Prospect Info: Draft 2025 - Everyone is trading up, but no one seems to be trading down edition

[Michael Farkas]

I don’t speak for everyone… but yeah I’d wanna see

Sure.

Only the "A" players are of interest to me with our two first round picks.

I didn't make this list like a (regional) scout because that's not what I did this year. I made it like a GM.

A for me is generally upper reaches of the 1st round.
B is late 1st, 2nd round, mid to upper 3rd
C+ is 3rd or 4th
C is the rest

If I don't have a player that makes sense value wise, I exchange the pick for a future pick or, better yet, trade for a player that actually already made the league or a prospect that I thought highly of at the time. Whatever, you get the point. Get things you want. Don't draft dumb nonsense like 3rd line QMJHL players that happened to play near a different draft pick haha

EDIT: There are some caveats to this based on conversations I've had. I've heard things about Mrtka and Carbonneau and some others that might make me change my mind. I needed a more focused look at Reid because I'm scared I graded his hockey sense a level too high. If I did, he's a "B"...if I got it right, I like where I have him. Etc. etc.

 

[Ryder71]

martin as a winger has a very good chance of happening. but that makes him a safer pick. imo

Martin or JOB would be homeruns for this team at 8th OA. I'm not sure either will make it that far, but if so you absolutely try and trade for them.

Don't listen to the circus clowns, they just make things up as they go.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

You could tell me some dipshit rich parents from Long Island named their kid Zyn Fiend and I'd 100% believe you.

Zyn Fiend is a sick name

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Sure.

Only the "A" players are of interest to me with our two first round picks.

I didn't make this list like a (regional) scout because that's not what I did this year. I made it like a GM.

A for me is generally upper reaches of the 1st round.
B is late 1st, 2nd round, mid to upper 3rd
C+ is 3rd or 4th
C is the rest

If I don't have a player that makes sense value wise, I exchange the pick for a future pick or, better yet, trade for a player that actually already made the league or a prospect that I thought highly of at the time. Whatever, you get the point. Get things you want. Don't draft dumb nonsense like 3rd line QMJHL players that happened to play near a different draft pick haha

EDIT: There are some caveats to this based on conversations I've had. I've heard things about Mrtka and Carbonneau and some others that might make me change my mind. I needed a more focused look at Reid because I'm scared I graded his hockey sense a level too high. If I did, he's a "B"...if I got it right, I like where I have him. Etc. etc.

I like it. Thanks for sharing

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Super cool how the B level prospects start right when we pick lol

 

[Michael Farkas]

Super cool how the B level prospects start right when we pick lol

Heh, yeah, but no chance it breaks that way. Like, we'll have Lakovic available to us at 11 I suspect. If we take him there, I immediately think "this draft could be a huge win for us"...the people that base it on Central's Watchlist or another public ranking and use that to determine "value" and value to determine win/loss, they'll give it a D or an F.

I suspect we can get two of those A guys at 11 and 12. Do the Pens consider those same guys "A" guys? I doubt it. I know Martone is way up there for them, for instance.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Heh, yeah, but no chance it breaks that way. Like, we'll have Lakovic available to us at 11 I suspect. If we take him there, I immediately think "this draft could be a huge win for us"...the people that base it on Central's Watchlist or another public ranking and use that to determine "value" and value to determine win/loss, they'll give it a D or an F.

I suspect we can get two of those A guys at 11 and 12. Do the Pens consider those same guys "A" guys? I doubt it. I know Martone is way up there for them, for instance.

Pls tell me Aitcheson is not up there for us

Also I know you didn’t scout this class super hard.. but is Lakovic at 2 biggest island you’ve ever been on?

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

I've heard things about Mrtka and Carbonneau and some others that might make me change my mind.

What was the stuff about Mrtka And Carbonneau? Unless you can't share since you use your name here haha.

 

[Empoleon8771]

From the little I've read about Carbonneau, I think I really like him and consider it a legit debate whether to take him or Eklund at #11. He was 6'1" and 205 lbs at the combine and some reports I've read describe him as the most creative player in the class. Jesse's write-up from his Faceoff Factor page sounds phenomenal:

2025 First Round Endorsement List

The Penguins have a chance to walk away with a significant change to their prospect pool regardless of what happens with the Rangers' pick.

faceofffactor.substack.com

Justin Carbonneau may be the most leathally creative player in the draft class. If we boil this group down to pure hands and dangles, I’m pushing all my chips in right here. Carbonneau is relentless in his attack; off of the puck, he’s dogged in his forechecking and backchecking. He works hard to regain possession of loose pucks. He’s not shy about using his size to his advantage in trying to separate a man from the puck in transition. He’s got a battery that never seems to run out of energy. A powerful skater, he has a beautiful burst from a dead start and wins a lot of loose pucks based on the speed he can hit from his first few jumps. Sometimes, at top speed, he can skate over himself some. In a hurry, leaned over, he almost trips himself up breaking at the waist. There can be too much forward lean in his stride and it can be a little too compact in its function.

The suite of offensive skills here is as deep as any player in the draft. An underrated aspect of this suite is Carbonneau’s one-timer. He posted up on the left wall of the power-play and was a serious threat from the circle. He pre-loads his shots perfectly, legs in a wide base, and gets a full rotation through his hips, ensuring he lets his stick mechanics do work for him. The speed with which he can deliver this shot and the amount of velocity it contains are what make it so hard for goaltenders to handle his one-timer. It’s also a tool he can use from compromised positions. Think of Sidney Crosby dropping to one-knee, I’m talking about the same kind of behavior. He can contort himself or make himself small in order to rip a one-timer off.

