HF Habs: 2025 NHL Draft: Part II

[montreal]

What do you think of him?
Might be getting overlooked as a 1st rounder?

I haven't seen him other then a short clip,



With this class being weak, he's going to get over drafted most likely.

 

[Playmaker09]

Not a fan. He is a project and his hype is solely based on his physical attributes. His decisions on the ice are suspect and other than being the flavor of the month not good enough.

He's got a lot of work to do, but at least he's an actual powerforward.

A lot of 6'4+ guys get drafted with the hopes they'll start to use their frame and develop a mean streak. Prokhorov already has that, he'll drive the net at all costs and he hits to hurt.

I wouldn't hate it in the second, especially given the talent drop off in this draft, and I'd be surprised if on draft day he's available in the 3rd.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

He's got a lot of work to do, but at least he's an actual powerforward.

A lot of 6'4+ guys get drafted with the hopes they'll start to use their frame and develop a mean streak. Prokhorov already has that, he'll drive the net at all costs and he hits to hurt.

I wouldn't hate it in the second, especially given the talent drop off in this draft, and I'd be surprised if on draft day he's available in the 3rd.

If a team reach for him in the 2nd let them be. I see some better large sized forward this year that will be better an surely available in the 3rd.

 

[Habricot]

I will be happy with one of Nesbitt, Lakovich or Carboneau. At least 2 of them should be available when we draft.

 

[McGees]

Not sure the consensus here but I'm really not a fan of Carbonneau - plays such a junior style game I want nothing to do with him with our 2 x 1sts.

 

[Jabba11]

Not sure the consensus here but I'm really not a fan of Carbonneau - plays such a junior style game I want nothing to do with him with our 2 x 1sts.

I agree. Reminds me of an Oliver Wahlstrom.

He doesn't seem to use his teammates well. Wary of how it'll translate into the NHL.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

Simon St Laurent, one of my favorites, has the exact same concerns I do about Martone. Calls him soft, lazy, Perry and Tkachuck comparison's are terrible because of lack of compete, slow paced, doesn't move his feet. Made slight improvement in the playoffs but he'd avoid him in the draft. Glad to see I'm not crazy thinking this kid is massively overrated.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Simon St Laurent, one of my favorites, has the exact same concerns I do about Martone. Calls him soft, lazy, Perry and Tkachuck comparison's are terrible because of lack of compete, slow paced, doesn't move his feet. Made slight improvement in the playoffs but he'd avoid him in the draft. Glad to see I'm not crazy thinking this kid is massively overrated.

I highly doubt he would be available at our pick anyway.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

I highly doubt he would be available at our pick anyway.

I think there's a real chance he drops to 8, maybe even lower, I would not trade up for him. Frankly, if both Martone and Carbonneau were still available, I'd take Carbonneau.

 

[JadedRandom]

BTW, what do you think of Jack Nesbitt? Where do you have him ranked and whats your projection?

I'll preface this post by saying that I've only watched 5-6 full games of his this year, so maybe I'm wrong, but I'd have Nesbitt as a late-first type of prospect.

As for my view of Nesbitt, well I actually don't think Nesbitt has the clearest path of all to becoming a center in the NHL; I think he very much lacks the attention to detail and transition ability that you want in a center and may ultimately transition to wing in the NHL.

But first and foremonst on my list of complaints about Nesbitt is that I don't like his inconsistency.

One game Nesbitt is very noticeable offensively, constantly involved with his head up looking to make plays in-tight and through checks, the other he's very pedestrian and "behind the play" a lot on the ice, making cover mistakes, failing to connect on his passes, not playing with intensity while appearing VERY raw still even in Junior.

Even for a draft-year eligible I think Nesbitt shows too much difference between his "highs" and his "lows", and that perhaps hints at a deeper issue than simple inexperience; hockey sense.

With a gun to my head I'd say that Nesbitt's hockey sense projects as "about average" by NHL standards with the one caveat that maybe his inconsistency is linked to weaknesses in hockey sense that he hides in some other ways.

