Prospect Info: 2024 25 Devils DRAFT Thread

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

C Julius Sumpf, Moncton QMJHL
Centers are always in high demand come draft day, so it's tough to even find a bottom 6 guy in the 5th to 7th rounds, but Julius Sumpf has a great deal of future potential for that role at the NHL level and is getting virtually no attention from the greater draft community.

The German national has very good size at 6'2-195 and skates well, though not explosively. His skills across the board are above-average-to-good and he shows a very good understanding of the game. He is an excellent small-space player and although he's playing mental checkers opposed to chess, he's good catch and release offensive weapon. Sumpf works hard, sees the ice well and plays two ways responsibly.

I think the difference-maker for Sumpf going forward might be to develop a bit more physical edge to his game, as his likely future is bottom 6 pivot and he's a big strong kid who moves well. A bit of a mean streak would really make him pop a bit more.

Julius Sumpf is likely to be available 125-150 picks in so he's worth attention because he could be the best center prospect taken so late in the 2025 draft. He possesses all the tools needed to make the pros, and he's a pretty smart player with a dash of offensive ability which potentially could develop even more.

 

[My3Sons]

2025 Draft Profile:

C Julius Sumpf, Moncton QMJHL
Centers are always in high demand come draft day, so it's tough to even find a bottom 6 guy in the 5th to 7th rounds, but Julius Sumpf has a great deal of future potential for that role at the NHL level and is getting virtually no attention from the greater draft community.

The German national has very good size at 6'2-195 and skates well, though not explosively. His skills across the board are above-average-to-good and he shows a very good understanding of the game. He is an excellent small-space player and although he's playing mental checkers opposed to chess, he's good catch and release offensive weapon. Sumpf works hard, sees the ice well and plays two ways responsibly.

I think the difference-maker for Sumpf going forward might be to develop a bit more physical edge to his game, as his likely future is bottom 6 pivot and he's a big strong kid who moves well. A bit of a mean streak would really make him pop a bit more.

Julius Sumpf is likely to be available 125-150 picks in so he's worth attention because he could be the best center prospect taken so late in the 2025 draft. He possesses all the tools needed to make the pros, and he's a pretty smart player with a dash of offensive ability which potentially could develop even more.

How does a player with size skating and solid skill fall that far? If you see the talent won’t others as well?

 

[StevenToddIves]

How does a player with size skating and solid skill fall that far? If you see the talent won’t others as well?

I'd call Sumpf's skating "above average". He's a very overall-solid player, but there's nothing very sexy about his game; he's not flashy and lacks a dynamic skill.

Again, I'm not sure how he's fallen so far, which is why I chose to highlight him. I haven't seen him ranked in the top 120 by anyone, but he'd certainly be in mine.

 

[Forge]

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Wheeler picked Jack Murtagh and Bryce Pickford to the Devils in his final mock draft.

2025 NHL Mock Draft 3.0: Wheeler’s final predictions for the first two rounds

Who follows Matthew Schaefer at No. 1 to the New York Islanders in Scott Wheeler's 64-pick mock?

www.nytimes.com

 

[Billdo]

Wheeler picked Jack Murtagh and Bryce Pickford to the Devils in his final mock draft.

2025 NHL Mock Draft 3.0: Wheeler’s final predictions for the first two rounds

Who follows Matthew Schaefer at No. 1 to the New York Islanders in Scott Wheeler's 64-pick mock?

www.nytimes.com

Murtagh is intriguing. I like his overall game.

 

[Guadana]

Wheeler picked Jack Murtagh and Bryce Pickford to the Devils in his final mock draft.

2025 NHL Mock Draft 3.0: Wheeler’s final predictions for the first two rounds

Who follows Matthew Schaefer at No. 1 to the New York Islanders in Scott Wheeler's 64-pick mock?

www.nytimes.com

Murtagh isn't bad pick but I would prefer player with much more smartness and playmaking in his game.

Quick question for @Guadana -- what are your feelings on RW Alexander Pershakov out of Novosibirsk? I think he's gone a bit under the radar because he's a do-everything but be-dynamic-at-nothing kind of player, but I feel he has a very solid floor as a bottom 6 guy and he's also got a bit of a nice scoring touch.

Yeah, he was under our radars.
I'm in Minsk now, we met with my "online hockey bodies" and talked a little about him today. Both agree about "good player without flashy skills in the game" part. Would be great to focus more but I'm focusing on castles and little villages more.

 

[evnted]

Wheeler picked Jack Murtagh and Bryce Pickford to the Devils in his final mock draft.

