HF Habs: 2025 NHL Draft: Part II

[overlords]

I was hoping he'd be there in the third, damn.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

I think Columbus and Philly make a lot of sense. Both teams have multiple first round picks and in dire need of goaltending help.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I was hoping he'd be there in the third, damn.

I was hoping he'd slip.. but I would not be upset if we used one of our mid round picks on Burke Hood. They got a good look at it with Thorpe being on his team and he's one of my other sleeper goalies.

That being said, I'm not sure they want the CHL timeline on a goalie prospect, so I would love it if they went for Neuenschwander. He's got everything you want in a goalie as well.

 

[overlords]

Obviously I expect the order to change a lot.. but as the order currently stands, my best guess on the first round.

fun read, thanks! I will be one sad panda if West, Nestrasil and Prokhorov are gone before the pittsburgh 2nd. I guess at that point the Willies Moore and Horcoff could be fun options. Sounds like we might like that Zharovsky kid, too.

 

[WeThreeKings]

fun read, thanks! I will be one sad panda if West, Nestrasil and Prokhorov are gone before the pittsburgh 2nd. I guess at that point the Willies Moore and Horcoff could be fun options. Sounds like we might like that Zharovsky kid, too.

McKinney would be a great get, too. Reminds me a lot of the dude the Flyers took 13th OA last year. Jett Luchanko.

 

[Team_Spirit]

 

[le_sean]

Perfected golf swing? Sounds like he’d be a great addition to the Yzerplan

 

[BeliveauFan4ever]

Obviously I expect the order to change a lot.. but as the order currently stands, my best guess on the first round.