Maybe I'm over-scouting/over-analyzing things on this front, but I'd still err on the side of caution regarding Nesbitt's hockey sense. In the past I had Broberg as a DND until the late first-round in 2019 because of hockey sense questions and in hindsight I was a bit too harsh on him for those flaws even if they definitely existed.

And the same could be true of Nesbitt where he might have some latent hockey sense issues and those end up not really affecting him too much ultimately. It "might" inhibit his potential and floor a bit, but Nesbitt could still carve a career in the NHL even if what I saw holds true.

Except that I personally think Nesbitt's defensive game is still very much "work-in-progress" at this point, which lowers his floor yet again when compounded with the consistency issues and uneven effort levels.

To be completely, brutally honest, the only reason I have Nesbitt inside the first-round despite those flaws is because he has incredible runway physically, and his flashes are very, very impressive.

I'd also say that skating-wise Nesbitt isn't bad, but has a few issues that could get fixed (too much torso sway, ankle flexion, and more) which means that he could definitely improve still.

I could see a world in which Nesbitt plays on any of the second, third, or fourth lines of an NHL club and not look out of place.

But the reason I have other big forwards (Lakovic, McQueen) much higher is because they consistently show higher-end skills and attributes to Nesbitt. If Nesbitt did the same, I'd have him knocking on the door of the top-10 just as I do Lakovic (and I've got McQueen #8).

Lakovic and McQueen could both end up as first-liners if they reach their ceiling and I think Nesbitt might "only" have second-line upside.

That's about where I stand on Nesbitt right now. I still really, really like the player though.

A possible second-liner that also has a perfectly reasonable path to playing on the third or fourth lines, with great physical potential to boot, is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Goldenhands]

I'll preface this post by saying that I've only watched 5-6 full games of his this year, so maybe I'm wrong, but I'd have Nesbitt as a late-first type of prospect.

As for my view of Nesbitt, well I actually don't think Nesbitt has the clearest path of all to becoming a center in the NHL; I think he very much lacks the attention to detail and transition ability that you want in a center and may ultimately transition to wing in the NHL.

But first and foremonst on my list of complaints about Nesbitt is that I don't like his inconsistency.

One game Nesbitt is very noticeable offensively, constantly involved with his head up looking to make plays in-tight and through checks, the other he's very pedestrian and "behind the play" a lot on the ice, making cover mistakes, failing to connect on his passes, not playing with intensity while appearing VERY raw still even in Junior.

Even for a draft-year eligible I think Nesbitt shows too much difference between his "highs" and his "lows", and that perhaps hints at a deeper issue than simple inexperience; hockey sense.

With a gun to my head I'd say that Nesbitt's hockey sense projects as "about average" by NHL standards with the one caveat that maybe his inconsistency is linked to weaknesses in hockey sense that he hides in some other ways.

Maybe I'm over-scouting/over-analyzing things on this front, but I'd still err on the side of caution regarding Nesbitt's hockey sense. In the past I had Broberg as a DND until the late first-round in 2019 because of hockey sense questions and in hindsight I was a bit too harsh on him for those flaws even if they definitely existed.

And the same could be true of Nesbitt where he might have some latent hockey sense issues and those end up not really affecting him too much ultimately. It "might" inhibit his potential and floor a bit, but Nesbitt could still carve a career in the NHL even if what I saw holds true.

Except that I personally think Nesbitt's defensive game is still very much "work-in-progress" at this point, which lowers his floor yet again when compounded with the consistency issues and uneven effort levels.

To be completely, brutally honest, the only reason I have Nesbitt inside the first-round despite those flaws is because he has incredible runway physically, and his flashes are very, very impressive.

I'd also say that skating-wise Nesbitt isn't bad, but has a few issues that could get fixed (too much torso sway, ankle flexion, and more) which means that he could definitely improve still.

I could see a world in which Nesbitt plays on any of the second, third, or fourth lines of an NHL club and not look out of place.

But the reason I have other big forwards (Lakovic, McQueen) much higher is because they consistently show higher-end skills and attributes to Nesbitt. If Nesbitt did the same, I'd have him knocking on the door of the top-10 just as I do Lakovic (and I've got McQueen #8).

