HF Habs: 2025 NHL Draft: Part II

[Kobe Armstrong]

His stock was falling last year. Offense wasn't showing up at his age group and defense nowhere strong enough to compensate for that.

Hensler is a gamble that he finds the upside from before. Same gamble that you'd be making on Spence who also was seen as a top 5 pick not long ago. For Spence his Otters team wasn't very good and he doesn't play that junior style which will lead to more CHL points but less translatable pro points.

Spence is an elite athlete and has plenty of tools. Great speed. Great shot. Underrated playmaking.

But don’t you always have to go with the big RHD when given the chance, could’ve sworn I heard that here before

 

[montreal]

 

[Doublechin]

If that's the case he's gone by our picks

 

[Gustave]

If that's the case he's gone by our picks

You are correct in assessing that IF that’s the case, but I would counter by saying that this is the time period where agents are feeding all the BS to keep the stock of their clients well regarded.

Look no further than Lindstrom last season. He was said to be back to normal at the draft and only being kept on the low end of training (on and off the ice) out of precaution…

My pick will always be Bear, don’t get me wrong, I’m just wary of the reports coming out a month prior to the draft

 

[McGees]

Does he use Cayden Lindstroms medical team?

 

[Skip Bayless]

Does he use Cayden Lindstroms medical team?

It's just a little hearniated disc in the back, maybe a little sciatic...also having some neck pains here and there... haha nothing too serious.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Zonnon skating is hilarious ND for me.

 

[HuGo boss]

Aitcheson is someone I'd love to draft don't care is he's a lefty hutson did great on right it a few years top 4 of
Aitcheson lane
Kuhle reinbacher

Bottom 2 jackeye mallioux
Bogdon engstrom struble

Unfortunately I think he's gone by our pick

 

[JadedRandom]

Zonnon skating is hilarious ND for me.

It's a case of the glass either being half-empty or half-full for the beholder.

In pessimistic terms, Zonnon's skating being the way that it is could jeopardize his NHL future and thus means he would be DND for some.

In optimistic terms, Zonnon's skating mechanics being the way that they are means that if he fixes them in any way Zonnon could potentially unlock a lot of speed/explosiveness for himself and thus be a much better player than he currently is.

You're clearly a pessimist on this issue, and you may be right.

But I just think that Zonnon's mix of compete level, hockey sense, underrated skill, and physicality make him a pretty good bet to be an NHLer one day, moreso since I did see improvement in skating this year.

And Zonnon still has tons of physical runway to develop too, given that he's about 185-190 pounds on a 6'2 frame and could end up being 205-210 as a pro.

So yeah, agree to disagree on Zonnon.

Aitcheson is someone I'd love to draft don't care is he's a lefty hutson did great on right it a few years top 4 of
Aitcheson lane
Kuhle reinbacher

Bottom 2 jackeye mallioux
Bogdon engstrom struble

Unfortunately I think he's gone by our pick

Fully agree on this, Aitcheson is a gamer and has #2-3 D upside with a relatively high floor.

If we can't get a top-flight prospect at C (those would be gone by about the 7th or 8th pick) or RD (only Mrtka, will be gone by our pick) we should go BPA with our high picks, which Aitcheson could be at #16 or #17.

But I wouldn't be opposed to us just drafting Hensler either.

Except if we're talking about players who would be perfect fits for us given the state of our prospect pool, I'd say that guys like Braeden Cootes and Brady Martin would be the picks.

Smart, gritty players with projectable frames, strong IQ, at least decent skating, good skill, and some amount of yet-untapped potential offensively. Then you add in good defensive play, good board-battle ability, and the compete level to match and you've got two excellent prospects.

The upside may not be the highest in both Cootes's and Martin's cases but they are pretty much guaranteed NHLers, with second-line C/F upside if all goes well.

I'd be very happy with any of these guys, or Lakovic, Aitcheson, Hensler, and Bear.

But I've soured quite a bit on Carbonneau having recently re-watched a lot of his games. I would currently have Carbonneau in the mid-20s instead of the the #15-16 that he occupied previously.

 

[McGees]

It's just a little hearniated disc in the back, maybe a little sciatic...also having some neck pains here and there... haha nothing too serious.

Hockey agent and medical team:
“Yes he is technically dead but recovery is going well and we believe he will be ready to start the season”

 

[WinterLion]

AMAZING NEWS!!

