Post your 2025 draft list

[SimGrindcore]

Victor Eklund at 10 and 16

Waiting for mystery to be solved!

 

[Playmaker09]

Franchise
1 Matthew Schaefer - 6'2 LD - Erie - OHL - Scott Niedermayer - young

Low End 1C / 1W / 1D
2 Michael Misa - 6'1 C - Saginaw - OHL - Dylan Larkin

3 James Hagens - 5'10.5 C - Boston College - NCAA - Brayden Point
4 Porter Martone - 6'3 RW - Missisauga - OHL - Jonathan Huberdeau

2C / 2W / 2D
5 Caleb Desnoyers - 6'1.5 C - Moncton - QMJHL - Joel Eriksson Ek
6 Victor Eklund - 5'11 RW - Djurgårdens - Allsvenskan - Seth Jarvis

7 Anton Frondell - 6'1.25 C - Djurgårdens - Allsvenskan - Bo Horvat
8 Brady Martin - 6'0 RW/C - Soo - OHL - Dustin Brown

Middle 6 C / Top 6 W / 3D / 1G
9 Cole Reschny - 5'10.75 C - Victoria - WHL - Tomas Plekanec
10 Carter Bear - 6'0 LW - Everett - WHL - TJ Oshie
11 Lynden Lakovic - 6'4 LW - Moose Jaw - WHL - Max Pacioretty

12 Radim Mrtka - 6'5.75 RD - Seattle - WHL - Tyler Myers - young
13 Kashawn Aitcheson - 6'1.5 LD - Barrie - OHL - Brady Skjei
14 Logan Hensler - 6'2.5 RD - Wisconsin - NCAA - Erik Johnson
15 Jackson Smith - 6'4 LD - Tri-City - WHL - Seth Jones
16 Jake O'Brien - 6'1.5 C - Brantford - OHL - Tim Connolly - young

17 Sascha Boumedienne - 6'1.75 LD - Boston University - NCAA - Mike Matheson
18 Braeden Cootes - 5'11.5 C - Seattle - WHL - Yanni Gourde
19 Bill Zonnon - 6'1.75 C - Rouyn-Noranda - QMJHL - Pavel Zacha
20 Roger McQueen - 6'5.25 C - Brandon - WHL - Nick Bjugstad
21 Malcolm Spence - 6'0.75 LW - Erie - OHL - Reilly Smith
22 Benjamin Kindel - 5'10.25 RW - Calgary - WHL - Jaden Schwartz
23 Justin Carbonneau - 6'1.25 RW - Blainville-Boisbriand - QMJHL - David Perron

3C / 4D / Middle 6 W
24 Blake Fiddler - 6'4.5 RD - Edmonton - WHL - David Savard - young
25 Jack Nesbitt - 6'4.5 C - Windsor - OHL - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
26 Milton Gästrin - 6'0.75 C/LW - MoDo - J20 - Antoine Vermette - young
27 Jack Murtagh - 6'0.5 RW - USNTDP - Alex Killorn - young

28 Cameron Reid - 6'0 LD - Kitchener - OHL - Rasmus Sandin
29 Henry Brzustewicz - 6'1.75 RD - London - OHL - John Marino
30 Cole McKinney - 6'0.25 C - USNTDP - Matt Cullen
31 Shane Vansaghi - 6'2.5 RW - Michgan State - NCAA - Lawson Crouse
32 Cullen Potter - 5'9.75 C/LW - Arizona State - NCAA - Alex Newhook

33 Carter Amico - 6'5.5 RD - USNTDP - Brandon Carlo
34 Kurban Limatov - 6'3 LD - MHK Dynamo Moskva - MHL - Rasmus Ristolainen
35 Eric Nilson - 6'0 C - Djurgårdens - J20 - Jake Evans
36 Alexander Zharovsky - 6'1 LW - Toplar Ufa - MHL - Pavel Dorofeyev

37 Joshua Ravensbergen - 6'5.25 G - Prince George - WHL - Ben Bishop
38 Jacob Rombach - 6'6.25 LD - Lincoln - USHL - Marc Methot
39 William Moore - 6'2.25 C - USNTDP - Alexander Wennberg
40 Jakob Ihs-Wozniak - 6'2.25 RW - Lulea - J20 - Joel Armia