2025 NHL Mock Draft 3.0: Wheeler’s final predictions for the first two rounds

Who follows Matthew Schaefer at No. 1 to the New York Islanders in Scott Wheeler's 64-pick mock?

www.nytimes.com

murtagh is fine (range works im just a little cooler on him) but with pickford would be a disappointing haul. if we’re going scoring winger and right shot D the zharovsky+amico mock was way more exciting lol

 

[Forge]

 

[Brodeur]

Would be a little surprised if Murtagh fell to 50. Pickford's shooting ability looked interesting in the handful of Medicine Hat games I caught down the stretch but I didn't see him going in the top 2 rounds. He maybe looks a bit better being on the same PP as Gavin McKenna? A little bit odd since Wheeler didn't have him in his personal top 100. HockeyProspect.com didn't think Pickford defended well enough and didn't have him in their top 120.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

LW/C Jack Murtagh, US-NTDP
Sometimes when analyzing prospects for the NHL Draft we forget to bridge the gap between what a player is and what they can conceivably become. This is certainly case with Jack Murtagh who, with a late-August birthday, barely missed the cut for the 2026 draft. An elite competitor with outstanding skates whose ferocious physicality dwarves his 6'1-200 size, Murtagh is a disruptive and noticeable force every time he hits the ice, and in many games was the best player on the US-NTDP this past season. The Albany-native also features a cache of good skills, primarily an absolute blast of a shot. However, he's a raw player who, though he has a pretty decent understanding of the game, does not like to overthink things and usually goes with his strengths -- playing a downhill, intense game of forecheck forecheck crush crush shoot shoot crash the crease which has led some to believe he will top out as a complimentary, bottom-6 player at the highest levels. Though this is certainly a possibility, his youth and athletic gifts also intimate that there may be a whole lot more here with the correct development.

Murtagh is at his very best on the forecheck. No one on the US-NTDP is more disruptive to an opposing defense when the puck is deep. He gets on the puck very quickly, hits anything in the opposing jersey and has the skill to force turnovers and instantaneously get the puck into high danger areas. He has a nifty set of hands, though it would be a mistake too confuse him with a dazzling dangler. He prefers simple, safe passes and plays more of checkers-hockey than chess-hockey, so if he ever makes it to an NHL power play unit it's likely going to be as the guy who digs out the puck and then goes straight to the net to create havoc. Similarly, though he's extremely effective in the offensive zone and defensive zone, he can lag and puck-watch in transition. It is these factors which hint at my greatest concern for Murtagh, which is that he's not a center at the NHL level, but rather a left wing.

And yet, this is a player who can be one hell of a left wing for your 3rd line and potentially even your 2nd line at the highest levels. His compete level is elite, he's a stud defensively, he's a true-blue bruiser and his shot is powerful enough to beat a goaltender clean from outside the circles. He can fly in open space and he's a beast and banging home rebounds and creating net-front anarchy. The fact that all the disparate elements of his game are still raw and have not completely come together yet? I don't see it as a flaw, especially considering he's one of the youngest players in the draft; I just think it makes him more intriguing. To me, Jack Murtagh is a good pick late in the first round -- he has a high floor as a 4th liner, he's very likely to be an impact 3rd liner, and there's a shot you'll wind up with a physical, two-way 25+ goal 2nd line power forward.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

C Cole McKinney, US-NTDP
Quite simply -- and Cole McKinney is a very simple player to describe -- this is one of the most projectable players in the entire 2025 draft class. The Chicago-native is as high-floor as at gets -- with his two-way acumen, intelligence, compete level and good-across-the-board skill set, it is nearly impossible to project him as anything other than a defense-first 3rd line NHL center who pops in a fair amount of points. But with a lack of any singular dynamic tool and pretty-good-but-not-great skating, it's also nearly impossible to project him as anything more than a defense-first 3rd line NHL center who pops in a fair amount of points. What you see is, in all likelihood, what you'll get.

Cole McKinney is a coaches dream. He plays responsibly and cerebrally, he's always in the right place, he supports his defenders, he plays to the score and situation, he's adept enough at any aspect of the game that his versatility enables him to slot up and down the line-up. There's nothing dynamic about him except maybe his constantly shining effort level, this is not a kid who I've ever seen give less than 100%.

