2025 NHL Draft Thread

[ColbyChaos]

This team is f***ing terrible it needs every and all good players possible. There is no luxury of selecting by position.

Then they shouldn’t have last draft…

Nor would we get anything of real value for Korchinski. We’d be lucky to get a late round 1st which won’t be worth shit.

Also what will be funny is seeing this board hype up the dmen from next draft and instantly undersell Schaefer just as this board is already underselling the supposed elite RD that was supposed to be Levshunov. Rinzel or Vlasic won’t be good enough next draft as this board will fall in love with the next draft eligible defenseman D prospect anyway

 

[TLEH]

Then they shouldn’t have last draft…

Nor would we get anything of real value for Korchinski. We’d be lucky to get a late round 1st which won’t be worth shit

So Korchinski sucks then? He’s a Top 10 pick. Either the pick is bad or he’s valuable.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Korchinski looked great in the AHL games I watched. That's a big step at his age. NHL is another leap to take and we'll see what time has in store. If he was struggling in the A I'd be a bit more worried but he's often looked like the best player on the ice. I have the same optimism for Nazar too, it's hard to look that good in the AHL at that age. It's no guarantee they'll do that in the NHL but, again, it's a good sign.

 

[Space umpire]

If you win 1.01 then you just take Schaefer. KK is still too much of an unknown. I think he’s gotten better but I’m not sure what he is going to be. He isn’t a defensive dynamo and he doesn’t produce a lot of offense. Seth Jones is trash. Hopefully we can move him with 4 years left. Allan is a steady 5 or 6 type. Maybe a defensive 4 if he develops. EDM has sort of stagnated this year when asked to play more defensively. Levshunov still too much of an unknown. Kaiser has struggled. Rinzel I love but you never know what a guy is until pro hockey.

Schaefer - Levshunov
Vlasic - Rinzel
KK - UFA RD/Allan
Kaiser/EDM/Allan

Or

Vlasic - Lev
Allan - Rinzel
KK - UFA RD/Kaiser/EDM

Top one looks way better… but then you’re subtracting a Hagens/Misa from the mix. If they land Schaefer for real then they need to have a discussion about trading Kevin for a forward that is 20-21 and close to helping a roster as well.

EDM’s stats and style of play pretty much mirror Vlasic’s (-2 yrs)

But I’m guessing you’re not very familiar with him since you suggest he’s has stagnated trying to improve his defense.
His defensive game is fine, he’s been asked to open his game up more.
The fact is during his WJC he was asked in each game to cover the opposing top players and delivered flawlessly.

 

[Giovi]

EDM’s stats and style of play pretty much mirror Vlasic’s (-2 yrs)

But I’m guessing you’re not very familiar with him since you suggest he’s has stagnated trying to improve his defense.
His defensive game is fine, he’s been asked to open his game up more.
The fact is during his WJC he was asked in each game to cover the opposing top players and delivered flawlessly.

I agree with everything you said about EDM. But as far as a comparison between him and Vlasic goes, Vlasics mobility is much better than EDM's. I still think EDM's skating could be a detriment to him at the NHL level, unless it's improved quite a bit since his days in Junior.

 

[TheFridge]

EDM’s stats and style of play pretty much mirror Vlasic’s (-2 yrs)

But I’m guessing you’re not very familiar with him since you suggest he’s has stagnated trying to improve his defense.
His defensive game is fine, he’s been asked to open his game up more.
The fact is during his WJC he was asked in each game to cover the opposing top players and delivered flawlessly.

Vlasic was a shutdown D with excellent skating.

Del Mastro is a shutdown D with average (maybe a bit below average) skating.

They're not very similar players. I like Del Mastro but he's never projected to have much offense at higher levels.

 

[TLEH]

EDM’s stats and style of play pretty much mirror Vlasic’s (-2 yrs)

But I’m guessing you’re not very familiar with him since you suggest he’s has stagnated trying to improve his defense.
His defensive game is fine, he’s been asked to open his game up more.
The fact is during his WJC he was asked in each game to cover the opposing top players and delivered flawlessly.

His WJC is eons ago. Don't really care about that. He has stagnated trying to improve his defense. He was getting lit up this year because they asked him to play a more defensive role. I also.. LIKE EDM. I'm not trashing him or wanting to throw him away

 

[Chuck Testa]

Now tell me who impressed you from Canada at the WJHC? Martone played in three games. In first he played around 14min, against Latvia 7min and in last game he played almost 15min where he scored a goal. Lets forget about these games and see how he plays rest of the season.

Schaefer was impressive and McKenna looked good. Hindsight is 20/20 but I think Canada would have been far better off taking Cristall, Sennecke, Misa, Parekh, Yakemchuk, Lardis, etc over some of the players they picked.

That’s just me though . Overall the team was beyond lackluster

 

[MicronMega]

Leaving Sennecke off the team made no sense. Parekh although I am not a fan is a productive junior player who would help in a short tournament.