4C / Bottom Pair D / Bottom 6 W / High-Risk
41 David Bedkowski - 6'4.5 RD - Owen Sound - OHL
42 Theodor Hallquisth - 6'1.25 RD - Örebro - SHL - young
43 Charlie Trethewey - 6'1 RD - USNTDP - young
44 Theo Stockselius - 6'3 C - Djurgårdens - J20 - young
45 William Horcoff - 6'4.75 C - Michigan - NCAA
46 Mason West - 6'6.25 C - Edina High - USHS-MN - young
47 Vaclav Nestrasil - 6'5.5 RW - Muskegon - USHL
48 Nathan Behm - 6'1.75 RW - Kamloops - WHL
49 Ryker Lee - 6'0.25 RW - Madison - USHL
50 Benjamin Kevan - 6'0.5 RW - Des Moines - USHL

51 Max Psenicka - 6'5 RD - Portland - WHL
52 Lasse Boelius - 6'0.75 LD - Ässät - U20 SM-sarja
53 Daniil Prokhorov - 6'5.5 RW - MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg - MHL
54 Ivan Ryabkin - 5'11 C - Dynamo Moskva - MHL
55 Cameron Schmidt - 5'7.5 RW - Vancouver - WHL

56 Semyon Frolov - 6'3 G - Spartak Moskva - MHL
57 Roman Bausov - 6'5 RD - St. Petersburg - MHL
58 Peyton Kettles - 6'5.5 RD - Swift Current - WHL - young
59 Simon Wang - 6'5.75 LD - Oshawa - OHL - young
60 Luca Romano - 5'11.25 C - Kitchener - OHL - young
61 Matthew Gard - 6'4.75 C - Red Deer - WHL
62 Ethan Czata - 6'1.5 C - Niagara - OHL
63 Mads Kongsbak Klyvø - 6'2 LW - Frölunda- J20
64 Eddie Genborg - 6'1.5 LW - Linkoping - J20

65 Pyotr Andreyanov - 6'2 G - CSKA Moskva - MHL
66 Malte Vass - 6'2.5 LD - Färjestad - J20
67 Sean Barnhill - 6'5.25 RD - Dubuque - USHL
68 Tyler Hopkins - 6'1 C - Kingston - OHL
69 Michal Svrcek - 5'10.25 C - Brynäs - SHL
70 Mikkel Eriksen - 5'11 C - Färjestad - J20 - young
71 Gustav Hillström - 6'1.5 C - Brynäs - J20
72 Tinus Luc Koblar - 6'3 C - Leksands - J20 - young
73 Hayden Paupanekis - 6'5 C - Kelowna - WHL
74 Arvid Drott - 6'0 RW - Djurgårdens - J20 - young
75 Vojtěch Čihař - 6'0.25 LW - HC Energie Karlovy Vary - Czechia

 

[rocketdan9]

Franchise
1 Matthew Schaefer - 6'2 LD - Erie - OHL - Scott Niedermayer - young

Low End 1C / 1W / 1D
2 Michael Misa - 6'1 C - Saginaw - OHL - Dylan Larkin

3 James Hagens - 5'10.5 C - Boston College - NCAA - Brayden Point
4 Porter Martone - 6'3 RW - Missisauga - OHL - Jonathan Huberdeau

2C / 2W / 2D
5 Caleb Desnoyers - 6'1.5 C - Moncton - QMJHL - Joel Eriksson Ek
6 Victor Eklund - 5'11 RW - Djurgårdens - Allsvenskan - Seth Jarvis

7 Anton Frondell - 6'1.25 C - Djurgårdens - Allsvenskan - Bo Horvat
8 Brady Martin - 6'0 RW/C - Soo - OHL - Dustin Brown

Middle 6 C / Top 6 W / 3D / 1G
9 Cole Reschny - 5'10.75 C - Victoria - WHL - Tomas Plekanec
10 Carter Bear - 6'0 LW - Everett - WHL - TJ Oshie
11 Lynden Lakovic - 6'4 LW - Moose Jaw - WHL - Max Pacioretty

