2025 NHL Draft Thread

[cral12]

Woah - Sandman is pouring it on with profiles and knocking it out of the park/rink as per usu!

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 16):

LD Matthew Schaefer (6'2",183lbs)
Erie (OHL): 17gp/ 7g/ 15a/ 22pts, +21, 8 PIM

Future Superstar Matt Schaefer's draft year was reduced to a small 17-game sample size, after a broken collarbone at the World Juniors essentially ended his season (he was given a 3-month recovery time). McKenzie stated though, that even with the missed developmental time, most scouts he surveyed stated that they still had Schaefer ranked #1 on their lists. In addition to his 17 OHL games this season, he put up 5 points in 7 games (with a + 8) at the 2024 U-18's, and had a goal and an assist in 2 games at the WJC, before going down to injury. Simply put- Matthew Schaefer is next level. He's a dynamic two-way defenseman who acts as a shut-down defender in one end of the ice, while being a game-breaking, lights-out offensive creator in the other end; his 22 points in 17 games prorate to 88 points in 68 games, if he was fully healthy for the duration of the season. Schaefer controls the pace of the game, and tilts the ice like few others can, with a full toolkit of NHL-translatable skills, and an overflowing arsenal of superb physical traits. Everything he does looks unbelievably smooth, and he always seems remarkably poised and calm under pressure. A lot of his game is facilitated by his elite skating, blended with his supernatural puck-skills, and whenever a mistake is made (and those instances are rare), he has the speed and handling to recover without missing a beat. Similarly, he can activate into the play off the point, or join the rush as an extra forward, and make it back to cover his defensive duties at the line seamlessly, before the puck leaves the zone. Schaefer explodes out of the blocks with a lightning-quick first-step, and accelerates rapidly up to a turbo-charged top-speed, on a long and powerful stride, with polished, fluid mechanics- he can flat-out fly. With elite edgework, he uses his agility to outmaneuver checkers, evade pressure, and briskly change pace and direction when rushing the puck up-ice, in order to sidestep defenders.

Schaefer's stickhandling keeps pace with his overwhelming speed, which makes him twice as dangerous; he can solve problems on the fly, make attackers miss, and blow through traffic without hardly being touched, with his quick hands. Because of these skills, he excels in transition, either by pass or by carry, and can lead the rush through controlled exit and entry, or support the play by quarterbacking from the rear with connective passes. He easily shakes off forecheckers in retrievals, either by outskating them, or by outmaneuvering them, and can create dynamic plays off of recovered pucks to expedite the breakout, with calmness and poise. Schaefer's offensive instincts are top-notch, and he already reads the play in the offensive zone at an NHL-level, with high-end vision, and elite hockey sense. He walks the line in the offensive zone effortlessly, keeping his head up to scan for open lanes, and to pry open passing seams. He's not afraid to join the rush as an extra attacker, and will activate deep into the zone off the line if he spots an opportunity- even attacking the net at times, either on, or off the puck. He spots teammates in high-danger often for grade "A" chances, and has soft-touch passing skill to thread the needle through the smallest holes in traffic- right to the recipient's tape. His shot isn't very special, and is mostly used as a playmaking device, but he likes to sneak up to the slot for shot opportunities, as he is more apt to score in-close, and has the precision to beat goalies cleanly.

Schaefer is quite well-rounded, and he's an excellent defensive performer, but his game in this area isn't yet 100% perfect, and is still a bit of a work in progress. Most of the time, he exhibits sound positioning, and plus-level awareness in the defensive zone, but he's a bit inconsistent. He's active and aggressive in pursuit of the puck, but he sometimes loses his man in coverage, and there are questions about his effort and engagement level at times. Schaefer defends the rush well, and can easily match footwork with any opponents to apply tight gaps, angle opponents to the boards, and strip them of the puck with with a well-timed stick. At times though, his gaps are too loose, and he concedes too much room to oncoming rushers. Schaefer works hard in his own-zone, and pushes pace on aggressors to remove time and space, but he could use a more pronounced physical game to win more battles, separate his man from the puck, and be more effective in defending his net. He is a willing shot-blocker though, gets into lanes, intercepts passes, and is a trusted penalty-killer. Schaefer will finish checks, and will battle for pucks in the trenches, but he isn't the most physical player; he can play through contact, and doesn't shy away from the rough stuff, but would be more effective in certain situations if he were to add a more physical dimension to his game. Schaefer Captained Team Canada to Gold at last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, which shows that he has leadership intangibles, and he sets an example with his unrelenting motor, and his high-end work-ethic. He is also a minute-muncher- able to play big minutes in important situations. Despite some small, fixable flaws, he is a sure-fire top-pairing D-man, with a solid two-way game. Look for him at # 1 in the Draft.