In addition to this, Carbonneau has a wrist shot that he’s extrordinarily accurate with. He can pick corners and puck-sized holes very well. This is expecially true in the battle areas around the crease. Carbonneau was great at lifting pucks from compromised positions or simply getting a stick on a puck to squeeze a puck out to a teammate. The chief skill among all of these is his dangling. Carbonneau can carve defenders up with toe-drags, sweeping body dekes, or in-tight maneuvers that put the puck in a defenders feet. He is a magician with the puck, operating with an almost magnetic-like ability. He also layers his attacks well, meaning he can tuck himself into spaces between the defensemens alignment to exploit them. In the face of a 1-2-2 forecheck, he’d often nestle himself right in the middle of the box and then laterally skate through it, completely ruining the systems ability to collapse on him.

He was ranked as the #3 guy that Jesse wanted, after Eklund and Aitcheson who I'm kinda anticipating are going to be their picks anyway. But I think there's a legit argument for Carbonneau over Eklund, mainly driven by the size difference between the two.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Pls tell me Aitcheson is not up there for us

Also I know you didn’t scout this class super hard.. but is Lakovic at 2 biggest island you’ve ever been on?

Nah, I know a couple people that think he can go top 10. There's been a couple NDs that went in the 1st round. (They aren't doing well haha)

I've found some Russians over the years that I have really different opinions on, but that's a different animal, so I can't count that in good conscience...

I banged hard on the table for Seamus Casey to be a top 15 pick a few years ago. Some folks told me "mid round pick" on the low side. That is shaping up nicely.

Conversely, I had McGroarty as a C+ or weak B. That, thankfully, isn't looking correct. He really improved on all the things I hated, that doesn't happen much...I'm happy now about that haha

It's too recent to call, but I thought Adam Jiricek was just a C level player. That's quite an island probably haha

 

[Michael Farkas]

What was the stuff about Mrtka And Carbonneau? Unless you can't share since you use your name here haha.

Yeah, can't share in detail. Mrtka would probably move up a tick. And I'll just truncate the thought there.

 

[tom_servo]

The way Aitcheson blasts goals, lays bodies, and drops gloves.. I can see how that's a turn off for a lot of folks.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Seravalli speculating the Bruins may be looking to move down, would be a good target for the Penguins to move up.

 

[eXile3]

The way Aitcheson blasts goals, lays bodies, and drops gloves.. I can see how that's a turn off for a lot of folks.

No one doesn’t want those skill they just want to use picks in the top part of the draft to take a chance at higher reward.

 

[Turin]

The way Aitcheson blasts goals, lays bodies, and drops gloves.. I can see how that's a turn off for a lot of folks.

I love his profile but when I see it in action it seems evident that he needs a TON of work to be a top 4 defenseman in the NHL. But maybe he gets there? I'm not gonna cry if they pick him, but defensemen who aren't huge and not miraculous skaters trying to play linebacker every shift is a bad recipe in the NHL

 

[TojoP]

I don't like Martin more enough than Eklund for me to trade up for Martin. I'm not sold that Martin sticks at center, not because he can't play center but because his game will be more effective as a winger.

I would re-phrase my comment about O'Brien, though. I would absolutely trade up from #11 to #8 to get O'Brien if it's not expensive to do so. I'd do #11 and #12 for #8 and Tampa's 2026 1st to move up to get Hagens, Martone or Desnoyers. With O'Brien, I'd only offer #11 and a 2026 2nd to move up.

I think this is basically how I feel. I'd definitely move up for one of Hagens, Martrone, Desnoyers, or Frondell. I'd be somewhat interested moving up for JOB depending on cost.

I'd have no interest trading up for Martin because I think he's getting pushed up above his talent because of a good tournament and because of what Bennett did in the playoffs. If he was there at 11-12 I'd probably take him though.

 

[Ryder71]

Very happy to have clarity about 9pm friday. Long ass wait!

 

[Ulf5]

Seravalli speculating the Bruins may be looking to move down, would be a good target for the Penguins to move up.

I swear to God, if Calgary leapfrogs Dubas' ass from 18 and snatches a C.......

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Get ready to learn Bostonese, Rickard.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Get ready to learn Bostonese, Rickard.

Pff, as if he hasn't heard that language since the day he arrived with us.


So Craig Button mocked McQueen and Aitcheson to us in his TSN mock draft. There are WAY too many people mocking Aitcheson to us. Like the profile of the player. There is no way I spend a first-round pick on him. I mean, when a guy like Aitcheson is ready, he is probably already on his second contract. It's basically like drafting a goaltender in round 1, a definite no-no.

Hopefully, this is all a Wes Clark/Kyle Dubas smokescreen. He does not seem like a Wes Clark type of draft pick, no?

McQueen, I have no problem drafting him if you combine him with someone with a higher likelihood of sticking. Like the guy Button mocked at 13 to Detroit...Viktor Eklund

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Fwiw (ie nothing at all), the nhl.com mocked us for Mrtka, Smith, and Nesbitt (there were 2 mocks).

Anyways... it's only Wednesday.

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Carbonneau gives me major Sprong vibes, I’d rather not do that again.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Carbonneau gives me major Sprong vibes, I’d rather not do that again.

Sprong the ability wasn't the issue. Sprong the everything-else was. If teams assess Carbonneau has his head on straight, it's a much more interesting option.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Carbonneau gives me major Sprong vibes, I’d rather not do that again.

Sprong's problem was that he was super arrogant and didn't try whatsoever to round out his game. Skill wasn't his problem, his mentality was the issue.

Carbonneau is a good bit bigger and I haven't seen any negatives regarding his attitude like there were about Srpong.

 

[Ryder71]

Something can change and I kinda hope it does but pretty sure they'll just stay at 11th and 12th.

They gotta huge hole to dig out of so from that perspective standing pat makes sense. They just gotta make those picks count.