12 Radim Mrtka - 6'5.75 RD - Seattle - WHL - Tyler Myers - young
13 Kashawn Aitcheson - 6'1.5 LD - Barrie - OHL - Brady Skjei
14 Logan Hensler - 6'2.5 RD - Wisconsin - NCAA - Erik Johnson
15 Jackson Smith - 6'4 LD - Tri-City - WHL - Seth Jones
16 Jake O'Brien - 6'1.5 C - Brantford - OHL - Tim Connolly - young

17 Sascha Boumedienne - 6'1.75 LD - Boston University - NCAA - Mike Matheson
18 Braeden Cootes - 5'11.5 C - Seattle - WHL - Yanni Gourde
19 Bill Zonnon - 6'1.75 C - Rouyn-Noranda - QMJHL - Pavel Zacha
20 Roger McQueen - 6'5.25 C - Brandon - WHL - Nick Bjugstad
21 Malcolm Spence - 6'0.75 LW - Erie - OHL - Reilly Smith
22 Benjamin Kindel - 5'10.25 RW - Calgary - WHL - Jaden Schwartz
23 Justin Carbonneau - 6'1.25 RW - Blainville-Boisbriand - QMJHL - David Perron

3C / 4D / Middle 6 W
24 Blake Fiddler - 6'4.5 RD - Edmonton - WHL - David Savard - young
25 Jack Nesbitt - 6'4.5 C - Windsor - OHL - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
26 Milton Gästrin - 6'0.75 C/LW - MoDo - J20 - Antoine Vermette - young
27 Jack Murtagh - 6'0.5 RW - USNTDP - Alex Killorn - young

28 Cameron Reid - 6'0 LD - Kitchener - OHL - Rasmus Sandin
29 Henry Brzustewicz - 6'1.75 RD - London - OHL - John Marino
30 Cole McKinney - 6'0.25 C - USNTDP - Matt Cullen
31 Shane Vansaghi - 6'2.5 RW - Michgan State - NCAA - Lawson Crouse
32 Cullen Potter - 5'9.75 C/LW - Arizona State - NCAA - Alex Newhook

33 Carter Amico - 6'5.5 RD - USNTDP - Brandon Carlo
34 Kurban Limatov - 6'3 LD - MHK Dynamo Moskva - MHL - Rasmus Ristolainen
35 Eric Nilson - 6'0 C - Djurgårdens - J20 - Jake Evans
36 Alexander Zharovsky - 6'1 LW - Toplar Ufa - MHL - Pavel Dorofeyev

37 Joshua Ravensbergen - 6'5.25 G - Prince George - WHL - Ben Bishop
38 Jacob Rombach - 6'6.25 LD - Lincoln - USHL - Marc Methot
39 William Moore - 6'2.25 C - USNTDP - Alexander Wennberg
40 Jakob Ihs-Wozniak - 6'2.25 RW - Lulea - J20 - Joel Armia

4C / Bottom Pair D / Bottom 6 W / High-Risk
41 David Bedkowski - 6'4.5 RD - Owen Sound - OHL
42 Theodor Hallquisth - 6'1.25 RD - Örebro - SHL - young
43 Charlie Trethewey - 6'1 RD - USNTDP - young
44 Theo Stockselius - 6'3 C - Djurgårdens - J20 - young
45 William Horcoff - 6'4.75 C - Michigan - NCAA
46 Mason West - 6'6.25 C - Edina High - USHS-MN - young
47 Vaclav Nestrasil - 6'5.5 RW - Muskegon - USHL
48 Nathan Behm - 6'1.75 RW - Kamloops - WHL
49 Ryker Lee - 6'0.25 RW - Madison - USHL
50 Benjamin Kevan - 6'0.5 RW - Des Moines - USHL

51 Max Psenicka - 6'5 RD - Portland - WHL
52 Lasse Boelius - 6'0.75 LD - Ässät - U20 SM-sarja
53 Daniil Prokhorov - 6'5.5 RW - MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg - MHL
54 Ivan Ryabkin - 5'11 C - Dynamo Moskva - MHL
55 Cameron Schmidt - 5'7.5 RW - Vancouver - WHL

