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2025 NHL Draft: Lose a ton for Porter Martone

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coooldude said:
I'm content to let this draft come to us. It's totally out of our control and with Celebrini in the bag, we aren't in dire need of that #1OA piece (of course it would be amazing).

But I do want to pick top 4. Upcoming games:

NYI - let's win this one.
BOS - 10am PT start? Woof. But F Boston. Would love to steal it.
B2B vs. NSH - let's hope the guys do a honkey tonk crawl and lose both due to hangovers.
Panthers - Likely loss
PIT - would love to beat them because Dubas sucks, I like their misery I guess, and let's see Celly beat his childhood idol
Kraken - for the tank, hope we lose, but this is eminently winnable

Takes us into Feb. I would "prefer" 3-4 but a likely outcome is 2-5 without injuries.
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I want Asky to shut out Nashville..

This team is so strange where they’ll come out and beat the Devils, the Lightning and Detroit (not like the other two but were playing very well) and then get trounced by Utah and Columbus. I have no idea which games they win or lose at any given time.

I guess that’s what happens when you’ve got such a young team.

Schaefer question for @Juxtaposer and whoever else watches him: is he the kind of prospect that plays in the NHL next season or does he need another couple of years?
 
Jargon said:
Schaefer question for @Juxtaposer and whoever else watches him: is he the kind of prospect that plays in the NHL next season or does he need another couple of years?
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Considering he was born two weeks too early to be eligible for the 2026 draft and is going to miss half his draft year with an injury, I'd be surprised if he gets more than 9 NHL games next season. If we're lucky enough to draft him it could be a huge advantage to slide the ELC and get two cheap years of both Schaefer and Dickinson when Celebrini and Eklund (and maybe Smith and Askarov) are on their big boy contracts.
 
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Hodge said:
Considering he was born two weeks too early to be eligible for the 2026 draft and is going to miss half his draft year with an injury, I'd be surprised if he gets more than 9 NHL games next season. If we're lucky enough to draft him it could be a huge advantage to slide the ELC and get two cheap years of both Schaefer and Dickinson when Celebrini and Eklund (and maybe Smith and Askarov) are on their big boy contracts.
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Yeah, that’s fair. Was just curious where he is in his development.
 
Jargon said:
I want Asky to shut out Nashville..

This team is so strange where they’ll come out and beat the Devils, the Lightning and Detroit (not like the other two but were playing very well) and then get trounced by Utah and Columbus. I have no idea which games they win or lose at any given time.

I guess that’s what happens when you’ve got such a young team.

Schaefer question for @Juxtaposer and whoever else watches him: is he the kind of prospect that plays in the NHL next season or does he need another couple of years?
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Could he play in the NHL next year? Absolutely, he's got the skating and the puckhandling and the smarts. He was already the best player on the Canadian WJC team at 17. Because of how much developmental time he's missed this season between the mono and the broken collarbone, combined with being a little slight, it might be a good idea to send him back to the OHL for a year, but he's good enough to force the issue.

I'm quite curious who, if any, of the top-4 guys will hit the NHL next season. Misa sounds like he likely isn't, and may jump to the NCAA. Hagens should probably do another year without Leonard to build strength and be The Guy at BC. Martone is a tough one, he's an October birthday and doesn't have a whole lot to learn at the OHL level, but could be behind the pace at the NHL level next year. He could get a long look in camp to decide his fate. Schaefer, I think it'll really depend on the team.
 
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Jargon said:
Schaefer question for @Juxtaposer and whoever else watches him: is he the kind of prospect that plays in the NHL next season or does he need another couple of years?
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I'm strongly in favor of sending Schaefer back to juniors or to the NCAA for a season, and thought so before his injury. He's very young for his draft year and he's a d-man. Now he will have also missed a ton of development time.

I don't think he's doomed or anything if he goes straight to the NHL, but I think his potential would be more easily maximized by waiting a year.