1. New York Islanders - Matthew Schaefer - Pretty self-explanatory, he's the 1OA and there's no challengers left. NYI just takes BPA.
2. San Jose Sharks - Michael Misa - Another slam dunk pick, he made himself the 2nd overall pick. Adds another C/W with Smith and gives them a lot of talent up front in their top 6.
3. Chicago Blackhawks - Anton Frondell - There is smoke around Frondell going to Chicago. He makes a lot of sense. Big, defensive responsible center who can rip the puck and has enough offense to be a 2C. Insulates Bedard.
4. Utah Mammoth - Brady Martin - There is smoke around Martin going to Utah. I think he fits the identity that they are trying to build. He gives a great complement to Cooley in the center spot. Insulating their softer, smaller skilled guys with jam and Bennett like impact.
5. Nashville Predators - James Hagens - Nashville has needed a supremely talented pivot since their debut. Hagens finally gives them an offensive center who can create offense while giving up some size and defensive acumen.
6. Philadelphia Flyers - Caleb Desnoyers - A match made in heaven for Matvei Michkov. Caleb Desnoyers is a physically stout center who will play a 200 ft game and make up for Michkov leaving the zone early to hunt for offense. He has enough playmaking and shooting to benefit and turn Michkov's offense into points.
7. Boston Bruins - Porter Martone - As much as they would have liked to grab a center here. Porter Martone is a wing version of Joe Thornton and they'll gladly have a do-over here. The profile of a prototypical Bruin and I just can't see them opting for the softer O'Brien just to get a pivot.
8. Seattle Kraken - Radim Mrtka - They can't keep drafting forwards in round 1. They need some help on defense and they get a rare, big, rangy right shot defenseman that many teams covet.
9. Buffalo Sabres - Roger McQueen - The Sabres can't go back to the small forward well and their defense looks pretty set. They can afford to take the gamble on McQueens health and add another behemoth to their top 6.
10. Anaheim Ducks - Kashawn Aitcheson - Verbeek is clearly a fan of a mobile and mean defense. Aitcheson is a physical defenseman with the ability to score.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins - Jake O'Brien - With Malkin leaving, Crosby's career in his twilight years, the Penguins pick a future center in Jake O'Brien who is clearly the BPA as well at this point.
12. New York Rangers - Viktor Eklund - The Rangers aren't shy to take Europeans in the top half of the first round. Eklund is a skilled winger who plays bigger than his size and can help adjust their culture on the ice.
13. Detroit Red Wings - Jackson Smith - The Red Wings have gathered a plethora of high compete, middle six forwards, in recent years. They have Seider on the right side and Edvinsson on the left, but not much else. Jackson Smith can pair with Seider while Edvinsson pairs with ASP.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Justin Carbonneau - Columbus likes to draft from the QMJHL. They can go BPA and Carbonneau fits the high compete type that they've been accumulating.
15. Vancouver Canucks - Braeden Cootes - A lot of smoke around this fit. Vancouver needs centers in the system. Cootes adds jam, right shot, and can fill the role that was left when they moved Bo Horvat.
16. Montreal Canadiens - Carter Bear - Seeming like this is the Demidov drop, stars aligning with the injury and other teams looking for something a little different, the achilles injury scares enough teams away from him and Montreal can grab the exact profile they have been searching for.
17. Montreal Canadiens - Lynden Lakovic - This isn't the pick I want them to make, but they clearly like the guy, and after getting a high motor, high compete winger, and not feeling like the hockey sense is good enough on the RD available, they go with Lakovic and hope they can fix the compete and have a highly skilled winger in a big frame.
18. Calgary Flames - Cameron Reid - To amplify their future defense core, in need of a left shot D, they have the skeleton of two pairs with Parekh on one and Reid on the other.
19. St. Louis Blues - Cole Reschny - This feels like a Blues pick, similar to Jordan Kyrou and Jaden Schwartz. They take an undersized but skilled forward.
20. Columbus Blue Jackets - Logan Hensler - With Hensler still on the board, Trevor Timmins can't help but pound the table for a Minnesotan blueliner.
21. Ottawa Senators - Blake Fiddler - The Senators love bloodlines, their forward group is pretty crowded, and there's room for Fiddler to pair with Sanderson.
22. Philadelphia Flyers - Joshua Ravensbergen - The Flyers have 3 firsts and they are perpetually searching for an answer in net. Bjarnason is one bullet but they have the chance to get another CHL goalie who some think is the best in the class so they take him.
23. Nashville Predators - Benjamin Kindel - The Predators still searching for offense after taking Hagens, take the best scorer left in the class, albeit in a smaller frame.
24. Los Angeles Kings - Malcolm Spence - Having had success with a similar pick in Dustin Brown, the Kings select a potential future captain, high motor, high character, winger with jam and some finish.
25. Chicago Blackhawks - Semyon Frolov - While they drafted Gajan high recently, they still need more in the system in net. Frolov could emerge the best goalie in the class.
26. Nashville Predators - Mason West - After taking Hagens and Kindel, they need some size to surround those two with and gamble on the athletic kid who will move off Football and dedicate to hockey.
27. Washington Capitals - Daniil Prokhorov - Despite the noise he will go well above this, he's there for Washington, and they can't resist a future Protas-Protas-Prokhorov Bela/Russian assault.
28. Winnipeg Jets - Bill Zonnon - Jets have no problem taking athletic players with some foot speed issues. Fits their style and will be well developed in their system.
29. Carolina Hurricanes - Ivan Ryabkin - I know there's smoke he might not go until round 3, but some teams still have him rated in round 1 and Carolina isn't afraid of taking Russians and taking the high upside play.
30. San Jose Sharks - Sacha Boumedienne - A fringe round 1 talent, he's at the back end of all the defenseman taken already. The Sharks took Misa, they've got a bevvy of forwards but not much outside of Dickinson on the back-end.
31. Philadelphia Flyers - Vaclav Nestrasil - The Flyers trying to resurrect some of the broadway bullies image, take Nestrasil, a big mean forward with some skill to play in the top 6.
32. Calgary Flames - Cullen Potter - The Flames still need help in their top 6 and need more speed. Potter has speed to burn and can shoot to score from anywhere.

Nice list and rationale.

One minor quibble. Can the Sabres afford to gamble. Seems they’ve lost enough hands and should approach the table with caution.

 

[DemidovSZN]

I think it matters to our management who have been vocal about adding quality humans. What I think isn't important but I don't see us taking him

I could see us taking Mason West at 17 honestly, he has that kind of story line that Bobrov loves, potential unicorn. Bear and West would be a fine duo.

It's known that the habs likes Lakovic a lot.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Nice list and rationale.

One minor quibble. Can the Sabres afford to gamble. Seems they’ve lost enough hands and should approach the table with caution.

I think they can, at that point in the class, too.

