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Prospect Info: 2025 NHL Entry Draft

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Wheatens said:
I think if his production stays steady, and the Ducks don't start losing, he will be gone. However, his teammate Eklund could be there, depending on how NHL teams are viewing McQueen and others. The further the Ducks move towards the early teens in draft order, the more I like Mrtka and Hensler tbh.
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There are a couple of 2nd half risers in Mrtka and Frondell. Mrtka made the switch to the CHL mid-season and he's carrying that Seattle blueline offense by a large margin! Frondell is finally moving confidently after his early season injuries. He's put up 16 points in his last eight games played in HA (Sweden's 2nd men's tier). I'm not sure if either one of them will be there if the Ducks keep winning. Hensler could be there, though.
 
Hockey Duckie said:
There are a couple of 2nd half risers in Mrtka and Frondell. Mrtka made the switch to the CHL mid-season and he's carrying that Seattle blueline offense by a large margin! Frondell is finally moving confidently after his early season injuries. He's put up 16 points in his last eight games played in HA (Sweden's 2nd men's tier). I'm not sure if either one of them will be there if the Ducks keep winning. Hensler could be there, though.
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O'Brien is another that has definitely seen his stock rise, possibly into our range
 
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The Ducks pick is getting closer and closer to Logan Hensler territory...that may not be a bad thing though.

WhatTheDuck said:
O'Brien is another that has definitely seen his stock rise, possibly into our range
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"Our" range is quickly slipping out of the top 12!
 
Figured I may as well post my draft list for a bit of fun. This list is heavily weighted by who I think the Ducks should draft.

1. Michael Misa 6'1 C/LW
On pace to almost double his last year production. He is likely to be a star and has some bite to him where he even fought Martone and won. I can see him as our 2C if we win the lottery.

2. Porter Martone 6'3 RW
I love the package he offers. Huge offensive upside (currently beating Sennecke in points), big and physical. Lots of people bashing him for his skating but that can be improved and it hasn't held back Tkachuk from being an impact player.

3. Matthew Schaefer 6'2 LD
The best D in the class by a huge margin. Not sure what we would do if we took him as it would mean someone is getting traded but he would likely end up as our 1D.

4. Anton Frondell 6'1 C
Pushed himself into my top 4 with his recent form. The injury history is a concern but there is no doubting he would be a huge addition to the team. Likely would lock down our 2C as he plays the type of game Cronin/Verbeek want us to play.

5. James Hagens 5'11 C
He deserves to be higher but I just don't see where he fits if we draft him. He can struggle against the bigger bodies and has had an easy ride this year with Leonard and Perreault on his wings. If we got him he would have to move to wing which I feel would limit his potential.

6. Radim Mrtka 6'6 RD
I'm going early on Mrtka because he is a big, skilled, strong skating RD and the last time one of these guys was available early in the draft was in 2019 with Seider. This is likely the last high pick we will have for this rebuild so I want to spend it on a rare type of player that we wont be able to draft in the future. We need a giant on our D and this is the guy.

7. Jake O'Brien 6'2 C
Tall right shot C that has a bit of growing to do at only 170lbs. His is on pace for close to 100pts in the OHL and currently has more points than Sennecke. Great playmaker and can compete off the puck but will need a bit of development.

8. Victor Eklund 5'11 RW
Looks like he will be a solid player with great skating and skill. Has been working well with Frondell recently. My only knock on him is that San Jose have his bigger brother who seems to be the better of the two.

9. Caleb Desnoyers 6'2 C
Lots of people like him and he is producing but he is doing it against players who wont ever sniff the NHL. I get that you can only beat the players in front of you but QMJHL hasnt been a great league for producing elite players recently. He will be a solid role player.

10. Lynden Lakovic 6'4 LW
I love the potential with Lakovic. He is a big, smart, powerful skater with skill who can score. He has improved his offensive output consistently over the last 3 seasons so there is hope he can continue the improvement. If he can put it all together the team that drafts him will be very happy.

11. Carter Bear
12. Logan Hensler
13. Brady Martin
14. Jackson Smith
15. Justin Carbonneau
 
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Rasp said:
Figured I may as well post my draft list for a bit of fun. This list is heavily weighted by who I think the Ducks should draft.

1. Michael Misa 6'1 C/LW
On pace to almost double his last year production. He is likely to be a star and has some bite to him where he even fought Martone and won. I can see him as our 2C if we win the lottery.

2. Porter Martone 6'3 RW
I love the package he offers. Huge offensive upside (currently beating Sennecke in points), big and physical. Lots of people bashing him for his skating but that can be improved and it hasn't held back Tkachuk from being an impact player.

3. Matthew Schaefer 6'2 LD
The best D in the class by a huge margin. Not sure what we would do if we took him as it would mean someone is getting traded but he would likely end up as our 1D.

4. Anton Frondell 6'1 C
Pushed himself into my top 4 with his recent form. The injury history is a concern but there is no doubting he would be a huge addition to the team. Likely would lock down our 2C as he plays the type of game Cronin/Verbeek want us to play.

5. James Hagens 5'11 C
He deserves to be higher but I just don't see where he fits if we draft him. He can struggle against the bigger bodies and has had an easy ride this year with Leonard and Perreault on his wings. If we got him he would have to move to wing which I feel would limit his potential.

6. Radim Mrtka 6'6 RD
I'm going early on Mrtka because he is a big, skilled, strong skating RD and the last time one of these guys was available early in the draft was in 2019 with Seider. This is likely the last high pick we will have for this rebuild so I want to spend it on a rare type of player that we wont be able to draft in the future. We need a giant on our D and this is the guy.

