2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

My top 5 hopeful picks that could be realistic for Calgary although some are going to require moving up.

1. McQueen - willing to risk the back issues for his ceiling. Would have to trade up.

2. Ben Kindel - My pick for the steal of the draft, his skating is smooth and his agility and edge work are top notch but he needs to get faster. Plays bigger than his size and can win faceoffs. He can play C or W in the NHL.

3. Kashawn Aitcheson - a LD that punishes opposition and makes crisp passes. Has a bomb for a shot. Would have to trade up.

4. Cole Reschny - Just a solid C, really athletic and has a very good 200 foot game. Don't see him having the offensive upside of Kindel but would be a solid 2nd line C down the road imo.

5. Cameron Reid LD - Reid is a fantastic two way D prospect who skates really well. Just a great athlete that fills a hole we need. Not the biggest guy at 6'0 190lbd right now but he is going to be a top 4 D in the NHL, no doubt.

I like this list, but I’m not the biggest Kindel fan- unless we got him at 32.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by The Original FFIV

Gonna put this in the draft chat

There is so much vanilla in this draft A lot of people trying to fix the center position with our 18 and 32 picks. I can’t see what is available fixing our need at C in this draft. Lots of middle six guys which may end up being third liners, which you can find in free agency.

I hope that Conny sees it the same way. Been thinking about this approach. Trade 18th down and a late first and hopefully a pick in the second. Then swing for the fences with the highest end skilled forward with our late firsts. If they don’t work out, take a comp 2nd round pick in 2027. And swing for the fences with the seconds we have (and hopefully accumulate).

It’s been said recently that safe is dead. This is the draft to take some wild chances.

Totally agree. I don't think this is the draft where you get super fixated on position. It just doesn't seem like the depth is there at center to expect a top 6.

Again, I look at the 2013 draft as an example.

In the 1st round, the most of the good centers (at least 300 NHL games, and top 6) were gone by pick 14:

1. MacKinnon
2. Barkov
5. Lindholm
6. Monahan
9. Horvat
12. Domi
14. Wennberg

(more than 300 games, not top 6)
17. Lazar
25. McCarron
29. Dickinson

After that, you have a few later round centers that turned into regular NHL players.

77. Guentzal
79. Janmark
82. Verhaeghe
104. Copp
121. Motte

So from one draft, you have a total of 15 centers that panned out into regular NHLers, and a couple just barely. The best centers go fast and the drop off between tiers is quick. I would say if you are not drafting high, like top 5 or 10, then go BPA until you get to later rounds, then swing for the fences.

[ColossusXIII]

How does Parekh's trajectory compare to Misa's at their respective positions? I'm crazy excited for Parekh (love offensive defencemen) and don't know how reasonable Parekh for the #2 pick would be, but would it make sense to pull the trigger if SJ really preferred a D-man and that was on the table?

At RD we've got Bru and Mews still to be excited about, at C the prospect cupboard is significantly more bare.

Hypothetically if we were holding the #2 pick and Parekh was in this year's draft I can't imagine many people would argue to take the top tier D over the top tier C, it's just trickier since we're already attached to our guy.

Also leaves a top RD spot open for Makar's UFA if you're one to believe such things are possible...

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

My top 5 hopeful picks that could be realistic for Calgary although some are going to require moving up.

1. McQueen - willing to risk the back issues for his ceiling. Would have to trade up.

2. Ben Kindel - My pick for the steal of the draft, his skating is smooth and his agility and edge work are top notch but he needs to get faster. Plays bigger than his size and can win faceoffs. He can play C or W in the NHL.

3. Kashawn Aitcheson - a LD that punishes opposition and makes crisp passes. Has a bomb for a shot. Would have to trade up.

4. Cole Reschny - Just a solid C, really athletic and has a very good 200 foot game. Don't see him having the offensive upside of Kindel but would be a solid 2nd line C down the road imo.

5. Cameron Reid LD - Reid is a fantastic two way D prospect who skates really well. Just a great athlete that fills a hole we need. Not the biggest guy at 6'0 190lbd right now but he is going to be a top 4 D in the NHL, no doubt.

If McQueen is there at 18 I agree he should be picked. No way he makes it to 32.

The other 4 I like, in this order:

Reschny
Cootes
Aitcheson
Kindel

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by The Original FFIV

Was talking to my kid about this yesterday. Seems like a good indicator of a weak draft is when you have a number of goaltenders projected to go in the. Top two rounds, which appears to be the case with this draft.