56 Semyon Frolov - 6'3 G - Spartak Moskva - MHL
57 Roman Bausov - 6'5 RD - St. Petersburg - MHL
58 Peyton Kettles - 6'5.5 RD - Swift Current - WHL - young
59 Simon Wang - 6'5.75 LD - Oshawa - OHL - young
60 Luca Romano - 5'11.25 C - Kitchener - OHL - young
61 Matthew Gard - 6'4.75 C - Red Deer - WHL
62 Ethan Czata - 6'1.5 C - Niagara - OHL
63 Mads Kongsbak Klyvø - 6'2 LW - Frölunda- J20
64 Eddie Genborg - 6'1.5 LW - Linkoping - J20

65 Pyotr Andreyanov - 6'2 G - CSKA Moskva - MHL
66 Malte Vass - 6'2.5 LD - Färjestad - J20
67 Sean Barnhill - 6'5.25 RD - Dubuque - USHL
68 Tyler Hopkins - 6'1 C - Kingston - OHL
69 Michal Svrcek - 5'10.25 C - Brynäs - SHL
70 Mikkel Eriksen - 5'11 C - Färjestad - J20 - young
71 Gustav Hillström - 6'1.5 C - Brynäs - J20
72 Tinus Luc Koblar - 6'3 C - Leksands - J20 - young
73 Hayden Paupanekis - 6'5 C - Kelowna - WHL
74 Arvid Drott - 6'0 RW - Djurgårdens - J20 - young
75 Vojtěch Čihař - 6'0.25 LW - HC Energie Karlovy Vary - Czechia

Nice work. Not sure though I agree with Hagens to Point comp. Even prior to the draft Point was known as a fearless and hard nosed prospect.

Brady Martin to Dustin Brown is a solid comp.

 

[Kraken Jokes]

4 Porter Martone - 6'3 RW - Missisauga - OHL - Jonathan Huberdeau

No way! We have to get "Porter MarkStone" trending before the draft.

 

[newmanager]

1	Schaefer, Matthew	6′2″	186	Defenseman	ERIE	OHL
2	Martone, Porter	6′3″	208	Right Wing	BRAMPTON	OHL
3	Misa, Michael	6′1″	182	Center	SAGINAW	OHL
4	Desnoyers, Caleb	6′2″	178	Center	MONCTON	QMJHL
5	McQueen, Roger	6′5.25″	198	Center	BRANDON	WHL
6	Hagens, James	5′10.5″	186	Center	BOSTON COLLEGE	H-EAST
7	Martin, Brady	6′0″	186	Center	SAULT STE. MARIE	OHL
8	Eklund, Victor	5′11″	169	Right Wing	Djurgarden	SWEDEN-2
9	Mrtka, Radim	6′5.75″	218	Defenseman	SEATTLE	WHL
10	Smith, Jackson	6′4″	199	Defenseman	TRI-CITY	WHL
11	Aitcheson, Kashawn	6′1.5″	199	Defenseman	BARRIE	OHL
12	Frondell, Anton	6′1.25″	204	Center	Djurgarden	SWEDEN-2
13	O'Brien, Jake	6′1.5″	177	Center	BRANTFORD	OHL
14	Nesbitt, Jack	6′4.5″	186	Center	WINDSOR	OHL
15	Bear, Carter	6′0″	179	Left Wing	EVERETT	WHL
16	Cootes, Braeden	5′11.5″	186	Center	SEATTLE	WHL
17	Fiddler, Blake	6′4.5″	220	Defenseman	EDMONTON	WHL
18	Carbonneau, Justin	6′1.25″	205	Right Wing	BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND	QMJHL
19	Spence, Malcolm	6′0.75″	190	Left Wing	ERIE	OHL
20	Reschny, Cole	5′10.75″	180	Center	VICTORIA	WHL
21	Lakovic, Lynden	6′4″	200	Left Wing	MOOSE JAW	WHL
22	Boumedienne, Sascha	6′1.75″	184	Defenseman	BOSTON UNIVERSITY	H-EAST
23	Zonnon, Bill	6′2″	187	Right Wing	ROUYN-NORANDA	QMJHL
24	Kindel, Benjamin	5′10.25″	180	Center	CALGARY	WHL
25	Gastrin, Milton	6′0.75″	194	Center	Modo Jr.	SWEDEN-JR.
26	Limatov, Kurban	6′3″	198	Defenseman	DYNAMO MOSCOW JR.	RUSSIA-JR.
27	Brzustewicz, Henry	6′2″	203	Defenseman	LONDON	OHL
28	Zharovsky, Alexander	6′1″	163	Right Wing	Ufa Jr.	RUSSIA-JR.
29	Hensler, Logan	6′2.5″	198	Defenseman	WISCONSIN	BIG10
30	Nestrasil, Vaclav	6′5.5″	185	Right Wing	MUSKEGON	USHL
31	Horcoff, William	6′4.75″	203	Center	MICHIGAN	BIG10
32	Ravensbergen, Joshua	6′5.25″	191	Goalie	PRINCE GEORGE	WHL