Lakovic and McQueen could both end up as first-liners if they reach their ceiling and I think Nesbitt might "only" have second-line upside.

That's about where I stand on Nesbitt right now. I still really, really like the player though.

A possible second-liner that also has a perfectly reasonable path to playing on the third or fourth lines, with great physical potential to boot, is nothing to sneeze at.

Ive only got to watch 2 games very late in the season personally, but felt the skating was average by junior standarts and wasnt overall impressed. Very small sample size though. The reason why Im asking is because Kimelman and Morreale from NHL.com have him going 10th and 12th respectively in their mock draft, what seems generous to me.

Mock 2025 NHL Draft: Opinions vary following Schaefer, Misa with top 2 picks | NHL.com

Erie defenseman, Saginaw forward projected for Islanders, Sharks coming off lottery in 2nd set of predictions

www.nhl.com

 

[WeThreeKings]

Ive only got to watch 2 games very late in the season personally, but felt the skating was average by junior standarts and wasnt overall impressed. Very small sample size though. The reason why Im asking is because Kimelman and Morreale from NHL.com have him going 10th and 12th respectively in their mock draft, what seems generous to me.

Mock 2025 NHL Draft: Opinions vary following Schaefer, Misa with top 2 picks | NHL.com

Erie defenseman, Saginaw forward projected for Islanders, Sharks coming off lottery in 2nd set of predictions

www.nhl.com

Schmidt is not being selected by the Habs in round 1, that much is sealed.

 

[Doublechin]

Simon St Laurent, one of my favorites, has the exact same concerns I do about Martone. Calls him soft, lazy, Perry and Tkachuck comparison's are terrible because of lack of compete, slow paced, doesn't move his feet. Made slight improvement in the playoffs but he'd avoid him in the draft. Glad to see I'm not crazy thinking this kid is massively overrated.

I don't think he sucks but the Tkachuk comps are flawed and yes because he's a soft guy

I think he could be anywhere from a JVR to a Bobby Ryan or a Jason Robertson but to expect him to play a power forward game is delusional

 

[JadedRandom]

Ive only got to watch 2 games very late in the season personally, but felt the skating was average by junior standarts and wasnt overall impressed. Very small sample size though. The reason why Im asking is because Kimelman and Morreale from NHL.com have him going 10th and 12th respectively in their mock draft, what seems generous to me.

I've only watched a couple of games of Nesbitt's, as I said, but Nesbitt at #10 or #12 is beyond "generous" to me.

It definitely doesn't match the eye test for me either.

But Morreale and Kimelman often have weird takes to generate clicks, so that isn't anything new.

I still remember that time last year when they had Silayev #3 to the Ducks, and Morreale had Sennecke going #15 to the Wings.

I feel that both just go off consensus rankings, then twist them in some way to not seem completely obvious only to "top-off the sundae" by adding the lil' commentary cherry on top.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[Goldenhands]

Schmidt is not being selected by the Habs in round 1, that much is sealed.

Yep no chance at all.

 

[Goldenhands]

I've only watched a couple of games of Nesbitt's, as I said, but Nesbitt at #10 or #12 is beyond "generous" to me.

It definitely doesn't match the eye test for me either.

But Morreale and Kimelman often have weird takes to generate clicks, so that isn't anything new.

I still remember that time last year when they had Silayev #3 to the Ducks, and Morreale had Sennecke going #15 to the Wings.

I feel that both just go off consensus rankings, then twist them in some way to not seem completely obvious only to "top-off the sundae" by adding the lil' commentary cherry on top.

Rinse and repeat.

Silayev was considered very highly by scouts though. I was very high on him as well, liked him and Buium as far the the Ds were concerned. I still think Silayev will become a top notch shutdown defenseman in the NHL down the road.
Also, I recall that Helenius had more top 3-5 votes than Sennecke among scouts in Bobby Mac final ranking. I was probably Helenius's biggest fan over here.