 

[Cold Steel on Ice]

I worry about Martone.He is an older prospect and a winger.He plays physical but is that going to translate to the NHL?His skating is just okay will he be able to create separation at the next level?Schaefer,Hagens or Miss have to be top 3 choices.Picking 4th or lower I would take Desnoyers.He does everything well and plays a complete 200 foot game and plays hard.

 

[TheFridge]

I worry about Martone.He is an older prospect and a winger.He plays physical but is that going to translate to the NHL?His skating is just okay will he be able to create separation at the next level?Schaefer,Hagens or Miss have to be top 3 choices.Picking 4th or lower I would take Desnoyers.He does everything well and plays a complete 200 foot game and plays hard.

6'3" players don't have to worry as much about creating separation. Martone's going to find time and space in the offensive zone by using his reach and size to protect and shield the puck.

There are a lot of average/slightly above average skaters in the NHL that are incredibly effective offensive players. Mark Stone, Leon Draisaitl, Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen, Sam Reinhart, etc.

 

[WarriorofTime]

The 2 teams that did not pick Demidov, had differing reasons. Both were smaller market teams, that didn't have as many resources as the Hawks. Getting a Russian player to play for them while using such a high pick is very risky. There is no gurantees.

Who is the last Russian that just outright didn't report to their NHL drafted team? By that logic, drafting an NCAA prospect (C. Gauthier) is "riskier” because they actually have leverage to become free agents unlike Russian guys whose rights never expire. The Russian factor only exists for very marginal prospects that would be fighting for an 11/12/13/14 forward spot or a 6/7 defenseman spot (think Kayumov/Shalunov). Almost all of them at least give it a go at some point, and the high-end guys only leave back for Russia if they bust and would be riding a waiver bus. Who cares if you get a Haydn Fleury, Jake Virtanen or Slater Koekkok to bounce around NHL/AHL rosters for a bit in such an outcome.

If Ducks/Jackets avoided Demidov because "Russia" they're fools.

 

[Castle8130]

Who is the last Russian that just outright didn't report to their NHL drafted team? By that logic, drafting an NCAA prospect (C. Gauthier) is "riskier". The Russian factor only exists for very marginal prospects that would be fighting for an 11/12/13/14 forward spot or a 6/7 defenseman spot (think Kayumov/Shalunov). Almost all of them at least give it a go at some point, and the high-end guys only leave back for Russia if they bust and would be riding a waiver bus. Who cares if you get a Haydn Fleury, Jake Virtanen or Slater Koekkok to bounce around NHL/AHL rosters for a bit in such an outcome.

If Ducks/Jackets avoided Demidov because "Russia" they're fools.

Like I explained in my other message, the Russian factor is not only getting them to play here, but also being able to see them live. There were some teams in the NHL that had maybe 1 or 2 guys in their staff that got to see him live. NHL teams do not draft players that they have hardly seen live. When the scouting meetings happen, the 1 Russian scout has to persuade the entirety of the other staff members that their player is the right pick. All the North American players get like 10+ looks from NHL staff members. The Russian players are seen by the majority of scouts purely on tape.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Like I explained in my other message, the Russian factor is not only getting them to play here, but also being able to see them live. There were some teams in the NHL that had maybe 1 or 2 guys in their staff that got to see him live. NHL teams do not draft players that they have hardly seen live. When the scouting meetings happen, the 1 Russian scout has to persuade the entirety of the other staff members that their player is the right pick. All the North American players get like 10+ looks from NHL staff members. The Russian players are seen by the majority of scouts purely on tape.

Jackets have a bunch of Russian guys on their roster and have had good success with some they drafted. I think they just liked Lindstrom because big forwards that can also score a lot are exciting to think about. It’d also not 1997, the opportunities to see Demidov on both tape and live (plays in a major city) are plentiful. With that high a pick, the GM himself will be very involved in the selection.

 

[Malagahawks]

I like Misa now after having read quite a bit about his 2 way play, we need that type of top 6 forward who can skate & hold his own defensively.

 

[CallMeShaft]

This model has us finishing, by a small margin, worst team in the league. There is a sizeable gap, though, between the bottom 2 teams and the 3rd worst.

Things can change, obviously, but trending in the right direction for one of Hagens/Schaefer/Misa/Martone.

 

[x Tame Impala]

Buffalo won tonight. Good for the tank. I haven’t followed the Islanders much other than seeing Roy pull their goalie with 8 minutes left down 5-1 lol. I didn’t think they’d be a bottom dweller this season.

 

[razor ray]

Post-WJC 2025 NHL Draft Rankings

With the 2025 World Junior Championship completed, it's time to overreact. One tournament alone doesn't represent the entirety of a prospect, but it can be very

www.si.com

 

[GIADF]

Tough stretch ahead but could see us make up some ground in the tank... 4 games in the next 6 nights starting tomorrow.

Wed - vs Colorado is 8-1-1 in their L10
Fri - @ Detroit has won 4 in a row and looks great after the coaching change
Sat - vs Edmonton who are 7-2-1 in L10 and have won 3 in a row
Mon - vs Calgary is just 2 points behind the 8th WC spot.

