2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 4):

LHC Cole Reschny (5'10.5", 187lbs)
Victoria (WHL): 62gp/ 26g/ 66a/ 92pts, +42, 44 PIM

By my count, C Cole Reschny (ranked # 25 NA Skaters, # 29 by McKenzie, # 11 by Button) piled up 46 points in the last 25 games of the regular-season with the Victoria Royals, who finished 5th-overall in the standings, and were eliminated from the post-season by Spokane in round #2. With 92 points, he was 9th in WHL scoring, but was 2nd-overall in playoff scoring in points-per-game (2.27), behind only Gavin McKenna, and ahead of Andrew Cristall, Berkly Catton, and others- posting an incredible 25 points in just 11 contests. With the Royals done for the year, Reschny (who wore an "A" for Victoria) punctuated the season by joining Team Canada in progress at the U-18 Tournament, and placed 11th-overall in scoring (7th in ppg, at 1.60), and 5th on the team (despite missing the first two games), with 5 goals and 8 points in 5 contests- en route to a gold medal. It was more of the same for him in last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where he was tied for 5th-overall in scoring, and was tied for 1st on Team Canada, while winning another gold medal. His 3 goals and 7 points in 5 games at that event put him ahead of the aforementioned Gavin McKenna, as well as names like Caleb Desnoyers, and Brady Martin. Reschny is a well-rounded C, who may lack ideal size, but definitely doesn't lack heart, will, or compete.

First of all, Reschny is an excellent skater, with above-average speed, but he's not a burner. He has a springy first-step, but lacks overall explosiveness, and could use more strength in his lower-body to improve his power. The mechanics of his stride aren't perfect, with a bit of a knock-kneed step at times, but it appears to be otherwise smooth and projectable. He moves fluidly on his edges, changes direction smoothly, makes sharp cuts, and stays slippery, shifty, and elusive. Most importantly, he is able to push pace. Reschny owns an elite brain, and reads the play like few others at the Major Junior level can, with high-end awareness, and top-shelf IQ in all three zones. These traits shine through in his playmaking, as well as his highly intelligent off-puck game, as he shows the ability to create space for both himself and for teammates, and makes passes that always seem to put the recipients in advantageous situations. His movement with-and-without possession manipulates defenses to shift, and puts them off-balance; he employs delays, deception, and cut-backs to bait pressure, attacks up the middle to push back defenses and drag down defenders, and can expertly pry open passing seams. With top-notch vision and soft-touch passing skills, he can thread the needle through traffic with cross-ice feeds, and usually with the perfect weight, velocity, and timing to the receiver's tape- he can execute one-touch passes, saucers over sticks, slips through triangles, and precision backhands. Often using give-and-go sequences, he relocates to a more dangerous position on the ice after dishing off to open more space, and supports the play by presenting himself as a high-value, playable option. Using his strong spatial awareness, he reads gaps well and finds spaces to fill, using deception in the form of hesitations, stutter-steps, shifts of weight, fakes, and look-offs to force defenders to chase, and overcommit. Reschny's puck-skills are also exemplary, with the ability to handle in tight spaces, maintain control and catch smoothly at high-speed, settle down and corral wild passes while in-motion, and make plays while battling through contact. He protects quite well for a shorter player, and can deke goalies out of their equipment, and dangle around checkers.

