2025 NHL DRAFT Thread | Page 214 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League

2025 NHL DRAFT Thread

Who should we pick 3rd overall (assuming Schaefer and Misa are gone)?


  • Total voters
    117
There are players that play the way O'Brien does at the NHL level.

They're all elite level players.

That doesn't mean O'Brien will join their ranks, but his playstyle gives him that potentially elite level upside.

I have increased faith in the rebuild if the organization wants to bet on that sort of upside.
O'Brien is like Potter to me. Love the upside but the floor is way too low to be taking at 3. He's a riskier Kirby Dach. No thanks.
 
O'Brien is like Potter to me
Music to my ears.
Love the upside but the floor is way too low to be taking at 3. He's a riskier Kirby Dach. No thanks.
Different drafting philosophy.

You have the rare opportunity to draft in the upper echelon of the draft, you have access to nearly everyone at your fingertips, swing for the highest upside you can find.

I'm not concerned with floor when I'm picking 3rd overall. But that's a personal preference.
 
He could certainly grow into his body and learn to play up to his size, but he plays really soft game for a player of any size. I would wager to say those guys who succeed as finesse Centers, as he is currently, all have much better wheels and shots.
His shot got a lot better throughout the year. If you look at where it's at now, he can really wire it. He just doesn't shoot much in general.

As for wheels, I don't think he'll be a burner, however he has some very easy tweaks he can make that'll make him a lot faster. A good skating coach will get more out of him.

He's also got good agility and lateral movements.

I'd also argue with the way he plays, he doesn't need to barrel down the ice at full speed cause that's just not his game. He slows the game down and uses short bursts to manipulate the flow of play.
 
I think o’Brien is probably someone fans like more than scouts, wouldn’t be surprised to see him fall out of the top 10
 
There's no shortage of options at 3.

Even a guy like Carter Bear, if he's given a clean bill of health, is such a Blackhawks player. Checks all the boxes.
 
I’m off the Misa train. He has no shoulders—-betting total perimeter in the pro’s. Martone or trade it
No shoulders as in his build is always going to be weak? That’s actually interesting.

Who would you say his no shoulders type comps are?
 
Nothing wrong if we draft Frondell.

He's a C with grit and has decent size. He has a missile of a shot as well.

I like him on wing. :dunno:

Thing about his one timer is not just that it's a rocket, he can rip it skating in different directions with little space or lots of space without sacrificing velocity. He doesn't have to circle around waiting and get his body in a particular position, boy can fade back at any moment and launch.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest posts

Ad

Ad