 

[QJL]

1. Brady Martin
2. Michael Misa
3. Matthew Schafer
4. Anton Frondell
5. Porter Martone
6. Caleb Desnoyers
7. Radim Mrkta
8. James Hagens
9. Kurban Limatov
10. Roger McQueen
11. Carter Bear
12. Jackson Smith
13. Victor Eklund
14. Kashawn Aitcheson
15. Mason West
16. Jake O’Brien
17. Tomas Pobezal
18. Alexander Zharovsky
19. Braeden Cootes
20. Jacob Ihs Wozniak
21. Logan Hensler
22. Cole McKinney
23. Joshua Ravensbergen
24. Lynden Lakovic
25. Matthew Gard
26. Cullen Potter
27. Milton Gastrin
28. Cameron Reid
29. Jack Murtagh
30. Eric Nilson
31. Conrad Fondrk
32. Nathan Behm

 

[Realgud]

1. Brady Martin
2. Michael Misa
3. Matthew Schafer
4. Anton Frondell
5. Porter Martone
6. Caleb Desnoyers
7. Radim Mrkta
8. James Hagens
9. Kurban Limatov
10. Roger McQueen
11. Carter Bear
12. Jackson Smith
13. Victor Eklund
14. Kashawn Aitcheson
15. Mason West
16. Jake O’Brien
17. Tomas Pobezal
18. Alexander Zharovsky
19. Braeden Cootes
20. Jacob Ihs Wozniak
21. Logan Hensler
22. Cole McKinney
23. Joshua Ravensbergen
24. Lynden Lakovic
25. Matthew Gard
26. Cullen Potter
27. Milton Gastrin
28. Cameron Reid
29. Jack Murtagh
30. Eric Nilson
31. Conrad Fondrk
32. Nathan Behm

What's your opinion on Blake Fiddler?

 

[viceroy]

1. Brady Martin

I really like Brady Martin as well but at #1 OVA? Yowza.

 

[Hollel]

I really like Brady Martin as well but at #1 OVA? Yowza.

Imagine drafting Mason West over Jake O’Brien lmao

 

[SimGrindcore]

1. Brady Martin
2. Michael Misa
3. Matthew Schafer
4. Anton Frondell
5. Porter Martone
6. Caleb Desnoyers
7. Radim Mrkta
8. James Hagens
9. Kurban Limatov
10. Roger McQueen
11. Carter Bear
12. Jackson Smith
13. Victor Eklund
14. Kashawn Aitcheson
15. Mason West
16. Jake O’Brien
17. Tomas Pobezal
18. Alexander Zharovsky
19. Braeden Cootes
20. Jacob Ihs Wozniak
21. Logan Hensler
22. Cole McKinney
23. Joshua Ravensbergen
24. Lynden Lakovic
25. Matthew Gard
26. Cullen Potter
27. Milton Gastrin
28. Cameron Reid
29. Jack Murtagh
30. Eric Nilson
31. Conrad Fondrk
32. Nathan Behm

That's what I call a trailblazer!