They can't take another undersized forward.

 

[The Last Red]

The draft “experts”/nerds seem to now believe that Bear will probably be available at 16.

 

[WeThreeKings]

The draft “experts”/nerds seem to now believe that Bear will probably be available at 16.

Yep, that's the current way the winds are blowing.

We will see if that changes next week. No one had Sennecke going to the Ducks at 3 until the night before the draft, but there was noise about him going in the middle of the top 10 despite how much this board rejected it.

 

[The Last Red]

it's been pretty widely reported that he's focusing on hockey and will play one more football season before going to the USHL.

not that i would take him in the first round either, with our current picks.

He shouldn’t be playing “one more football season” if he’s really serious about hockey at this age. So, he’s either lying or he’s a moron.

 

[WeThreeKings]

He shouldn’t be playing “one more football season” if he’s really serious about hockey at this age. So, he’s either lying or he’s a moron.

He's a kid and he wants to win the championship with his high school friends.

 

[The Last Red]

He's a kid and he wants to win the championship with his high school friends.

There’s a rumor that football is a very violent and dangerous sport. Also, if he’s serious about hockey, he needs to be on the ice, not the gridiron. We are not in the Bo Jackson era.

 

[WeThreeKings]

There’s a rumor that football is a very violent and dangerous sport. Also, if he’s serious about hockey, he needs to be on the ice, not the gridiron. We are not in the Bo Jackson era.

Hockey isn't violent and dangerous?

Let kids be kids.. he doesn't get his high school years back.

 

[The Last Red]

Hockey isn't violent and dangerous?

Let kids be kids.. he doesn't get his high school years back.

Not like football, no. Also this is a kid who apparently wants to play in the NHL whose development is likely well behind other players of his talent level. Lane Hutson is on the ice pretty much every day. It shows. I wouldn’t draft West before the 4th or 5th round, if then.

 

[le_sean]

Not like football, no. Also this is a kid who apparently wants to play in the NHL whose development is likely well behind other players of his talent level. Lane Hutson is on the ice pretty much every day. It shows. I wouldn’t draft West before the 4th or 5th round, if then.

I definitely wouldn’t draft him in the 1st round because of that, that’s for sure. He’s a worthy gamble in the 2nd though.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Not like football, no. Also this is a kid who apparently wants to play in the NHL whose development is likely well behind other players of his talent level. Lane Hutson is on the ice pretty much every day. It shows. I wouldn’t draft West before the 4th or 5th round, if then.

Hockey actually has a higher rate of concussions than football.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Hockey actually has a higher rate of concussions than football.

I don't know, my Packers break my heart pretty much every year, I find the sport plenty violent

 

[WeThreeKings]

I don't know, my Packers break my heart pretty much every year, I find the sport plenty violent

Don't worry it will be over quickly with Nixon as our CB1..

 

[koivalev]

Obviously I expect the order to change a lot.. but as the order currently stands, my best guess on the first round.

