Is it me or it sucks to draft 14 to 17 this year? Seems like theyre no Guhle, Caufield, etc available this year.
HF Habs: 2025 NHL Draft: Part II
- Thread starter MarkovsKnee
- Start date
JeffreyLFC
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2017
- 9,917
- 8,492
I think this year is very similar to 2021. There will be good players available and good scouts will find some gems.
Quatre Vingt Treize
Registered User
JeffreyLFC
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2017
- 9,917
- 8,492
I have some favorite but I am not nostradamus. I think when we look back 5 years from now we could look at a player and question ourselves how did we miss him?
My personal favorite are Kindel and Hensler. I like their tools, hockey iq and upside.
GlassesJacketShirt
Registered User
Don't know if Kindel has enough tools for NHL clubs in the first twenty picks, but I always have time for players that are plain ol "good at hockey" and Kindel is one such player.
JeffreyLFC
Registered User
- Sep 29, 2017
- 9,917
- 8,492
I just think Kindel is severly overlooked. His profile kind of remind me Seth Jarvis and Brayden Point. His work rate, skating, hockey IQ, compete and talent is all translatable to the NHL only negative is not ideal size but personally I could not care less, he will get stronger.
DAChampion
Registered User
- May 28, 2011
- 30,306
- 23,756
JadedRandom
Registered User
Yep.
Cootes, Carbonneau, Martin, Spence, and Lakovic if we're looking only at big-ish forwards (+Schmidt, Bear, Kindel, Potter, and Reschny if we allow ourselves to draft smaller forwards).
Aitcheson, Reid, and Logan Hensler if we look at D.
Lots of interesting options, lots of upside, but some prospects are "safer" whilst others are more "boom/bust".
We'll see I guess.
Last edited:
Just as interesting is the 40th overall from PIT. I think there’s a chance that Ryabkin could be there, as crazy as it sounds. His draft stock has been falling like a rock all season.
Even there, I might still pass - both the way his draft year has gone, and his specific problems reminds me of Kirill Kabanov, which is not a good thing.
But I can’t deny that he’d be an interesting pick. I do think some team will probably take a swing on him between 20-30, however. Wouldn’t go anywhere near him at 16-17 though.
I suspect our picks will be:
Cole Reschny or Brady Martin (Martin will be gone, but I may prefer Reschny anyway).
Logan Henser (safe bet to be a 5-6 NHL defenseman at a key postion, maybe top 4 at his peak).
BPA and team needs at the same time.
3rd-4th lines energy guys with size can be obtained in later rounds or via trade. Guys like Reschny and Hensler cannot be obtained any other ways.
Cole Reschny or Brady Martin (Martin will be gone, but I may prefer Reschny anyway).
Logan Henser (safe bet to be a 5-6 NHL defenseman at a key postion, maybe top 4 at his peak).
BPA and team needs at the same time.
3rd-4th lines energy guys with size can be obtained in later rounds or via trade. Guys like Reschny and Hensler cannot be obtained any other ways.
Last edited:
Quatre Vingt Treize
Registered User
Yup, Montreal will get two good players out of first round. Last 3 mid first round picks have been Caufield, Guhle and Hage. I am expecting two more similar.
DesmondDekker
Let's diddly go !
In no particular order:
Schaefer
Misa
Hagens
Martone
Frondell
Desnoyers
O’Brien
Eklund
Smith
Mrtka
McQueen
Aicheson
Lakovic
Bear
Hensler
Carbonneau
Then you get to 16. I think Martin goes around the 12th spot as he’s been climbing up the rankings since february, he is super projectable, great hustle and untapped offensive potential. GMs and coaches love this type of player. But there’s a good chance both Spence and Reschny will be available. Should be an interesting draft for the Habs!
- Aug 21, 2016
- 10,051
- 14,153
Im totally expecting our 2 picks to be traded, thats a weak draft and there is no Helenius, Hage, Buium dropping to 16th OV this year... I was hoping for Lakovic or Hensler when we were drafting 11-12 th OV, but at 16, I think we package both picks for a young roster player or to move up the draft, most likely the 1st scenario.
Sorry to be that guy...
Sorry to be that guy...
Habitant#1
Registered User
Anyone else trying not to get too excited about this draft given we're likely to trade the picks?
montreal
Go Habs Go
Jack Murtagh Chance 1:13
Filip Ekberg Goal/Eric Nilson Assist 2:04
Cole McKinney Chance 3:17
Ivar Stenberg Goal/Boumedienne Assist 4:11
Will Moore Goal/Bracco/Horcoff Assist 5:10
Jacob Kvasnicka Goal/Berchild Assist 6:16
Ivar Stenberg Goal 6:48
LJ Mooney Big Hit 7:09
Frondell Chance/Ihs Wozniak Pass 7:52
Michael Berchild Goal/Kvasnicka/Mooney Assist 8:39
Will Moore/Cullen Potter Chances 9:20
Cullen Potter Goal/Moore Assist 9:52
Drew Schock Goal/Kvasnicka/Mooney Assist 11:06
bottom 4 on your list is where i think you'll start seeing a lot of players move around, that's where i start worrying about those 3 getting picked
personally i'm not very high on Hensler
Last edited:
JadedRandom
Registered User
If we got Brady Martin and Braeden Cootes with the 16th and 17th picks I'd call them a very strong haul.
