2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Ashes]

Originally Posted by getbak

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).

It's crazy to think that these draft lottery rules exist, when the Flames have never won ONE and never picked top-3 before. Yet some teams need to start worrying about losing their top-2 pick because they've had too many.

I wish the NHL tightened it up so that you can only pick 1st-3rd once in a 3-year span or something. Would really put the pressure on teams to stop consistently racing to the bottom. I dunno just annoying to know that once these teams hit their max threshold of top picks they're just gonna go ape #### in Free Agency with their team stocked up on lotto players and be off to the races.

Maybe a better system is just opening up the lottery odds for all teams that miss the playoffs. Also possible I'm just sour as a Flames fan, knowing our organization has too much pride and stubbornness to seemingly ever pick top-3.. barring a miracle. Especially now with a stud goalie for the next x amount of years!

Now watch as we win the 6th place lotto with our fat 1% chance

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 42):

RW Savin Virk (6'0",172lbs)
Tri-City (WHL): 50gp/ 22g/ 24a/ 46pts, -2, 4 PIM

Winger Savin Virk (ranked # 121 NA Skaters) was toiling in the BCHL for Chiliwack (12 points in 18 games) before signing with the Amerks in November, after the rules disallowing CHL players from committing to NCAA teams changed, as he is attending Michigan State next season. He is flying way under the radar, as he's a well-rounded, 200-ft player with skill who contributes to both special teams, and has fit in seamlessly in his rookie year in the WHL- even tying for the team-lead in playoff points, with 3 in 5 games. Though he has some small mechanical issues in his stride, he moves up-and-down the ice quickly, generating excellent speed and agility, with the ability to skate through checks. He could use a bit more explosiveness, but when his technique improves and he gets stronger, he'll be a speedster. One of his finest traits is his top-tier puck-skills that manifest in his stickhandling, accurate passing, and sneaky one-on-one moves; he can deke his way around in traffic, and dangle around sticks.

Virk is a high-IQ playmaker with solid vision and awareness in the offensive zone, and highly intelligent off-puck movement to support teammates. He reads gaps very well, with the ability to make clever plays in small areas and maneuver around in the slot, and he has an eye for space-creation; he pushes defensemen back off the rush to make room at the top of the zone, and uses cut-backs and delays to draw pressure. He can spot soft spots in coverage and passing seams that few others could detect. Virk has a potent shot with a sneaky release, with good usage of opponents as screens, and doesn't need much room to fire off a hard wrister- he also has no fear in attacking the middle for chances. He shoots to make plays and cause chaos in-front, he can hit the net through traffic, and seems to be comfortable running the PP from the half-wall, where he likes to pass to the slot and fire at the goalie. Virk possesses a lightning-quick and precise catch-and-release wrister, and soft, silky mitts to deke out goalies in-tight. There seems to be a fair balance in his toolkit between passing and shooting, and he plays with an admirable work-ethic, wielding energy and effort. Strong hockey sense shines through in his high-end off-puck support game in all three zones, and in the way he processes the play quickly; he controls his pace and speed to stay open, and is always a playable option for teammates.

Virk skates mostly north-south routes through transition, but contributes very well with short, connective passes, and give-and-go sequences. He is a reliable defensive player who places a high importance on backchecking successfully- starting in the neutral zone. He is highly aware with superb positioning and strong instincts to act proactively in intercepting passes, getting into lanes, and blocking shots. He stays highly active in removing time and space from attackers, and makes intuitive plays off of retrievals. Though he does the necessary battling for pucks in the greasy areas, I don't see him as being much of a physical player. The team that drafts Virk will have the benefit of a longer runway in his development, as he's attending college; fixing his stride mechanics to maximize his speed is a must, and he needs plenty of development physically- he's quite raw, and has to build more strength. He's also younger than most in this draft-class, with a June 6, 2007 birthday. Virk might be an unknown some draft-watchers, but I would bet that scouts know him well. Look for him in the middle-rounds, with the potential ceiling of a middle-six winger in the NHL.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 43):

RW Florent Houle (6'0",174lbs)
Sherbrooke (QMJHL): 61gp/ 11g/ 23a/ 34pts, +9, 74 PIM

