Pre-Game Talk: 2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Davimir Tarablad]

Evan Passmore too is a good player. Just smart reads and solid.

Very fitting name to have for this franchise.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

Feel like this draft really falls off when you get to around 20. Even moreso than last year. Unless we win the lottery, the level of player we will get at 10 is about the same as we will at 19. Might as well make the playoffs!

 

[Blanick]

Feel like this draft really falls off when you get to around 20. Even moreso than last year. Unless we win the lottery, the level of player we will get at 10 is about the same as we will at 19. Might as well make the playoffs!

Personally I feel like it falls off well before 20. I think there are maybe about 11-12 guys that would have been first rounders in last years draft out of this class. This class just isn't deep. Which is why I am in favor of using our 1st rounder + to make a trade for previously drafted RHD to round out our prospects.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

I think we need a center out of this draft, but I would trade for 2026 and 2027 picks. We are not a playoff team. Dump some fodder for either previous drafted players or next two years picks. Lefties can play the right side. We need a 2A center

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

Personally I feel like it falls off well before 20. I think there are maybe about 11-12 guys that would have been first rounders in last years draft out of this class. This class just isn't deep. Which is why I am in favor of using our 1st rounder + to make a trade for previously drafted RHD to round out our prospects.

I think we largely agree. To me it drops off after 4, again after about 9, and then around 20 it falls off a cliff. That 10-19 tier feels about equivalent to where I had guys 20-47 last year and 21-30 the year before.

I didn't love last year at the top (after Celebrini who I loved), but the depth last year of what i considered 1st round talent felt quite strong. This year much, much less.

 

[Blanick]

I think we largely agree. To me it drops off after 4, again after about 9, and then around 20it falls off a cliff. That 10-19 tier feels about equivalent to where I had guys 20-47 last year and 21-30 the year before.

I didn't love last year at the top (after Celebrini who I loved), but the depth last year of what i considered 1st round talent felt quite strong. This year much, much less.

Yeah I felt like "first round talent" bled into about half the second round last year. This year there are only a handful of players I love and expect them to go extremely early. Schaefer, Misa, Hagens, Martone and Desnoyers make up my current top 5.

Guys I could see being there where the Blues would draft, Hensler, Mrtka, Bear, Cootes, I would put as late 1st or early 2nd rounders in last years draft. Doesn't mean a whole lot given the Blues success of taking picks in the teens/20s and churning out full time NHLers.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Here is my post-WJC Top 32:

1. Schaefer
2. Misa
3. Hagens - I see a top line winger
4. McQueen
5. Desnoyers
6. O'Brien
7. Frondell
8. Martone
9. Hensler
10. Bear
11. Carbonneau
12. Reid
13. Smith
14. Aitcheson
15. Spence

Guys I like not sure where to put them. Arvid Drott, Eddie Genborg, Brady Martin, Eric Nilsson, David Bedkowski, Aron Dahlqvist, Kristian Epperson, David Granberg, Gustav Hillstrom, Mason Moe, Hayden P, Julius Sumpf, Bill Zonnon

I think Mrtka is just a giraffe. What separates him from Simon Wang and Jason Rombach? Martone is overrated. Hagens is the best American and I think a bit overrated. Watch out for the Swedes at the U18s. Being a little underrated again due to their medal drought. 4-7 are interchangeable.

Every time I watch Pekarcik and Desnoyers play, there’s this guy Sumpf winning faceoffs, flying around catching guys from behind stealing pucks, throwing his weight around, scoring goals, setting up goals….who is this guy? Who owns his rights? Same with the U20s. Julius Sumpf a D+2. I think he is being overlooked bad.

 

[PocketNines]

Mrtka is a giraffe, perfect word for him. A 6'6" giraffe with bad puck skills who will absolutely, absolutely lose the puck to Stancl in a board battle. We just cannot have that.

I need to watch more Jackson Smith to see about his offense

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Mrtka is a giraffe, perfect word for him. A 6'6" giraffe with bad puck skills who will absolutely, absolutely lose the puck to Stancl in a board battle. We just cannot have that.

I need to watch more Jackson Smith to see about his offense

May be watching for a while. He’s just a physical mobile top 4 defender. It may come it may not but I see a top 4 or better. Reid and Aitcheson are in that category too. After that I spread guys out to a top six or better guy where Fiddler, Boumedienne, Tretheway, Bedkowski, Laurila, Passmore, and Rombach go.

Laurila is kind of interesting. He’s Fargos leading scorer. He was known as a defensive defenseman for the USNTP team last year. September 2006 birthday. North Dakota recruit.