2025 NHL DRAFT

[WolfHouse]

Don't really need a goalie. Comrie was fine as a backup. Not his fault he didn't play more.

We really dont need 5th round ahl grinders either

 

[Daximus]

I think you are overstating it. You don't just take random goalies in the later rounds. You still scout them and make your best guess of which ones will turn out.

Generally speaking, I would not spend a 1st on a goalie. I don't think the odds of him being better than the best goalie you could get in the 3rd rd justify the use of the pick.

Drafting a goalie would be influenced by the state of the goalie corps in your system. Jets currently have the best regular season goalie in the business and a couple of prospects who have shown promise. They also have only 5 picks in this and next year's drafts after several years of picking fewer than 7 players. I would not likely pick a goalie this year before the 6th rd.

I'd like to see the numbers of goalies who pan out vs their draft position. For every Rinne who comes out of nowhere from the 8th round there is a Price selected high who carries a team.

Sometimes you luck out and get a Jamie Benn in the 5th round and sometimes you draft a Nail Yakupov.

It's all relative.

 

[mondo3]

Unless we rank a goalie 15 spots higher than anyone else at our pick, I’d go for a different player

 

[Daximus]

Outside of Ravensbergen, some guys I bookmarked that could be on the board at 28.

Jack Nesbitt - LHC - 6'4 - 185 - Windsor, OHL - Average Rank: 33
Big lanky center who has a lot of room to add some strength. Already really good on the dot. Has a nose for the net and some some skill with the puck and a decent shot. Okay skater but likely needs to improve a lot to make it at the next level. Not overly physical for his size but that could come. There is a lot he needs to improve on to be successful at the pro level but the tools are certainly there.

Cole Reschny - C/LW - 5'10 - 187 - Victoria, WHL - Average Rank: 23
There is a good chance Cole won't be on the board when we pick but if he manages to drop down to 28 then he's a pretty solid pickup. He plays a lot of C at the WHL level but I feel he's more likely to end up on the wing in the NHL. Solid little forechecker and actually has a bit of a heads up two-way game but his bread and butter is his passing and vision. Okay shot but it's a bit of a muffin so he mostly scores with solid hands and give and goes with teammates. He's really just a bit of a Marner-lite.

Jakob Ihs-Wozniak - RW/C - 6'3 - 185 - Lulea, SHL - Average Rank: 36
The Australian born Jakob was really highly touted heading into the draft but hasn't had the greatest year. Mostly a winger but sometimes used as a center. Has the size to potentially get there. A lot of holes in his game. Great forechecker, solid passer, decent shot but his compete, consistency and urgency with the puck needs a lot of work. All the tools are there but he will be a project.

Blake Fiddler - RD - 6'4 - 210 - Edmonton, WHL - Average Rank: 26
American born kids are giving me pause lately for the Jets but a kid willing to play in Edmonton will likely play anywhere. Plus he's the son of NHLer Vernon Fiddler so has some Canadian NHL bloodlines. He's a big rangy defender who uses his size and stick really well to break up plays. His offensive game leaves a lot to be desired. Really good at moving the puck out, not so good at moving it himself, though he has moments. His offensive vision is quite lacking based on what I've seen. Plays in the ozone often die on his stick as he just doesn't have the urgency and vision. If he had it, he's likely looking at challenging for a top 5 spot in this draft. If it doesn't develop an offensive side you likely have a Samberg like player on the right side who is great in his own zone, uses his size and stick effectively and moves the puck out quickly. If he developes his offensive game further, skies the limit. I think he's almost certainly gone when we pick at 28 but if he manages to get there you almost have to take him.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

We really dont need 5th round ahl grinders either

OK, so don't draft either, since we don't need them.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I'd like to see the numbers of goalies who pan out vs their draft position. For every Rinne who comes out of nowhere from the 8th round there is a Price selected high who carries a team.

Sometimes you luck out and get a Jamie Benn in the 5th round and sometimes you draft a Nail Yakupov.

It's all relative.

