HF Habs: 2025 NHL Draft: Part II

[WinterLion]

Button:

Michael Misa, Malcolm Spence, Will Moore highlight Craig Button's final NHL Draft prospect ranking | TSN

The Mississauga Senators U16 AAA team that captured the OHL Cup in 2022 is set to make its mark on the 2025 NHL Draft. More in TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button's final Craig's List prospect ranking of the season.

www.tsn.ca

Spence ahead of Bear!

 

[Kennerback]

The dream of Bill Zonnon in the 2nd seems far fetched...

This is the guy I want the most. Yes he's a late birthday, but the progression curve is there and the change of position to center makes it even more impressive.

He's a true Habs fan that started playing hockey because of Subban. Great story.

I’m iffy about his skating but if that could be worked on and they think he can continue scoring goals in the pros, I’m fine to give him a shot. But he’s slated to go basically smack in the middle of those 32 picks between our 1st and 2nd Round picks. We’ll see just how bad they want him.

 

[le_sean]

What elite linemates? He played with Abraham, JC Lemieux, Spellacy and sometimes a young Beltchez. He didn’t play with Protas or Greentree other than on the PP at a certain point in the season and he was the net front guy.

I just remember him getting a bunch of PP assists when watching him in the playoffs. Typically with Protas and Greentree getting the other points.

Anyways it doesn’t take away from the fact he’s just not a good enough of a playmaker to overcome the poor skating for a Top 6 player. He’s a 3C.

 

[DemidovSZN]

I just remember him getting a bunch of PP assists when watching him in the playoffs. Typically with Protas and Greentree getting the other points.

Anyways it doesn’t take away from the fact he’s just not a good enough of a playmaker to overcome the poor skating for a Top 6 player. He’s a 3C.

I was talking about the regular season. He produced very well while not playing with the offensive guys 5 on 5 and with lesser ice-time and linemates.

I don’t really get how it is negative that when he got the opportunity on the PP he produced on it?

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

He definitely has strong connections. It’s wilfull blindness to say otherwise at this point.

And whatever you think about him he still does a phenomenal job watching the prospects and building his draft guide which is always good year after year.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Because you know who is connections are lol?

Grant is a hack and is not s scout and I doubt he made many connections in his 1 season as a part time local scout.

You can enjoy his content if you like but he does not understand how to scout the technical parts of the game.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Thats a possibility if we look at most public lists, but sometimes the hype on those lists get catched up on draft day, or in a re-draft years later. Personally I think both Martin and O'Brien are overrated.

Only way I take Martin top 10 is if I'm convinced he'll have a sharp upward trajectory that tracks better over time than Bennett, who let's not forget, needed to be traded to fulfill his initial promise. And for what it's worth, I recall Bennett being a better prospect at the time.

O'Brien is the kind of guy that would be roundly criticized if he was Russian. Enigmatic player. I actually think his upside is tremendous but I've noticed through the combine coverage that he might be too low key for me, all around, and I would have him just outside the top 10 if I made a list today. He's what I'd call a glass cannon pick.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

The dream of Bill Zonnon in the 2nd seems far fetched...

This is the guy I want the most. Yes he's a late birthday, but the progression curve is there and the change of position to center makes it even more impressive.

He's a true Habs fan that started playing hockey because of Subban. Great story.

Don't let Bobrov hear that story, we'll end up moving up for him

 

[FrankMTL]

In his latest mock draft, Pronman has us taking Carter Bear and Lynden Lakovic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429388/2025/06/17/nhl-mock-draft-2025-seven-rounds-pronman/

 

[le_sean]

I was talking about the regular season. He produced very well while not playing with the offensive guys 5 on 5 and with lesser ice-time and linemates.

I don’t really get how it is negative that when he got the opportunity on the PP he produced on it?

I wouldn’t say it’s a negative. It just has no influence on my opinion. I don’t see a Top 6 centre at all.

 

[Vachon23]

In his latest mock draft, Pronman has us taking Carter Bear and Lynden Lakovic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429388/2025/06/17/nhl-mock-draft-2025-seven-rounds-pronman/

I like William Moore in the 2nd round too

Don’t hate Sean Barnhill too

 

[WeThreeKings]

I like William Moore in the 2nd round too

Don’t hate Sean Barnhill too

Chovan and Svrcek were two other picks he made for us that I liked.

 

[Vachon23]

Chovan and Svrcek were two other picks he made for us that I liked.

I honestly don’t know who they are

 

[WeThreeKings]

I honestly don’t know who they are

Check em out.

 

[koivalev]

In his latest mock draft, Pronman has us taking Carter Bear and Lynden Lakovic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429388/2025/06/17/nhl-mock-draft-2025-seven-rounds-pronman/

Considering it's Pronman, I'm guessing he rates Lakovic's compete level as "elite"

 

[Michoulicious]

RHD tend to go higher on draft day... He definitely has slipped from last year, but may be a bit over scouted at this point.

