2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (B's and C's Edition, Vol. 3):

C Luca Romano (5'11",168lbs)
Kitchener (OHL): 67gp/ 25g/ 26a/ 51pts,+5, 22 PIM

Luca Romano (ranked # 48 NA Skaters, # 44 by McKenzie) was cruising through the regular-season at around a point-per-game pace, but trailed off as the season wore on, producing only 12 points in the last 20 games- his 51 points were 6th-best on the Rangers. He was 4th on the team in post-season scoring though, putting up 11 points in 16 games, before Kitchener was eliminated from the playoffs in the Conference Finals by the unstoppable London Knights, in just 4 games. Romano, who is young by draft standards, with a June 25th birthday, also won a gold medal with Canada's entry in last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, placing 9th on the team (tied for 1st in goals) with 3 goals in 5 games. Drafted by the Rangers with the 11th-overall pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Romano is a speedy, skilled, two-way pivot with a high IQ, a well-rounded skillset, and a mature game, who can play in all situations. Though the Rangers are a fairly veteran-laden squad, he wears an "A" for them- probably due to his responsible game. A superb skater, he is light on his edges with explosive acceleration to a game-breaking top-speed- he's a legitimate burner who pushes overwhelming pace, beats defenders wide with a lightning-quick short-burst, and separates from attackers in open-ice with his long, powerful stride. He can outskate, or outmaneuver pursuers, with how slippery and evasive he is on his edges- he can stop-and-start on a dime, spin off of hits, cut laterally to evade checks, and change speed and direction almost instantaneously.

To enhance his mobility, Romano displays well-developed puck-skill, with firm control at high speeds, and slick handling in tight areas- he carries with poise, patience, and confidence. He protects well, using his lower torso and outside skate-blade, weaving around pressure in the offensive zone, while staying active to spot open lanes and shift defenses. To pave his way through traffic, he employs a wide array of deft feints, fakes, and look-offs to manipulate and deceive defenders into conceding open space. With near-pristine positioning, he reads the ice well and makes sound decisions quickly, exerting his high-level vision and IQ to make a lofty number of high-danger plays- often with the goal of funneling pucks to the slot. He plays with pace, skates into passes to give himself a little more room, gets behind the D off the rush, and shows proficiency in accessing and exploiting shards of open-ice in the offensive zone. His feeds are crisp and accurate, with a layer of deception, and often set up the recipient with an easy chance, or some kind of advantage- he can dish on the fly, from his forehand or his backhand. Romano often plays the bumper position on the PP, as he's no stranger to attacking the middle, or driving the net, and he owns soft mitts for chances in-tight. He also gets good power on his lethal wrister, as well as good precision, with the ability to fire off the catch, or shoot while in-motion. He can put the puck in the net from seemingly any angle, and he can beat goalies from a distance with his paralyzing release. With delays, cut-backs, deception, and a high activity rate, he draws pressure to open passing seams, and sometimes shoots to make plays- causing havoc in front of the net, and giving teammates rebound opportunities. Romano exhibits high-end defensive awareness and anticipation, with good habits and a keen attention to detail; he is steady and reliable on the backcheck, and entrusted with PK duty for the Rangers. Exerting his strong puck-pursuit, he sprints to attackers, with an active stick to pressure and disrupt in all three zones with effectiveness. Always a step or two ahead of the play, he clogs lanes, lifts sticks, sets picks, and racks-up a high number of takeaways.