Maybe he's gone... maybe he's there... in any case it's another very solid prospect in the top 20 giving us more to choose from.

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

Would not mind throwing 2 darts on center after some thought

We have a good young core of D men

Hage and our two first pick this year should boost the middle if they choose to select

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

How would you feel with let's say Cootes and Nesbitt ?

 

[Garbageyuk]

How would you feel with let's say Cootes and Nesbitt ?

Two safe, but low ceiling type of guys that most likely end up as bottom-sixers at the NHL level. Hell no.

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

Two safe, but low ceiling type of guys that most likely end up as bottom-sixers at the NHL level. Hell no.

Not sure about Nesbitt about being a bottom 6 will have to watch some of his, but from what I read I could see him as a top 6 player

Cootes has tools to be a +/-50 points player if paired with Demidov

Best case top 6 C
Wrost case Pain in the ass to play against on the 3rd line

 

[WinterLion]

Would not mind throwing 2 darts on center after some thought

We have a good young core of D men

Hage and our two first pick this year should boost the middle if they choose to select

C's always go a bit higher than ranked.

maybe Cootes and Ryabkin?

 

[Nevins]

How would you feel with let's say Cootes and Nesbitt ?

I like Cootes. Nesbitt not a lot….

 

[Garbageyuk]

Not sure about Nesbitt about being a bottom 6 will have to watch some of his, but from what I read I could see him as a top 6 player

Cootes has tools to be a +/-50 points player if paired with Demidov

Best case top 6 C
Wrost case Pain in the ass to play against on the 3rd line

How much have you watched these guys? They both project as bottom-six to middle-six guys at the NHL level, if everything goes well. They both have rather pedestrian numbers and the tools aren’t all that great apart from Nesbitt’s size.

Cootes is lacking in the size, skating, hands, shot, playmaking, and overall offensive skill departments. His best areas are off-puck play (board battles, forechecking, positioning), physicality, versatility (can play all three forward positions), and defensive play. He projects as a high energy bottom-six utility forward at the NHL level. Best case is probably a guy like Adam Henrique in his prime. Most likely is a guy like Scott Laughton.

Nesbitt is an average skater, has an average shot, and average hands, playmaking, and overall offensive skill. He’s lacking in terms of speed, and high-end skill. Best areas are physicality and off-puck play, but not to the same extent as Cootes. And size - that’s honestly his most alluring attribute, but his lack of anything else high end really limits his upside, imo. And in contrast to Cootes above, he doesn’t seem to play with all that much pace or energy. He’s not crazy dominant physically even at the junior level either.

Could either of them develop unexpectedly and become a top-six player? Sure, but you can say that about any prospect, and I don’t think it’s very likely with either of these two.

I’d hate both as our pick at 16/17, tbh. To me, these are guys you’d take late 1st round or even early 2nd.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

How would you feel with let's say Cootes and Nesbitt ?

I like Cootes better than Nesbitt, but I don't think the Habs would take Cootes. We already have Beck and Kapanen that are 200 foot right shot depth centers. They need to bring in some different elements. Preferably a lefty too since Hage is also a right shot.

 

[WinterLion]

How much have you watched these guys? They both project as bottom-six to middle-six guys at the NHL level, if everything goes well. They both have rather pedestrian numbers and the tools aren’t all that great apart from Nesbitt’s size.

Cootes is lacking in the size, skating, hands, shot, playmaking, and overall offensive skill departments. His best areas are off-puck play (board battles, forechecking, positioning), physicality, versatility (can play all three forward positions), and defensive play. He projects as a high energy bottom-six utility forward at the NHL level. Best case is probably a guy like Adam Henrique in his prime. Most likely is a guy like Scott Laughton.

Nesbitt is an average skater, has an average shot, and average hands, playmaking, and overall offensive skill. He’s lacking in terms of speed, and high-end skill. Best areas are physicality and off-puck play, but not to the same extent as Cootes. And size - that’s honestly his most alluring attribute, but his lack of anything else high end really limits his upside, imo. And in contrast to Cootes above, he doesn’t seem to play with all that much pace or energy. He’s not crazy dominant physically even at the junior level either.

Could either of them develop unexpectedly and become a top-six player? Sure, but you can say that about any prospect, and I don’t think it’s very likely with either of these two.