You are probably right that he goes high.

I think Mrtka goes top 10 personally.

I'd rather have Fiddler than Hensler, but I might be alone of that opinion.

Fiddler is a no nonsense, big, mobile and physical RHD. He has an underrated shot and is pretty good to support the rush in the 2nd wave. Never gonna be a PP QB, but I see a bit of Chiarot in him. We need that kind of player badly. He's a sure fire 3rd pair, but I could see a world where he logs big minutes with a Hutson or a Guhle. He'll kill penalties and clear the net. He was also a captain with the US.

Hensler's skating might be prettier, but I am less sure of what he'll become... Range of outcomes is wide.

Fiddler at #17 might look like a reach, but I'd rather go with him than one of the other RHDs that will be available after Mrtka is gone (Hensler, Brzustewicz, etc) if we decide to go the RHD way.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Chovan and Svrcek were two other picks he made for us that I liked.

I guess we're going to be real popular with all the Slovak prospects for a while Slaf does have a lot of friends! Chovan had a heck of a U18 this year, he really caught my attention there. Svrcek had some nice moments too. Both play games that could translate real well to NA.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

In his latest mock draft, Pronman has us taking Carter Bear and Lynden Lakovic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429388/2025/06/17/nhl-mock-draft-2025-seven-rounds-pronman/

Not surprised to see both Martone and Hagens dropping. I've been very unimpressed with Martone this season as I haven't bought into the "he's the next Tkachuck/Perry" hype and Hagens I just don't see as a center in the NHL.

I have Hagens dropping out of the top 10 exactly because of a possible scenario like this where I don't see Seattle, Buffalo or Anaheim interested in a small forward that's probably a winger in the NHL.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Because you know who is connections are lol?

Grant is a hack and is not s scout and I doubt he made many connections in his 1 season as a part time local scout.

You can enjoy his content if you like but he does not understand how to scout the technical parts of the game.

How is this for a draft connection?

 

[le_sean]

In his latest mock draft, Pronman has us taking Carter Bear and Lynden Lakovic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429388/2025/06/17/nhl-mock-draft-2025-seven-rounds-pronman/

And then William Moore and Klippenstein. I’d be quite happy if it turned out that way.

 

[le_sean]

How is this for a draft connection?

Just don’t bother. No one is legitimate in his eyes, half of his posts are just about that subject alone.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

How is this for a draft connection?

That poster is basically typing word for word what he said last year when Grant let everyone know that Sennecke was probably going to be a top 5 pick.

 

[koivalev]

How is this for a draft connection?

Grant is a notorious asshole but he obviously has legitimate connections. He's not a perfect scout but neither is anyone else - let's not forget Vancouver's scouting staff being outperformed over a decade by sorting CHL 1st year draft-eligible players by pts/gp lmao

 

[koivalev]

I'd rather have Fiddler than Hensler, but I might be alone of that opinion.

Fiddler is a no nonsense, big, mobile and physical RHD. He has an underrated shot and is pretty good to support the rush in the 2nd wave. Never gonna be a PP QB, but I see a bit of Chiarot in him. We need that kind of player badly. He's a sure fire 3rd pair, but I could see a world where he logs big minutes with a Hutson or a Guhle. He'll kill penalties and clear the net. He was also a captain with the US.

Hensler's skating might be prettier, but I am less sure of what he'll become... Range of outcomes is wide.

Fiddler at #17 might look like a reach, but I'd rather go with him than one of the other RHDs that will be available after Mrtka is gone (Hensler, Brzustewicz, etc) if we decide to go the RHD way.

I think guys like Fiddler are better to be swung at in the 2nd round value-wise since you can usually find clusters of them there (if not in free agency). I'd rather go for absolute upside with a 1st rounder, but that's just personal preference.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Grant could be the worst technical scout ever, all of his favorite prospects could bust, and it still wouldn't change how I view him as a resource.

I don't care about his analysis, I care about his insight to the Habs and how the draft will play out. When he starts hyping up a player to go higher than expected, it is a safe bet they will rise.

He doesn't just throw shit at the wall, he has a big ego and he feeds off of the small tidbits he gets from other scouts to make broad educated guesses that will almost surely come true.

As soon as a prospect is drafted by the Habs, I stop caring what Grant says about them. If he starts hyping someone up pre-draft as someone the Habs love for x y z reasons, I assume they are pretty high on our list.

He nailed multiple drafts during the Timmins era, including one where he got all of our picks right into the 5th round. He was right on Slafkovksy, and he called Wright falling out of the top-2. He was also right about Reinbacher, who he and Wilde called months in advance, so it's not like his knowledge of the Habs is purely tied to Timmins either.