While he isn't shy at all about shooting, he needs to improve the power of his wrister, and work on building a more deceptive release, as a high number of his shots get blocked or easily saved. His one-timer is difficult to stop though, and he adjusts his shot-selection well to fit the situation, with precision in his puck-placement when shooting from between the dots. Most of his tallies come from driving the inside with his stick on the ice, attacking the net from up the middle, and going to the net to pounce on rebounds. Reschny is a details-oriented defensive stalwart with good habits, who pursues the puck like a dog on a bone, and disrupts enemy plays in every inch of the ice- backchecking with purpose and urgency. He's highly involved in-zone, from pressuring the point, to supporting his D down low and in front of the net; with his high-level awareness and anticipation, he is always in proper position to make stops proactively, eliminate secondary threats, stifle attacks to the middle, and drive opponents to the perimeter. He sees plays as they are developing, poking away pucks, intercepting passes, blocking shots, and sweeping pucks off of sticks. Despite his stature, he's built like a fire-hydrant, and is farmboy strong, which enables him to adminster an effective physical game; he battles diligently in all the greasy areas, wins more than his fair share of 50/50 contests with his compete level alone, and gets inside on his adversaries a lot. He isn't afraid to take a hit to make a play, and also moves through contact, fights his way out of pins, and goes to war with defenders in front of the net. Reschny forechecks with tenacity and grit to cause nightmares for puck-carriers, immediately turning the play around into the cycle upon turnover and recovery. If there's any weaknesses in Reschny's game, they mostly lie in his lack of size; though he's uncommonly strong and resilient, he can still be pushed around by larger opponents, and he has to learn to manage contact better for the next level- as he takes a lot of hard hits. This kid REALLY knows how to hockey- look for him in the middle frame of the first-round.

Konecny but can play center^

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 4):

LHC Cole Reschny (5'10.5", 187lbs)
Victoria (WHL): 62gp/ 26g/ 66a/ 92pts, +42, 44 PIM

One knock on this kid is consistency, one scout mentioned he watched him 4 times, one game he looked like a top 5 draft pick but the other three he wouldn't recommend drafting him at all, hopefully just bad timing as all players have bad nights.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Konecny but can play center^

He looks like Konecny at times, and Point at other times…

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by Sandman

He looks like Konecny at times, and Point at other times…

Sounds like the perfect flame. Mid-Late 1st round pick, bet on potential upside. No more Kris Chuckos!

[Groot]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

One knock on this kid is consistency, one scout mentioned he watched him 4 times, one game he looked like a top 5 draft pick but the other three he wouldn't recommend drafting him at all, hopefully just bad timing as all players have bad nights.

It would be fascinating to hear the scout expand upon 1 time being 5 or better out of 224 potentially drafted players, then 3 times being worse than at least 224 others. It's hard to even quantify such a variance.

[The Original FFIV]

Is it fair to say that this draft class is pretty vanilla? Looks to be a lot of second line forwards and 3/4/5 d at the top of the class. Might be one of those drafts where you swing for the fences and hope you hit some home runs, especially where we are picking, which seems to be flush with players who might top out as top 9 forwards. Lots of small players too, might we see a lot of overagers get drafted? Be interested to hear what people who know much more than me have to say.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by The Original FFIV

Is it fair to say that this draft class is pretty vanilla? Looks to be a lot of second line forwards and 3/4/5 d at the top of the class. Might be one of those drafts where you swing for the fences and hope you hit some home runs, especially where we are picking, which seems to be flush with players who might top out as top 9 forwards. Lots of small players too, might we see a lot of overagers get drafted? Be interested to hear what people who know much more than me have to say.

We'll know in 5-6 years how many Wyatt Johnsons and Brayden Points were in this first round.

I think there are lots of star players, but no super stars. It's great the Flames pick twice in the 1st, and I'd love it if they could add another.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 5):

LD Cameron Reid (6'0",193lbs)
Kitchener (OHL): 67gp/ 14g/ 40a/ 54pts, +39, 44 PIM

The Kitchener Rangers had a big hole to fill on defense after the departure of Hunter Brzustewicz to the pros, and though it would be near impossible to find any defensemen who could replace his 92 points from 2023-24, D Cam Reid (ranked # 23 NA Skaters, # 37 by McKenzie, # 12 by Button) stepped up on the left side to fill-in admirably. Reid led the Rangers' backend in scoring by 22 points this season, while placing 3rd-overall on the team with 54 points in 67 games. Kitchener was the 2nd-best team in the OHL this season- 8th in goals-scored, and 2nd in goals-against, but were eliminated from the playoffs in the Conference Championship by the London Knights in just 4 games, with Reid posting only 5 points (and a minus-5) in 14 games- missing the final two games of the Rangers' first-round match-up against Flint after what his coach called "a dirty hit". I believe another dirty hit that forced him out of the game on March 9th against the Guelph Storm may have derailed his post-season, perhaps forcing him to play through an injury. Reid is the epitome of a modern-day, two-way defenseman, with a staunch shut-down game, and high-pace offensive ability. He is heavily leaned on, plays big minutes in important situations, and contributes to both sides of special teams.

