Prospect Info: 2025 NHL DRAFT

[101st_fan]

This post is comparing apples to tennis balls, but I was looking at the Oilers drafts earlier.

Their first round picks for the 2010s are all over the map. Total busts like Yakupov. Capable guys who went journeyman like Hall. The obvious superstars that the team is built around. Nurse and Nugent-Hopkins, who aren't superstars, but guys they count as key pieces. Pull-your-RV who's a tweener. Yamamoto, who I think is no longer in the NHL and a tweener at best. A couple of other guys getting a shot now...

So their record, while hitting a couple generational talents, is really up and down all over the place.

On the other hand, they've stuck with most of these guys in the nightly lineup for several seasons before pulling the plug. Guys that are NHL players, even if not elite/generational, have been integrated into the core of the team. And all of this while going through coaching and management changes.

None of which proves one ought to eat a tennis ball, but it was sort of interesting to see the differences. To me anyway.

The Oil had four #1 overall picks, a #3, #4, #7, #8, #10 in a ten year span (2010-19). The Preds went without a first round pick four times in that same span.

During those years we see a shift in the Preds' mentality. 09-10 had five Pred draft picks playing 60 or more games on the blueline with more talent developing in Milwaukee. Erat, Legwand, Hornqvist playing big roles. A few years later we see the leash shortened -- 2016, we trade off Jones to chase a center ... 2019 we trade away Fiala. By 2019 only three homegrown blueliners played continually and the top line was FA and trade acquisitions. Now the permanent features on the blueline are down to two big minute Pred draft picks, three FA / trade acquisitions, and the rotating spot currently filled by a 4th round Preds pick (MDG). We have nights where the top six has just one Pred pick.

Chase players, change coaches, looking for that immediate gratification and right now it isn't working.

 

[Soundgarden]

San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim all passed us again with wins today, we're back to 31st/32 only in front of Montreal.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim all passed us again with wins today, we're back to 31st/32 only in front of Montreal.

Maybe we should go ahead and take Dvorak? Then they’ll get better, we get worse, get back to the front of the line for that #1 pick?

 

[Soundgarden]

Now I'll be mad if we don't grab him haha. He looks great.

 

[Soundgarden]

Pronman's top 10:

1 Martone
2 Hagens
---------
3 Schaefer
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4 Misa
5 McQueen
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6 Frondell
7 Desnoyers
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8 Aitcheson
9 Smith
10 Carbonneau

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I know it's not the heavy top end draft, but I'd be pretty excited with any of the top 7 on that list.

 

[Scoresberg]

I know it's not the heavy top end draft, but I'd be pretty excited with any of the top 7 on that list.

I don't know, I wouldn't call that draft deep either.

The top-7 would be a favorable place as you mentioned and there's a few pieces after that group I would be interested in but after the say, top-10 or top-12, there's a fairly significant drop-off.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I don't know, I wouldn't call that draft deep either.

The top-7 would be a favorable place as you mentioned and there's a few pieces after that group I would be interested in but after the say, top-10 or top-12, there's a fairly significant drop-off.

Oh for sure, I was more or less saying the top pieces aren't what they have been in some past years as far as elite level, at least to this point, but they are still a very desirable group. Especially when you look at what we are lacking in our own pool.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I don't know, I wouldn't call that draft deep either.

The top-7 would be a favorable place as you mentioned and there's a few pieces after that group I would be interested in but after the say, top-10 or top-12, there's a fairly significant drop-off.

Would any of these top 7 not be an immediate head a shoulders above the rest, top prospect in our pool with Askarov now gone?

 

[Scoresberg]

Would any of these top 7 not be an immediate head a shoulders above the rest, top prospect in our pool with Askarov now gone?

I don't think so. If the top-7 we mean

Hagens
Martone
Misa
Schaefer
McQueen
Frondell
Desnoyers

Well, I guess we will have to see what Wood does this year and whether Molendyk can make the jump to the NHL already this year. But looking at it now, any one of those seven would clearly be our top prospect.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I don't think so. If the top-7 we mean

Hagens
Martone
Misa
Schaefer
McQueen
Frondell
Desnoyers

Well, I guess we will have to see what Wood does this year and whether Molendyk can make the jump to the NHL already this year. But looking at it now, any one of those seven would clearly be our top prospect.

Some really intriguing pieces in that group, and maybe more so than other years, each has their warts and their shiny parts.

 

[beardawg]

I'd be pretty happy to grab Frondell between 5 and 10. Doubt he falls outside of the top 3 tbh

 

[jumb0]

Would any of these top 7 not be an immediate head a shoulders above the rest, top prospect in our pool with Askarov now gone?

Maybe not head and shoulders above, but Hagans or Martone would immediately be in the top 3-4 of our pool.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Maybe not head and shoulders above, but Hagans or Martone would immediately be in the top 3-4 of our pool.

Only top 3 or 4? Would you have them behind Molendyk and Wood? Those guys are nice, but I don't think either have top line upside, but hopefully that's wrong. Hagan, Martone, McQueen, and Misa all carry a much higher potential in my mind.