2025 NHL Draft Thread

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Hey, if some team ahead of CGY wants to take Nesbitt by all means. Teams must really like the size and net front because from all the video I've seen, there's not much else to vault him into the middle round.

I watched as much of the U-18s as I could last month and until Nesbitt banged in a pass from 2 feet in front of the cage in one of the later games, Im not sure I heard his name the rest of the tournament. I'm no scout but he appeard to multiple levels of effectiveness below players like Cootes, Reschney, Kindel and Martin on the ice. I have him closer to Ethan Czata and Matt Gard than I have him to the previously mentioned players. If he is 6'0 instead of 6'4 he is not in the top 50.

[sureLoss]

Friedman on the 32 thoughts podcast on Mason West:

• best way to describe him is he has his own list on every team's draft board
• from the 2nd round on whenever a team is on the clock to make a pick, he will be part of the conversation - Is now the time we take him?
• he is really raw, but he is big, great athlete and can score
• he plays on the point on the PP because he can really shoot the puck
• because you are always looking for big mobile guys, everyone is watching him
• there is so little eye test against really good players - he is the biggest wild card of the draft - boom potential
• he isn't going to go high 1st round but teams will be asking themselves if we don't take him now, will someone else do it
• some speculation teams with multiple 1sts might take him 1st round because he might not be available when they pick again in the 2nd

[traptor]

I feel like the Habs will take a Dman with one of those picks. They've been pretty forward heavy in the top of their recent drafts.

Then I imagine they try and take a forward with size (Lakovic), or the french winger with upside(Carbonneau).

Their prospect center depth is decent already.

[traptor]

Would taking Mason West with 32nd oa be too much of a reach?

I wouldn't hate the gamble...

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by traptor

Would taking Mason West with 32nd oa be too much of a reach?

I wouldn't hate the gamble...

I wouldn’t hate that either. Unless one of kindel reschny zonnon cootes bear slides and is still on the board

[dammage79]

I'd rather Moore over West or Nesbitt if I'm honest. But if West pops he's gonna pop big time.

[Monahammer]

I also would take moore.

Ranking end first bigger guys:
Moore~nesbitt
Horcoff
West

Imo...

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by traptor

Would taking Mason West with 32nd oa be too much of a reach?

I wouldn't hate the gamble...

yes, it's far too big of a reach. He scored 49 points in 31 games in a league where the leading scorer (who is also a first-time draft eligible and, shocker, isn't on anyone's draft list) had 95 in 27.

He was 87th in scoring in that league, outside the top 100 in points per game. How early would you draft the 87th leading scorer from the BCHL? And the BCHL is a much better league than Minnesota High School.

[Badgers Nose]

Janko unchained vibes

[aaronkarlpatton]

Originally Posted by traptor

Would taking Mason West with 32nd oa be too much of a reach?

I wouldn't hate the gamble...

I would take him in the second round. Maybe Craig will swing a trade to acquire a secondary second round to grab west.

Sent from my SM-G990W2 using Tapatalk

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

Janko unchained vibes

He debated between playing hockey and his other sport, football. Could someone play football with the passivity of Janko?

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 61):

LD Rio Kaiser (6'7",207lbs)
Peterborough (OHL): 25gp/ 1g/ 5a/ 6pts, -14, 42 PIM

German rearguard Rio Kaiser (ranked # 140 NA Skaters) was chosen in the 1st-round of the 2023 CHL Import Draft, 31st-overall, by the Peterborough Petes- who were able to bring the monster defenseman across the pond in January, right after he made a two-game appearance in the World Junior Championships for his homeland (0 points). Until that point, Kaiser had been playing in 3 different tiers of hockey (the same as he did in 2023-24), with 2 games in the U20 Junior league (no points and 27 PIM), 7 games in the second-tier pro league (2 assists in 7 games), and another 7 games in the top men's league (no points). Kaiser joined a Petes team that finished dead-last in the OHL this season, with the worst goals-for in the league- Willkommen in Kanada, junger Mann! While he was still adjusting to playing in North America when the season in Peterborough concluded, he has shown himself to be a humongous, physical defenseman with good mobility, who is still quite raw.

