never leaving a bodycheck unfinished. He's an intimidator and a protector who will drop the gloves in defense of a teammate, and can change the course of a game with a momentum-swinging hit. It's exciting to imagine the player he will become when he fills out his 174lb frame, as he manages to already be a terror while underdeveloped physically- perhaps that's one reason why he's ranked as high as he is. He's still learning how to leverage his size to give him advantages, and make more room for himself, but he needs to get significantly stronger in order to maximize his power game. Still, he battles hard hard for loose pucks and engages opponents in the trenches without fear. One of his specialties is his work on the forecheck; he's a force who hunts down puck-carriers and defenders in retrievals, and eliminates them with thunderous bodychecks. He's highly disruptive, with his tenaciousness and pace standing out in these situations, and opponents seem to know when he's out on the ice- he causes a lot of turnovers, fumbles, and throwaways. The coaches in Prince George trust him in defensive-zone scenarios, and he gets time on the PK. He displays good anticipation and awareness in poking pucks off of sticks, blocking passes, clogging lanes, and racking up takeaways. Playing with energy and grit, he launches himself into battles, lays hits to win possession, and puts supreme pressure on attackers- he is also capable of making smart plays off of recoveries, with short and efficient passes to kickstart the breakout.

Foster has a hard shot that he can fire off the catch from difficult angles, with a laser of a one-timer, and a snappy curl-and-drag wrister- but he needs better precision, and a more deceptive release. Most of his playmaking (if one can call it that) revolves around his tunnel-vision to the net, in crashing the crease, shooting to cause chaos in-front, and in his fearlessness in driving the net, cutting inside to the middle with the puck, and standing in-front to get chances while screening the goalie and battling for position. He protects the puck quite well, and will drop the shoulder to lean into a defender to cut to the net, steering the puck with one hand while angling his body and fending off stick-checks with the other. There are flashes of passing prowess though, displaying the ability to connect on more complex plays, including low-to-high feeds for high-danger chances, and cross-crease passes to a teammate on the weak side. Scouts say that, over the course of the season, he has become a more effective connective-passer through transition, and supports the play well in transition with safe and simple distribution. Although he has shown the ability to beat opponents one-on-one with slick handling moves, he needs to improve his puck-skills for the next level, as he can lose control of the puck at high-speed, and has a bit of trouble catching in-flight. Foster may have a breakout with the Cougars in the next few seasons as older players move on, but as it stands- he could be an exciting player on an NHL team's fourth-line, providing toughness and defensive reliability, with potential for more. Look for him in the middle-rounds.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Ba'alzamon

IIRC, the rule specifies moving up as a result of the lottery. If you finish last and win the lottery you don't move up.

Correct. Chicago has won the lottery in each of the last two years, but last year, they won the second lottery and stayed in the second overall draft position.

If Chicago wins the first lottery this year, that would give them two wins that saw them move up in three years, so they wouldn't be eligible to move up in the lottery for the next two drafts (but if they finished bottom two, they could still win the lottery to keep their position).