7. Jake O'Brien 6'2 C
Tall right shot C that has a bit of growing to do at only 170lbs. His is on pace for close to 100pts in the OHL and currently has more points than Sennecke. Great playmaker and can compete off the puck but will need a bit of development.

8. Victor Eklund 5'11 RW
Looks like he will be a solid player with great skating and skill. Has been working well with Frondell recently. My only knock on him is that San Jose have his bigger brother who seems to be the better of the two.

9. Caleb Desnoyers 6'2 C
Lots of people like him and he is producing but he is doing it against players who wont ever sniff the NHL. I get that you can only beat the players in front of you but QMJHL hasnt been a great league for producing elite players recently. He will be a solid role player.

10. Lynden Lakovic 6'4 LW
I love the potential with Lakovic. He is a big, smart, powerful skater with skill who can score. He has improved his offensive output consistently over the last 3 seasons so there is hope he can continue the improvement. If he can put it all together the team that drafts him will be very happy.

11. Carter Bear
12. Logan Hensler
13. Brady Martin
14. Jackson Smith
15. Justin Carbonneau
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Bear is definitely a guy that I would find it impossible to dislike if we do end up outside the top 10. He brings so much intensity along with his speed and skill, and the Ducks having their own prospect drafted from Everett, will know his game inside and out.

There are often concerns about players his age being too "perimeter" but Bear is the exact opposite. Constantly driving the middle of the ice and competing for space. If he had a bit more size, he'd probably be a top 10 lock.

Brady Martin is cut from a similar cloth, and it's worth noting that he's an 07 born while Bear is a late 06. Brock Otten spoke very highly of Martin and had him ranked ahead of Aitchison and O'Brien in his mid season ranking, though did state that they were on the same tier.

Martin continues to fly under the radar a bit because he's playing for a last place Greyhounds team. The momentum that he built up following a standout performance at the Hlinka/Gretzky has been lost a bit. Consistency has been a bit of an issue as the team works through their own struggles. Yet, those who follow the OHL closely understand what Martin brings to the ice on a nightly basis. This is a fierce competitor who also happens to be extremely skilled. His competitiveness is through the roof. He's a hunter on the ice. He hunts down loose pucks. He hunts down chances near the crease. He hunts down puck carriers. He's also as strong as an ox and he uses that to be an impact two-way player, although I'd say that he's slightly more physical in puck pursuit in the offensive end versus the defensive end at this current moment. From a skill perspective, Martin routinely turns defenders into pylons. According to our data through InStat, Martin leads the OHL this year in successful dekes completed and he's right near the top in hits per game. I'd say the only thing missing from Martin's game is high end skating ability. It's come a long way in the last calendar year. He now has some separation speed and he's become stronger on his edges. However, that still likely grades out as average for the next level. As an average sized pivot, albeit a physical one, that's still going to be concerning for some scouts. Ultimately, I think the U18's this year will go a long way as to determining Martin's eventual draft placement.
 
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GunnarStahl said:
Hypothetically, the Ducks win the number 1 slot who would everyone want to see them pick?
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At this moment, I'm leaning Misa but it's awful close between him and Schaefer. I hope they end up going head to head, they are set up that way, as the #4/5 seeds with a pretty good buffer either way and only a few games remaining. Schaefer would have to return in time of course.
 
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GunnarStahl said:
Hypothetically, the Ducks win the number 1 slot who would everyone want to see them pick?
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I'd happily take either one but won't spend any time thinking about that possibility until after the lottery balls drop our way (which will be never).
 
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GunnarStahl said:
Hypothetically, the Ducks win the number 1 slot who would everyone want to see them pick?
Click to expand...

I would take LD Schaefer. Even though he's been rule out for the rest of the season, a majority of scouting pundits have him #1 still. That would be a great investment and balance for the Ducks.

Anaheim already has five top-9 forwards draft selections in Zegras, Mac, Cutter, Leo, and Sennecke. Then you add in RW Terry into the mix and the Ducks should be set with their top-6F groupings. The Ducks have zero top-9 d-men draft selection since the rebuild started in 2019. Minty was the 10th overall pick in the 2020 draft, but a ratio of five forwards to one defenseman in top-10 picks is crazy, considering defensemen take longer to develop.

Matthew Schaefer is a 6'2 and 183 lbs 17-year old who doesn't turn 18 until Sept 5th. He's a two-way d-man with great skating speed and skill! The size, the skating, offense, and defense does remind us of LaCombe, except that Schaefer is more advanced with his skills when compared to their respective draft seasons. Imagine having LaCombe and Schaefer in your top-4D?

If we win the #1OA pick and select Schaefer, then we have increased our trade capital because we have an excess of LD's in Minty, Zell, and Solberg vying for one spot, LD3. Zell and Minty have NHL experience already and both are OFD's, though Zell can play the right side. Solberg is a big, hitting machine at the moment that still is trying to refine playing defense.

It is uncommon for #1 overall picks to not go directly to the NHL in their D+1 season, but Schaefer doesn't have a lot of playing experience. Last year he played 56 OHL games plus six playoff games and this year he has played only 17 OHL games. Could it be possible to have Schaefer go to the NCAA for a season and then bring him over to the NHL? That way he develops physically better on an NCAA schedule as well as play a higher level of competition. D Power (Michigan, NCAA) was the #1OA in 2021 and he went back to college for an extra year. In fact, picks #2 (Beniers), #4 (Hughes), and #5 (Kent Johnson) of the 2021 draft all stayed with Michigan (NCAA) for two seasons.

That would actually boost the trade capital and not put the youth D into rotation once again.
 
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