2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Castle8130]

Not very confident in this draft class outside of a top 5 pick or so, but 2026 looks really good. Hard to say how our season will go next year. I'd be very interested in the Hawks trading the Leafs 1st round pick+ to get another 1st round selection in 2026

 

[MHO]

Not very confident in this draft class outside of a top 5 pick or so, but 2026 looks really good. Hard to say how our season will go next year. I'd be very interested in the Hawks trading the Leafs 1st round pick+ to get another 1st round selection in 2026

Problem is other GMs know this and I'm guessing that just about all of them value a 26 1st over a 25 1st.

 

[bwanajamba]

Because of alleged attitude issues when really he is frustrated with how ass backwards the KHL is for treating young players.

Demidov had the same problem last year when it was announced he wouldn’t sign an extension he was sent down to play in a league he was way too good in.

KHL coaches would prefer to let young guys rot away in the VHL or play 6 minutes in the KHL and give some washed up/undeserving vet more minutes.

There's some smoke that it may be different with Ryabkin and he may have legitimate character issues dating back a couple of years. And he's not producing in the lower leagues. Demidov made the decision to keep him in the MHL look foolish by utterly destroying that league. Ryabkin is evidently pouting and letting it affect his play. He was a healthy scratch in the MHL at one point. I would probably take a chance with a second rounder all the same but not without some trepidation.

 

[MHO]

There's some smoke that it may be different with Ryabkin and he may have legitimate character issues dating back a couple of years. And he's not producing in the lower leagues. Demidov made the decision to keep him in the MHL look foolish by utterly destroying that league. Ryabkin is evidently pouting and letting it affect his play. He was a healthy scratch in the MHL at one point. I would probably take a chance with a second rounder all the same but not without some trepidation.

When you have 3 2nd rounders, I'd take a chance and not even think about it.

 

[Castle8130]

Problem is other GMs know this and I'm guessing that just about all of them value a 26 1st over a 25 1st.

No matter what the draft class looks like, you can find buyers. Also, when you factor in time value of assets, a 2025 1st round draft pick is probably equivalent to a 2026 1st round draft pick.

Another incentive for the Hawks (specifically) to do this is we have almost too many prospects in our system. It is best to spread out our a picks a little more. We are reaching the maximum contracts for these kids and will have to let go of some as we continue to draft more players.

 

[ColbyChaos]

When you have 3 2nd rounders, I'd take a chance and not even think about it.

odds are we take another mediocre goalie and low ceiling players who skate well

 

[Mjul Qvist]

He´s been healthy scratch in MHL. Those attitude issues might be real this time.

e. Lost quote on this one but I was talking about Ryabkin why I wouldn´t draft him

 

[hawksfan50]

We have a lot of smaller skilled forwards in the pipeline but not a lot of bigger skilked powerful and good defensiveky forwards in the system..
We also need a top line or top 2nd line Center with decent size and great skills who can "drive a line" and winn draws!

Hard to win in the NHL without 2 top line Centers..Boisvert might be one of the 2 ..good size great shot 209ft game but not above water on draws.. Nazar great speed and skill but small..

We can libe with 1 small skill cebter ..but not 2 ..so either Nazar or Brdard will have to play wing.

In the 2025 Draft Misa being 6'1 195 is a decent size C ...you figure hecwill add 10-15 lbs as he matures...He can drivecablibe with his scoring and playnaking and tocks the elite speed box ,but you wibder about edgy physical stuff.


Martone is not a Venter...but is the quintessential power big winger With skills and the best hands in the draft...also the ephesians edgy pkay and board battle winning and checking get the puck back ability you want..He ticks every box except elite speed ...it is good forca big guy but not the speed of Misa...However his control of the puck when he has it and his steal abilities and oose puck retrieval with instinct make him I think more effective a driver for a line as a tranlatable set of abilities for the NHL that any teM woukd want for their top line..

He does so many things well that you eat that in your top forward group.

Schaefer is simply the top DmN in thec20w5 drFt by a mile..