1. New York Islanders - Matthew Schaefer - Pretty self-explanatory, he's the 1OA and there's no challengers left. NYI just takes BPA.
2. San Jose Sharks - Michael Misa - Another slam dunk pick, he made himself the 2nd overall pick. Adds another C/W with Smith and gives them a lot of talent up front in their top 6.
3. Chicago Blackhawks - Anton Frondell - There is smoke around Frondell going to Chicago. He makes a lot of sense. Big, defensive responsible center who can rip the puck and has enough offense to be a 2C. Insulates Bedard.
4. Utah Mammoth - Brady Martin - There is smoke around Martin going to Utah. I think he fits the identity that they are trying to build. He gives a great complement to Cooley in the center spot. Insulating their softer, smaller skilled guys with jam and Bennett like impact.
5. Nashville Predators - James Hagens - Nashville has needed a supremely talented pivot since their debut. Hagens finally gives them an offensive center who can create offense while giving up some size and defensive acumen.
6. Philadelphia Flyers - Caleb Desnoyers - A match made in heaven for Matvei Michkov. Caleb Desnoyers is a physically stout center who will play a 200 ft game and make up for Michkov leaving the zone early to hunt for offense. He has enough playmaking and shooting to benefit and turn Michkov's offense into points.
7. Boston Bruins - Porter Martone - As much as they would have liked to grab a center here. Porter Martone is a wing version of Joe Thornton and they'll gladly have a do-over here. The profile of a prototypical Bruin and I just can't see them opting for the softer O'Brien just to get a pivot.
8. Seattle Kraken - Radim Mrtka - They can't keep drafting forwards in round 1. They need some help on defense and they get a rare, big, rangy right shot defenseman that many teams covet.
9. Buffalo Sabres - Roger McQueen - The Sabres can't go back to the small forward well and their defense looks pretty set. They can afford to take the gamble on McQueens health and add another behemoth to their top 6.
10. Anaheim Ducks - Kashawn Aitcheson - Verbeek is clearly a fan of a mobile and mean defense. Aitcheson is a physical defenseman with the ability to score.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins - Jake O'Brien - With Malkin leaving, Crosby's career in his twilight years, the Penguins pick a future center in Jake O'Brien who is clearly the BPA as well at this point.
12. New York Rangers - Viktor Eklund - The Rangers aren't shy to take Europeans in the top half of the first round. Eklund is a skilled winger who plays bigger than his size and can help adjust their culture on the ice.
13. Detroit Red Wings - Jackson Smith - The Red Wings have gathered a plethora of high compete, middle six forwards, in recent years. They have Seider on the right side and Edvinsson on the left, but not much else. Jackson Smith can pair with Seider while Edvinsson pairs with ASP.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Justin Carbonneau - Columbus likes to draft from the QMJHL. They can go BPA and Carbonneau fits the high compete type that they've been accumulating.
15. Vancouver Canucks - Braeden Cootes - A lot of smoke around this fit. Vancouver needs centers in the system. Cootes adds jam, right shot, and can fill the role that was left when they moved Bo Horvat.
16. Montreal Canadiens - Carter Bear - Seeming like this is the Demidov drop, stars aligning with the injury and other teams looking for something a little different, the achilles injury scares enough teams away from him and Montreal can grab the exact profile they have been searching for.
17. Montreal Canadiens - Lynden Lakovic - This isn't the pick I want them to make, but they clearly like the guy, and after getting a high motor, high compete winger, and not feeling like the hockey sense is good enough on the RD available, they go with Lakovic and hope they can fix the compete and have a highly skilled winger in a big frame.
18. Calgary Flames - Cameron Reid - To amplify their future defense core, in need of a left shot D, they have the skeleton of two pairs with Parekh on one and Reid on the other.
19. St. Louis Blues - Cole Reschny - This feels like a Blues pick, similar to Jordan Kyrou and Jaden Schwartz. They take an undersized but skilled forward.
20. Columbus Blue Jackets - Logan Hensler - With Hensler still on the board, Trevor Timmins can't help but pound the table for a Minnesotan blueliner.
21. Ottawa Senators - Blake Fiddler - The Senators love bloodlines, their forward group is pretty crowded, and there's room for Fiddler to pair with Sanderson.
22. Philadelphia Flyers - Joshua Ravensbergen - The Flyers have 3 firsts and they are perpetually searching for an answer in net. Bjarnason is one bullet but they have the chance to get another CHL goalie who some think is the best in the class so they take him.
23. Nashville Predators - Benjamin Kindel - The Predators still searching for offense after taking Hagens, take the best scorer left in the class, albeit in a smaller frame.
24. Los Angeles Kings - Malcolm Spence - Having had success with a similar pick in Dustin Brown, the Kings select a potential future captain, high motor, high character, winger with jam and some finish.
25. Chicago Blackhawks - Semyon Frolov - While they drafted Gajan high recently, they still need more in the system in net. Frolov could emerge the best goalie in the class.
26. Nashville Predators - Mason West - After taking Hagens and Kindel, they need some size to surround those two with and gamble on the athletic kid who will move off Football and dedicate to hockey.
27. Washington Capitals - Daniil Prokhorov - Despite the noise he will go well above this, he's there for Washington, and they can't resist a future Protas-Protas-Prokhorov Bela/Russian assault.
28. Winnipeg Jets - Bill Zonnon - Jets have no problem taking athletic players with some foot speed issues. Fits their style and will be well developed in their system.
29. Carolina Hurricanes - Ivan Ryabkin - I know there's smoke he might not go until round 3, but some teams still have him rated in round 1 and Carolina isn't afraid of taking Russians and taking the high upside play.
30. San Jose Sharks - Sacha Boumedienne - A fringe round 1 talent, he's at the back end of all the defenseman taken already. The Sharks took Misa, they've got a bevvy of forwards but not much outside of Dickinson on the back-end.
31. Philadelphia Flyers - Vaclav Nestrasil - The Flyers trying to resurrect some of the broadway bullies image, take Nestrasil, a big mean forward with some skill to play in the top 6.
32. Calgary Flames - Cullen Potter - The Flames still need help in their top 6 and need more speed. Potter has speed to burn and can shoot to score from anywhere.