Despite leading a relatively tepid US-NTDP team in scoring this year, McKinney's lack of any electrifying singular attribute offensively certainly caps his ceiling to a fair degree. But this is also a player who will almost surely be wearing a letter on the front of his jersey and playing a major role in the NHL some day, so his consensus ranking in the 30-45 range makes him an outstanding pick in a 2025 draft which offers few guarantees.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

LW/C William Moore, US-NTDP
William Moore came intones draft-eligible 2024-25 campaign as perhaps the most hyped of att the US Development Team's forwards, sometimes approaching pre-season. top 10 overall lists. Though he had a decent season and played acceptably in myriad roles, nothing really popped and he found himself making a slow slide down the rankings as the season progressed.

Moore is a versatile forward who can be effective at either LW or C, though his game is a bit stronger when simplified on the flank. He's a rangy 6'2-175 who skates well and plays adeptly if not dramatically well in all three zones. He's smart without being a high-IQ guy and works hard without being an elite-compete guy. The good thing is there's nothing not to like but the pratfall might be that there's nothing to love.

Moore occasionally shows flashes of high-skill plays -- a slick pass here, and there flashy move there, a pretty goal every so often. He's versatile enough to slot up and down the line-up at either wing or center, and although he's capable in myriad roles he never really seems to drive whatever line he is on.

Moore generally finds his consensus ranking in the 25-40 range. For those who think his skill set will mesh in such a way to make him a viable 2nd-line-type prospect, a late 1st round pick seems a worthy gamble. Personally, though I like Moore I see him more of a bottom 6 jack-of-all-trades and likely would not consider him until Round 2.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

RW LJ Mooney, US-NTDP
Sure, there are certain challenges a 5'6-150 player face in the road to the NHL -- but LJ Mooney is precisely the type of player equipped to overcome these challenges. Mooney is an absolute speedster with borderline-elite puck and passing skills who also features high-end IQ, an elite motor, and a level of courage in the face of larger, stronger players which borders the line between fearlessness and absurdity. He's one of the few forwards in the 2025 class who have legit top 6 potential who are likely to be available in Round 4 (and perhaps even beyond), and thus has to be considered one of the biggest potential steals for this year's draft.

Mooney's skating is dynamic -- he's quick and agile, almost video-gamey in how he can turn slow-footed defensemen inside-out with a litany of dekes and darts. Once he finds open ice, Mooney is absolutely lethal -- able to use misdirection and deception, able to anticipate and create, able to make high-end scoring opportunities out of seemingly thin air. Although he is certainly more of a playmaker than a finisher, Mooney has a nice quick shot which he can get off mid-stickhandle with terrific accuracy, if not power.

In transition, Mooney is outstanding in his separation ability, vision and decision-making. In the defensive zone, Mooney is surprisingly effective for (usually) the smallest guy in the ice -- he's always on the puck and his man and is deceptively clever at hanging just outside of his man's view before using quick jabs and stick-lifts to create turnovers. Mooney is always working and always thinking, he's a real head-on-a-swivel player. Again, Mooney's compete level has to be considered in the elite range -- every shift he's shot out of a cannon and -- although he doesn't always win the battle -- his willingness to engage in physical puck battles with 5-year-older defensemen who have almost a foot and 80 pounds on him is almost heroic.

Yes, we must face the fact that a 5'6-150 wing faces many challenges in both getting to and succeeding in NHL hockey. But if a player like LJ Mooney is available in the 4th or 5th round? My opinion is just grab him and run away laughing. His game has no flaws but for size and a propensity to try and do too much himself, and the top 6 scoring potential is legit. Scouts and GMs earn their reputations and make their organizations better by taking chances on LJ Mooneys instead of shooting low for depth-type overagers and role players.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

RD Carter Amico, US-NTDP
Perhaps the biggest creator of the "draft day steal" is the devastating injury which mars a prospect's draft eligible campaign. Most scouts barely got a glimpse of hulking 6'6-235 right-shot defenseman Carter Amico due to a very serious knee injury which kept him sidelined most of the year. Those who did not see much of him know him simply for his trope-y reputation as an aggressively physical, intimidating defender and see him as a late-2nd/3rd Round prospect due to this trope. But a closer look under the hood of this Mack truck reveals a ton of potential for an impact NHLer which has criminally escaped notice.

Amico's play without the puck is pure ecstasy if he's on your team and pure terror if you're on the opposition. He might be the strongest player in the entire draft class of 2025, and he lives to let you know this. No one his age can beat him in puck battles and no one can maintain balance in his crease. If he connects with an open ice hit, it's almost cartoonish watching the victim and imagining the stars flying around their head as they try to remember what their name is and what state they are in. Carter Amico is absolutely that kind of player.