Reid's best physical attribute is his skating, which drives his entire game. He moves around effortlessly, with near-elite mobility in all directions, and otherworldly edges that allow him to alter his pace and direction almost instantaneously, transition seamlessly, zip across the ice laterally, and evade checks easily with his shiftiness. There are few players who can catch up to him in open-ice, beat him to a loose puck, or contain him in close-quarters. He's explosive in his start-up, and accelerates expeditiously, with a long and powerful stride on smooth, fluid mechanics; his speed and maneuverability help him to open space, and buy himself time to make decisions. When his quick hands blend with his footwork, he can solve problems on the fly; his puck-skills are nearly faultless, and he handles beautifully, with rare poise and confidence in his ability to carry. With his ability to control the puck with one hand, he protects well in-motion, shielding the puck from his opponents' reach. He can deke and dangle around defenders, or curl-and-drag around sticks, and displays soft-touch in his passing, with good hands in-tight. Reid scans thoroughly, skating with his head up to read the play, and shoulder-checking with his head on a swivel, in order to make sound decisions. He's a methodical puck-mover who cuts down time-spent in the defensive zone; getting the puck travelling in the opposite direction, either by rushing through exit and entry, hooking up with teammates in give-and-go sequences, or with calm and composed outlets to span the neutral zone, with passes that seem to always put the recipients in advantageous situations. Like everything he does, he makes the process of retrieval, to first-pass, to transition look easy, efficient, and uneventful. He's confident in his abilities, and has the mobility to recover quickly from any miscues that might happen. He's not shy about dumping the puck in to gain the zone, and can beat defenders on the chip-and-chase.

In the offensive zone, Reid exhibits high-end IQ and hockey sense, with solid vision in making plays; he displays a high-rate of success in creating grade "A" chances. He may not exude elite creativity at all times, like a Lane Hutson, or a Quinn Hughes, but it's there. Walking the line authoritatively, he stays active to pry open passing seams and shooting lanes, often hovering near the top of the circle when managing the play. He is active, elusive, and deceptive at the top of the zone, with fakes, delays, cut-backs, feints, and look-offs to break-down defensive structures, and manipulate opponents into opening space in order to create advantages for himself and his teammates. He will join the rush as an extra attacker, and will pinch in deep to attack the net, or to make plays around the crease. Reid's shot is not really strong though, and he seems to only fire from the point to make plays and create rebounds; he has more success when shooting from the high-slot, and from in-close, with his soft hands and smart puck-placement. In the defensive zone, Reid directs traffic and exerts immaculate positioning, with keen awareness, and superb use of his stick to kill plays. In games that I've seen, he's looked infallible against the rush, making stop after stop with suffocating gaps, acute angling, smooth backwards mobility to match footwork, and a well-timed stick. He's nearly impossible to outrun, and can't be beat wide. More aggression and physicality around the net is needed going forward, but he's already an excellent defensive player, and kills penalties well.

Reid isn't the most physical player, preferring to perform his duties with incredibly deft use of his stick, and intelligent positioning. He will throw a hit only once in a while, but he doesn't shy away from the rough stuff; he will take a hit to make a play, and wins an inordinate amount of puck-battles. He can sometimes be slowed down by physicality though, and is often put off of his game in more physical contests. At his size, he struggles against larger opponents- especially in front of his net, and he will have to learn to manage contact better for higher levels. Wearing an "A" for Kitchener, he sets an example with his highly responsible, mature game, his compete, and his accountability- he's a character kid. With his mobility, smarts, and puck-skill, he's the perfect candidate for top-4 defensive duties in the NHL, with the potential to make it up to the top-pairing- much like a TJ Brodie-type, with a touch more offense. Look for him in the second-half of the first-round.