Romano can drive the play through transition, and controls his speed and pace through his off-puck routes to better support the play, set little picks to make a little more room for teammates, and remain a constant, playable option. With his quick feet and hands, he can make dynamic entries while driving defenders back, or he can push the puck through the neutral zone with one-touch, short-distance connective passes. There's also the give-and-go option to open lanes, and he's not above chipping-and-chasing when needed. With tenacity, high-motor, and a competitive fire, he forechecks dilligently with speed and prodigious pace to disrupt retrievals, intercept breakouts, and apply pressure to puck-carriers. Romano's size and strength are detrimental right now, but he's always engaged, and can battle through contact- although he struggles against bigger players, and can be neutralized by physical pressure, or forced into giveaways, turnovers, and throwaways. He doesn't seem to be comfortable making plays in heavy traffic, and seems to need to seek out open-ice for extra time and space. Still, he will battle in greasy areas for loose pucks, initiates contact to make himself a little more room, and will throw hits to dislodge pucks. Getting bigger and stronger is absolutely imperative- most of his issues stem from his slight build, and cloud his repertoire of NHL-translatable skills. Romano may not be a high-end offensive player, or a future first-liner in the NHL, as he often forces plays, tries to do too much on his own, or hangs on to the puck for too long- showing a need to improve his decision-making. He needs to get much more proficient at faceoffs, another issue that overlaps his strength deficiencies, as he finished with a 45.5% win-rate. Look for him in the second-round, with the ceiling of a second-line C in the NHL, who employs a robust two-way game.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (B's and C's Edition, Vol. 4):

LHC Ethan Czata (6'1",174lbs)
Niagara (OHL): 68gp/ 21g/ 34a/ 55pts, -9, 72 PIM

One of my personal favorites for the second-round, C Ethan Czata (ranked # 49 NA Skaters, # 53 by McKenzie, # 58 by Button) was impressive in the most recent edition of the U-18 Tournament, producing 5 points in 7 games, while playing a bottom-six role for Team Canada. Czata has the pedigree of being drafted in the first-round of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, by the Niagara Ice Dogs, with the 5th-overall pick- and he finished the regular season as their 4th-highest scorer. In the playoffs however, he was only able to muster 2 points in 5 games, as the Ice Dogs (who finished 12th out of 20 teams in the OHL) were eliminated in the first-round by the Barrie Colts. He also took part in last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, winning gold with Team Canada, but producing no points along the way. Known as a leader with upstanding character, he is a physical, two-way pivot with a power-forward style, who can play on both sides of special teams. A superb skater, he gets up and down the ice expeditiously on a long and powerful stride, and he possesses an explosive burst in small-areas- though he use a tweak on his first-step quickness, and top-gear. He can make quick changes to his speed and direction while in-motion, using his solid edgework. With overwhelming motor, and a high-end workrate, he wins battles with his intensity, and sheer determination, giving second-and-third efforts. Czata is a menacing physical player with bite, but he doesn't take himself out of the play looking for a big hit; instead, he doles out clean bodychecks, and stays disciplined for the sake of his team. Even still, he disrupts, intimidates, and dislodges pucks by throwing big hits, and he can dish out some bone-jarring bodychecks in open-ice, when an opponent isn't paying the proper attention. He fights his way through contact, and can make plays while doing so; as an effective agitator, his efforts draw a ton of penalties, and he has to drop the gloves once in a while. He is borderline-dominant down-low, and battles hard in the greasy areas to win pucks- charging into the fray with tenacity.

Czata is a reliable defender with a steadying presence, and a finely-tuned attention to detail; his high-end defensive awareness is one of his calling-cards, with smart positioning, and good habits. Furious on the backcheck, he applies supreme pressure on puck-carriers as early as the breakout, exerting urgency, intensity, and an active stick to force uncontrolled play and turnovers- he's also highly adept at steals from behind, and takeaways using stick-lifts. Like any good defensive center should, he takes away the middle of the ice from attacks, but also gets into lanes and intercepts passes on the backcheck through the neutral zone. He's a willing shot-blocker, and will wrap up threats, pinning them to the boards- thereby neutralizing them. Czata is not flashy or dynamic, and while he possesses a reasonable amount of skill, he isn't much of a creator or a play-driver. He is intelligent though, with high IQ to make sound decisions all over the ice, and is well-positioned at all times. He is adept at finding gaps in coverage, and locating passing seams; he is underrated as a playmaker, and actually displays a modicum of vision, with solid offensive instincts. He can dish off while in-flight, find teammates through traffic, and he can thread the needle on some fairly dynamic passes at times, resulting in grade "A" chances. There's deception in his game as well, with the use of fakes and look-offs to manipulate defenders into giving up slivers of space and time. Czata definitely isn't the type to deke and dangle through traffic, as his puck-skills and handling are sufficient, but nothing special; he sometimes has a bit of trouble with his puck-control at top-speed, and catching while in full-flight. He employs a very straightforward approach, keeping things fairly simple, but efficient and effective. His puck-protection is a plus, shielding the puck using his reach, and angling his body away from checkers, while handling outside of their reach. No surprise, but Czata goes all-out on the forecheck, attacking with pace and urgency, while finishing his checks in an effort to wreak havoc on the opposing team's efforts to get a breakout going.

