2025 Draft Thread

[VanJack]

I know there's a chance the Canucks 2025 first rounder will be in play again, if they're hunting for playoff depth at the TDL. But really hoping it doesn't happen.

I don't know anything about the depth of the 2025 draft class, but if there's a good center on the board when the Canucks pick, they could use a lot more depth at that position in the organization.

 

[wetcoast]

Couldn’t find a discussion for this.

I don’t follow prospects at all but I went to a giants game a year ago and Schmidt stood out a lot. See he’s been dominant to start here.

He might slip to the second round due to his size and weight and might be in play but frankly I think he will be among the first 32 names called.

 

[lawrence]

I do another Hronek like trade if possible.

 

[VanJack]

I do another Hronek like trade if possible.

What made this trade possible with Detroit was the additional first rounder they acquired from the Islanders in the Horvat deal.

Without that, it would have been their own first rounder in 2023, which turned out to be Tom Wilander. And Canuck fans would be seriously signing the blues.

 

[ChilliBilly]

What made this trade possible with Detroit was the additional first rounder they acquired from the Islanders in the Horvat deal.

Without that, it would have been their own first rounder in 2023, which turned out to be Tom Wilander. And Canuck fans would be seriously signing the blues.

Which blues players would we be signing? And why would the fans be signing them?

And I still object to signing rentals unless the team has had at least 2 winning seasons, and is in the top 8 at the deadline. I mean, a 3rd or a 4th, fine, but no 1st rounders and not one of the top 3 - 4 prospects. Fortunately Hronek turned out to be at the top end of the spectrum of expectations.

If one is in the top 8, a 1st rounder will almost for sure be well into the 20's of the 1st round. That I can live with, if you are getting a legitimate top player that you can afford.

 

[Breakers]

Are people not aware of who owns this team

They’ve never thought past tomorrow

The 1st will be gone

 

[VanJack]

Some recent posts from draft-watchers who know a lot more than I do, predicting that 2025 will be a deep draft again......good prospects will still be on the board well into the second round.

Selfishly, I'd like to see the Canucks use the draft to replenish their prospect pool.....but have almost resigned myself to the fact that they'll be dealing draft picks once again at the TDL.

 

[lawrence]

so we still open to drafting American players? 2 of our American prospects in the last 3 years has rejected entry level pro offers from our management already. Do we go through that route again?

 

[VanJack]

I see in the early season draft rankings, Cameron Schmidt of the Vancouver Giants lands around the #25th slot. He's an undersized forward, but has been compared to 'Cole Caufield-lite'.

I don't see any Giants games.......but if the Canucks do keep their pick and land somewhere in the mid-to-late 20's in the first round, is he a local kid they'd have any interest in?

 

[StreetHawk]

so we still open to drafting American players? 2 of our American prospects in the last 3 years has rejected entry level pro offers from our management already. Do we go through that route again?

Truscott went back for a super senior year at Michigan. I doubt he has much of a pro future. Don’t recall the other kid. Malone had not performed well in college to warrant an nhl contract. Think he signed only with an ahl deal like McDonaugh did.

 

[Vector]

so we still open to drafting American players? 2 of our American prospects in the last 3 years has rejected entry level pro offers from our management already. Do we go through that route again?

There's definitely been a shift in where this management group is willing to draft from.

Last Three Drafts
Canada:
Daimon Gardner
Ty Young
Sawyer Mynio
Ty Mueller
Matthew Perkins
Aiden Celebrini
Riley Patterson
Anthony Romani
Parker Alcos

Sweden:
Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Elias Pettersson
Tom Willander
Vilmer Alriksson
Melvin Fernstrom

USA:
Jackson Dorrington
Hunter Brzustewicz

Russia:
Kirill Kudryavtsev

Switzerland:
Basile Sansonnens

And here's the distribution for the leagues they were drafted out of.

Sweden:
Fernstrom
Willander (NCAA)
Alriksson (OHL)
Lekkerimaki
Pettersson

OHL:
Pattersson
Romani
Brzustewicz
Kudryabtsev

WHL:
Alcos
Mynio
Young

Swizterland:
Sansonnens (QMJHL)

NCAA Bound:
Mueller
Perkins (USHL)
Celebrini (AJHL)
Gardner (Minn. H.S.)
Dorrington (USHL)

---

Last Regime's Previous Three Drafts
Sweden:
Nils Hoglander
Arvid Costmar
Viktor Persson
Jonathan Myrenberg
Hugo Gabrielson
Lucas Forsell

USA:
Jack Malone
Aidan Mcdonough
Jackson Kunz
Jacob Truscott

Canada:
Ethan Keppen
Carson Focht
Connor Lockhart

Russia:
Vasili Podkolzin
Dmitry Zlodeev

Latvia:
Arturs Silovs

Czech:
Karel Plasek

Finland:
Joni Jurmo
Aku Koskenvuo

Belarus:
Danila Klimovich

And here's the distribution for the leagues they were drafted out of.