I’d hate both as our pick at 16/17, tbh. To me, these are guys you’d take late 1st round or even early 2nd.

I do agree that Cootes lacks a standout quality, but he is very projectable as a middle six C... and those guys always go high... He plays hard and might have some untapped offense.

A bit boring was for sure.... I'll give you that

I would prefer we take some guys with something special. There are a hell of a lot of wildcards in this draft year... I wonder if we don't go off the board and take one.

Who are your guys again?

 

[Garbageyuk]

I do agree that Cootes lacks a standout quality, but he is very projectable as a middle six C... and those guys always go high... He plays hard and might have some untapped offense.

A bit boring was for sure.... I'll give you that

I would prefer we take some guys with something special. There are a hell of a lot of wildcards in this draft year... I wonder if we don't go off the board and take one.

Who are your guys again?

If we stay put at 16 and 17, I’m hoping for Hensler and Lakovic, although both could be gone by then.

If both those guys are gone, I’d prefer to take a swing on centers with high upside, even if they’re a bit riskier than guys like Cootes and Nesbitt - I’m talking about Reschny, Kindel, and even Ryabkin.

I wouldn’t mind if they trade up to just outside the top 10 (11-12) to try for Mrtka, Bear, or Martin, or just inside the top 10 (8-10) to try to get one of Desnoyers (unlikely), O’Brien, or McQueen.

 

[Nevins]

Ben Kindel (C, R, 5’10”, 176, Calgary Hitmen, 04/19/2007)

Benjamin Kindel is an intelligent, highly skilled, and competitive two-way center with excellent vision and playmaking ability. Despite being slightly undersized for the professional game, Kindel’s agility, hockey IQ, and willingness to engage physically make him an intriguing prospect. His ability to create and capitalize on scoring opportunities, combined with his strong work ethic and defensive awareness, gives him the tools to develop into a reliable NHL forward. However, improving his strength, shooting efficiency, and puck management will be critical for him to maximize his potential.

WHL: Benjamin Kindel - Neutral Zone - Men's

 

[WinterLion]

If we stay put at 16 and 17, I’m hoping for Hensler and Lakovic, although both could be gone by then.

If both those guys are gone, I’d prefer to take a swing on centers with high upside, even if they’re a bit riskier than guys like Cootes and Nesbitt - I’m talking about Reschny, Kindel, and even Ryabkin.

I wouldn’t mind if they trade up to just outside the top 10 (11-12) to try for Mrtka, Bear, or Martin, or just inside the top 10 (8-10) to try to get one of Desnoyers (unlikely), O’Brien, or McQueen.

I have a hard time getting a read on Hensler... but in general guys that go to college tend to get devalued. I think he would be a fine pick. It's a tough league to play in as a young guy.

The interesting thing is that both those guys could be gone... I think it will get pretty wide open pretty quickly.

 

[WinterLion]

Ben Kindel (C, R, 5’10”, 176, Calgary Hitmen, 04/19/2007)

Benjamin Kindel is an intelligent, highly skilled, and competitive two-way center with excellent vision and playmaking ability. Despite being slightly undersized for the professional game, Kindel’s agility, hockey IQ, and willingness to engage physically make him an intriguing prospect. His ability to create and capitalize on scoring opportunities, combined with his strong work ethic and defensive awareness, gives him the tools to develop into a reliable NHL forward. However, improving his strength, shooting efficiency, and puck management will be critical for him to maximize his potential.View attachment 1037861
WHL: Benjamin Kindel - Neutral Zone - Men's

that kid is slippery...

 

[Nevins]

Eddie Genborg (RW, L, 6’2″, 180, Linkoping HC, 04/20/2007)

Eddie Genborg is a physically dominant power forward who uses his size, strength, and relentless compete level to be a disruptive force who separates his opponent from the puck in all three zones. His game is defined by heavy hitting, strong board play, and effective positioning, particularly around the net and along the walls cycling. While Genborg is a reliable defensive player and excels in creating offensive opportunities through his physical play, his lack of elite speed, limited puck-handling skill, and offensive creativity limits his upside at the National League level. With continued development in his skating and puck skills, Genborg has the potential to carve out a role as a bottom-six power forward or match-up forward at the NHL level.
SHL: Eddie Genborg - Neutral Zone - Men's