While not defensively perfect like a more cerebral US-NTDP d-man such as Jake Sanderson or Brock Faber, Amico is much smarter than such ex-NTDP big, physical defenders like Mattias Samuelsson or Tyler Kleven. His positioning and gaps need some work, but his instincts and anticipation are good and he can be considered a reliable and dependable defender; the type of guy you want out there with a one-goal lead late.

What makes Amico especially intriguing is the fact that he is a strong skater with mobility and agility who also features some real talent with the puck. Amico is a mostly-good passer who occasionally flashes the high-end stretch pass, lending to the belief that there can be some serious point-production if he eases a bit on his defense-first mentality. He can stickhandle well if not exceptionally, and has a blast from the point, though he needs to work on a big, long release and the accuracy.

To me, the mix of what Amico is and what he could be make him a viable late-1st round option. You know he'll be an intimidating shut-down guy, but it's ability with the puck which make him projectable to a guy who can skate with a more play-driving LD in an NHL top 4. Though the knee injury is certainly a concern and there's a lot of development to go, Amico is a potential steal for a team willing to have some patience, especially considering he could fall into the late 2nd or even 3rd round.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

RD Charlie Trethewey, US-NTDP
If I can leave readers with one kernel of wisdom after decades of writing about the NHL Draft, it's that when a responsible, defensive D is largely overlooked because of a modest stat-line but their defensive game is top-notch and their offensive tool kit is great, you're best off shooting them up your draft boards. Charlie Trethewey is precisely that player, and as such deserves a great deal of attention.

Following the injury to Carter Amico, the 6'2-200 Trethewey was leaned upon as the US Development Team's primary shut-down defender, and he did one heck of a job in the role. An extremely intelligent defender, while not being up to a Sanderson-like or Faber-like level of elite reads, gaps and positioning at the same age, Trethewey is not too far behind. He's competitive and physical, though he's clearly a team-first guy who rarely leaves position for a big hit or takes a bad penalty. If anything, the Maryland native would have to be considered a highly cerebral defender with a physical edge.

The draft consensus has largely relegated Trethewey to a "boring, stay-at-home defender" trope and a 2nd/3rd round general ranking due to his usage and modest point line of 6 goals and 20 points. But upon closer inspection, this is a player with the skills and hockey sense to be so much more if leaned upon for a more diverse role.

Most notably, Trethewey is an absolutely outstanding skater. He's agile and even explosive, with a 4-way mobility which makes him impossible to beat outside in the defensive zone and ahuge factor when transitioning the puck. He's got a deceptively sneaky set of hands and can turn forecheckers inside-out with shockingly slick puck moves. Though generally he plays the *safe* game, he's capable of high end stretch passes, which usually depend on game situation, but just the same it displays some very good vision. Trethewey also has a booming shot from the point -- though he's labeled as a defensive D, I don't think it's outlandish to say this is a guy who can one day find himself racking up some strong numbers on an NHL PP unit.

I'll put it simply -- Charlie Trethewey is in the third or maybe even second tier of defensemen in the 2025 draft after the obvious first tier of ostensible top pick Matthew Schaefer. He's worth a pick anywhere in the back half of Round One, and he's certain to be a superior pro than multiple players taken ahead of him. He's a steal.

 

[StevenToddIves]

2025 Draft Profile:

LD Mace'o Phillips, US-NTDP
Though it's more fun to talk about hockey players who defy tropes, Mace'o Phillips is fun because he's pretty much exactly the trope of the huge, hard-hitting, defense-first intimidator most NHL teams covet for their third defensive pairing. A giant at 6'6-235, the Minnesota native plays with such reckless aggression and ferocity that softer opponents just avoid his half of the ice completely. When we factor in that Phillips is also a very good skater, despite being raw in his overall game and limited in his offensive ceiling this is a player who should be taken seriously as soon as the late 2nd/early 3rd round.

The offensive tools won't impress you and the hockey IQ after "hit him into next month and clear the zone" is not exceptional, but they are not detrimental in the sense that he's adequate at handling pucks, shooting pucks, and passing pucks off to more skilled teammates. His compete level is very good, this is a kid who takes his role as bully-of-the-block seriously.

Defensively I wouldn't exactly call Phillips "polished" but he's pretty decent at positioning and gaps. He will, however, leave positioning or lose gaps in order to throw big hits, and he is prone to the bad, over-aggressive penalty. You never want a player like this lose what separates him from the proverbial pack, but his brutality will need to be harnessed a bit in the development phase.

Maybe the best way to put it is: I'm not drafting Phillips in the first 75 picks, but I am drafting him. He's got a good floor, especially when we factor in that, unlike many players of his ilk, Phillips is a very good skater.