(BTW, there's starting to be a very clear divide between NCAA trained d-men and CHL trained d-men. All the very best d-men under ~28 are European or went through the NCAA. If he can get a season in the NCAA, I think that's likely to be the best choice.)
 
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Juxtaposer said:


Some interesting discussing starting at 28:50 related to what Chicago might do at 1OA. There is some belief out there amongst non-Chicago NHL sources that think Chicago will go best forward available.
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Huge if true.

No commentary needed on the choice between Celebrini-Schaefer vs. Hagens-Levshunov.
 
Started deep dives yesterday on draft eligibles. I had mostly been casually catching games / watching college hockey and the WJC before. I watch way too much NHL because of the pod and need to get back to draft stuff before I die of boredom / start believing that Barclay Goodrow is an essential player.

I had some ideas about the top 15 or so but want to get a solid top 60 set in my brain before the draft. Started with Schaefer yesterday.

Schaefer is the real deal. His skating and the pressure he can assert with his feet is immense. He can push on a team until they make a mistake. There were multiple times in the games I watched that Schaefer would gain the zone, pass it off, immediately skate to an open position and just pull 2-3 players with him. He's got a gravity to him. He's got excellent handling as well. He caught the puck on his blade to pick off a pass, then in one motion kept it on the blade, precision passed it off the wall around the player who he picked off, and hit his teammate for a breakout off the bounce. At first glance it looked like an accident but it wasn't. His processing speed is impressive.

Defensively his skating is an advantage for sure but he can be a bit more aggressive with it. He's really dedicated to retreating back to netfront when the cycle starts but can get caught puck watching instead of anticipating and using his feet to cut off lanes or pick it off the wall. The ceiling defensively is super high though. This isn't a player that is sacrificing a ton defensively for his offensive game to shine. He's again, the real deal. Wants to win the puck back, find an outlet or skate it up himself. There is no cheat or quit at either end. He's got a great eye for poke-checks. It's a real skill that is kind of funny to watch with how easily he can just pick it off junior players right now.

IF the Sharks were to get him I think he's going to pair really well with Celebrini. They both love to play north-south, don't cheat and can absolutely LEAN on teams. Schaefer works so well when he has outlets but can get a bit lost when he enters the zone and has no immediate outlet. Sort of just gives it up at times. I think having a Schaefer-Celebrini connection would be fantastic and would be great complements to each other.

I think the concerns could be just how much time he lost this year and just how high the rise has been. You're banking on essentially 6 months of play before an injury. There is risk there as the #1 pick. It's very likely worth it though.
 
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Barrie22 said:
I still don't understand how it was possible for him to even hit the net in that situation. No defender within 10 feet of him, was not even that close to the net when the puck left his stick, he didn't lose an edge and slide into the net.
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hes a teenagers and teenagers get blinders on every once in awhile.
 
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hohosaregood said:
counterpoint: Schaefer's lack of awareness led to him breaking his collarbone
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Plus the goals are bigger and faster in the NHL, so they'll be even harder to avoid

Barrie22 said:
I still don't understand how it was possible for him to even hit the net in that situation. No defender within 10 feet of him, was not even that close to the net when the puck left his stick, he didn't lose an edge and slide into the net.
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Barrie22 said:
I still don't understand how it was possible for him to even hit the net in that situation. No defender within 10 feet of him, was not even that close to the net when the puck left his stick, he didn't lose an edge and slide into the net.
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Yeah that play is kind of a red flag for me on Schaefer honestly.
 
Genuinely can't tell if y'all are being serious. If anything, the collarbone break will make Schaefer more aware of stuff like that in the future than a kid who has no awareness and just gets lucky avoiding injury.
 
As someone who barely gets time to watch prospects, here's what I'm picking up from all the commentary. There's a clear top 4 in this draft and any of them would be good in their own way for the team:

  • Schaefer would give us the potential for a killer 1C/1D combo.
  • Hagens would give us the potential for a killer 1/2 C combo (basically what many of us hoped for with Smith but more realistic) and allow Smith to settle into a skilled winger role with less pressure.
  • Misa would give us a Celebrini-lite to bolster the 2nd line.
  • Martone would give us the potential for an unstoppable top line.
Is that about right?