Edit: Bob McKenzie's Final NHL Draft Ranking: Many attractive and diverse options after Macklin Celebrini | TSN

There are no 6-foot-7 defencemen in this draft who move as well as him. There aren’t many 6-foot-7 defencemen on the planet who skate as well as this behemoth. He started the KHL season with a flourish, getting eight points in eight games, but his offensive output really dried up as the season wore on. The early comparisons to Victor Hedman have mostly faded, but the excitement over his future NHL prospects have not.

“At the end of the day, all that really matters is that he’s a 17-year-old who played regularly in the KHL and played well and showed he has all the tools be a shutdown NHL defender who can still skate and carry or pass a puck up the ice,” said a scout. “That’s a unicorn.”

“He’s going to be an elite defender,” another scout said. “A huge minute muncher. That and that alone provides huge value, but he’s not without some offensive ability, but it’s most definitely secondary.”

There are certainly defencemen in the group of six who have way more offensive upside than Silayev. And the Russian Factor could come into a play to some degree as well.

As intriguing as it to see in which order the top six defencemen are taken on Friday, it’s also going to be fascinating to see how things unfold for the six-pack of forwards in the top 12. That is, Demidov, Lindstrom and the four ranked between Nos. 9 and 12 on our final list.

No. 9 is Finn Konsta Helenius, a heady, two-way, sub-6 foot centre who put up solid numbers (14 goals and 36 points in 51 games) for Jukurit in Finland’s No. 1 Liiga. Helenius was ranked as high as No. 3 overall (by two scouts) and five scouts had him in their top seven while the other five ranked him in a range from 11 to 18.

No. 11 is Beckett Sennecke, the Oshawa General big (almost 6-foot-3) winger who has dynamic skill and, along with Iginla, has rocketed up the draft charts with great buzz and fanfare. Sennecke was ranked by our scouting panel as high as No. 5, no lower than No. 14 and had a total of four Top 10 votes.

 

[JadedRandom]

Silayev was considered very highly by scouts though. I was very high on him as well, liked him and Buium as far the the Ds were concerned. I still think Silayev will become a top notch shutdown defenseman in the NHL down the road.
Also, I recall that Helenius had more top 3-5 votes than Sennecke among scouts in Bobby Mac final ranking. I was probably Helenius's biggest fan over here.

Edit: Bob McKenzie's Final NHL Draft Ranking: Many attractive and diverse options after Macklin Celebrini | TSN

There are no 6-foot-7 defencemen in this draft who move as well as him. There aren’t many 6-foot-7 defencemen on the planet who skate as well as this behemoth. He started the KHL season with a flourish, getting eight points in eight games, but his offensive output really dried up as the season wore on. The early comparisons to Victor Hedman have mostly faded, but the excitement over his future NHL prospects have not.

“At the end of the day, all that really matters is that he’s a 17-year-old who played regularly in the KHL and played well and showed he has all the tools be a shutdown NHL defender who can still skate and carry or pass a puck up the ice,” said a scout. “That’s a unicorn.”

“He’s going to be an elite defender,” another scout said. “A huge minute muncher. That and that alone provides huge value, but he’s not without some offensive ability, but it’s most definitely secondary.”

There are certainly defencemen in the group of six who have way more offensive upside than Silayev. And the Russian Factor could come into a play to some degree as well.

As intriguing as it to see in which order the top six defencemen are taken on Friday, it’s also going to be fascinating to see how things unfold for the six-pack of forwards in the top 12. That is, Demidov, Lindstrom and the four ranked between Nos. 9 and 12 on our final list.

No. 9 is Finn Konsta Helenius, a heady, two-way, sub-6 foot centre who put up solid numbers (14 goals and 36 points in 51 games) for Jukurit in Finland’s No. 1 Liiga. Helenius was ranked as high as No. 3 overall (by two scouts) and five scouts had him in their top seven while the other five ranked him in a range from 11 to 18.

No. 11 is Beckett Sennecke, the Oshawa General big (almost 6-foot-3) winger who has dynamic skill and, along with Iginla, has rocketed up the draft charts with great buzz and fanfare. Sennecke was ranked by our scouting panel as high as No. 5, no lower than No. 14 and had a total of four Top 10 votes.