Good size (6'2) ...elite skating...hockey I.Q . playmKingvandcscoring skill..can go endvto end if he wants to and score..good defensively.. a true #1D and woukd put Vlasic as 2LD ..can direct and control a game..
Also onebofvthevyoungestbpkatersvun the drFt...Can only get bigger and stronger yet..
I think he is BOA of the drFt.
.but Hawks desperately need better top forwards whovarexalk not small.


Still if KD has Schaefer at #1overalk and we draftcthere,I think hecwill delay those cebter and Winger with size andcsjikks needs to 2026andc2027vdrafts....he might also be trading sone of our prospects to get needs off other teams.

He might also decide to go after a top expensive UFA..

If that is Marner, tgatcwoukd be another smaller skilled topforward...He this woukd havevto trade eitgerxLardiscor Kantserov or even Nazar if it brought back positional need for size with top scoring skills and line driving andboissesdion abilities...

We cannot be ateam where we have 4 -5 smalk" skilled forwards in our top six forwards.

The forward group needs balance of Big and Small different skikkset guys.

The small little stars can't all pkay Pp..

So we have some imbalance to address in our top 6 forwards to assemble a up worthy team.

Besides the little guys are fine starting in regular season but Marner as good as hevis and other little guys can get oushedxaround with playoff intensity and physical pkay ranped uo then.. So maybe better to surround 3 of Lardis and Kantserov and Nazar and Bedardwith 3 good size forwards with physicality plus scoribg skills..Woukd be nice to solve faceoff dilemma too.

Also making big splash for Marner ifvhe gets to ufa,means firing future cao once the system top scorers get infused en masses over the next few years,means eventual cak problems if 1 guy earning that much.

Bedard's next contract sizexalone could take up a lot IF he explodes next season with a big year or starts producing more even the rest of this season...They probably still give hom $9milkion per on a shorter deal of 3years before the Realky Big cobtract at 8 years forxa Max contract is given him...unless he stays below 30bgoals or below 90 -100points till that potential max. Contract whopper.

Plus.. we still have $9.5 through 29/30 season I believe..

He may get traded if hecwaiveshis NMC by TFL 2029 so maybe we avoid his final season by trading hom then and eating half his remaining cobtract time..but if HaeksxaVup contender by then he may refuse to waive.

So there us that $9.5 still a problem when Bedard potential earns amateur dral ..And once we get sobe startobg from our kids in the pipeline for that teM ,the cap is going to beconeca problem bottleneck again.

For these reasons I doubt KD splashed bog on Marner.. bit you never know if the top brass oanocs into goibg for the prize and spending now to worry about cap later...the reason being if gans do not fill the seats or they worry that will gapien unless they make sone high splash to landvtge top ufa target to 'start for the team.


Patience to wait it out till the re-build vs actually finished in 3-5 years ,just probably is not there for the Hawks top brass. The make a big splash to accelerate the process to get to contender is too tempting .. and so a buy now pay later (on cap problems in future) is probably going to occur...We akk know you do not splash till alk theboieces but the last one to put you over thevtop forca Cup (see Hossa examoke) is the correct course.

Right now even with the Hawks system full of good prospects there are still 4 needs Not in the system that have to cone before Hawks can contend for a Cup..

Not in any order...a Big line driving Center who can drivexavlibe and score himself ,win draws and 2 way game to boot...

A Big power winger who can score Ndcd get pucks back (see Hossa) to help a king's oissesfion and tilt that ice.
A #1LD with elitexskatibg who can cobtrol a game like Keith did but also has even better offebse with similar defensive effect and better size (ie Schaefer...this does nit coneboften).

Finally a goalie whobis a top 5 goalie in the League...You can win with a lesser goalie if your team outscore thebopos ..but I do not think Vommesdo or Hajan or Soderblim is ever glingvto be of the top 5 class if goalie sobevitger teams have now.

But you can get great goaliesceven in roubd two orc3..so no need to waste a first rounder on that...Not likelyvto be a top 5vgialie goibg to UFA eitger.

My opinion..:

Draft Schaefer if we get tge #1...Completes our Cuo top 4 D= Schaefer +Vladivostok top 2 on left side...Rinzel and Levshunov =top 2 on right side..Can fill 5-6 pair from eitger currrent system /trade or ufa sources...And $9.5 stll there to at least TDL 2029 or if he vhe refuses to waive, through 2029/30 season ...let's our top 4 D complete then worry about the 5-6 d guys after that.
.
Then 2026 draft fill the Big Winger for for kine or the Bigger Center need..as we probably still willbe a lottery team with good odds.

