Central Scouting Final 2025 Rankings

[Donnie740]

This is supposed to be a feather in your cap. Why he hasn't proven anything yet, if anything he looks like a bad pick at 3rd overall.

I knew Sennecke was going to go way higher that mid to late first round where these useless pre draft rankings had him rated. And evidently Pat Verbeek shared my assessment of Sennecke.

 

[Donnie740]

The reason teams are higher on O'brien is because he plays Center and has improved immensely. He has a great physical build at 6'2" with room to fill out. Coaches in the OHL polled him for having a higher hockey IQ and playmaking skills than Martone. Clearly there are people out there that think highly of him

I’ve stood next to O’Brien and Martone and there’s no comparison in their build. It’s obvious from Martone’s frame that he’s going to play somewhere around 225lbs. O’Brien is more frail and doesn’t have the frame to carry anything close to that kind of weight.

I completely agree that O’Brien has excellent hockey sense - - as I mentioned previously - - but he doesn’t have skill or physical ability to go with his hockey IQ. That’s not a problem in junior hockey, but his hockey sense won’t compensate for it at the pro level.

 

[Corso]

I’ve stood next to O’Brien and Martone and there’s no comparison in their build. It’s obvious from Martone’s frame that he’s going to play somewhere around 225lbs. O’Brien is more frail and doesn’t have the frame to carry anything close to that kind of weight.

I completely agree that O’Brien has excellent hockey sense - - as I mentioned previously - - but he doesn’t have skill or physical ability to go with his hockey IQ. That’s not a problem in junior hockey, but his hockey sense won’t compensate for it at the pro level.

Physicality sure but lacking skill??

 

[Jared Grayden]

Physicality sure but lacking skill??

Yeah I don't see how his handling, shooting, and passing skills aren't readily apparent. Didn't he finish with the highest shooting percentage in the OHL? Needs to have an NHL skilled shot to do that alone even with the best shot selection.

 

[DemidovSZN]

Yeah I don't see how his handling, shooting, and passing skills aren't readily apparent. Didn't he finish with the highest shooting percentage in the OHL? Needs to have an NHL skilled shot to do that alone even with the best shot selection.

Probably top 2 best playmaker of the draft also.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Calling him Joke O'Brien is a pretty good way to make sure your comment lose credibility

as is the Dubas avatar ... can't see the face without thinking the guy has no clue

 

[bigdog16]

I’ve stood next to O’Brien and Martone and there’s no comparison in their build. It’s obvious from Martone’s frame that he’s going to play somewhere around 225lbs. O’Brien is more frail and doesn’t have the frame to carry anything close to that kind of weight.

I completely agree that O’Brien has excellent hockey sense - - as I mentioned previously - - but he doesn’t have skill or physical ability to go with his hockey IQ. That’s not a problem in junior hockey, but his hockey sense won’t compensate for it at the pro level.

I’ll take a frail build and high IQ over a large build and poor skating. Martone struggles to keep up with play at a high level, it was extremely evident at the World Js

 

[Donnie740]

I’ll take a frail build and high IQ over a large build and poor skating. Martone struggles to keep up with play at a high level, it was extremely evident at the World Js

Having a thin frail build isn’t the end of the world for a player - - but when it’s accompanied with mediocre skating, a mediocre shot and ZERO physicality, it’s a major problem.

Martone isn’t the greatest skater, but he’s clearly a better skater than O’Brien.

 

[bigdog16]

Having a thin frail build isn’t the end of the world for a player - - but when it’s accompanied with mediocre skating, a mediocre shot and ZERO physicality, it’s a major problem.

Martone isn’t the greatest skater, but he’s clearly a better skater than O’Brien.

Yeah I disagree. Martone’s skating is not better than O’Briens. Martone is 210 and can bully around the OHL which is fine, but he won’t be able to do that at higher levels. He couldn’t even find a way to do that at the World Jr where he was very grossly outmatched. He is someone I could see freefalling at the draft to be honest.

 

[Donnie740]

Yeah I disagree. Martone’s skating is not better than O’Briens. Martone is 210 and can bully around the OHL which is fine, but he won’t be able to do that at higher levels. He couldn’t even find a way to do that at the World Jr where he was very grossly outmatched. He is someone I could see freefalling at the draft to be honest.

That’s an excellent point - - Martone was at the World Juniors while O’Btien was sitting at home watching. Which should tell you how their two levels of talent are viewed.

The majority of O’Brien’s points came on the power play. Which is exactly what you’d expect because having so much extra time and space with the man advantage allows him to use his hockey IQ to an even greater extent. Particularly when it came to setting up the OHL’s leading goal scorer Nick Lardis. Basically it was get the puck to Lardis and let him do the rest.

But once Lardis got hurt in the playoffs against Oshawa, O’Brien was virtually invisible. He put up 3 points in 4 games without Lardis. Not surprisingly, two of those points came on the power play. O’Brien never stands out when he’s on the ice. If you weren’t specifically looking for #44 you’d never know he was even on the ice.

In contrast, when Brampton lost one of their top players, Angus MacDonell, it didn’t affect Martone’s game at all. You knew every single time Martone was on the ice because if he wasn’t driving the play he was getting involved physically. Whereas O’Brien is non existent when it comes to physicality.

I’m pretty certain that NHL teams are going to recognize that Martone is far superior to O’Brien and will take him higher in the draft.

But I’m absolutely positive that Martone will be a more productive player in the NHL than O’Brien will.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

I’ll take a frail build and high IQ over a large build and poor skating. Martone struggles to keep up with play at a high level, it was extremely evident at the World Js

The only extremely evident thing at the World Js was Dave Cameron's abject incompetence. Martone's skating will never be elite, but if a guy like Mark Stone can be elite with his skating, Martone certainly can too.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Need to get benak and galvas on the Mrtka and psnecka duets.lol.

We actually do have a lot of big boys in the pipe... Klapka now in NHL... Hrabal, hradec, mrtka, psnecka and mrtka. David jiricek is a big fella too!

Any decent forward? I miss the time of Jagr

 

[Trojans86]

O’Brien may not be physical but he has an excellent motor and is a puck hound.

 

[carjackmalone]

A Croatian player born and bred with stops in Sweden and the USHL could go in the third round

Good luck Bruno

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Nansi was left off the Central Scouting list unless I missed it. I’ve seen him as high as in the 50s in some rankings.

 

[BKarchitect]

Nansi was left off the Central Scouting list unless I missed it. I’ve seen him as high as in the 50s in some rankings.

His EP ranking section is solid but I think most of those are incredibly out of date, some still from last fall. Intriguing frame and skills but completely unremarkable draft season, production-wise, probably why he didn’t show up for Central Scouting.

I trust guys like Brock way more than CS with the OHL group - Brock had him in his mid-season rankings at #42 among just OHL players.

In any more recent list you’re probably looking at a late round gamble…at best…with a good chance he goes undrafted. Still…it is a bit surprising he is nowhere on the CS watchlist.

 

[waitin425]

Brady Martin will be the steal of this draft.