A strong supporter off-puck in all three zones, he skates routes that help him remain a constant playable option for his teammates, and works give-and-go plays to open space through transition. In the offensive zone, he's a dangerous attacker below the hashmarks, and wins positioning in front of the net for chances in-tight. He owns an explosive wrister that he can fire off the catch while in-motion, and can unleash a bullet of a one-timer, but he needs work on both his precision and his release, as a high number of the shots he takes are either blocked, or miss the net. With some tweaks, this will become an impressive weapon, but he needs work on his finishing skills, as well as his shot. In addition, he requires more polish when it comes to his puck-skills. Czata's faceoffs were under 50% this season, so improvement is required to be an effective defensive center in the pros. His NHL-ceiling is that of a middle-six center, but he could very well end up as a dependable 3rd-line pivot who goes up against the other team's best players, and chips in some secondary offense and physicality. Look for him in the 2nd-round.

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts (B's and C's Edition, Vol. 2)

LHC Tyler Hopkins (6'1",181lbs)
Kingston (OHL): 67gp/ 20g/ 31a/ 51pts, -1, 18 PIM

(clipped for brevity)

Yeah, sounds like a real dud. The rest of the league should just turn away, nothing to see here. I guess the Flames will throw him a bone with the Avalanche second, just to show some solidarity to Battaglia. You know; no other reason.

[Sandman]

Wink wink

[Tkachukwagon]

Scott Wheeler from the Athletic just released a mock of the first round, has the Flames picking Reschny and Kindel. One of the better case scenarios for the Flames in my opinion.

18. Calgary Flames (via New Jersey Devils): Cole Reschny, C, Victoria Royals

The belief seems to be that the Flames, who’ve drafted a ton of defensemen and wingers in recent years, are going to be after a center here. Reschny’s combination of skill, smarts and two-way drive makes him a natural fit. They haven’t shied away from taking 5-foot-10/11 players either. This is probably the start of the range (plus or minus a couple) where the much bigger Jack Nesbitt could start to go, too.

22. Calgary Flames (via Florida Panthers): Benjamin Kindel, C, Calgary Hitmen

The Flames double down on skilled, smart centers and draft from within … their own organization. Reschny and Kindel would immediately give the Flames a potential 2C of the future, and Kindel played his 16-year-old season on the wing and could always move back.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/633...round-lottery/

[traptor]

Originally Posted by Tkachukwagon

Scott Wheeler from the Athletic just released a mock of the first round, has the Flames picking Reschny and Kindel. One of the better case scenarios for the Flames in my opinion.





https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/633...round-lottery/

That would be great. I do wonder if there will be some trepidation in going for two small forwards though. Alot of our future core forwards already skew smaller with Coronato and Zary.

I do think they snag one of these guys if available, but I wouldn't be shocked if they went for a guy like Nesbitt with their other pick if available.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by cral12

Upside Hockey's 2025 NHL Draft Rankings — Draft Lottery Edition

The May Edition of Our Top 224 NHL Draft Rankings from Chief Scout Eldon MacDonald

Excerpt:

"Updated May 5, 2025

This is a quick update just to get our NHL Draft Lottery Edition of our rankings out in the wild.