Exactly.

I haven't done a data dive but I suspect I would find that goalie success relative to draft position is much flatter than it is for skaters.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think things are getting better. Teams are starting to figure out what to look for in goalies. It only took them 50 some years to start to figure it out.

The voodoo portion comes from those who try to design predictive models for drafting and those predictive models fail miserably at identifying goalies. Because being a goaltender is about more than your stats. Most of those predictive models don't do one thing. Actually watch the players. It's a lazy excuse to not actually watch the players and identify with your own eyes which ones have the necessary ability to become good.

The description of goalies as 'voodoo' has been around a lot longer than the idea of applying predictive modelling to identify good hockey players.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Outside of Ravensbergen, some guys I bookmarked that could be on the board at 28.

Jack Nesbitt - LHC - 6'4 - 185 - Windsor, OHL - Average Rank: 33
Big lanky center who has a lot of room to add some strength. Already really good on the dot. Has a nose for the net and some some skill with the puck and a decent shot. Okay skater but likely needs to improve a lot to make it at the next level. Not overly physical for his size but that could come. There is a lot he needs to improve on to be successful at the pro level but the tools are certainly there.

Cole Reschny - C/LW - 5'10 - 187 - Victoria, WHL - Average Rank: 23
There is a good chance Cole won't be on the board when we pick but if he manages to drop down to 28 then he's a pretty solid pickup. He plays a lot of C at the WHL level but I feel he's more likely to end up on the wing in the NHL. Solid little forechecker and actually has a bit of a heads up two-way game but his bread and butter is his passing and vision. Okay shot but it's a bit of a muffin so he mostly scores with solid hands and give and goes with teammates. He's really just a bit of a Marner-lite.

Jakob Ihs-Wozniak - RW/C - 6'3 - 185 - Lulea, SHL - Average Rank: 36
The Australian born Jakob was really highly touted heading into the draft but hasn't had the greatest year. Mostly a winger but sometimes used as a center. Has the size to potentially get there. A lot of holes in his game. Great forechecker, solid passer, decent shot but his compete, consistency and urgency with the puck needs a lot of work. All the tools are there but he will be a project.

Blake Fiddler - RD - 6'4 - 210 - Edmonton, WHL - Average Rank: 26
American born kids are giving me pause lately for the Jets but a kid willing to play in Edmonton will likely play anywhere. Plus he's the son of NHLer Vernon Fiddler so has some Canadian NHL bloodlines. He's a big rangy defender who uses his size and stick really well to break up plays. His offensive game leaves a lot to be desired. Really good at moving the puck out, not so good at moving it himself, though he has moments. His offensive vision is quite lacking based on what I've seen. Plays in the ozone often die on his stick as he just doesn't have the urgency and vision. If he had it, he's likely looking at challenging for a top 5 spot in this draft. If it doesn't develop an offensive side you likely have a Samberg like player on the right side who is great in his own zone, uses his size and stick effectively and moves the puck out quickly. If he developes his offensive game further, skies the limit. I think he's almost certainly gone when we pick at 28 but if he manages to get there you almost have to take him.

A few people have talked about trading down for 1 more pick. What about trading up a few spots to get a kid like Fiddler, for example?

 

[Daximus]

A few people have talked about trading down for 1 more pick. What about trading up a few spots to get a kid like Fiddler, for example?

We could maybe move up a spot or two by offering up our 3rd+5th. I feel the Jets are unlikely to do that this year though.

 

[Mud Turtle]

We could maybe move up a spot or two by offering up our 3rd+5th. I feel the Jets are unlikely to do that this year though.

Ya, Logan Stanley isn’t available in this draft.

 

[ps241]

Outside of Ravensbergen, some guys I bookmarked that could be on the board at 28.

Jack Nesbitt - LHC - 6'4 - 185 - Windsor, OHL - Average Rank: 33
Big lanky center who has a lot of room to add some strength. Already really good on the dot. Has a nose for the net and some some skill with the puck and a decent shot. Okay skater but likely needs to improve a lot to make it at the next level. Not overly physical for his size but that could come. There is a lot he needs to improve on to be successful at the pro level but the tools are certainly there.