I'm not sure if the NHL in his future, but I love this kid. Winger Florent Houle (ranked # 128 NA Skaters) is a CHL-rookie on a Sherbrooke squad that concluded the regular-season 10th, out of 18 teams. Houle's numbers may not be very impressive, but his 34 points were good enough for 5th on a team that values staunch defense, with a fast-paced puck-possession style- finishing 11th in goals-for, and 7th in goals-against. I might be biased, but he seems to be on the ice for an inordinate amount of Sherbrooke's high-danger chances in the playoffs, and although he currently has only 2 points in 8 post-season contests (with 23 PIM), he has been their best player in a few games, and tries to make something happen every shift. He's a hard-nosed, pacey physical player who plays on the edge and drives opponents crazy, but he has some amazing soft-skills. He loves contact, but gives a lot better than he gets, and puts his body on the line every game to absorb hits and make plays. A menacing presence on the ice, he's highly physical and mean, sometimes following-up a bone-jarring hit with a nice cross-check for good measure, and never passes up the opportunity to punish an opponent. He's tenacious and competitive, excelling in puck-battles, making life hard for his enemies, and throwing hits to energize his team. An agitator and a pest, he gets under his opponents' skin, baiting them to take penalties, and is usually in the middle of every post-whistle scrum.

Houle is a tough kid, but his hands are butter-soft and quick, giving him superb puck-handling in tight areas, and problem-solving ability- his puck-skill is one of his best assets. He could stickhandle in a phone booth, and he does the same in traffic- deking and dangling through bodies while in-flight, and he catches wild passes smoothly while in motion. Those same hands give him soft-touch on his passes, and the power to thread the needle through small spaces- sometimes off of his backhand. He is a quick processor and play-driver, who packs some creative playmaking and vision- enough that he is used often on the point in powerplay situations. Another big asset of his is that, while he may not be a burner, he's an excellent skater with above-average speed in a straight-line, but even more importantly- he employs first-rate edgework that allows him to weave in-and-out of small-areas with remarkable escapability. He evades pressure, sidesteps hits, spins off of checks, and can change pace or stop-and-start on a dime. With relentless motor and high-end work-ethic, he hustles to outpace defenders, sprints to loose pucks, and launches himself into battles.

Houle has a nasty presence in front of the net, taking on all combatants to remain well-positioned, and isn't afraid to cause a scene by messing with the opposing netminder- giving second-and-third efforts to shovel the puck over the line, even when it's been covered, or is sitting underneath a body. Those silky-soft hands often make an appearance to deke goalies out in-close, and he owns good hand-eye coordination for re-directs. He drives the net fearlessly, and cuts to the slot with an eye for open gaps off-puck. On the forecheck, he attacks with energy, tenacity, and physicality to terrorize puck-carriers and cause turnovers with stick-lifts. Not sure how his game will translate to the pros, but even if he makes it as a bottom-six defensive player, he will surely be a needle-mover. He needs to get a lot stronger to survive the rigors of pro hockey, and he can still get pushed off the puck at times. He could use more mustard on his shot, but he already has fairly good precision, and a quick release. This kid is vastly outplaying his stats in my opinion, and I would easily take a flyer on him in the middle-rounds.

[Incogneto]

I'm gonna be kinda mad if both 1st rounders aren't Centers. Our depth down the middle is so sad.

I'd love to get 2 of Reschny, Kindel, Cootes, Potter with our 1st rounders.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by Incogneto

I'm gonna be kinda mad if both 1st rounders aren't Centers. Our depth down the middle is so sad.

I'd love to get 2 of Reschny, Kindel, Cootes, Potter with our 1st rounders.

The good news is both Craig and a significant number of scouting staff have said the same thing.

I’d argue they’ll have a very focused first few rounds on centers, barring of course someone dropping or a trade to move up scenario.

[Badgers Nose]

Would a team that knows they will be bad next year, and has won the draft once in the past five, trade a lottery win pick this year in order to be eligible for McKenna next year?

Would that satisfy the rule for the NHL? Is there a team in this situation right now? Probably just BUF, eh? All the other lottery winners are too good or CHI which is already eliminated.

Maybe that's how we get our #1 C.

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

Would a team that knows they will be bad next year, and has won the draft once in the past five, trade a lottery win pick this year in order to be eligible for McKenna next year?

Would that satisfy the rule for the NHL? Is there a team in this situation right now? Probably just BUF, eh? All the other lottery winners are too good or CHI which is already eliminated.

Maybe that's how we get our #1 C.

Trading the pick that won the lottery still would count as your team winning the lottery, so it wouldn't give any benefit towards future draft lottery eligibility.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

Trading the pick that won the lottery still would count as your team winning the lottery, so it wouldn't give any benefit towards future draft lottery eligibility.

Ah, I see. I thought it was making the actual pick that counted.

Well, I'm all out of ideas. LOL Good luck to Craig and team! They haven't let us down thus far.

[The Fonz]

Reschny with 1G + 3A last night. He’s now the playoff leader in both points (24 in 9 games) and +/- (+9).

[The Fonz]

Heard a rumour that Anaheim will be taking McQueen if he’s available at their pick.