Matthew Schaefer Maintains Number One Ranking

Outstanding blueliner Matthew Schaefer leap-frogged exceptional centreman Michael Misa into 1st overall in our January rankings led by our Chief of Scouting Eldon MacDonald and continues to hold his spot this time around. He seems like the odds-on choice for the NHL Draft Lottery winners - the New York Islanders.

Our mammoth quintessential rankings spreadsheet format is composed by the incomparable Chief of Scouting, Eldon MacDonald. We have already featured well over 350 prospects. Check back throughout the season as we add many tabs/sheets (subjects along the bottom) to this spreadsheet.

In this edition, in the second column and second tab we have highlighted NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings with our own unique way of consolidating the rankings rather than the segregated format NHL Central Scouting presents them as.

There will be too many cool features to list; explore yourself with this top of mind:


Our exclusive rankings go well beyond the first round - over 350 prospects included in this version
Check out the tabs along the bottom such as Defense, Under 5'11, etc. for various unique rankings
Quick access to Elite Prospects profile linked for each prospect for updated stats - click on the respective prospect name

Unique prospect analyses as featured in our Substack Prospect Profile series (be sure you’re signed up to our eNewsletter here to keep getting these:

We have in-depth scouting profiles from our scout Trevor Curtis (Sandman!) embedded/linked within the rankings spreadsheet. As the prospect profiles are completed on our dedicated 2025 profiles page, they will under the third column "UH" (Upside Hockey) - simply click on that to be taken to that respective profile. For the 2024 NHL draft, we completed over 240!"

Who's...too high? too low? omitted?

Please enjoy...

Substack article link:

https://upsidehockey.substack.com/p/...ottery-edition

Upside 2025 NHL Draft Headquarters direct link: https://www.upsidehockey.com/nhl-dra...draft-rankings

Our Chief Scout Eldon would have these guys in Flames range if NHL scouts agree (his rankings always fair well against McKenzie's list in post-draft analysis fwiw)...
(2nd column is NHL Central Scouting's rankings combined - Eldon combines them using his own method)
(UH indicates which Sandman profiles we have up on the sight, linking to the profile when viewing on the actual spreadsheet)

Of course, my favs bolded and think they'll go higher, and they well very well rise in our final rankings...

16 11 Aitcheson, Kashawn 63 6'2 196 D
17 16 UH Lakovic, Lynden 84 6'4 190 LW
18 18 Carbonneau, Justin 98 6'1 191 RW
19 17 UH Nesbitt, Jack 67 6'4 185 C
20 30 UH Fiddler, Blake 35 6'4 209 D
21 52 UH Ihs Wozniak, Jakob 97 6'2 184 LW
22 20 UH Boumedienne, Sasha 22 6'1 175 D
23 33 UH Lee, Ryker 80 6'0 181 RW
24 26 UH Potter, Cullen 43 5'10 172 LW
25 23 Cootes, Braeden 71 5'11 183 C
26 24 Kindel, Benjamin 104 5'10 176 RW
27 36 UH Murtagh, Jack 67 6'1 200 LW
28 25 UH Gastrin, Milton 71 6'1 185 C
29 38 UH McKinney, Cole 73 6'0 200 C
30 35 UH Zharovsky, Alexander 76 6'1 163 RW
31 29 Reschny, Cole 101 5'11 183 LW
32 27 Reid, Cameron 55 6'0 193 D

Reminder for our full rankings spreadsheet:
https://www.upsidehockey.com/nhl-dra...draft-rankings[/QUOTE]

And can't wait to see Sandman's own list at some point (no rush haha)!

[Tbull8]

Of all the guys in our range, I see Kindel as the guy who we look back on in 5-10 years and he's a top 5-10 redraft guy

[DuckSauce]

Originally Posted by traptor

That would be great. I do wonder if there will be some trepidation in going for two small forwards though. Alot of our future core forwards already skew smaller with Coronato and Zary.

I do think they snag one of these guys if available, but I wouldn't be shocked if they went for a guy like Nesbitt with their other pick if available.

Please draft the highest skill guys and not focus on size… develop these guys over a couple years and if the team has a size issue then utilize these guys as trade capital.