[Funkhouser]

I don’t think it’s crazy to think the Flames go LHD if they see them as a better prospect.
If so, I hope we snag Reid.

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

One knock on this kid is consistency, one scout mentioned he watched him 4 times, one game he looked like a top 5 draft pick but the other three he wouldn't recommend drafting him at all, hopefully just bad timing as all players have bad nights.

So odd to me. I saw him a half dozen games this year and he was noticeable with high compete in every game, even though he didn’t get points in a couple of them. Always creating opportunities and in the middle of the play.

He didn’t have much offensive support in the first half of the year so plays would die fairly regularly, but that wasn’t his fault.

He also raised his game to elite levels in the playoffs, especially in the Spokane series, against players that are supposed to be better than him.

I’m actually happy to hear that scouts are saying that about him, because it’ll mean it’s more likely he’ll be there when the flames pick (and they must be interested as button was in person at one of his best games in that series)

[robertsfanatic]

Originally Posted by robertsfanatic

I hope we get Reschney and Ryabkin with our picks.

sticking with this but if Reschney is gone then substitute Kindel.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I did a write-up on Pickford last year, and despite his measly stats from 2023-24, I was shocked that he wasn’t picked. I really like that kid.

A few others who were passed over were D Daniel Nieminen, D Daniil Ustinkov, D Anthony Cristoforo, and D Jack Brauti. There were others, but I forgot…

- Cool to look back on Pickford:
- link to his profile by Sandman on Upside from last yr:
https://www.upsidehockey.com/prospec...h.7x7dwgoh6fqs

- I'll have to try and coper over some of these overagers to 2025 draft page. Feel so behind this yr - when life gets extra chaotic lol

[Nelson]

I agree. With 18, I want Reschny or alternatively, Kindel. At 29-32, I’m gonna just see who’s left. I was previously hoping for Reschny at 18 and Kindel at 22. But that 22nd pick is currently slipping through our fingers.

[ForeverFlameFan]

High risk, highly skilled player at 32 please

[Toonage]

Ryabkin you are a Flame

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 6):

RW Ben Kindel (5'10",176lbs)
Calgary (WHL): 65gp/ 35g/ 64a/ 99pts, +39, 39 PIM

The Calgary Hitmen seemed to get better and better as the season wore on, finishing the regular season as the 3rd-best team in the WHL, but they were bested in the second round by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in seven games. RW Ben Kindel (ranked # 21 NA Skaters, # 25 by McKenzie, # 21 by Button) led the team in playoff scoring by 6 points, with 8 goals and 15 points in 11 contests. With the Hitmen's season over, he joined Team Canada at the U-18's, already in progress, and hit the ground running- going home with a gold medal, and finishing 7th on the team in scoring, with 7 points in 5 games. In the regular season, he was 2nd in scoring on the Hitmen, and 7th-overall in the WHL, with 99 points in just 65 games. Kindel is a highly cerebral offensive winger who can both create offense through his playmaking, as well as score goals. He's rather diminutive, but plays a solid 200-foot game, and doesn't shy away from the rough stuff. A high-end playmaker with elite hockey sense and keen vision, he's the type of player who can create something out of seemingly nothing, and catches opponents off-guard with passes that come out of nowhere; he spots seams that few others could see, and has the ability to make plays in tight areas.

With sublime passing skill, he can thread the needle through the tiniest of holes in traffic, and connect on cross-ice feeds, with the ability to pull-off any kind of pass imaginable- from saucers, to slips, to backhands, to banks. He can expedite his team's transition with long-distance stretch-passes, and can hit a teammate from the point to the opposite corner, with precision. Kindel has the patience and composure to slow the game down long enough to scan thoroughly, in order to read the play and process quickly; he always seems to make sound decisions with the puck, and shows a propensity for creating a ton of high-danger chances for teammates. With his strong offensive instincts, he makes the players around him better, and his feeds give recipients the upper-hand on their adversaries. A master of space-creation, he is always deceiving and patiently manipulating to make defenses move, or to bait pressure, in order to unlock passing seams and shooting lanes, with delays, feints, and look-offs. Kindel is often tasked with running the powerplay from the point, because of his vision, creativity, and distribution skill. A high number of giveaways per-game suggests that he needs work on his decision-making and puck-management in high-pressure situations, however.

