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Prospect Info: 2025 NHL Entry Draft

Looking at the remaining schedule I initially thought our Ducks would select around 8th or 9th, with our last 4 games looking pretty rough unless playoff teams rest their starters in the final games. However, one team that might free fall below us are the Wings. All of their remaining 8 games look really tough... so maybe we select 10th... much higher than my guess of being a bottom 5/6 team at the start of the season.

My guess of options that we would be looking at are:
-C O'brien (fits our recent draft profile of high IQ, size, 2-way upside, and projectability)
-LW Eklund (tenacious right-shot scorer who could mesh well with our current forwards)
-RD Mrtka (probably our biggest organizational need, but may be limited upside)
 
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ADHB said:
Wins and improved play are by far more important this season than a slightly improved draft pick. I’m sure the guys available in the 7-8 range are a little more promising than the guys in the 10-11 range, but it’s unlikely any of them would impact the team in the next 3 seasons. And even then you’re probably looking at 3rd line guys or second pairing guys. This isn’t like past drafts where there were clear top 6 forwards and top pairing D available throughout the first 10.

And honestly, I’d be surprised if the guy they take at 12 (for example) isn’t the same guy they would take at 7 or 8.
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I would say there is a clear difference between 7 and 12. Between 10 and 15, not so much.
 
Gliff said:
I would say there is a clear difference between 7 and 12. Between 10 and 15, not so much.
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I understand that's the consensus. But again, none of the players are blue chippers, and even if you hit on one, you're likely looking at, at best, a second or third liner in 2028-29. Seeing the team perform better and seeing improvement from young players is more important than getting a slightly better second pairing guy/third liner 4 years from now. JMO.

And that's assuming the scouting consensus is accurate. They're wrong just as often as they're right.
 
Depending on where we pick, this might be a great year to trade that 1st rounder given the weaker draft and our place in the rebuild. Ready to take that next step, if they can get a top 6 scorer that might be on an expiring deal or from a team looking to shake things up, thats probably the direction Id be leaning.
 
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ADHB said:
Wins and improved play are by far more important this season than a slightly improved draft pick. I’m sure the guys available in the 7-8 range are a little more promising than the guys in the 10-11 range, but it’s unlikely any of them would impact the team in the next 3 seasons. And even then you’re probably looking at 3rd line guys or second pairing guys. This isn’t like past drafts where there were clear top 6 forwards and top pairing D available throughout the first 10.

And honestly, I’d be surprised if the guy they take at 12 (for example) isn’t the same guy they would take at 7 or 8.
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I dont think anyone wants us to tank for a slightly better pick this year. Its more wanting the teams around us to win more combined with our tough schedule to finish the year.

The C in the top 8 would be a great addition but likely middle 6 players. Beyond that there is a lot less certainty of what the players will become and a longer development window for them too.
 
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McQueen scratched tonight after leaving the last game with an injury. Not sure what the injury is. A team is going to have to have brass balls (or really really good doctors) to take him early in the draft.
 
tomd said:
McQueen scratched tonight after leaving the last game with an injury. Not sure what the injury is. A team is going to have to have brass balls (or really really good doctors) to take him early in the draft.
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I still want him honestly. 6'5, mean-streak, and a right handed shot. Viliardi had similar issues I think and dropped to LA, and that worked out for WIN heh. Mrtka would be solid as well.
 
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SmokeyDuck said:
I still want him honestly. 6'5, mean-streak, and a right handed shot. Viliardi had similar issues I think and dropped to LA, and that worked out for WIN heh. Mrtka would be solid as well.
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There is enough talent in the top 5-6 picks that no team in that range should consider taking him. But you may get your wish b/c he very well could be available when the Ducks pick comes around. Whether they should pick him is quite another story.
 
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SmokeyDuck said:
I still want him honestly. 6'5, mean-streak, and a right handed shot. Viliardi had similar issues I think and dropped to LA, and that worked out for WIN heh. Mrtka would be solid as well.
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I want that profile too and liked him at the start of the season, but I wouldn't want our Ducks to take that big risk when there are other equally talented prospects available (unless we have a bunch of specialists willing to vouch that his injury is not a long-term concern).