 

[QJL]

Imagine drafting Mason West over Jake O’Brien lmao

You sound a lot like the guy who called me out for ranking Quinn Hughes over Dahlin, Makar over Nolan Patrick, Seth Jarvis in my top 5, etc…

Plenty of misses and plenty of makes!

 

[Zeller]

1. James Hagens
2. Matthew Schaefer
3. Michael Misa
4. Jake O'Brien
5. Victor Eklund
6. Porter Martone
7. Jackson Smith
8. Anton Frondell
9. Caleb Desnoyers
10. Brady Martin
11. Roger McQueen
12. Radim Mrtka
13. Carter Bear
14. Kashawn Aitcheson
15. Cole Reshny

 

[Hollel]

You sound a lot like the guy who called me out for ranking Quinn Hughes over Dahlin, Makar over Nolan Patrick, Seth Jarvis in my top 5, etc…

Plenty of misses and plenty of makes!

Lmao. I don’t doubt you got hate for those takes at the time, but surely we can see the difference in betting on those three vs Mason west ( who I really really like!!)

 

[SimGrindcore]

 

[rocketdan9]

Nice list. But Nestrasil and Ryker Lee are ranked too low imo. Both have potential as 2nd liners.

 

[jvr32]

Top 50 - Best Player Available
1 Matthew Schaefer
2 Michael Misa
3 James Hagens
4 Porter Martone
5 Anton Frondell
6 Radim Mrtka
7 Victor Eklund
8 Henry Brzustewicz
9 Brady Martin
10 Jackson Smith
11 Jake O'Brien
12 Caleb Desnoyers
13 Benjamin Kindel
14 Carter Bear
15 Kashawn Aitcheson
16 Sascha Boumedienne
17 Bryce Pickford
18 Malcolm Spence
19 Braeden Cootes
20 Cameron Reid
21 Logan Hensler
22 Cullen Potter
23 Bill Zonnon
24 Jack Nesbitt
25 Ryker Lee
26 Jack Murtagh
27 Roger McQueen
28 Milton Gästrin
29 Cole McKinney
30 Alexei Medvedev
31 Justin Carbonneau
32 Vaclav Nestrasil
33 Cole Reschny
34 Joshua Ravensbergen
35 Petteri Rimpinen
36 Shane Vansaghi
37 Theo Stockselius
38 Cameron Schmidt
39 Ivan Ryabkin
40 Lynden Lakovic
41 Blake Fiddler
42 Noah Read
43 Vojtěch Čihař
44 David Lewandowski
45 William Moore
46 Alexander Zharovsky
47 Max Westergård
48 Mateo Nobert
49 Eric Nilson
50 Eddie Genborg

 

[viceroy]

Top 50 - Best Player Available

33 Cole Reschny
40 Lynden Lakovic
41 Blake Fiddler

These 3 as 2nd Rounders? Okie dokie.

 

[majormajor]

Copying this from the Jackets board. I will include the disclaimer that most of these guys I only have 1-2 viewings. Not worth a whole lot.

1. Matthew Schaefer, LD, elite #1D
The skating is incredible and the processor can keep up. People are shy about the Scott Niedermayer comparisons but I won't be. He could be that good.

2. Michael Misa, C, #1C
All around high end tools. He should be a big time scorer, maybe 90 pt center if he has great players around him. Shades of Jason Spezza or Tyler Seguin. I'm less sure how he'd look without great linemates like he had in Saginaw, he's not a guy who I would expect to carry a team on his back.

3. Porter Martone, W, All Star winger
Martone is a big playmaker, too soft to call a power forward. He doesn't engage in battles enough or play with much pace. His game is about vision and deft passing, forehand and backhand. He is the type of player who knows what he is going to do before the puck comes to him, he plays more like Kucherov than a Tkachuk brother. My closest comp might be Rantanen, maybe without the elite shooting.