[SuperMatt18]

Kindel and Reschny both feel in that Brayden Point range of guys who are a little undervalued since they are a little undersized.

I'd be pretty excited if they could get both of them at 18 and 22

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Kindel and Reschny both feel in that Brayden Point range of guys who are a little undervalued since they are a little undersized.

I'd be pretty excited if they could get both of them at 18 and 22

I can't recall who, but someone here posted that Kindel had gotten a fair bit taller since that 5'10 measurement. Would love to know if that's true. If he's up near 6 foot now that would leave his skating upside as the biggest question mark going forward.

[traptor]

Originally Posted by DuckSauce

Please draft the highest skill guys and not focus on size… develop these guys over a couple years and if the team has a size issue then utilize these guys as trade capital.

I don't really see it as skill and then size.


I think size is apart of the "skillset" umbrella.

Skillset is made up of:

Skating
IQ
Puck Handling
Shooting
Physicality (Size)
etc..


Then there's some sub categories for each. Skating could have speed and agility as difference subsets. Physicality would have size and toughness as subsets.

I don't think size and offense are mutually exclusive, especially at the NHL level. There are lots of high skill guys that can't produce at the NHL level because they get boxed out.


I do think they have to consider all these traits and how they fit into our bigger picture.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Yes size matters. In order to be effective players need to be able to create space for themselves. They can do this by having the size, skating, or skill/hockey sense.
Which is why if they don't have size, they better have skating or skill in spades. And it's why poor skating, smaller players drop a lot and few make it.

Size isn't just about throwing your body around. It's about the ability to create space for yourself including to generate offense.

[Sandman]

Thanks Jiri!!!!

[looooob]

sorry this thread is moving fast, if already posted. a Reschny Cootes mock here


https://nhlentrydraft.com/news/post-...025-nhl-draft/

[Tbull8]

I keep forgetting about Ottawa's forfeited pick. Pretty nice if its this year and moves up our Florida pick by 1

[YyjFlames]

After McQueen, Nesbitt is a centre that seems to be all over the map in mock drafts.

NHL.com has him at 10 and 12, Pronman at 12, Upside at 15, FC at 17, Wheeler at 21 (but ranks him 32), daily faceoff at 24. He's also not in McKenzie's or Button's top 16.

He's not really been a guy I've paid much attention to, but if Calgary is fortunate enough to get Reschny at 18, I'd be quite happy to see them take Nesbitt at 22 if he's there. Two very different picks with 2nd line centre upside.

[FlamesAddiction]

I've seen a couple fan mock drafts that have Jackson Smith falling to #18. I am not sure how realistic that would be, but it would be interesting.

I know we just drafted Parekh and are bonkers for centers, but that would be a hard one to pass up.

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by YyjFlames

After McQueen, Nesbitt is a centre that seems to be all over the map in mock drafts.

NHL.com has him at 10 and 12, Pronman at 12, Upside at 15, FC at 17, Wheeler at 21 (but ranks him 32), daily faceoff at 24. He's also not in McKenzie's or Button's top 16.

He's not really been a guy I've paid much attention to, but if Calgary is fortunate enough to get Reschny at 18, I'd be quite happy to see them take Nesbitt at 22 if he's there. Two very different picks with 2nd line centre upside.

I cant get on the Nesbitt train, especially with how much of a non-factor he just was at the U18s.
If Nesbitt is 5'11 instead of 6'3 he doesnt go in the top 60 based on skill level/ability. Hes the size over skill pick and I am hoping the Flames have moved on from that type of thinking.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

I keep forgetting about Ottawa's forfeited pick. Pretty nice if its this year and moves up our Florida pick by 1

Ottawa would be stupid not to forfeit this year.

You never know what happens next year and finishing bottom 10 is a possibility for any team.

Imagine finishing bottom 10, winning the lottery, and being forced to give up the 1st overall pick that is Gavin Mckenna

Edit: Sounds like Ottawa might have already made the decision to forfeit the 2026 pick...that's pretty stupid if you ask me.