Well thought out all-around, I'm gonna shamelessly steal your format here:

1. New York Islanders - Matthew Schaefer - best player in the draft, easy choice to run their blueline for the next 15 years
2. San Jose Sharks - Michael Misa - highly skilled all-around forward who can slot in behind Macklin and exploit other teams from the 2nd line. Will play PP1 with him as well.
3. Chicago Blackhawks - Anton Frondell - i think they want Bedard on the wing long term if possible and will want a big, smart, high upside centerman for him who can dish it and shoot it equally well.
4. Utah Mammoth - Brady Martin - tons of smoke on this, with Bennett winning the Smythe a guy like this is going to be highly coveted and will be a nice versatile addition to Utah's identity.
5. Nashville Predators - James Hagens - Nashville is desperate for talent down the middle and have been forever, if Hagens becomes more implicated he could have some of the highest upside in terms of point totals in the draft.
6. Philadelphia Flyers - Caleb Desnoyers - tall, playmaking two-way C to pair with Michkov, about as obvious as a pick can get.
7. Boston Bruins - Jake O'Brien - I think Boston panics as centers start falling off the board and go for their highest rated one left. Highly skilled and smart but questionable projection considering his high proportion of PP production.
8. Seattle Kraken - Radim Mrtka - tough choice for Seattle here with Martone still on the board, but they decide to go to their own backyard and get someone who they hope can hold down the right side of their defense, especially with Larsson and Montour getting older.
9. Buffalo Sabres - Porter Martone - Buffalo just misses out on positional need here but one of the best prospects in the draft falls in their laps. Martone should be a highly productive playmaker for them in the future who can get under the opponent's skin.
10. Anaheim Ducks - Roger McQueen - some smoke about them liking him and it makes sense. Anaheim is building a big, skilled forward group and McQueen will fit like a glove. Injuries limited his ability to show his potential this year, but Anaheim can afford to take a swing at him.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins - Jackson Smith - Pittsburgh is heading face first into a rebuild and decide to take a chance on a big, rangy, smooth-skating defenseman. Not always the best decision maker, but Pittsburgh can afford to give him all the time he needs to develop.
12. New York Rangers - Kashawn Aitcheson - the Rangers need a guy who can take a bit of the load off Fox and get that with Aitcheson. Great shot, big hitter, tough to play against. Rangers hope they're getting Romanov with more offense.
13. Detroit Red Wings - Henry Brzustewicz - first big reach of the draft, Detroit takes a guy who got a bit lost in London's preposterous depth this past year. Brzustewicz actually kept his production consistent despite the addition of Cam Allen, and Detroit believes that's indicative of some progression in his game throughout the season.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Victor Eklund - Columbus goes high skill here with their already massive core group of forwards. Eklund will fit in like a glove and bring some scoring and skill to their group.
15. Vancouver Canucks - Braeden Cootes - much has already been covered about the fit here, Vancouver finds themselves thin down the middle with Suter pricing himself out and starts looking toward a potential rebuild if Hughes isn't happy. Cootes can be a solid middle six center for them down the road and a valuable matchup C when they're ready to compete again.
16. Montreal Canadiens - Carter Bear - injury troubles cause Bear to fall into Montreal's lap and they couldn't be happier. Bear is a high skill energy guy who will go through a wall if you put one in his way. Will be able to play up and down the lineup, and a future as a centerman is not out of the question in Montreal's eyes.
17. Montreal Canadiens - Lynden Lakovic - a fair amount of smoke here, Montreal gets a big skilled winger who can work his magic on the opposite wing of Demidov in the future. Inconsistent compete this year, but Montreal will have done their due diligence to ensure he can thrive in the spotlight of the Bell Centre.