There are plenty of times when he's not moving his feet nearly enough, and he's seen gliding quite a bit, but he possesses surprising mobility when he gets going, with an elongated and powerful stride that looks projectable and fluid, on long legs. He accelerates reasonably well to a top-speed that allows him to keep up with smaller forwards on the rush. His agility and edges are also decent, giving him the capacity to make sharp cuts, and transition quickly. Kaiser is a punishing hitter, with a robust physical game and a willingness to drop the gloves; he's also a little mean, delivering an extra shot or two to his prey after a hit, and using crosschecks or slashes whenever he can. He throws his considerable weight around to dislodge pucks, dominates down-low, makes life difficult for opponents in front of the net, and can rock opponents in open-ice; his style intimidates and agitates, and he's a regular presence in post-whistle scrums. Attackers are hopelessly immobilized and neutralized when he ties them up and pins them to the wall- much like a fly in the spider's web. Kaiser was still trying to figure things out, but he can make some plays and can move the puck when given time and space. His breakouts are wildly inconsistent, but he has shown the ability to connect on some higher-end feeds when he gets the time to scan for options; even still, he usually keeps his passes short and simple, and will dump it out or clear the puck off the glass quite often. He will join the rush to attack soft spots in the slot, and has shown a willingness to activate into the play from the line. He owns a booming point shot that he gets on net with fair frequency to make plays for teammates, and he holds the line well to extend offensive-zone time for his team. Keeping his play safe and simple, he relies on risk-free distribution and dump-ins, as he gets in trouble when he tries to get too fancy.

Kaiser has improved his play against the rush by keeping his feet moving more, and was executing sound gap-control by the end of the year, with an active stick to angle opponents to the boards, then surfing across the ice quickly to close them out. At times, he's was still showing difficulty in-zone against the cycle, and was still guilty of planting his feet to puck-watch, which took him out of the play and made him late to engage attackers- his defensive awareness needs an upgrade. Even still, his enormous range is difficult for opponents to navigate when he stays active, and he uses his reach well- timing his poke-checks to disguise his wingspan. Through transition, he pushes the puck up-ice and supports the play with short passes, but can also carry through the neutral zone once in a while, showing decent puck-skills and control in-motion to evade defenders, and even challenge them one-on-one at times. Kaiser's age works against him, with an October 7th, 2006 birthday, and it seems widely accepted that he will be a bit of a project for the team that drafts him, but his blend of size, mobility, and physicality will definitely interest scouts. He still takes himself out of the play looking for the big hit, and has plenty of things in his game that he needs to clean up- particularly his on-puck play under pressure, and his mistakes in the defensive zone. Look for him in later rounds this summer.

Late to this post (saw him come up in a Pronman article), but hopefully this kid makes it and eventually gets paired with Carson Soucy.

Call that pairing the Usual Suspects.

[Toonage]

Slow clap

[Tkachukwagon]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (Russian Edition, Vol. 10):

RW Daniil Prokhorov (6'6",209lbs)
MHK Dynamo St.Petersburg (MHL): 39gp/ 18g/ 7a/ 25pts, -4, 14 PIM

There must be something in the water in Russia. Left-handed RW Daniil Prokhorov (ranked #27 EU Skaters) is yet another monster from that nation, and in this case, he's a classic north-south power-forward with good finishing ability, who's main asset is his gargantuan size. He is currently second on his team in goals, and tied for 17th in points (5th in goals) by U-18 players. Prokhorov is fairly mobile for a player of his size, and looks like a runaway freight train when he gets a full head of steam behind him, but needs plenty of work on his explosiveness and acceleration. Like many Russians, his puck-control is excellent, showing flashes of high-end stickhandling that he can use to beat opponents from time to time with a slick deke, and his puck-protection skills are high-end- he easily handles outside of his opponents' reach, using his body as a shield, and rarely turns the puck over. With his feet and hands in sync, he can rush the puck up-ice through transition in a straight-line, and will hook up with teammates in give-and-go sequences, but often defers to his comrades to do the carrying.