[Yanda]

Originally Posted by HitterD

The home run swing at 32, for me would be Ryabkin, but I still think someone might grab him sooner. Check out Bingo’s consolidated rankings, updated frequently in this thread as well as a starting point for players projected in that range.

I would like the Flames to move up to 25-27 by packaging a 2nd and one of our extremely replaceable prospects like Solovyov, Poirier or Kuznetsov. Really any of the middling prospects that would breakout as NHLers on another team anyways if they ever do (Not named Ciona).

[aaronkarlpatton]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Looks like Mason West has decided to commit to Hockey over Football. He will be attending the NHL draft combine

https://twitter.com/user/status/1927877617048240533

That's great, please remind me what round he will probably go in.

Sent from my SM-G990W2 using Tapatalk

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by aaronkarlpatton

That's great, please remind me what round he will probably go in.

Sent from my SM-G990W2 using Tapatalk

Quick view of mocks have him in the backhalf of the 2nd round... but I wouldn't expect that to hold. I mean skilled 6'6 C's (or potential C anyways since from what I read he plays all 3 forward positions) with projection is the type that tends to go earlier then expected just in general. Add to that removing some uncertainty about which sport he'd commit to, and then add some juice because he showed well in the 10 USHL games he played vs. just having prep league games to evaluate. Looks like there is a lot to dream on there and I bet someone would be willing to follow that dream and gamble that a full commitment to hockey will see the raw talent refined.

[sureLoss]

Yeah I am expecting West to go late 1st or early 2nd.

Natural athlete (good enough to get NCAA offers for both hockey and football). 6'6'', 205lbs, can play C, shoots R.

Risk is how much his size offers him an advantage in high school leagues and whether his game will adapt to more skilled players/larger players in a better league but as Parallex says he did put up 9pts in 10 games in the USHL at the tail end of the season.

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1928503460418454013

[Tbull8]

Cole Reschny going to UND

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Cole Reschny going to UND

If the Flames draft him, that's great. If they don't, boooooo... The Royals were building something.

The ability for top CHL talent to move to the US college route is really going to have an impact on these teams.

[sch19lks]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Cole Reschny going to UND

Keaton Verhoeff too. Rumour of Martone having a huge offer on the table from Penn State. Desnoyers is rumoured to be committing to an NCAA team once the Memorial Cup is finished. The CHL is being picked clean by the NCAA

[BagoPucks]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Here's a few of my favorites:

C Hayden Paupanekis: He's not likely to be available in the 3rd, but he's a 6'4" center who is quite raw, and flashes offensive potential. He plays a power game, is quite physical, and has a competitive edge. He projects as a middle-six C. 22 goals and 43 points in 71 games, divided between Spokane and Kelowna.

C Matthew Gard: Much like Paupanekis, he's a 6'4" center, with a robust physical game, and specializes in shutting down the opposition's best players- but there are flashes of more. 36 points in 66 games with Red Deer (and 81 PIM), but he looked great at the U-18's, with 4 points in 7 games. Should be picked in the second.

C Owen Martin: He's a 6'0" RHC, who put up an impressive 34 points in 39 games with Spokane. He's a responsible two-way pivot with speed and good puck-skill. Should be picked in the second.

C Jimmy Lombardi: Another 6'0" C, this one's a lefty, and he employs an energetic two-way game, highlighted by excellent playmaking skill. Put up 45 points in 63 games on a middling Flint Firebirds squad.

C Tommy Lafreniere: He's a RHC, 5'11", 170lbs, put up 56 points in 68 games for the 19th-place Kamloops Blazers. Potential diamond in the rough, with a fairly well-rounded skillset, and a good two-way presence.