18. Calgary Flames - Justin Carbonneau - Calgary is not afraid to take a swing at some high skill here with their plethora of picks in the last couple years. Carbonneau wants to get pucks at the net and is willing to try and do whatever it takes to make that happen.
19. St. Louis Blues - Logan Hensler - the Blues pick up a smooth skating RHD who maybe hasn't shown quite the progression many teams have been hoping for. Still, they see a sure bet to be at least a bottom 4 RD for them in the future.
20. Columbus Blue Jackets - Daniil Prokhorov - in the words of Jack Edwards: "YA HAVIN FUN YET?" Columbus picks up a potential unicorn and Trevor Timmins' pants get tighter. Giant, net-driven winger who will happily hit anything that moves (including anyone who even pokes a puck away from Eklund).
21. Ottawa Senators - Cameron Reid - while not the best positional fit, Ottawa believes the smart, smooth-skating Reid is BPA at this point. Feels like a lock as a future top 4 defenseman who can step into a bigger role if called upon.
22. Philadelphia Flyers - Jack Nesbitt - still looking to round out their C position, Philadelphia takes a shot at the big centerman playing in the excellent development program that has been Windsor. Nesbitt profiles as a bottom 6 C, but Philadelphia believes there could be more to him.
23. Nashville Predators - Blake Fiddler - the defense factory in Nashville decides to take a swing at this raw, toolsy defenseman out of the WHL. While a pretty safe bet to play bottom-pairing minutes in the future, Nashville sees much higher potential here.
24. LA Kings - Malcolm Spence - LA gets a guy who was rated a lot higher earlier this year but dealt with some freak injuries. Some see him as Dustin Brown 2.0, but however he turns out he should be a solid middle six winger who is relentless on the forecheck and may even kill penalties in the future.
25. Chicago Blackhawks - Mason West - after taking Spellacy last year, Chicago takes another swing at a big, football playing freak athlete. West is raw and will need years to develop, but Chicago has already begun to see returns on a guy who had similar things said about him drafted 25th overall 3 years ago.
26. Nashville Predators - Cole Reschny - Nashville gets another smaller, but high potential forward here. Reschny torched the WHL in the playoffs, and Nashville takes a swing at his game translating to the show.
27. Washington Capitals - Benjamin Kindel - with big guys like the Protases showing good returns, Washington opts for the smaller, thicker centerman who profiles a lot like Nick Suzuki before his draft. 10th on my list, development and strength-adding will be key for Kindel as he continues in his development.
28. Winnipeg Jets - Cullen Potter - an excellent skater, Winnipeg hopes Potter's offensive game will continue to develop as they look to replace their speedster Ehlers.
29. Carolina Hurricanes - Alexander Zharovsky - Carolina loves the upside swings, and Zharovsky has it. A bit gangly at the moment, Zharovsky should continue with his development in Russia as he fills out. An all-around offensive weapon, Carolina hopes they find a skilled top 6 winger here.
30. San Jose Sharks - Carter Amico - with the pool of RD dwindling, San Jose goes with the highest ranked guy left on their board. Amico is a big, mean, agile defenseman who they hope can pair well with Cagnoni down the line.
31. Philadelphia Flyers - Semyon Frolov - with goaltending a massive question mark, the Flyers use one of their many picks in the 1st 2 rounds on Frolov, a goalie who some consider to have the highest upside this year.
32. Calgary Flames - Ivan Ryabkin - with Suniev and Gridin already in the system, Calgary hopes to make a future line of highly skilled Russians drafted out of North America. Ryabkin has some of the highest potential in the draft, but has had some concerns with effort, fitness, discipline, and attitude. Still, at 32 it's a risk Calgary finds themselves willing to take.

 

[Scotianhab]

If there are 2/3 picks left in the first round and Brzustewicz hasn’t been drafted yet we should trade back into the first rd for him.

 

[morhilane]

As soon as Bear seems locked in to be a Hab, watch Canucks take him right before us.

A team might take Bear at #15, but it is unlikely to be the Canucks considering how hard they have been trying to move the pick.

 

[WeThreeKings]