That was my list in 2024, some pretty good guesses and some egregious mistakes but a year later I still stand by what I saw all of last year leading to the Draft:

1. Celebrini	9. Catton	17. Jiricek	25. Connelly
2. Demidov	10. Lindstrom	18. Basha	26. Artamonov
3. Dickinson	11. Parekh	19. Greentree	27. Hemming
4. Buium	12. Helenius	20. Surin	28. Ritchie
5. Levshunov	13. Sennecke	21. Hutson	29. Emery
6. Silayev	14. Brandsegg-N.	22. Boisvert	30. Beaudoin
7. Yakemchuk	15. Chernyshov	23. Hage	31. Luchanko
8. Iginla	16. Eiserman	24. Stiga	32. Poirier

I had Sennecke quite low too in hindsight, and was too high on a lot of other players.

It happens. No one bats 1.000.

 

[Goldenhands]

That was my list in 2024, some pretty good guesses and some egregious mistakes but a year later I still stand by what I saw all of last year leading to the Draft:

1. Celebrini	9. Catton	17. Jiricek	25. Connelly
2. Demidov	10. Lindstrom	18. Basha	26. Artamonov
3. Dickinson	11. Parekh	19. Greentree	27. Hemming
4. Buium	12. Helenius	20. Surin	28. Ritchie
5. Levshunov	13. Sennecke	21. Hutson	29. Emery
6. Silayev	14. Brandsegg-N.	22. Boisvert	30. Beaudoin
7. Yakemchuk	15. Chernyshov	23. Hage	31. Luchanko
8. Iginla	16. Eiserman	24. Stiga	32. Poirier

I had Sennecke quite low too in hindsight, and was too high on a lot of other players.

It happens. No one bats 1.000.

Well some of your takes might actually end up more accurate than how the draft panned out. Lets revisit your list in 4-5 yrs from now, lot of teams arent drafting too well IMO. Sennecke at 3OV was a reach IMO.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I will be happy with one of Nesbitt, Lakovich or Carboneau. At least 2 of them should be available when we draft.

Lakovic is incredibly soft.....there is some serious risk with him.

 

[FedorTyutin]

That was my list in 2024, some pretty good guesses and some egregious mistakes but a year later I still stand by what I saw all of last year leading to the Draft:

1. Celebrini	9. Catton	17. Jiricek	25. Connelly
2. Demidov	10. Lindstrom	18. Basha	26. Artamonov
3. Dickinson	11. Parekh	19. Greentree	27. Hemming
4. Buium	12. Helenius	20. Surin	28. Ritchie
5. Levshunov	13. Sennecke	21. Hutson	29. Emery
6. Silayev	14. Brandsegg-N.	22. Boisvert	30. Beaudoin
7. Yakemchuk	15. Chernyshov	23. Hage	31. Luchanko
8. Iginla	16. Eiserman	24. Stiga	32. Poirier

I had Sennecke quite low too in hindsight, and was too high on a lot of other players.

It happens. No one bats 1.000.

This is actually quite good at the moment. Poirier at 32 is funny considering he ended up in the 5th round but he scored so many goals so legit take.

 

[Gravity]

I would give an arm and leg for Michael Misa but it won't happen.

 

[JadedRandom]

This is actually quite good at the moment. Poirier at 32 is funny considering he ended up in the 5th round but he scored so many goals so legit take.

I'll admit, Poirier was my own contrarian take.

But he was so good in the playoffs that year that I felt it would have been foolish not to have him high.

 

[Team_Spirit]

So barring any fallers the F wishlist is

Brady Martin
Carter Bear
Braeden Cootes
Malcolm Spence
Justin Carbonneau

Ds seems thin this year?

Mrtka or Aitcheson

 

[WeThreeKings]

So barring any fallers the F wishlist is

Brady Martin
Carter Bear
Braeden Cootes
Malcolm Spence
Justin Carbonneau

Ds seems thin this year?

Mrtka or Aitcheson

You can forget Martin and Mrtka. Rest are possible.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

Not sure the consensus here but I'm really not a fan of Carbonneau - plays such a junior style game I want nothing to do with him with our 2 x 1sts.

I have heard he has a pretty terrible attitude as well, i'm not sure how much substance is behind that.