Official 2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Appleyard]

Right now they would pick:

#8
#20
#30

They SHOULD be able to get a potential 1C, star forward or 1D at 8 given how draft is likely to fall. If they pick correctly. Multiple will likely be sat there when you look back in 10 years.

Top 4 is set and then: Ryabkin, McQueen, Eklund, Smith, Frondell, Bear, Desnoyers, Mrtka, Reid and O'Brien are kind of the next group up. My guess is that ~5 of those 10 end up as real impact players, and 3 or so stars.

Now, I dont like all of those guys... but can understand why some people do.

And if are sensible should be able to get impact players at 20 and 30 too if ignore biases and go with best players. (Kindel for example is basically tracking to "impossible to fail to become a 60+ point NHLer if ignore his size)

Will be an interesting draft if they pick top 10 that is for sure.

 

[BigToe]

They SHOULD be able to get a potential 1C, star forward or 1D at 8 given how draft is likely to fall.

Who?

 

[Appleyard]

Who?

I would swing on Ryabkin. But it is a big risk. I just value such a long track record of success over a 15 game sample where was not very good on a dysfunctional team! I guess a couple of the Cs who will be there end up 75+ point guys...

He looks like Muskegon's best player quite clearly on a team who can splash the kind of cash that no other in the league can... and have two other guys his age who have a shot to go inside 2nd round.... in a league that is a lot harder to score in than the CHL.

 

[Appleyard]

I am really interested to see where a whole host of guys go. Especially the Russian crop.

Limatov is interesting in the 2nd... albeit I think his absolute upside is a #2-3.

Isayev, Pershakov, Zharovsky, Fomin, Bausov... and Tyurin has kind of came out of no-where and has an interesting skill-set in later rounders.

And then Andreyanov and Frolov have arguments for being the best 2 goalies in the draft... even though probably go 3rd round.

The rest of the Euro nations crops are kind of a bit boring... some interesting players here and there in terms of potential value (2nd round onwards)... but the Swedes and Finns outside of a couple of Swedes are just a load of 2nd-3rd round guys. Similar for Czechs and Slovaks too... some potential nice depth pieces but no-one who is likely to really be a massive steal. Will be guys who are overlooked slightly who end up #4-5s and middle sixers but get in 2nd-4th round.

 

[Adtar02]

What do you think of Caleb desnoyers rise

 

[deadhead]

Right now they would pick:

#8
#20
#30

They SHOULD be able to get a potential 1C, star forward or 1D at 8 given how draft is likely to fall. If they pick correctly. Multiple will likely be sat there when you look back in 10 years.

Top 4 is set and then: Ryabkin, McQueen, Eklund, Smith, Frondell, Bear, Desnoyers, Mrtka, Reid and O'Brien are kind of the next group up. My guess is that ~5 of those 10 end up as real impact players, and 3 or so stars.

Now, I dont like all of those guys... but can understand why some people do.

And if are sensible should be able to get impact players at 20 and 30 too if ignore biases and go with best players. (Kindel for example is basically tracking to "impossible to fail to become a 60+ point NHLer if ignore his size)

Will be an interesting draft if they pick top 10 that is for sure.

It's better than that, depending what they get for Risto/Laughton at the TDL or before the draft.

2nd rd picks could be #37, #42, #48 or so, that would allow you to trade two to get into the 20s, or trade one with #30 to move up to the low 20s or . . .
And if they add extra picks in 2026 and 2027, they'd have even more flexibility to target players in the top 50.

They have enough depth in the organization now that they don't need middle six forwards or third pair defensemen types - so they can afford to miss on a couple picks swinging for upside. Hit on a couple players and no one will care that #30 and #42 never get out of LHV.

 

[BigToe]

Kindel is on a heater in the WHL right now. Only behind Cristall, McKenna and Catton in PPG. Has to be a top 10 guy if he keeps this up.

 

[IronMarshal]

My top 32 for right now
Lines will separate tiers:
1. Matthew Schaefer LD Erie
2. Michael Misa C Saginaw
3. James Hagens C Boston College
4. Porter Martone RW Brampton
5. Roger McQueen C Brandon
6. Anton Frondell C Djurgardens
7. Victor Eklund LW Djurgardens
8. Caleb Desnoyers C Moncton
9. Jackson Smith LD Tri City
10. Ivan Ryabkin C Muskegan
11. Carter Bear C Everett
12. Jake O’Brien C Brantford
13. Kashawn Aitcheson LD Barrie
14. Lynden Lakovich LW Moose Jaw
15. Malcom Spence LW Erie
16. Brady Martin C SSM
17. Radim Mrtka RD Seattle
18. Braden Cootes C Seattle
19. Logan Hensler RD Wisconsin
20. Justin Carbonneau RW Blaineville-
21. Cameron Schmidt RW Vancouver
22. Cameron Reid LD Kitchner
23. Ben Kindel C Calgary
24. Cole Reschny C Victoria
25.Blake Fiddler D Edmonton
26. Jack Nesbitt C Windsor
27. Jack Murtaugh LW USNTDP
28. Joshua Ravensberger G Prince George
29. Bill Zonnen LW Rouyn – Noranda
30. William Moore C USDNTP
31. Nathan Behm LW Kamloops
32. Cullen Potter C Arizona State

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

McQueen might be my pipe dream right now, especially if the Flyers somehow fall some more. If they can't get Misa or Hagens, he'd be my next center to go for. Would easily be the Flyers best prospect. But you go for BPA. But knowing this f***ing club, BPA = who will be loyal to Torts...