Kindel reads gaps well, exhibits a goal-scorer's instincts, and locates open space to unleash his wrister, which could use more power and precision, but comes with a sneaky release and a change of angle in the blade of his stick to fool goalies. His one-timer is hard and heavy though, and the placement of his shot is usually precise. Positioning himself with foresight, he readies himself off-puck in high-danger areas for the pass, as a constant playable option for his linemates- sneaking behind defenses, and dipping in-and-out of the slot; getting inside was considered a weakness of his at the beginning of the season, but he seems far more willing to play in the middle these days. He attacks the net with the puck fearlessly, works his way into the greasy areas around the net, sets up in front of the crease to jockey for position and pounce on tips and rebounds- he gets off the wall with the puck a lot for a smaller player, as well. Kindel is a hard-worker with a high compete level, and despite his size, he is willing to get his nose dirty and will engage opponents physically. He forechecks tenaciously, battles hard in the trenches, and wins more 50/50 battles than he loses. He will take a hit to make a play, moves through contact, and often wins inside position on opponents along the boards.

Kindel's skating has some mechanical issues that need to be smoothed out, most notably a short and choppy stride that shows up at times, but I believe that he has improved his speed somewhat from earlier in the season. Still, he needs to keep adding strength to his lower-body in order to improve his overall quickness and explosiveness. He navigates his way through traffic adroitly with shiftiness on his edges, that give him lateral quickness, superb agility, a rapid change of speed and direction, and the ability to spin off of checks. Even with a lack of separation speed, he can bob and weave his way through transition, skating winding routes through the neutral zone while evading checks. His competitive drive propels him forward, and augments his mobility in times when he needs a boost, but his straight-line speed is somewhere around average- perhaps a notch or two above. Kindel's puck-skills are somewhere in the above-average category as well; he handles and protects well, and displays a soft-touch in his passing, but has issues controlling at high-speeds at times, particularly when under duress. I'm always surprised by how involved he is defensively, and how effective he is at disrupting plays all over the ice, in every step of the backcheck; he sometimes looks like an elite shut-down specialist. He's aggressive, engaged, and so flawless in his positioning, with high-end awareness and anticipation to act proactively against the attack. He hounds puck-carriers with intensity- stripping pucks, lifting sticks in pursuit, clogging lanes, and putting his body on the line to block shots. He's often the first forward back in the defensive zone, and is an excellent penalty-killer. Size issues aside, Kindel is a pretty sure-fire middle-six NHL-player in the making, with the potential for more- look for him in the latter half of the first-round.

[Icon]

Props for using "adroitly"

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 6):

RW Ben Kindel (5'10",176lbs)
Calgary (WHL): 65gp/ 35g/ 64a/ 99pts, +39, 39 PIM

The Calgary Hitmen seemed to get better and better as the season wore on, finishing the regular season as the 3rd-best team in the WHL, but they were bested in the second round by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in seven games. RW Ben Kindel (ranked # 21 NA Skaters, # 25 by McKenzie, # 21 by Button) led the team in playoff scoring by 6 points, with 8 goals and 15 points in 11 contests. With the Hitmen's season over, he joined Team Canada at the U-18's, already in progress, and hit the ground running- going home with a gold medal, and finishing 7th on the team in scoring, with 7 points in 5 games. In the regular season, he was 2nd in scoring on the Hitmen, and 7th-overall in the WHL, with 99 points in just 65 games. Kindel is a highly cerebral offensive winger who can both create offense through his playmaking, as well as score goals. He's rather diminutive, but plays a solid 200-foot game, and doesn't shy away from the rough stuff. A high-end playmaker with elite hockey sense and keen vision, he's the type of player who can create something out of seemingly nothing, and catches opponents off-guard with passes that come out of nowhere; he spots seams that few others could see, and has the ability to make plays in tight areas.