Cameron Schmidt is an awesome talent too, but we already have our short kings in Caufield and Hutson so we wouldn't draft him unless the pick value gets ridiculous.
Kashawn Aitcheson I'm a big fan of too, and think he could be a physical top-4 defenseman with some offensive ability and good defense if he develops well.
But if we trade both picks and acquire a good, young roster player, we shouldn't be mad. Those draft picks would take years to finally get to the NHL, and by then our best players might be nearing the end of their primes.
- Aug 21, 2016
- 10,051
- 14,153
Cameron Schmidt looks like a high bust potential to me, very small and plays a junior type of game, I dont think the Habs will draft small TBH anyway, Brady Martin I like his combativeness and physical game, but his feet are kinda slow for his frame, if we are lucky maybe we get a decent third liner, thats at least my impression after few viewings, Cootes I like his motor, skating, but I have a hard time to picture him on a top 6 and doesnt have the size Im looking for as a bottom liner. I mean, we got kids like Xhekaj, Heineman, Kapanen, Beck, Tuch, Davidson... Do we really need small bottom liners?
As for Aitcheson, I didnt like his decision making or defending IQ in my limited viewings, but take it for what is worth since you probably watched those kids alot more than I did.
Playmaker09
Registered User
- Sep 11, 2008
- 3,313
- 1,939
Personally, I think the top 11 + O'Brien we have almost zero shot at getting without a trade up, and I would easily put all of Roy, Mailloux and Kapanen on the table to do so. Even if one or two of Aithcheson, Fiddler, Hensler or Boumedienne goes before us, there's still little chance.
At 16/17 we're looking at the 13-21 range.
Bear and McQueen I think are worth the risk with two 1sts, but I'd be surprised if either gets to us.
Reschny you either believe in and he's in your top 20, or you don't and he's outside your 1st round (where I had him most of the year). There's no in between, he's a 2C or bust, and I have to say I'm starting to believe. He's a smaller O'Brien with better details and much more willing to pull the trigger himself. His pace in the playoffs was greatly improved which is what made me change my tune. The one hang-up is his first step explosiveness, which if he can add, would make him a hell of a player. He skates and carries the puck well in full flight though which, fortunately, is easier to do as a C rather than a W so I think he definitely sticks there.
Kindel has a better floor as a middle 6 W but probably not as high a ceiling as I do not think he's a C, nor do I think he has the ability to drive a line the way Reschny and O'Brien do. What he is, is an excellent complementary player with very high IQ, who can probably play with anybody, on any line.
Carbonneau I'm ok with as well despite his warts. He needs to get out of the Q ASAP though. There's a nice opening on Hagens' wing at BC with Leonard gone, and that would be an ideal spot for him to round out his game. Love the talent and physicality.
I'm willing to believe Hensler is a victim of a shit Wisconsin program. He was so good at the NTDP least year, and I doubt he's just forgotten how to play hockey. He's a much better skater than Fiddler who I think tops out as a #4 and sits just outside our range IMO.
Cootes to me is purely a 3C. He should be able to play up the lineup if needed though which is still a valuable player all things considered. I just don't think he creates enough, often enough, to be more than that. Would be fine with him as a future upgrade to Jake Evans, but more of a luxury at this point.
Spence I think gets a bad rap for not making a huge progression when it's not entirely his fault. He hasn't been given the keys to the castle like O'Brien, Reschny, Cootes or Martin. He plays second line in Erie and at the bumper on the PP where it's hard to rack up easy points, and Schaefer got hurt early which neutered the offense in general. Next year it'll be his show, like it was for Misa this year vs last year, and the production will line up. He can be a solid complementary forward to a second line.
Finally, Potter I'm out on. I'm not convinced he can stick at C and his motor is just average when it needs to be more than that for him to work. He doesn't have the vision of Reschny/O'Brien, nor a high-end shot. With his speed, he could be so much more involved on both sides of the puck rather than just ramping it up when he gets the puck on his stick. If he had Victor Eklund, Oliver Moore, or Zach Benson's workrate, we'd be talking about a top 10 pick, but as it is, I just don't believe.
JadedRandom
Registered User
Schmidt has high bust potential indeed, since he is so small out there and has had some inconsistency issues at times. His defensive game is also quite bad at this current time.