4. Brady Martin, F, top six power forward
Martin scored a lot in the second half and at the U18s. He's more than just a devastating hitter. His "jump", which is part of what makes him a great hitter, is going to come in handy in the NHL, and not just for hitting. He can jump into battles and protect the puck. The puck skills are average but I think his battle level will make him an ideal third man on a top line. Somewhere in the Zach Hyman and Sam Bennett overlap.

5. Radim Mrtka, RD, top pair D
A lot of projections have Mrtka as a second pair guy but I think he profiles more as a #2D type. Everything but PP. He fluidly covers so much ice, with very little weakness to exploit in his skating. Good puckmover. Really nothing missing at 5v5 and he's 6'6 220 already. I'll take that over the future 2Cs.

6. Caleb Desnoyers, C, top six center
Desnoyers showed glimpses of being a #1C but not enough of it. Most of the time I felt like I was watching more of a David Krejci type. He's smart positionally and has good all around tools, but nothing special. He's 6'2 170 lbs so maybe that will change when he gets a lot more muscle and power in his stride.

7. Jackson Smith, LD, top pair D
Smith is an incredible skater and uses it to gain the zone with ease on offense, and to choke out rushes on defense. He can tilt the ice that way. He doesn't know what to do in each zone though. At offense he squanders plays. But we've seen so many great skating D learn to refine their games in the NHL, it just takes a while. I'm thinking of the transformation of Broberg, and earlier of D Toews and Forsling.

8. Victor Eklund, W, top six forward
Eklund is one of the few players I feel comfortable comparing to Seth Jarvis. The skill isn't quite on that level but the motor and hockey sense is very high and he knows how to use his body to engage physically on his terms. Eklund is the primary driver for Frondell's line in the Allsvenskan league, and while most scouts think Eklund won't be very effective in the NHL at his size, I think he can be. He's 5'11 and figures to get stronger. Frankly he's bigger than Jarvis and Arvidsson. Those are his closest comparables in terms of playstyle.

9. Anton Frondell, F, top six forward
Frondell is like if Boone Jenner had an elite shot. He's built solid and doesn't back down. Not great vision or passing, Frondell relied more on Eklund to establish possession. Frondell could be a center with a dominant puck carrying winger, in the same way that Jenner worked with Gaudreau. But Frondell really does have a great shot. It's very heavy and very accurate. I'd be surprised if he isn't a 30+ goal guy.

10. Jake O'Brien, C, top six center
Like Desnoyers, O'Brien is 6'2 170 and you hope he can transform into more of a beast later on. Right now he is a slower pace center, and he lacks the positional polish of Desnoyers, that's why he's ranked a bit lower. He is a very good passer though, he has some of the best vision in the draft. It really depends on how much quicker he can get though. I find it easier to imagine him as a Dylan Strome type of center or maybe Ryan Johansen, guys who didn't have a lot of pace.

11. Lynden Lakovic, W, top six forward
Lakovic has top six skill all day, top line even. No one else can weave into the zone with such ease, and he does it at 6'4. Great in open ice situations. But when the puck is on the wall Lakovic does a fly by or watches his teammates do the work. Unfortunately the puck is within a few feet of the wall for, what is it, 80% of the game? Do you want to draft a guy that you have to teach grit to? Some of this might come along as Lakovic learns the pro tactics for board battles, and as he gets stronger. He's a lanky 6'4 190. I think he'll be a scorer in the NHL, but maybe a frustrating player to have.

12. Kashawn Aitcheson, LD, middle or bottom pair D
If you want someone with that dawg in them... that's Aitcheson. He's a devastating hitter and loves to chirp and battle and bomb the puck. There have been Kevin Bieksa comparisons.

13. Logan Hensler, RD, #2-#4 D.
Hensler is a very good skater in all four directions, and already built solid. Call me crazy but I think there's a bit of McDonagh in there. Hensler shows polish defensively and moves pucks well from the back end, but is a bit less useful in the offensive zone. I think his detractors underweigh the difficulty of college hockey. Hensler is unlikely to play on the PP in the NHL but he did do very well against college opponents in other aspects.