By 2027 draft maybe we are a 8-15 type team? And van still fill that final need unlesssobonevib our system shows hevuscthat dokution.

 

[Mjul Qvist]

I think it´s way too early to tell if 2026 will be better draft class. Or how bad 2025 will be. I remember how 2002 was suppose to be really bad and Hawks got Duncan Keith in the second round. No one will know the outcome.

And Hawks have two 2nd round picks´25.

 

[Giovi]

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

Some interesting names to keep an eye on like Nilson, Drott, Novotny, and Vansaghi. Might be some guys to watch in the 2nd and 3rd

 

[Muffinalt]

Between this and watching EP's latest rankings, you'd have to think KD and co should be absolutely loving this class. Well, this first round, I don't know about overall depth everyone says it's weak there.

But at the top, Misa is a picture perfect KD players, Schaefer is as well on D.

And then there is so many KD players who have a high motor and good skating. Eklund, Bear, Desnoyers, Schmidt, Cootes, Spence, Lakovic, Drott, Novotny. Probably even more I'm not familiar with.

Feels like more than the usual. I bet he's really happy about the chance of coming away with 2 of the above players. We could see some trade ups too depending on how it turns out or who slips out of the 1st.

I'm more and more excited about this years first round to be honest.

Starting to like Misa the most for our team (I know BPA always) because he's exactly the type of trend setting two way center who plays the rush game that we are building our identity on.

 

[Larmer83]

Some interesting names to keep an eye on like Nilson, Drott, Novotny, and Vansaghi. Might be some guys to watch in the 2nd and 3rd.

There's a lot to like about Vansaghi- Size, finishes his checks, and has pretty goods hands. Kind of power forward set-up guy. The speed is lacking and there's no way the Hawks take him.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Haoxi Wang is the kid to watch.

He just recently switched to the OHL, so we'll see how he fares at that level.

If you ever want to see a 6'6" defenseman that skates like Quinn Hughes, catch one of his games.

 

[ColbyChaos]

Ryabkin at 45 would be a steal especially if he gets out of his contract and joins Muskegon

 

[MicronMega]

Ryabkin, Hensler, Carboneau outside of the first round....good luck with that

 

[Darkstar]

I'd really like to see us somehow get Martone and Lakovic. That would greatly change our forward group.

 

[Northernhawk]

I can’t believe we have two MORE 1sts and two MORE 2nds in this years draft!

Look at the MASSIVE WEALTH of talent drafted so far by Davidson!!!

Connor Bedard, f
Frank Nazar, f
Sacha Boisvert, f
Oliver Moore, f
Marek Vanacker, f
Paul Ludwinski, f
Roman Kantserov, f
Martin Misiak, f
Ryan Greene, f
Gavin Hayes, f
Nick Lardis, f
John Mustard, f
AJ Spellacy, f
Samuel Savoie, f
Aidan Thompson, f
Jack Pridham, f
Jiri Felcman, f
Alex Pharand, f
Marcel Marcel, f
Joel Svensson, f
Milton Oscarson, f
Dominic James, f
Nils Juntorp, f
Riku Tohila, f

Artyom Levshunov, d
Kevin Korchinski, d
Sam Rinzel, d
Ty Henry, d
Janne Peltonen, d

Adam Gajan, g

Wow! Just wow! Combined with Vlasic, Allan, Del Mastro, Crevier and Phillips(Harding maybe too) on defence…Soderblom and Commesso in net…Reichel, Dach, Slaggert And Guttman up front this team is starting to really fill out!

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

 

[Castle8130]

If the Hawks get 1st oa and Schaefer is the consensus 1st oa, we better take him. BPA is still the way to go. If anything, we can trade a defenseman. Korchinski + Rinzel or something like that would fetch a high value forward.

Then might as well draft Jake O'brien with our other 1st rounder to get the 3rd Bulldog. Go Bulldogs!

 

[Castle8130]

These dudes take the oddest stances on players. Although, I really appreciate the effort levels they put into watching these kids