Also some talk that Frolov might go 1st round too.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1936066157657940286


Frolov is at the Gold Star Pre-draft Camp in Miami this weekend. Agent is Dan Milisten who is very familiar with Conroy. Just saying.

[BrownDrake]

Hopefully Conroy isn’t as happy with the center prospects at 18 as some on the board here are, very slim chance there’s any 2nd line centers at our position especially in this draft class.

It’s tough to move up but hoping Conroy can package Andersson with a pick to get us into the 8 to 12 range, getting a McQueen, Obrien or Martin would be a great consolation to this years overachievement! Those prospects have the type of of ceilings we need, better size and snarl and give us something you just can’t find outside of the draft. We can trade for 3rd line depth centers.

[Roko]

This is the most I’ve ever seen teams interested to trade high firsts. Sounds to me like someone will do it this year. All these buyers and no sellers.

[JTech780]

The names that could be available at 18 that I have my eye on are:

Braeden Cootes, Bill Zonnon, Justin Carbonneau, Logan Hensler.

Two guys I hope that fall to us are:

Carter Bear, Jackson Smith.

[FanSince'01]

Originally Posted by ColossusXIII

How does Parekh's trajectory compare to Misa's at their respective positions? I'm crazy excited for Parekh (love offensive defencemen) and don't know how reasonable Parekh for the #2 pick would be, but would it make sense to pull the trigger if SJ really preferred a D-man and that was on the table?

At RD we've got Bru and Mews still to be excited about, at C the prospect cupboard is significantly more bare.

Hypothetically if we were holding the #2 pick and Parekh was in this year's draft I can't imagine many people would argue to take the top tier D over the top tier C, it's just trickier since we're already attached to our guy.

Also leaves a top RD spot open for Makar's UFA if you're one to believe such things are possible...

Don’t consider myself a prospect expert or anything, but IMO Zayne has a much higher trajectory than Misa. And I’d be over the moon if we somehow managed to trade up to get Misa at #2 overall.

Misa has a good chance of being a top line talent in the league. Zayne has a chance of being something special. He’s worth more than Misa.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Also some talk that Frolov might go 1st round too.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1936066157657940286


Frolov is at the Gold Star Pre-draft Camp in Miami this weekend. Agent is Dan Milisten who is very familiar with Conroy. Just saying.

Excellent insights sureLoss. There’s some very interesting Russian goalies in the draft, and I keep hearing Frolov’s name.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I think the first goalie goes off the board in the early second and that stats a run of 3-4 others very quickly

[The Original FFIV]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Also some talk that Frolov might go 1st round too.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1936066157657940286


Frolov is at the Gold Star Pre-draft Camp in Miami this weekend. Agent is Dan Milisten who is very familiar with Conroy. Just saying.

That would be an utter disaster. It’s not like we don’t have any other goaltending prospects. Key is to load up with skill up front. When you can find a Dustin wolf in the 7th round, you don’t waste first round picks on goalies, who are about the hardest to project at this age. Imagine I would not be the only one pi$$ed if this happens.

[The Original FFIV]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think the first goalie goes off the board in the early second and that stats a run of 3-4 others very quickly

Hope you are correct. As that means we won’t take any of them.

[devo22]

yeah I don't want to use an early pick on a goalie either. If Raz is traded and the return includes another 1st, then I guess using the 2nd rounder wouldn't be the end of the world ... but even then, I'd rather use all the early picks on centers and maybe an LD at some point.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Also some talk that Frolov might go 1st round too.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1936066157657940286


Frolov is at the Gold Star Pre-draft Camp in Miami this weekend. Agent is Dan Milisten who is very familiar with Conroy. Just saying.

The Flames taking a goalie in the first round would be beyond baffling

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Hopefully 3 goalies in the first round means the Flames land a better position player at 32.

[3thirty]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think the first goalie goes off the board in the early second and that stats a run of 3-4 others very quickly

Hope it starts before 32 so some players fall

[Hockey-and_stuff]

Chatter from the combine and scouts is that big and heavy is back in vogue for teams. Guys like Brady Martin who play big are coveted as well. Martin is expected to go top 10 and I would expect Aitcheson to make a jump up the draft too.

[Royle9]

I think there’s a few teams with 2 firsts they will go for a goalie.

[The Original FFIV]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I think there’s a few teams with 2 firsts they will go for a goalie.

We have 2 firsts. Hope we aren’t one of those teams