D Owen Conrad: 6'3", 208lb rearguard, who put up 26 points in 64 games, but should've had more- he had 29 points in 59 games the year prior. His skating needs work, but he's an uncut gem- size, snarl, and a highly underrated two-way game. His skating needs some work, but I would easily take him in the second.

C Teddy Mutryn: 6'1",208lb RHC with size and snarl, and a solid two-way game- but might not be suitable for top-6 duty. He'll move the needle though.

RW Shamar Moses: 6'1",203lb RW who plays a power game, and flashes good potential.

LW Kristian Epperson: He's like a 6'0" honey badger. Draft re-entry, who put up 80 points in 58 games, with 87 PIM, and a +45.

RW Aidan Lane: Sample size is small, but he's a 6'2" RW, who plays a power game, and looked excellent upon joining the Soo Greyhounds- 7 goals and 13 points in 13 games.

D Carson Cameron: He played for a crappy team , and only put up 23 points in 63 games for the Petes. He's a 6'2" blueliner with a little bit of everything.

Other names to look for:
D Asher Barnett, D Carlos Handel, RW Vaclav Nestrasil, LW Vojtech Cihar, LW Tomas Poletin, D Max Psenicka, D Will Sharpe, D Karl Annborn, LW Melvin Novotny, RW Theo Stockselius, C Mikkel Eriksen, LW Max Westergard, LW Filip Ekberg, C Gustav Hillstrom, D Zeb Lindgren, D Noah Laberge, RW Bruno Osmanis, C Charlie Cerrato, RW Lirim Amidovski, LW David Rozsival

Later rounds:
C Carson Harmer, C Cole Chandler, F Philippe Veilleux, C Noah Read, C Shawn Carrier, C Harry Nansi, LW Lukas Sawchyn, LW Caden Taylor

What a beautiful list. Love it. Would thank it numerous times if I could. Flames coming away like 2 or 3 of these guys would be amazing.

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Yeah I am expecting West to go late 1st or early 2nd.

Natural athlete (good enough to get NCAA offers for both hockey and football). 6'6'', 205lbs, can play C, shoots R.

Risk is how much his size offers him an advantage in high school leagues and whether his game will adapt to more skilled players/larger players in a better league but as Parallex says he did put up 9pts in 10 games in the USHL at the tail end of the season.

West is a 6'6" unit who posted 49 points in a league where the top scorer had 95 in 27 games.

I'm... not enthused.

[Sandman]

Just my opinion, but I think he’s been a bit overhyped, and some teams just may be trepidatious about selecting him early because of what happened last year with Dean Letourneau- who didn’t look like a legitimate NHL-prospect in his first year of college. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a good chance that he goes in the early second, but I think the team that takes him there might regret it.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Just my opinion, but I think he’s been a bit overhyped, and some teams just may be trepidatious about selecting him early because of what happened last year with Dean Letourneau- who didn’t look like a legitimate NHL-prospect in his first year of college. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a good chance that he goes in the early second, but I think the team that takes him there might regret it.

Keep in mind Mason West is a very raw prospect with only 10 games in the USHL, but in those 10 games he put up 10pts playing 3rd line minutes trying to get used to the higher competition, also keep in mind he's very young (over 10 months younger than McQueen for example) but is a 6'6 210lb beast with great skating and high IQ.

Now that he's chosen hockey over football I think he'll explode next year as an 18 year old, I would take a chance on this kid at 32 even if McQueen is still there.

[dissentowner]

No way I am drafting West over McQueen.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

No way I am drafting West over McQueen.

No way I'm drafting McQueen at all

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

No way I'm drafting McQueen at all

Why, because of the back injury? He will be fine.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

No way I'm drafting McQueen at all

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Why, because of the back injury? He will be fine.

There would have to be pretty definitive evidence that McQueen’s back will be an ongoing issue for me to pass on McQueen. In fact if he slides, I’m making pretty aggressive pitches to be able to land him.

[TOfan]

Interesting piece on Jackson Smith this morning. 6’3” fluid skating LHS D drawing comparisons to Thomas Harley.

C is the most pressing need but LHS D is as well

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/637...jackson-smith/

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Interesting piece on Jackson Smith this morning. 6’3” fluid skating LHS D drawing comparisons to Thomas Harley.

C is the most pressing need but LHS D is as well

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/637...jackson-smith/

I ate dinner with him last week. Cool as hell stories about this process. Got combine next.