 

[kmwtrucks]

I'm actually fine ending the season as the worst team. I think hagens schafer and misa have separated from the Martone. the fact that Misa has some size over Hagens and looks to be a C in the NHL, the other advantage is we would still be eligible for the #1 in 2026 if we get #1, if we opted to move that pick without restrictions it would add some real value to it. IE maybe a extra 20%. I think KD will be more aggressive next off season then this. but so will a lot of teams. alot more teams with cap space. I think TT and Bert will end up about what we thought TT on pace for 50 pts Bert on pace for 28 goals. that is about what we expected. I think those signings look fine. Mzarek has not been as good. brodie has been bad but did have a few of his better games recently. if smith and martinez could stay healthy those look like ok signings. Brossett is a issue but hard to guess that he gets hurt and the surgery is bad and has to be redone, shock that Murph is out with a groin again. if he gets healthy and you get something of value 50% retained you should take it. its going to be a trade were the value changes based on games played for sure. as bad as we have been Im still pretty optimsitic. Moore had a good WJ, kantersov looks to be a top 9 min wing in the NHL. Rinzel looks to be a NHL RD with size and speed. Sacha has been solid, of our later picks thompson, lardis, spellacy, mustard pridham. have out preformed their draft slot. Vanacker its a bit hard to tell. Arvid looks like a NHL goalie. in our pipe line. we are misssing imo a #1 d and a top line forward. the fact we could get 1 of those 2 holes filled if we end up top 3 would be big.

 

[ploppsdman]

There's no #1 goalie, wingers, or D. The team lacks power forward prospects and most of the centers are Smurfs.

Lev looks good in the A, so that's encouraging but goodness I'm worried about his lack of spark.

 

[hawksfan50]

Well as we approach game#41vs.Avs tomorrow night marking the half-way point and probably another loss ,we are today 4 points below t2nd last place team((SJ) ...with noindication thec2nd half will get us out of last place finish ..

So given we are dead kastxandvkikely to remain dead last ,at almost half-way IT IS TIME!

Time to run the Tankathon Simulator for the NHL Draft 2025 :

It took 8 tries till finally Hawks landed with the first pick.

Out of the 10 draws I did,Hawks only got #1 once. Landed #2 twice and 3rd landed 7 times .

So if Schaefer is the consensus BPA (rightfully as he is a unicorn #1D future core franchise all situations D man who can controll tge pkay on his shifts,our chances of landing him are grim if we are dead last pe--lotto..

Luckily we can get onevof 2 Centers that realky can help our core future..

Thise woukd be Michael Misa or Caleb Denyoyers..

Not James Hagens..Only average size at 5'11...
He is a very good player,good hockey sense ,I do not see elite skill...good but not exceptional except except his hands which are exceptional especially as he so often gets to the net crease ..
MoSA has scarey elite speed ...defense has to back in..Misa is an exceptional goal scorer and playmaker. HEisxalso around 54.5% on draws..
At 6'1,185 brings more size than Hagens ...

So I prefer Misa at #2.

I would go against the usual rankings at #3...

The next best center for the needs of the Hawks is Caleb Denyoyers ..at 6'2 173 all he needs is to get a bit stronger by adding weight/muscle as he matures.. he does everything well,2 way game,all situations player,constantly moves his feet no gliding..a master of separation from checkers to get to clear angles for shooting,a connectoron plays setting up his wings and for give and gos..
....goodcforechecker...wins board battles..he does so may things well..He has been on fire recently so he us getting even better as the season wears on..Getting to domination levels.
He reeks of a successful NHL Center for at least a guaranteed floor for a top 2 line Center any coach would love..BUT even more important for the Hawks is that he is the very best of any first round talent on faceoffs at over 63%..

He does not have Misa's elite speed,but he can change speeds and angles for separation from checkers ...he gets to clear areas for best scoring chances ,he does so may things well..he will help the team into may ways.

He is a guaranteed 2C at minimum...but his goal scoring has accelerated from the start of the season to the point his upside could beas a 1C...but inany case his usefulness to win faceoffs woud drastically be of great importance to the Hawks.

Misa projects as a top line C but sometimes even top rated players do not becone the stars hoped for ..I think Misa will reach star ceiling..but no guarantee.

Even less guarantee on Hagens..A good player but no guarantee he stars transitioning to the pro level.

With Denoyers you can pretty well guarantee he will at minimum be a very very inoactful 2nd kine Center who can help your team in such a variety of ways.

And that is why I rank him 3rd overall and Hagens 4th ...

After a less than expected Martinexshowibg at the WJC ,I only have hom5yh now. HEjust did not look fast playing at tgat level nor did he handle the puck like I expected...maybe just a liir tournament but definitely a lot more concerns with him now.

 

[ello]

I want Hagens Martone Misa and Schaefer to all be Blackhawks

 

[ploppsdman]

I'd be willing to deal if chicago picks #1: teams are going to want Schaefer and I'd be hesitant to pick another D. Most of Chicagos top prospects are D, it's hard to justify another D BUT you must always go BPA.

 

[Mrfenn92]

I want Hagens Martone Misa and Schaefer to all be Blackhawks

It will happen