Cole Reschny - C/LW - 5'10 - 187 - Victoria, WHL - Average Rank: 23
There is a good chance Cole won't be on the board when we pick but if he manages to drop down to 28 then he's a pretty solid pickup. He plays a lot of C at the WHL level but I feel he's more likely to end up on the wing in the NHL. Solid little forechecker and actually has a bit of a heads up two-way game but his bread and butter is his passing and vision. Okay shot but it's a bit of a muffin so he mostly scores with solid hands and give and goes with teammates. He's really just a bit of a Marner-lite.

Jakob Ihs-Wozniak - RW/C - 6'3 - 185 - Lulea, SHL - Average Rank: 36
The Australian born Jakob was really highly touted heading into the draft but hasn't had the greatest year. Mostly a winger but sometimes used as a center. Has the size to potentially get there. A lot of holes in his game. Great forechecker, solid passer, decent shot but his compete, consistency and urgency with the puck needs a lot of work. All the tools are there but he will be a project.

Blake Fiddler - RD - 6'4 - 210 - Edmonton, WHL - Average Rank: 26
American born kids are giving me pause lately for the Jets but a kid willing to play in Edmonton will likely play anywhere. Plus he's the son of NHLer Vernon Fiddler so has some Canadian NHL bloodlines. He's a big rangy defender who uses his size and stick really well to break up plays. His offensive game leaves a lot to be desired. Really good at moving the puck out, not so good at moving it himself, though he has moments. His offensive vision is quite lacking based on what I've seen. Plays in the ozone often die on his stick as he just doesn't have the urgency and vision. If he had it, he's likely looking at challenging for a top 5 spot in this draft. If it doesn't develop an offensive side you likely have a Samberg like player on the right side who is great in his own zone, uses his size and stick effectively and moves the puck out quickly. If he developes his offensive game further, skies the limit. I think he's almost certainly gone when we pick at 28 but if he manages to get there you almost have to take him.

Looks like Reschny has been rising since the February projections I saw. I think he will be drafted before us now which is too bad. I was starting to like him.

 

[Daximus]

Looks like Reschny has been rising since the February projections I saw. I think he will be drafted before us now which is too bad. I was starting to like him.

Yea it's quite possible. He's a bit like Perfetti in a lot of ways. Undersized C at the junior level who is more likely to be a winger at the pro level.

A few more to watch for.

Ivan Ryabkin - C/LW - 6'0 - 200 - Muskegon, USHL - Average Rank: 27
Ivan was highly touted heading into the draft but has slid down after having a bit of a rough season in Russia before heading to Muskegon and putting up some decent numbers. He's a real rough around the edges type of player, mean is probably the best way to describe him. He loves to be involved in scrums, plays very physically and on the edge, he's also quite strong and not just for his size. But aside from that he has a really good release on his shot, is a solid skater and displays decent vision and playmaking skills. Despite that he takes a lot of lazy and dumb penalties but he has that fire in him that a lot of teams covet. Real wild card type of player, he already left Russia so good chance he will sign and play in the A this year if that is what teams desire or go back to Muskegon for one more year.

Vaclav Nestasil - RW - 6'5 - 190 - Muskegon, USHL - Average Rank: 53
Now onto Ryabkins teammate the Czech born Nestrasil. He's committed to UMass for 26/27 so there is a really good chance he could play through the NCAA and never sign but perhaps he'd be willing to forgo that after 25/26 season to play A. He's a big strong kid who is a really heavy forechecker and also plays on the edge. If he adds some more weight and strength he could be a really solid bottom 6 guy with middle 6 upside. He's an okay skater but he's really going to need to improve on it to be an NHLer, has a decent shot and flashes some skill with the puck from time to time. His off puck play is where he really struggles, often looks lost in his own zone and has a lot of trouble in transition. Makes some questionable plays with the puck when he's pressed and is a bit lazy when it comes to backchecking. All in all he's a real project pick and likely to much of a project for 28th overall but there is some potential in there that if unlocked could make for a really solid playoff type of player. If he's available at 96 he's worth a pick there.

