HF Habs: 2025 NHL Draft: Part II

[Nicko999]

If he is there at our earlier 2nd rounder, we need to take a chance on him. He is a project but upside is top 15 in this draft.

 

[themilosh]

If he is there at our earlier 2nd rounder, we need to take a chance on him. He is a project but upside is top 15 in this draft.

The 2nd rd of draftees should "never" be chip and a chair - that's 3rd rnd.

1st round: should be inherently identifiable for needs. If Pro Scouts cannot produce this then they should be fired. Why? What else are they being paid for? Enough of this "so-called" you never know. Pathetic.

2nd round: these are draftees that fit the mould but have a few deficiencies in their game. Enter the development program of said club. If our dev prog can produce, then we should be able to identify which prospects will respond.

3rd round (and higher): take a chance on those players who are moulded in your club culture, hope they respond to development.

4th +: complete crap shoot.. draft huge bottom 6 all in skill. Hope for luck.

 

[montreal]

If he is there at our earlier 2nd rounder, we need to take a chance on him. He is a project but upside is top 15 in this draft.

I expect him to go in the 1st round, GM's love to overdraft size and this kid is huge.

 

[Nicko999]

The 2nd rd of draftees should "never" be chip and a chair - that's 3rd rnd.

1st round: should be inherently identifiable for needs. If Pro Scouts cannot produce this then they should be fired. Why? What else are they being paid for? Enough of this "so-called" you never know. Pathetic.

2nd round: these are draftees that fit the mould but have a few deficiencies in their game. Enter the development program of said club. If our dev prog can produce, then we should be able to identify which prospects will respond.

3rd round (and higher): take a chance on those players who are moulded in your club culture, hope they respond to development.

4th +: complete crap shoot.. draft huge bottom 6 all in skill. Hope for luck.

First round picks should never be for needs. Always BPA. By the time the player is ready for the NHL in 2-3 years, your needs might be completely different.

 

[Habs Halifax]

First round picks should never be for needs. Always BPA. By the time the player is ready for the NHL in 2-3 years, your needs might be completely different.

BPA if it's obvious. However, it's not always obvious and teams are quit often picking in a waive of talent.

 

[Team_Spirit]

 

[Team_Spirit]

Habs at the NHL Combine | Montréal Canadiens

The official National Hockey League website including news, rosters, stats, schedules, teams, and video.

www.nhl.com

 

[Team_Spirit]

 

[Favster]

I will say that its not so easy to identify who has the best hockey IQ, especially if they're highly skilled. As you go up levels the gap between their IQ and the IQ of other players lessens more and more.

People thought Drouin, myself included, had high hockey IQ because he was able to manipulate so much on the ice with his high skill level. I think we can all agree that Drouins hockey IQ in the NHL is average at best.

Yup this is a very good point. Same thing applied to Galchenyuk, I thought his IQ was amazing when he was with the sting. I was wrong

 

[Gustave]

BPA if it's obvious. However, it's not always obvious and teams are quit often picking in a waive of talent.

Also, you have to consider if your org has things in spades, ie; Sabres with LD’s and small sized soft skilled forwards. At some point they would need to foray into the « needs » category.

Look at us; we are in need of a high number of top 6 physical players. We never replaced what a Gallagher was for us in the top 6 for example and our right side of the D is a barren land of corpses with no replacements for a Subban/Weber/Petry equivalent.

BPA exists when you have a complete make up, which we do not have in this phase of the rebuild.

 

[Habs Icing]

Prokhorov definitely fits the mold of player I'd like to see on the opposite wing of Demidov in the future. A big 6'5 power forward that scores, skates well, has a very good down low game and crashes and bangs. His hands in tight are much better than I thought. Him being Russian is also just a nice bonus.

Was not on my radar at 16 but if they went this way, I wouldn't complain.

We may have that player, and he's two years into his development. Florian Zhekaj.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

I've been around HF for long enough to remember the whole Justin Jokinen situation. I'm very weary of those magic prospects that look amazing of a few videos against inferior, much smaller competition. I'd need to know a lot more about that Prokhorov kid before I get excited.