Prokhorov is not much of a playmaker, and doesn't possess a lot of creativity or vision- his offensive contributions revolve mainly around his shot, and his finishing ability. There's no real dynamic skill here, and he plays a very basic, meat-and-potatoes style. If he makes a play, it's usually borne of funneling pucks to the slot, or from a second-chance opportunity from a shot he fired at the net. His goal-scoring instincts bring him in close proximity to the net; he's very inside-driven, and will crash the crease for loose pucks. He doesn't mind scoring garbage goals, but he has fairly soft hands in-tight to cash-in some pretty ones, too. Using his considerable frame, he will drop a shoulder and ride a defender to the net, and makes an intimidating net-front presence, parking himself in front to create an immovable screen, shovel in rebounds, and tip pucks. Most of his chances come from below the dots, and his shot is already NHL-caliber, with a lethal one-timer, and a deadly catch-and-release wrister. He is good around the net, and dominant down-low, winning the vast majority of his battles while grinding the opposition down, and seems adept at getting pucks to the slot from there. Prokhorov plays a physical style, though not always consistently, and can affect the game with a big hit. He uses his frame well to win possession, and can easily push opponents off the puck, but he will also throw his considerable weight around- and often plays on the edge. He dominates along the wall, and imposes his will in front of the net, but still needs to use his size more consistently, with more intensity; he too often gets caught sticking to the perimeter. Defensively, he generally gets good grades and shows hard work on the backcheck using his reach, range, and physicality to be disruptive. Prokhorov is still a bit raw, and will need some runway to reach his potential. Look for him in the 4th, or 5th round.

Seeing some rumbling online about Prokhorov, maybe even late first round early second. Don’t know anything about this player other than Sandman’s write up.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1933615145818735018

https://twitter.com/user/status/1930688858452296057

[Sandman]

I’ve seen Prokhorov as high as the early 2nd-round on some lists.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Ba'alzamon

yes, it's far too big of a reach. He scored 49 points in 31 games in a league where the leading scorer (who is also a first-time draft eligible and, shocker, isn't on anyone's draft list) had 95 in 27.

He was 87th in scoring in that league, outside the top 100 in points per game. How early would you draft the 87th leading scorer from the BCHL? And the BCHL is a much better league than Minnesota High School.

I agree with this 100%. West is another one of those “wouldn’t be drafted if he was 6’0” tall” types. He’s much more athletic than Dean Letourneau was last season, but I see some parrallels. However, I believe it was Snuffy that had an interesting post about him, extolling his virtues nicely, with some compelling arguments in his favour.

Now watch the Flames take him with their late first….

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by RyZ

I watched as much of the U-18s as I could last month and until Nesbitt banged in a pass from 2 feet in front of the cage in one of the later games, Im not sure I heard his name the rest of the tournament. I'm no scout but he appeard to multiple levels of effectiveness below players like Cootes, Reschney, Kindel and Martin on the ice. I have him closer to Ethan Czata and Matt Gard than I have him to the previously mentioned players. If he is 6'0 instead of 6'4 he is not in the top 50.

Nesbitt was tied for 7th in scoring (5 points in 6 games) on Team Canada at the U-18’s, playing 1 less game than most of his teammates ahead of him- while cast in mostly a defensive role. He has excellent hockey sense, and applies it to his defensive duties. True, he wouldn’t be garnering the same attention if he weren’t 6’4”, but the fact of the matter is- he is 6’4”, and size is an asset in a contact sport, same goes for Mason West.

Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve said repeatedly- Nesbitt makes my Greg Neimisz PTSD act up a little, but I generally like him.

[The Fonz]

Mason West will be a nobody. Stay away.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Mason West will be a nobody. Stay away.

I'll go the other way.

He'll not only be a somebody he'll be like Tage Thompson on steroids, Do not pass up.

[Sandman]

To be fair, Mason West is still quite young, with an August birthday, and he did put a very respectable 9 points (1 goal) in 10 games for Fargo of the USHL.