2025 DRAFT Thread

In 2022 they changed the lottery so teams can only move up 10 spots. All 16 non-playoff teams enter the lottery, though. There are two draws, for the 1st and 2nd pick.

I believe since they changed the system in the mid 2010s, and then again to not allow for anyone to get the pick, the Canucks have moved down the most out of any team in the league :laugh:

This franchise has such terrible luck that they'll finish 15th and move 16th.
 
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I believe since they changed the system in the mid 2010s, and then again to not allow for anyone to get the pick, the Canucks have moved down the most out of any team in the league :laugh:

This franchise has such terrible luck that they'll finish 15th and move 16th.

Canucks were dead last in 2016 and would have drafted Auston Matthews had they played out the year properly. Instead, Dan f***ing Hamhuis scored 2 game winners and they swept California, which dropped them to 3rd. Then they lost 2 lottery spots and passed on Tkachuk for Juolevi.
 
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Canucks were dead last in 2016 and would have drafted Auston Matthews had they played out the year properly. Instead, Dan f***ing Hamhuis scored 2 game winners and they swept California, which dropped them to 3rd. Then they lost 2 lottery spots and passed on Tkachuk for Juolevi.

Back when I used to watch a lot more junior hockey, I turned to my brother during that draft and said “watch this absolute buffoon announce London Knights, get me excited about Matt, then draft Juolevi and have me bitching about it for at least the next 10 years.”

When it went down exactly like that, I started throwing pillows around (didn’t want to actually break stuff) and yelling/being all angry :laugh:

He still reminds me about it every time we play against them.
 
Back when I used to watch a lot more junior hockey, I turned to my brother during that draft and said “watch this absolute buffoon announce London Knights, get me excited about Matt, then draft Juolevi and have me bitching about it for at least the next 10 years.”

When it went down exactly like that, I started throwing pillows around (didn’t want to actually break stuff) and yelling/being all angry :laugh:

He still reminds me about it every time we play against them.

I still remember "from the London Knights" and how I went from mid celebration to throwing my remote at the wall.
 

16.​

Spence is as close to a sure thing as it gets in terms of NHL prospects go in this draft. He’s difficult to play against, hits hard and thrives under pressure. Spence has been a standout at so many different showcase events the past few years, and he’s tracking for more than 30 goals and 70 points on an Erie team that’s been missing its best puck-mover for about half the season (Schaefer). Spence would give the Canucks a nice, physical edge that the team is lacking from its future top-six forward threats.

------

I wouldn't mind this pick at 16. A faster version of Jake Debrusk.
 

17.​

Braeden Cootes might become more of an energy forward in the NHL, but he’ll be a good one at that. The thing that really stands out here is just how much he wants the puck, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Cootes is also a solid playmaker, often easily finding teammates in open space. I think his value goes far beyond his numbers, but he’s also a bright spot on a bad team right now.
 
20. Brady Martin
Flames fans will love Martin. He’s one of the hardest-working players in the OHL, and his numbers have really taken flight after a slow start. Martin is on pace for both 69 points and 69 penalty minutes, so he’s a dual threat as a physical force and a point-producer. He might not be a playdriver in the NHL, but he’ll do the dirty work to make sure your team’s top scorers can finish the job. Martin is one of my favorite players in this draft class, and it’s nice to see he’ll be a 30-goal scorer quite shortly.
 
Back when I used to watch a lot more junior hockey, I turned to my brother during that draft and said “watch this absolute buffoon announce London Knights, get me excited about Matt, then draft Juolevi and have me bitching about it for at least the next 10 years.”

When it went down exactly like that, I started throwing pillows around (didn’t want to actually break stuff) and yelling/being all angry :laugh:

He still reminds me about it every time we play against them.
My buddy actually recorded this exact moment where my brother and I lost our shit. :laugh:
'From the London Knights' Still haunts me.
 
I was going to a friend’s house for a party.

I waited in the car just to listen to the Nucks draft pick.

I heard “From the London Knights” and got my hopes up.

Then heard “Olli…” turned off the radio, muttered “f*** sakes” and promptly went into the party pissed.

Ruined my mood the whole evening.
 
I still remember "from the London Knights" and how I went from mid celebration to throwing my remote at the wall.

Unless I'm misremembering, the Canucks did a draft party at Rogers Arena, when the announcement "from the London knights the Canucks select..." and the follow up was Olli Juolevi there was an overwhelming audible ohhh of disappointment throughout the arena.

And they stopped doing draft parties after that.
 
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The draft 'event' that always bummed me out, wasn't the actual draft itself, it was the gathering of GM's for the dropping of the draft lottery balls.

At least with the draft, no matter who your team took at the top-end of the first round, all the draft 'experts' and scouting services were waxing eloquent about your pick. And Sportsnet would feature flashy highlights of the kid in action.

But at the drop of the lottery balls, you just knew that if the Canucks had 'any luck' it would be 'no luck at all'. And sure enough they fell back in the lottery, season after season. Always a depressing moment.
 
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Yup, it was the remote at the wall for me. I then stood with my jaw hanging open for about 20 minutes unable to form speech or comprehensive thoughts.

It's amazing how we instantly knew how horrific it was. Anyone with eyes could see that Juolevi had benefitted greatly from playing on stacked teams, and without that he was a 15-20th overall pick who was steady defensively and could make good outlet passes. Tkachuk had just come off a monster season where he was the play driver and looked like a shoe in top six forward as soon as his rookie season.
 
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The draft 'event' that always bummed we out, wasn't the actual draft itself, it was the gathering of GM's for the dropping of the draft lottery balls.

At least with the draft, no matter who your team took at the top-end of the first round, all the draft 'experts' and scouting services were waxing eloquent about your pick. And Sportsnet would feature flashy highlights of the kid in action.

But at the drop of the lottery balls, you just knew that if the Canucks had 'any luck' it would be 'no luck at all'. And sure enough they fell back in the lottery, season after season. Always a depressing moment.

1743301441926.jpeg
 
You know we’re going to finish top spot outside the playoffs. The only silver lining is we can’t move down any further in the draft then where we finish.
 

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