Or Hugh Jessiman. IYKYK

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Don’t think Reschny is a Bobrov/Gorton type of pick. Go back to their days with the Rangers, they just rarely pick skilled 5’10 guys, especially in the 1st round. Leave that to the Sabres, who keep floundering because of it.

They tried it with Mesar and look how that turned out. Either they boom or they are useless. I think Bobrov and the gang know we have a good core. Now it’s to add sure-fire players that compliment them.

Guys like Spence, Hensler, Lakovic are more their type.

Mesar is nothing like Reschny though.

 

[Kennerback]

Or Hugh Jessiman. IYKYK

Valid criticism. But there's no comparison in the skating. Huge Specimen moved like an old truck. Prokhorov's skating is on another level.

 

[Schooner Goon]

Sooner rather than later one would think draft classes will be impacted, so much kids that probably have it in their DNA would never know because they just come from families that can't afford 10-20k a year on one kid's hobby

They already have been impacted big time in Canada. So many over ambitious parents are spending a fortune on high profit based spring hockey, clinics all year around during both the hockey season and offseason. Go into any local rink that's open in the summer time during a weekday and you have hockey entrepreneurs running semi-private clinics that cost $100+ per kid per hour. So many kids who can't afford to keep up with the Joneses's leave hockey before they hit puberty. It has a major impact on Hockey Canada who loses out on so many natural athletes rather than the rich kid who plateaus at 12 years old relative to his peers thanks to his daddy's cheque book. Hockey's a late developing sport and it's a shame how many kids with potential aren't around the game anymore when the late bloomers break out.

I've been around HF for long enough to remember the whole Justin Jokinen situation. I'm very weary of those magic prospects that look amazing of a few videos against inferior, much smaller competition. I'd need to know a lot more about that Prokhorov kid before I get excited.

I was around here too. The difference is we're getting legitimate reports that Prokhorov is climbing some NHL teams lists. Justin Jokinen was a US high school hockey player whose pre-draft status was simply a fabrication of HF Boards posters who stat watched but never saw the kid play a single shift.

 

[montreal]

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

The jury is still out on his hockey abilities, but he's definitely a top notch natural athlete.

 

[Seb]

The jury is still out on his hockey abilities, but he's definitely a top notch natural athlete.

Welcome to Columbus, Mason!

 

[BeliveauFan4ever]

Could the Habs put something together to get that Utah 1st???

My dream combo, outside the first tier, of Martin and Mrtka, has faded.

Next combo up:
Bear and Hensler. Possible one or both are out of reach barring a trade up.

After that, Cootes and Hensler.

Still on the fence wrt Reschny, but I should watch more vid.

Freaking Martin shot upwards more than I thought possible. Won’t get past Dubas and might be grabbed earlier. Sigh.

 

[Team_Spirit]

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

We have 3 third rounders and 2 forth rounders this year, I'd be fine with us taking a chance on Katzin AND Veilleux. They're both tiny but the skill is legit and we have nothing to lose.

 

[BeliveauFan4ever]

We have 3 third rounders and 2 forth rounders this year, I'd be fine with us taking a chance on Katzin AND Veilleux. They're both tiny but the skill is legit and we have nothing to lose.

What do rounds 1-3 look like for Habs in 2026?

Saw a mock that has Habs with one 1st rounder.

 

[tooji]

Scouts love these multi-sport athletes these days too - the latest vogue in youth athletic development.

 

[PavelBrendl]

Haven't dug into draft eligibles a ton so far this season but a few players I think are interesting in the mid-1st: Aitcheson, Bear, Lakovic, Cootes, Ryabkin. Spence to a lesser degree cuz I don't think there's a ton of upside but I think he's a future NHL role player at the least.

I would also fully support trading up to land Brady Martin. He's got middle 6 terror written all over him. The Habs need depth and he's the kind of player that plays a massive role when it matters. Same reason 50-point Sam Bennett is going to break someone's bank only July 1st.

 

[rien]

Scouts love these multi-sport athletes these days too - the latest vogue in youth athletic development.

Specializing in one particular sport at a young age is a recent thing. Before, every young kid played multiple sports into their late teens frequently.

A lot of studies actually show that it better for their development to play multiple sports.