Schmidt also needs to be fed the puck like all similar snipers by teammates that go dig the puck for him.
But Schmidt has elite skating, a real mean streak for a guy his size, shoots the puck at an elite level, can be a secondary puck-distributor, manipulates defenders very well, shields the puck very well, has deft goalscorers' instincts.
And Schmidt did make a lot of junior plays this season, but he also made many complex plays with fast pace that would still be there even in the NHL.
I'd even go as far as to say that Jake O'Brien has made many more "junior plays" this season than Schmidt has, and relied even more on powerplay time for his offense. Yet, because O'Brien's tools look so good, and potentially elite, many viewers are willing to look past it, myself included.
But back to Schmidt; I've watched a lot of games of his and I've come to the belief that Schmidt's blend of tools is just so elite offensively (and his skating, instincts, dekes, and shooting skills all project to remain very high-end even in the NHL) that I see him in the same light as I did DeBrincat or Caufield in their draft years.
Which is why I've got Schmidt 11th in this year's draft personally right now, and had him 8th for a good chunk of the year, until Eklund, O'Brien, and Mrtka rose on virtue of their strong play.
As for Brady Martin, well, I've got him 20th on my list but he's been a definite riser as of late on account of his good play in the last stretch of the year + playoffs. The last time I compiled the list was in late-March, and he'd probably be higher than #20 right now.
Martin definitely has some heavy feet, as you've said. But the problem is mostly mechanical in his case as he doesn't use ankle-flexion enough when skating, twists his torso and arms too much while in-motion, he could stand to use the edge of his skates more instead of the inside, and his crossover technique needs some work too.
Long story short, since Martin's skating mechanics obviously need some polishing, those speed issues of his are in the domain of the "fixable" in my opinion (same thing as with Kindel). Which is why I see those same flaws as current weaknesses that may yet get overturned in the coming years.
And given Martin's many qualities, including leadership, incredible work ethic, strong puck-protection skills, projectable frame, strong defensive play, a good shot, and underrated skill, I can definitely see a future in which Brady Martin not only ends up becoming a third-liner, but a full-blown second-line forward.
And the fact that Martin is strong enough defensively to possibly be a long-time NHL center is an added bonus.
As for Cootes, well, he is much the same. Except that I'd say Cootes flashes higher-end skill level, better shooting skills, better skating, while trading-off some physicality, defensive ability, and puck-digging abilities compared to Martin.
Cootes also exhibits strong leadership qualities so far, to go alongside some more underrated skill, some very strong passing abilities, good versatility offensively as a passing/shooting option, good hockey sense, and strong defensive abilities.
Cootes' frame projects only as being "average" by NHL standards, but given the rest of his attributes I think he definitely has second-line center upside.
As for Aitcheson, well, it is true that his Hockey IQ, lane-blocking, and decisions can be a bit "all over the place" at times, mostly when he tries to do too much and starts commiting turnovers or getting caught out of position.
But I've found that Aitcheson's best games happen when he plays a simple game keeping the puck in front of him and focusing-up on defense, using his incredible shot from the point, and passing the puck quickly to his teammates instead of hogging it like he is sometimes prone to do.
Also, when Aitcheson cuts back on the reckless pinches, the big and over-aggressive hits, and just focuses on gapping-up correctly and playing a more "pro-style" game, he starts being a dominant defender denying entries like it's nobody's business, being fast enough to stay toe-to-toe against the faster skaters, disrupting the cycle with his size/strength, and being an above-average transition defenseman to boot.
Seriously, when Aitcheson plays a more "pro-style" of game he's very impressive.
A lot of his flaws just stop being so glaring and now you get to see the type of shutdown defenseman with good passing ability and "+" shooting that Aitcheson could be one day.
And with some years of pro-coaching there's no reason to believe Aitcheson can't be that kind of player on an everyday basis in the NHL.
I see Aitcheson as a rich-man's version of Struble basically, which is why I've got him at #14 in my late-March list.
Aitcheson's tools are just so strong that his floor is basically a bottom-pairing defenseman at worst barring injury, AND he has strong potential as a top-4 defenseman to boot.
Seriously, if he was RHD he would be a perfect target for the Canadiens if they elect to trade a guy like Mailloux for some more ready players.
Last edited:
Quatre Vingt Treize
Registered User
Aitcheson is having a great playoff. Doubt he is there at 16. I think we get one of Martin, Cootes or Reschny. Reschny I sense Brayden Point type. With our second first Spence be good pick. A 25 goal physical winger. I would package later picks to move into late first and draft Fiddler. A big mobile right D.
Ryker Lee or Newborg with Pitt 2nd.
Hope Of Glory
Registered User
Love the highly detailed posts on propsects guys. Keep 'em coming.