With sublime passing skill, he can thread the needle through the tiniest of holes in traffic, and connect on cross-ice feeds, with the ability to pull-off any kind of pass imaginable- from saucers, to slips, to backhands, to banks. He can expedite his team's transition with long-distance stretch-passes, and can hit a teammate from the point to the opposite corner, with precision. Kindel has the patience and composure to slow the game down long enough to scan thoroughly, in order to read the play and process quickly; he always seems to make sound decisions with the puck, and shows a propensity for creating a ton of high-danger chances for teammates. With his strong offensive instincts, he makes the players around him better, and his feeds give recipients the upper-hand on their adversaries. A master of space-creation, he is always deceiving and patiently manipulating to make defenses move, or to bait pressure, in order to unlock passing seams and shooting lanes, with delays, feints, and look-offs. Kindel is often tasked with running the powerplay from the point, because of his vision, creativity, and distribution skill. A high number of giveaways per-game suggests that he needs work on his decision-making and puck-management in high-pressure situations, however.

Kindel reads gaps well, exhibits a goal-scorer's instincts, and locates open space to unleash his wrister, which could use more power and precision, but comes with a sneaky release and a change of angle in the blade of his stick to fool goalies. His one-timer is hard and heavy though, and the placement of his shot is usually precise. Positioning himself with foresight, he readies himself off-puck in high-danger areas for the pass, as a constant playable option for his linemates- sneaking behind defenses, and dipping in-and-out of the slot; getting inside was considered a weakness of his at the beginning of the season, but he seems far more willing to play in the middle these days. He attacks the net with the puck fearlessly, works his way into the greasy areas around the net, sets up in front of the crease to jockey for position and pounce on tips and rebounds- he gets off the wall with the puck a lot for a smaller player, as well. Kindel is a hard-worker with a high compete level, and despite his size, he is willing to get his nose dirty and will engage opponents physically. He forechecks tenaciously, battles hard in the trenches, and wins more 50/50 battles than he loses. He will take a hit to make a play, moves through contact, and often wins inside position on opponents along the boards.

Kindel's skating has some mechanical issues that need to be smoothed out, most notably a short and choppy stride that shows up at times, but I believe that he has improved his speed somewhat from earlier in the season. Still, he needs to keep adding strength to his lower-body in order to improve his overall quickness and explosiveness. He navigates his way through traffic adroitly with shiftiness on his edges, that give him lateral quickness, superb agility, a rapid change of speed and direction, and the ability to spin off of checks. Even with a lack of separation speed, he can bob and weave his way through transition, skating winding routes through the neutral zone while evading checks. His competitive drive propels him forward, and augments his mobility in times when he needs a boost, but his straight-line speed is somewhere around average- perhaps a notch or two above. Kindel's puck-skills are somewhere in the above-average category as well; he handles and protects well, and displays a soft-touch in his passing, but has issues controlling at high-speeds at times, particularly when under duress. I'm always surprised by how involved he is defensively, and how effective he is at disrupting plays all over the ice, in every step of the backcheck; he sometimes looks like an elite shut-down specialist. He's aggressive, engaged, and so flawless in his positioning, with high-end awareness and anticipation to act proactively against the attack. He hounds puck-carriers with intensity- stripping pucks, lifting sticks in pursuit, clogging lanes, and putting his body on the line to block shots. He's often the first forward back in the defensive zone, and is an excellent penalty-killer. Size issues aside, Kindel is a pretty sure-fire middle-six NHL-player in the making, with the potential for more- look for him in the latter half of the first-round.

Does he play any centre, Sandman?

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

Does he play any centre, Sandman?

Yes he does at times, and his faceoff % was in the high-50’s last time I checked, but it seems to be unanimous that he will be a winger in the show. They say he looks more effective there.

[HitterD]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Yes he does at times, and his faceoff % was in the high-50’s last time I checked, but it seems to be unanimous that he will be a winger in the show. They say he looks more effective there.

Why do you think that is? Perhaps the size and average skating combination? I do wonder if he is able to improve his skating significantly if centre would be a better fit for him long term. He’s always looked good at C when he played it with the Hitmen, but it’s the WHL not the pros