Milton Gastrin - C/LW - 6'1 - 185 - MoDo, SHL - Average Rank: 28
Now for the Swede whose average rank is exactly our pick. Gastrin has been the captain of his national age group all the way up. Captaining the U16, U17, U18 and Hlinka national teams for Sweden. Really dependable two-way player whose off puck play is excellent, he's a solid skater, has a decent shot, not afraid to go to the dirty areas and fights for every inch of ice. So why is he ranked so low? The biggest knock on him seems to be that despite being a solid all around player he's not truly elite at anything. While that may be true what is also true is there aren't really a lot of holes in his game either. He plays solid all around minutes, has good vision, great handles, skates well, has a good shot, has leadership qualities and leads by example. He's kind of the exact type of player you want, especially with the 28th overall pick. From what I've seen if Milton is on the board at 28, and you don't take him, you are likely going to regret it.

 

[lanky]

I'd be happy with Gastrin as the pick and thrilled if Ryabkin was the pick. As others have noted, we lack high-end talent in the pipeline. That's exactly what Ryabkin brings.

 

[Daximus]

I'd be happy with Gastrin as the pick and thrilled if Ryabkin was the pick. As others have noted, we lack high-end talent in the pipeline. That's exactly what Ryabkin brings.

Yeah Ryabkin has the potential to be one of those Marchand/Bennett types that just plays on the edge and with fire. He'd be a good pickup. Gastrin just seems like the more surefire bet to be an NHLer in some capacity though.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

We could maybe move up a spot or two by offering up our 3rd+5th. I feel the Jets are unlikely to do that this year though.

Honestly, Jets are always unlikely to do that. But if the right player was available it might be a smart move.

There is something to be said for the idea of dropping back a bit too, since the quality of players likely to be available at 28 has already flattened out, but generally, I would always prefer moving up over moving down. That is if you can move up enough to make a difference of course.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Yea it's quite possible. He's a bit like Perfetti in a lot of ways. Undersized C at the junior level who is more likely to be a winger at the pro level.

A few more to watch for.

Ivan Ryabkin - C/LW - 6'0 - 200 - Muskegon, USHL - Average Rank: 27
Ivan was highly touted heading into the draft but has slid down after having a bit of a rough season in Russia before heading to Muskegon and putting up some decent numbers. He's a real rough around the edges type of player, mean is probably the best way to describe him. He loves to be involved in scrums, plays very physically and on the edge, he's also quite strong and not just for his size. But aside from that he has a really good release on his shot, is a solid skater and displays decent vision and playmaking skills. Despite that he takes a lot of lazy and dumb penalties but he has that fire in him that a lot of teams covet. Real wild card type of player, he already left Russia so good chance he will sign and play in the A this year if that is what teams desire or go back to Muskegon for one more year.

Vaclav Nestasil - RW - 6'5 - 190 - Muskegon, USHL - Average Rank: 53
Now onto Ryabkins teammate the Czech born Nestrasil. He's committed to UMass for 26/27 so there is a really good chance he could play through the NCAA and never sign but perhaps he'd be willing to forgo that after 25/26 season to play A. He's a big strong kid who is a really heavy forechecker and also plays on the edge. If he adds some more weight and strength he could be a really solid bottom 6 guy with middle 6 upside. He's an okay skater but he's really going to need to improve on it to be an NHLer, has a decent shot and flashes some skill with the puck from time to time. His off puck play is where he really struggles, often looks lost in his own zone and has a lot of trouble in transition. Makes some questionable plays with the puck when he's pressed and is a bit lazy when it comes to backchecking. All in all he's a real project pick and likely to much of a project for 28th overall but there is some potential in there that if unlocked could make for a really solid playoff type of player. If he's available at 96 he's worth a pick there.