[Heavy Jack]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Heard a rumour that Anaheim will be taking McQueen if he’s available at their pick.

Terribly on brand if true lol

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Heard a rumour that Anaheim will be taking McQueen if he’s available at their pick.

Hoping he’s another Getzlaff?

[DuckSauce]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Reschny with 1G + 3A last night. He’s now the playoff leader in both points (24 in 9 games) and +/- (+9).

I understand the BPA idea but unless it’s someone we absolutely cannot pass up on I really hope we focus on taking 2 centres and would love these guys. Seems like a pipe dream but I would love Martin to fall.

Two others would be Bear (worried about his injury) and Kindle but it doesn’t seem like they play a lot of centre from what I can tell? I was looking at the game sheet for the Hitmen last night to see if Kindle took any faceoffs and it looks like 0.

One interesting thing I noticed was draft eligible Aiden Park showed up on the game sheet - it appears he signed with the team a couple days ago (66 pts in 55 games in the USHL and is a University of Michigan commit… 6’1 right shot centre).

[reddude]

I still like some centers that could be in our wheelhouse and a RW that also should be there.
1)Braden Cootes C
2)Jack Nesbitt C
3) Cole Reschny C
4) Cole Mckinney C
5) Ben Kindell RW
somehow we get two of these guys with our picks I think that would be a success

[3thirty]

Lots of promise around where our 2 picks should be. i trust the scouting staff as they've done a great job the last few years.

[Svartsengi]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I generally trust our scouting staff and if we took Ryabkin I would be fine with it, because that would tell me that they did their due diligence in investigating claims about his attitude, conditioning, etc.

Until then, it's only natural to have concerns about those things, but 19 goals and 30 points in 27 USHL games is nothing to sniff at. What worries me the most is his skating, with a 5'11" frame.

I have a question for you Sandman regarding a prospect center named Charlie Cerrato. What are your thoughts on him?.

He looks like he would be a solid pick. Same age as Suniev but wasn't drafted in 2023 played his first year of NCAA hockey this year at Penn State putting up 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 38 games. Suniev had 38 points in 35 games as a sophmore.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

Would a team that knows they will be bad next year, and has won the draft once in the past five, trade a lottery win pick this year in order to be eligible for McKenna next year?

Would that satisfy the rule for the NHL? Is there a team in this situation right now? Probably just BUF, eh? All the other lottery winners are too good or CHI which is already eliminated.

Maybe that's how we get our #1 C.

Chicago is not eliminated, they have only moved up once in the lottery.

[Caged Great]

Cootes reminds me quite a bit of Zary, which isn't a bad thing.

I could see the Flames going after Horcoff too because of his size.

[CKPThunder]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Cootes reminds me quite a bit of Zary, which isn't a bad thing.

I could see the Flames going after Horcoff too because of his size.

When I read Sandman’s report on Horcoff I thought he could be an interesting pick. He sounded like a player like Joel Otto. However when I looked a bit further, it doesn’t sound like he’s good at face offs which is unfortunate. Thought his dad was decent on the dot.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Svartsengi

I have a question for you Sandman regarding a prospect center named Charlie Cerrato. What are your thoughts on him?.

He looks like he would be a solid pick. Same age as Suniev but wasn't drafted in 2023 played his first year of NCAA hockey this year at Penn State putting up 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 38 games. Suniev had 38 points in 35 games as a sophmore.

Thank you for bringing him to my attention, I must confess that I've been ignoring him completely, and wasn't aware of his impressive production in the NCAA. The reason for this is twofold:

1) His numbers in his draft year were very underwhelming, and I remember thinking that he was a bit vanilla. I've talked many times in my profiles of American kids that the NTDP is good for some kids, and a hindrance for others. The players in depth roles on that team don't get the ice-time or responsibility to truly show their talents, whereas they could be playing more important minutes on a USHL team, and possibly putting up big numbers. Perhaps Cerrato was a victim of this scenario. He put up 50 points in 45 games in his D+1 year (with 71 PIM) with Youngstown too, and I was unaware of that as well- those are pretty good numbers, even for a D+1 player.

2) I believe that he was much smaller in his draft year than his current listed measurements of 6'0",190 lbs; I wanna say that he was maybe 5'9", or 5'10"? I could be wrong about about that, but I've always thought of him as being a smaller player. A six-footer with a bit of snarl is more than respectable, IMO.

Cerrato has always been a sparkplug, but it seems he's even more than that now- he's said to be physical and hard-nosed, with no fear of going to the greasy areas to battle. He skates very well, drives play, and makes things happen off the rush frequently. They say he's more of a playmaker, but pushes pace and plays a fairly responsible 200-foot game. Seems like a nice C to take a swing at in the top 3-4 rounds.