 

[FlyguyOX]

You know they'll get desnoyers if they can

 

[Adtar02]

Really like what I am reading about ryabkin, Obrien, and desnoyers.

 

[Rebels57]

Really like what I am reading about ryabkin, Obrien, and desnoyers.

*Triggered*

 

[Larry44]

My top 32 for right now
Lines will separate tiers:
1. Matthew Schaefer LD Erie
2. Michael Misa C Saginaw
3. James Hagens C Boston College
4. Porter Martone RW Brampton
5. Roger McQueen C Brandon
6. Anton Frondell C Djurgardens
7. Victor Eklund LW Djurgardens
8. Caleb Desnoyers C Moncton
9. Jackson Smith LD Tri City
10. Ivan Ryabkin C Muskegan
11. Carter Bear C Everett
12. Jake O’Brien C Brantford
13. Kashawn Aitcheson LD Barrie
14. Lynden Lakovich LW Moose Jaw
15. Malcom Spence LW Erie
16. Brady Martin C SSM
17. Radim Mrtka RD Seattle
18. Braden Cootes C Seattle
19. Logan Hensler RD Wisconsin
20. Justin Carbonneau RW Blaineville-
21. Cameron Schmidt RW Vancouver
22. Cameron Reid LD Kitchner
23. Ben Kindel C Calgary
24. Cole Reschny C Victoria
25.Blake Fiddler D Edmonton
26. Jack Nesbitt C Windsor
27. Jack Murtaugh LW USNTDP
28. Joshua Ravensberger G Prince George
29. Bill Zonnen LW Rouyn – Noranda
30. William Moore C USDNTP
31. Nathan Behm LW Kamloops
32. Cullen Potter C Arizona State

Used your list on this mock, just for first two rounds. How did I do? FC Hockey

 

[Appleyard]

We need to draft Leo Henriquez later on to bolster our goalie depth...

A. Because having a prospect from the Caribbean would be cool.
B. Because I want some skin in the game Flyers prospect pool wise ahaha.

But genuinely think he is getting a bit overlooked due to size. Been better than Pradel at every level... and Pradel is predicted to go top 100. But Pradel is 6'5 aha.

 

[deadhead]

Doing a quick analysis off a trade value chart:
#11, #19, #30, #37, #43, #48
Trading into the top ten is almost impossible, top 5 forget it.
#30 + #48 = #22
#30 + #43 = #20
#30 + #37 = #18

#43 + #48 = #30
#37 + #48 = #26
#37 + #43 = #24

#19 + #48 = #14
#19 + #43 = #13
#19 + #37 = #11
#19 + #30 = #9
#19 + #43 + #48 = #9

This is a crude calculation, but it gives a sense of the flexibility Briere will have approaching this summer's draft.

And of course, he could trade players on the current roster, Laughton and Risto would probably be traded for picks before the draft (to teams with PO aspirations), but other teams might want a Farabee, Zamula, etc. given their age.

 

[IronMarshal]

Used your list on this mock, just for first two rounds. How did I do? FC Hockey


View attachment 967949

That is a pretty awesome draft imo.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Most of those guys are inside Bob McKenzie's top 20.

Mrtka is going to go very high whether he is worthy or not.

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

I seriously don't understand the love for McQueen. I get he has the size, but he's been a walking injury. Misses 15 games last year because of if a back injury and has only played in 8 games this year because of a "lower body" injury, on which scouts believe it's his back again. Major red flags there, especially when the Flyers have had two players that have had major back issues (LeClair, Couturier) and after getting their backs operated on, when they came back, they were never the same.

I'm hopeful that if they stay the same and end up with 8, 20 and 30, that it's all forwards they select. The only thing I don't want to see are late 2006 birth year guys selected in the first. Get away from those guys.

 

[Appleyard]

Topias Hynninen should have been drafted last year... at Smaht we actually had him top 50 and he went undrafted.

Annnd he will certainly go, probably top 100, this year since at 0.75 P/GP in Liiga... and every player who has done that at the same age this century (bar Joni Ikonen) has become at least a fill in NHLer.

I just dont get how guys like him and Galvas go undrafted completely when already clearly capable of playing in AHL at age 18-19... it is absolutely unreal really.

Getting a close to guaranteed "will be able to at least play a cup of coffee in the NHL and probably be a top 6/4 AHLer at worst" in say the 5th-7th round is basically a 3rd base hit, hard to do much better. Yet every team just leaves them there. And it happens every year. Still.

 

[Larry44]

Most of those guys are inside Bob McKenzie's top 20.

Mrtka is going to go very high whether he is worthy or not.

I know, I wish the other teams would use FC Hockey's rankings!