Milton Gastrin - C/LW - 6'1 - 185 - MoDo, SHL - Average Rank: 28
Now for the Swede whose average rank is exactly our pick. Gastrin has been the captain of his national age group all the way up. Captaining the U16, U17, U18 and Hlinka national teams for Sweden. Really dependable two-way player whose off puck play is excellent, he's a solid skater, has a decent shot, not afraid to go to the dirty areas and fights for every inch of ice. So why is he ranked so low? The biggest knock on him seems to be that despite being a solid all around player he's not truly elite at anything. While that may be true what is also true is there aren't really a lot of holes in his game either. He plays solid all around minutes, has good vision, great handles, skates well, has a good shot, has leadership qualities and leads by example. He's kind of the exact type of player you want, especially with the 28th overall pick. From what I've seen if Milton is on the board at 28, and you don't take him, you are likely going to regret it.

That Swede sounds intriguing. Exactly what you would want in a 2C, a young Bryan Little type.

 

[Xavier Laflamme]

I'd be happy with Gastrin as the pick and thrilled if Ryabkin was the pick. As others have noted, we lack high-end talent in the pipeline. That's exactly what Ryabkin brings.

We lack D talent in the pipeline, after Salo we have Freij and that's it, I would be absolutely shocked it we don't use our first on a D man.

 

[Daximus]

That Swede sounds intriguing. Exactly what you would want in a 2C, a young Bryan Little type.

Yeah I've liked what I've seen of him so far. Has leadership qualities, great all around player. It's true that he's not truly elite at anything but he definitely has that quality where you look at him and think there is an NHLer of some capacity there. Whether that's a 13th forward or a top 6C, that's a pretty solid pickup at 28th overall all things considered.

 

[surixon]

Yeah I've liked what I've seen of him so far. Has leadership qualities, great all around player. It's true that he's not truly elite at anything but he definitely has that quality where you look at him and think there is an NHLer of some capacity there. Whether that's a 13th forward or a top 6C, that's a pretty solid pickup at 28th overall all things considered.

Yeah, picking that late in the first I always have a hard time deciding what direction to go in. Do you go for the sheer upside player that has a number of limiting factors or do you go for the more rounded pick that maybe doesn't have the ceiling but has a much higher floor.

 

[Daximus]

We lack D talent in the pipeline, after Salo we have Freij and that's it, I would be absolutely shocked it we don't use our first on a D man.

Generally if all things are equal or close enough I'd say you can take a D but passing on the better player for positional need is how you end up taking Kotkaniemi over Brady Tkachuk.

With that said if Blake Fiddler falls to us then I'd have a hard time passing on him but I think he likely goes in the 20-25 range, right after Cam Reid. The Jets then have to decide whether they want Sascha Boumedienne or Henry Brzustewicz over some of the other forwards/goalies in this range. Personally I'd take Milton Gastrin or Josh Ravensbergen over either of them as neither of the remaining D really impresses me much. Sascha is NCAA, already 1 year in so basically 3 years from UFA at this point. Henry is a US kid playing for London but I'm still hesitent taking young US players now, despite that he has some holes in his game. There is the wildcard option in Haoxi Wang but he's a major major project player.

 

[Daximus]

Yeah, picking that late in the first I always have a hard time deciding what direction to go in. Do you go for the sheer upside player that has a number of limiting factors or do you go for the more rounded pick that maybe doesn't have the ceiling but has a much higher floor.

It's tough. You can also go for a big project player that might be all tools but hasn't put it together even in junior yet.

So far I know what I like but I have no idea which direction the Jets will lean.

 

[surixon]

It's tough. You can also go for a big project player that might be all tools but hasn't put it together even in junior yet.

So far I know what I like but I have no idea which direction the Jets will lean.

Yeah, I'm only getting started on my research. I'll have a much more informed opinion in a couple of weeks.

 

[surixon]

Thinking about the American development angle a bit more. Since that scout left the Jets really haven't gotten much value out of their picks drafted out of the US system or those drafted out of Canadian junior B leagues that then go to the NCAA.