 

[RNCDevil]

2025 Draft Profile:

RD Carter Amico, US-NTDP
Perhaps the biggest creator of the "draft day steal" is the devastating injury which mars a prospect's draft eligible campaign. Most scouts barely got a glimpse of hulking 6'6-235 right-shot defenseman Carter Amico due to a very serious knee injury which kept him sidelined most of the year. Those who did not see much of him know him simply for his trope-y reputation as an aggressively physical, intimidating defender and see him as a late-2nd/3rd Round prospect due to this trope. But a closer look under the hood of this Mack truck reveals a ton of potential for an impact NHLer which has criminally escaped notice.

Amico's play without the puck is pure ecstasy if he's on your team and pure terror if you're on the opposition. He might be the strongest player in the entire draft class of 2025, and he lives to let you know this. No one his age can beat him in puck battles and no one can maintain balance in his crease. If he connects with an open ice hit, it's almost cartoonish watching the victim and imagining the stars flying around their head as they try to remember what their name is and what state they are in. Carter Amico is absolutely that kind of player.

While not defensively perfect like a more cerebral US-NTDP d-man such as Jake Sanderson or Brock Faber, Amico is much smarter than such ex-NTDP big, physical defenders like Mattias Samuelsson or Tyler Kleven. His positioning and gaps need some work, but his instincts and anticipation are good and he can be considered a reliable and dependable defender; the type of guy you want out there with a one-goal lead late.

What makes Amico especially intriguing is the fact that he is a strong skater with mobility and agility who also features some real talent with the puck. Amico is a mostly-good passer who occasionally flashes the high-end stretch pass, lending to the belief that there can be some serious point-production if he eases a bit on his defense-first mentality. He can stickhandle well if not exceptionally, and has a blast from the point, though he needs to work on a big, long release and the accuracy.

To me, the mix of what Amico is and what he could be make him a viable late-1st round option. You know he'll be an intimidating shut-down guy, but it's ability with the puck which make him projectable to a guy who can skate with a more play-driving LD in an NHL top 4. Though the knee injury is certainly a concern and there's a lot of development to go, Amico is a potential steal for a team willing to have some patience, especially considering he could fall into the late 2nd or even 3rd round.

@StevenToddIves how do you seem him relative to Kashawn? Kashawn is maybe the most truculent prospect I've heard about in a long time. He's going to be a gm killer or a guy every OTHER team will hate for years. He's a fun prospect.

 

[StevenToddIves]

@StevenToddIves how do you seem him relative to Kashawn? Kashawn is maybe the most truculent prospect I've heard about in a long time. He's going to be a gm killer or a guy every OTHER team will hate for years. He's a fun prospect.

Kashawn Aitcheson is far better offensively to this point than Carter Amico. Aitcheson has the best shot from the point in the entire draft, and that alone is going to result in an awful lot of points at any level. But Aitcheson is also a very good (though not perfect, he can force things) passer and puck carrier.

Amico certainly flashes NHL ability with the puck, but he's no Aitcheson. However, defensively I would say Amico is better right now, both positionally and in execution. Aitcheson is more apt to leave his positioning to make a big hit or to turn the puck over trying to make a highlight-reel play or under pressure, but again Aitcheson's huge upside on both sides of the puck make him the superior prospect.

As far as pure strength and hitting go, however? I don't think anyone in this entire draft can knock a healthy Carter Amico off his skates. The dude is a beast.

 

[RNCDevil]

Kashawn Aitcheson is far better offensively to this point than Carter Amico. Aitcheson has the best shot from the point in the entire draft, and that alone is going to result in an awful lot of points at any level. But Aitcheson is also a very good (though not perfect, he can force things) passer and puck carrier.

Amico certainly flashes NHL ability with the puck, but he's no Aitcheson. However, defensively I would say Amico is better right now, both positionally and in execution. Aitcheson is more apt to leave his positioning to make a big hit or to turn the puck over trying to make a highlight-reel play or under pressure, but again Aitcheson's huge upside on both sides of the puck make him the superior prospect.

As far as pure strength and hitting go, however? I don't think anyone in this entire draft can knock a healthy Carter Amico off his skates. The dude is a beast.

Wow. that's saying a lot. Man, I want to see more Amico now.

 

[Brodeur]

I'll bring my District 5 Averman shirt for Day 1 now. I'm still hoping for either an Office (Carell/Fischer) or Anchorman (Carell/Farrell/Vaughn) reunion.