If so, sign me up for anyone but Misa. In a vacuum, he sounds great, but if he's the play-driver on the second line, I think it makes the team too easy to gameplay against/shut down when both the top lines play the same kind of game. Also not sure what we do with Smith in this scenario, though this may be one of those "good" problems to have...

edit: gameplan* against
 
Sharksfan66 said:
As someone who barely gets time to watch prospects, here's what I'm picking up from all the commentary. There's a clear top 4 in this draft and any of them would be good in their own way for the team:

  • Schaefer would give us the potential for a killer 1C/1D combo.
  • Hagens would give us the potential for a killer 1/2 C combo (basically what many of us hoped for with Smith but more realistic) and allow Smith to settle into a skilled winger role with less pressure.
  • Misa would give us a Celebrini-lite to bolster the 2nd line.
  • Martone would give us the potential for an unstoppable top line.
Is that about right?

If so, sign me up for anyone but Misa. In a vacuum, he sounds great, but if he's the play-driver on the second line, I think it makes the team too easy to gameplay against/shut down when both the top lines play the same kind of game. Also not sure what we do with Smith in this scenario, though this may be one of those "good" problems to have...

edit: gameplan* against
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Misa is "Celebrini-lite" in the sense that they are both detailed centermen with good shots and high pace. It doesn't mean they play the game the exact same way...
 
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Realistically, we'll be lucky to draft any of the top 4. Currently I think my order of preference would be Schaefer, Martone, Misa, Hagens but I trust our front office and scouting staff to make the best possible selection even if that means trading up.
 
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Juxtaposer said:
Genuinely can't tell if y'all are being serious. If anything, the collarbone break will make Schaefer more aware of stuff like that in the future than a kid who has no awareness and just gets lucky avoiding injury.
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I'm not that serious about it but it's genuinely one of the most baffling self inflicted on-ice injuries I've ever seen. I'm all in on Schaefer as the 1OA but I have to squint my eyes at him in judgment. You know like when you find a puppy trapped in yarn.
 
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Hodge said:
Realistically, we'll be lucky to draft any of the top 4. Currently I think my order of preference would be Schaefer, Martone, Misa, Hagens but I trust our front office and scouting staff to make the best possible selection even if that means trading up.
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Interesting. I know small sample size and all, but after watching Martone at the juniors i think I'm out. Not the tournament i'd want from an 18 y/o even if it is a "19 y/o" tournament, especially a power winger who is suppose to be physically mature.

I think my list goes Schaefer, Misa, Hagens, Martone. With J. Smith at 5.
 
Celly4Celebrini said:
Interesting. I know small sample size and all, but after watching Martone at the juniors i think I'm out. Not the tournament i'd want from an 18 y/o even if it is a "19 y/o" tournament, especially a power winger who is suppose to be physically mature.

I think my list goes Schaefer, Misa, Hagens, Martone. With J. Smith at 5.
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I just think Martone complements what we already have up front better than Misa or Hagens although I can see the argument for Misa.
 
Juxtaposer said:
Misa is "Celebrini-lite" in the sense that they are both detailed centermen with good shots and high pace. It doesn't mean they play the game the exact same way...
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I was referring specifically to the idea of pace though. You don’t see this issue in the regular season, but when you get to the playoffs and you’re playing the same team repeatedly for an entire series, it catches up to you to have both your top lines pushing the pace (or slowing the game down, a la JT era Sharks).

But if your top line pushes the pace and your second line slows the game down and plays East-West, it’s a lot harder to plan for both and execute in a dynamic game situation.

If there’s a clear drop-off in talent, I think you still take the BPA and figure it out later. But if it’s close, I think these are the kind of details that matter when team building.
 
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