We have signed exactly 1 out of 8 picks that meet that criteria since the last high water mark in 2017 (Snerg and Kovacevic). Granted some of that is due to a couple (Smith and McGroarty) refusing to sign, but 3 of 8 isn't great odds.

Compare that to Europe and the CHL and we have signed 80% of picks coming out of each of those areas. Most won't be NHL players but they still are org depth for the farm team.or potential trade pieces.

So just based on our scouting results lately it might be beneficial to stay away.

 

[WolfHouse]

Yea it's quite possible. He's a bit like Perfetti in a lot of ways. Undersized C at the junior level who is more likely to be a winger at the pro level.

A few more to watch for.

Ivan Ryabkin - C/LW - 6'0 - 200 - Muskegon, USHL - Average Rank: 27
Ivan was highly touted heading into the draft but has slid down after having a bit of a rough season in Russia before heading to Muskegon and putting up some decent numbers. He's a real rough around the edges type of player, mean is probably the best way to describe him. He loves to be involved in scrums, plays very physically and on the edge, he's also quite strong and not just for his size. But aside from that he has a really good release on his shot, is a solid skater and displays decent vision and playmaking skills. Despite that he takes a lot of lazy and dumb penalties but he has that fire in him that a lot of teams covet. Real wild card type of player, he already left Russia so good chance he will sign and play in the A this year if that is what teams desire or go back to Muskegon for one more year.

Vaclav Nestasil - RW - 6'5 - 190 - Muskegon, USHL - Average Rank: 53
Now onto Ryabkins teammate the Czech born Nestrasil. He's committed to UMass for 26/27 so there is a really good chance he could play through the NCAA and never sign but perhaps he'd be willing to forgo that after 25/26 season to play A. He's a big strong kid who is a really heavy forechecker and also plays on the edge. If he adds some more weight and strength he could be a really solid bottom 6 guy with middle 6 upside. He's an okay skater but he's really going to need to improve on it to be an NHLer, has a decent shot and flashes some skill with the puck from time to time. His off puck play is where he really struggles, often looks lost in his own zone and has a lot of trouble in transition. Makes some questionable plays with the puck when he's pressed and is a bit lazy when it comes to backchecking. All in all he's a real project pick and likely to much of a project for 28th overall but there is some potential in there that if unlocked could make for a really solid playoff type of player. If he's available at 96 he's worth a pick there.

Milton Gastrin - C/LW - 6'1 - 185 - MoDo, SHL - Average Rank: 28
Now for the Swede whose average rank is exactly our pick. Gastrin has been the captain of his national age group all the way up. Captaining the U16, U17, U18 and Hlinka national teams for Sweden. Really dependable two-way player whose off puck play is excellent, he's a solid skater, has a decent shot, not afraid to go to the dirty areas and fights for every inch of ice. So why is he ranked so low? The biggest knock on him seems to be that despite being a solid all around player he's not truly elite at anything. While that may be true what is also true is there aren't really a lot of holes in his game either. He plays solid all around minutes, has good vision, great handles, skates well, has a good shot, has leadership qualities and leads by example. He's kind of the exact type of player you want, especially with the 28th overall pick. From what I've seen if Milton is on the board at 28, and you don't take him, you are likely going to regret it.

So basically Harkins, Ves and Gus?

 

[Daximus]

So basically Harkins, Ves and Gus?

As far as I can tell he's a better skater than any of the 3 of them at the same age but yeah kind of similar mold to Gus in a lot of ways. Like you probably get an NHLer out of him but it could be a tweener or it could be a top 6 player. He's kind of the safer pick but the more likely to pan out guy amongst a lot of the players in the 28 range.

Seems like the kind of guy that the Jets would like. Especially if he's shown the character to be a leader basically from the moment he hit the international circuit for Sweden. Kind of guy that will likely stay a Jet for life if he makes it to the NHL, which I think is likely in some capacity.