Vilardi also lead his team in scoring and played a decent amount of games leading his team, whereas we don't even know if McQueen would have been the best player on his weak team.

We mind as well take shots at big RH forwards later in the draft. There are interesting ones like Paupanekis, Belle, and West.
 
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Trojans86 said:
This would be a great year to win the lottery. Any of the top 3/4 would fit in perfectly with our core.
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Even something like jumping 5 spots post lottery would be great and could potentially happen even if unlikely. Didn't the Ducks jump up in the 2005 draft ? Its now 20 years later :)
 
Anaheim4ever said:
Even something like jumping 5 spots post lottery would be great and could potentially happen even if unlikely. Didn't the Ducks jump up in the 2005 draft ? Its now 20 years later :)
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We won't be eligible to jump up five spots if we finish outside of the top 7 pre lottery, which seems fairly unlikely at this point. They only draw for the #1 and #2 overall picks under the current rules, we have to hope we win one of those two picks, otherwise we are stuck where we finish (or move down if someone behind us wins).

The 2005 lottery had different/unique rules because it came after the lockout wiped out the season.
 
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I think you guys are kinda nuts for wanting to roll the dice on McQueen personally. We have plenty of high upside forwards in the system, I’m not sure we need to take that kind of a gamble.

I want someone with reasonable upside that also is a pretty safe bet to be a middle 6 guy.

Frondell is the dream for me (not happening unless we lose out in regulation) and Martin would be the consolation prize
 
AngelDuck said:
I think you guys are kinda nuts for wanting to roll the dice on McQueen personally. We have plenty of high upside forwards in the system, I’m not sure we need to take that kind of a gamble.

I want someone with reasonable upside that also is a pretty safe bet to be a middle 6 guy.

Frondell is the dream for me (not happening unless we lose out in regulation) and Martin would be the consolation prize
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The Ducks pick is going to be interesting. Frondell will be long gone but McQueen could well be there. It's all going to come down to the medicals on him. I like Martin a lot. Others that I think the Ducks could be focusing on are Lacovic and Nesbitt (as a dark horse pick b/c Madden will be Madden).
 
tomd said:
The Ducks pick is going to be interesting. Frondell will be long gone but McQueen could well be there. It's all going to come down to the medicals on him. I like Martin a lot. Others that I think the Ducks could be focusing on are Lacovic and Nesbitt (as a dark horse pick b/c Madden will be Madden).
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Frondell is a long shot but if the ducks were to only get 2 points or less the rest of the way it is possible.

I know it’s getting late but we’re only 4 points away from being 5th worst right now
 
AngelDuck said:
Frondell is a long shot but if the ducks were to only get 2 points or less the rest of the way it is possible.

I know it’s getting late but we’re only 4 points away from being 5th worst right now
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We'll know in 11 days. Currently 4 points away from 5OA and 4 points away from 12OA. I'm leary of playing playoff teams in the last 2-3 games since those teams could very well be resting key players.

It would certainly be your nightmare scenario that the Ducks finish 5OA and then take McQueen with that pick.
 
For me, I'd put Mcqueen at 8 behind Schaffer Misa Hagens Martone Eklund Fondell Obrien. I think Mcqueen is the last F with true top line potential. The reason why I put the other 7 ahead is injury risk. If we can't get one of those 8, trade the pick. What do you guys think?
 
shach1 said:
For me, I'd put Mcqueen at 8 behind Schaffer Misa Hagens Martone Eklund Fondell Obrien. I think Mcqueen is the last F with true top line potential. The reason why I put the other 7 ahead is injury risk. If we can't get one of those 8, trade the pick. What do you guys think?
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Desnoyer belongs in that group somewhere.
 
shach1 said:
Doesn't have enough upside for me. Would rather trade the pick and another asset for true high upside guy.
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So a team is going to trade their true upside guy to the Ducks for a pick the Ducks don't want to use because there isn't a player that has high enough upside? What am I missing?
 
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