KHL Bound:
Podkolzin
Silovs (OHL)
Zlodeev
Klimovich (AHL)

Sweden:
Hoglander
Costmar
Persson
Myrenberg
Gabrielson
Forsell

OHL:
Keppen
Lockhart

WHL:
Focht

Czech:
Plasek

NCAA Bound:
Malone (USHL)
Mcdonough (USHL)
Kunz (Minn. H.S.)
Truscott (USHL)

Finland:
Jurmo
Koskenvuo (NCAA)

---

So my main takeaway is the scouting department has shifted away from Russia towards Canada while focusing on Sweden with higher picks. They've also seemed to not look at Finland or the rest of Europe as good feeder leagues.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Lots of Cs in the draft. Hope the Nucks snag one.

 

[VanJack]

These things seem to run in cycles. For years under Judd Brackett and previous versions of the Benning regime they focused largely on the USHL and the NCAA--and found a little success.

But their scouting in the CHL bordered on a 'disaster' And they always seemed to pick some obscure, small Russian forward in later rounds, who never came close to making it. And as far as Finnish players, the only foray into that market was Toni Utinen and Oli Juolevi who was a catastrophic pick.

So the current regime is back in the CHL in a big way. And at least draft picks like Mynio, Kudryavtsev, Arlikkson, Patterson and Romani look promising. And they scooped up guys like Wouters, Nielsen and Bains for Abbotsford, as undrafted kids out of the WHL.

For years Canuck fans watched in frustration as guys like Barzal, Point and Stankoven played in their backyard, and were scooped up by other NHL teams.

 

[HairyKneel]

They didn't have a chance to pick Barzal.

I really wish this thread could be utilized to discuss the players available in the 2025 draft and not the same three or four posters chanting the same be about 'well they're going to trade the pick anyways'.......take it somewhere else.

 

[Knight53]

Matthew Schaefer or Jackson Smith to complete our defence would be ideal.

Otherwise hope Frondell/Desoyners is there in the 10-15 range.

 

[lawrence]

a lot of buzz around this McQueen kid. Literally 15 out of 18 ranking outlets have him in the 5-7 range.

 

[lawrence]

I'm not a fan of trading this pick this time. I'm really not. lets just try to draft somebody.

 

[VanJack]

The thing is, when Allvin and Company have actually held on to their draft picks, they've made a lot of astute choices. Lekkerimaki and Wilander are looking like home-run picks.

But they've also scooped up Elias Pettersson II, Kudryavtsev and Mynio; and added some useful depth guys in players like Mueller, Arliksson, Patterson and Romani well outside the first two rounds.

Makes you wonder how much better their prospect pool would have been if they'd had a first round pick in 2021 in Benning's final season (Dylan Guenther) or again in 2024, and not traded away so many other second and third rounders.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

These things seem to run in cycles. For years under Judd Brackett and previous versions of the Benning regime they focused largely on the USHL and the NCAA--and found a little success.

But their scouting in the CHL bordered on a 'disaster' And they always seemed to pick some obscure, small Russian forward in later rounds, who never came close to making it. And as far as Finnish players, the only foray into that market was Toni Utinen and Oli Juolevi who was a catastrophic pick.

Sort of off topic, a bit... but.

Not a whole lot of Finnish prospects graduating in to NHL regulars lately.

I would mostly steer clear of my countrymen for the time being.

So the current regime is back in the CHL in a big way. And at least draft picks like Mynio, Kudryavtsev, Arlikkson, Patterson and Romani look promising. And they scooped up guys like Wouters, Nielsen and Bains for Abbotsford, as undrafted kids out of the WHL.

For years Canuck fans watched in frustration as guys like Barzal, Point and Stankoven played in their backyard, and were scooped up by other NHL teams.

 

[Bgav]

Given that we didn't have a 1st or 2nd round pick last season, I really hope they don't trade their first-round pick this season. The prospect pipeline is already running dry. With Lekkerimäki and Willander making the jump next season, there will be nothing left.

 

[ManVanFan]

a lot of buzz around this McQueen kid. Literally 15 out of 18 ranking outlets have him in the 5-7 range.

Injured a lot it seems.