14. Sasha Boumedienne, LD, top 4 D.
I'm not sure why so many outlets have Boumedienne ranked in the 20s. He's 6'2, he skates like the wind, he showed a good defensive game playing college hockey as a 17 year old, he scored fourteen points in 7 games at the U18s. Granted he didn't show much offense in college and he wasn't as good as his point totals indicate at the U18s, but he's combined to show you glimpses of everything you want to see. There's upside here.

15. Daniil Prokhorov, W, top nine netfront specialist.
Prokhorov is very consistently physical, at times devastating. And he very consistently drives the net, plays at the netmouth, and especially plays behind the net where he is impossible to dislodge from the puck. He's a nightmare for goalies. He's 6'6 220, very very strong already, and he knows what he is good at. That's the good, which is very good, the rest is bad. He especially needs to come a long way in passing and vision. But I think you might just take him for what he is good at.

16. Braeden Cootes, C, middle six center.
He's very fast and very driven, high battle level. Only 5'11.5 though. And he wasn't a big scorer this year. You're banking on his drive and motor making him translate to the pros better than the similar small skilled centers out there. I enjoyed watching him more than the other centers this year, Cootes is always in the action.

17. Cameron Reid, LD, top four D.
Reid is only 6'0 and everyone is wary of how many D prospects that size have turned into Boqvists. I think Reid is closer to Josh Morrissey though. The skating is that damn good, and he can battle. If your team can accommodate a smallish LD then you might have him higher than this.

18. Roger McQueen, C, top six center??
McQueen is a bit lower because of the injury risk and because his game lacks polish in all areas. He's really good at squirming through traffic at high speed, which is remarkable to see for a 6'5 forward. But he's not a good shooter and inconsistent in passing. How valuable is Tage Thompson without the shot? It's possible McQueen isn't that valuable even if healthy. Very wide range of outcomes here.

19. Carter Bear, F, top nine forward??
Bear would be an easy top ten selection if not for the Achilles injury. Bear was a great puck hound who showed a lot of skill in all areas. Great determination, a fan favorite type. I'm not assuaged by reports that he is healthy now. We don't know yet how his skating has changed.

20. Justin Carbonneau, F, top nine forward
Carbonneau is a competitive well built forward who drives hard to score. A lot of skill. Unfortunately some bad decision making and poor vision. I ultimately found him frustrating to watch, I don't know if does much to make his teammates better.

21. Ivan Ryabkin, F, top six forward??
Ryabkin has garnered attention for being out of shape and very underwhelming. But let's talk about what he can be if he shows up in shape. The kid has crazy handling and passing skill, he is very strong. Very deceptive. Very physical and nasty. A lot of attributes grade out at the top. I think on upside you have to take him in the 1st round, maybe higher than this.

22. Ryker Lee, F, top nine forward
Lee has very good puck skill. I always notice him on the PP for cleanly handling everything and improving the puck. I didn't notice him much at 5v5. He doesn't have a lot of pace. Hockeyprospect ranks him 15th, which ought to gain attention. They were the only outlet high on Knies, also out of the USHL, ranking him similarly.

23. Jack Nesbitt, C, bottom six center.
Nesbitt reminds me at times of a Bjugstad, sometimes of Anisimov. He's a very lanky center at 6'4 180. He might get significantly stronger. One thing is relatively clear though and that is that Nesbitt is smart off puck. He's nothing special with it.

24. Cole Reschny, C, middle six forward??
Reschny is a speedy puck carrier who went on a torrid scoring pace down the stretch and into the WHL playoffs. But he is a shade under 5'11 and looks small. Not that comfortable creating space physically like Cootes or Eklund. There is some bust risk at the size. HP had him ranked 14th FWIW.

25. Vaclav Nestrasil, F, bottom six forward
I also debated the blazing fast Potter or the power forward Zonnon here. I went with the giant Nestrasil, 6'6 185. He isn't much to watch now, just flashes of skill around the net, and some good skating mechanics. He'll add a lot of weight, will be fun to watch where he ends up.

I didn't rank Hagens. He's better than plenty of these guys on this list, but when you have a guy much lower than consensus, sometimes it's better to just say "let someone else pick him". I had been thinking Clayton Keller, but I kept thinking while watching Hagens that I couldn't imagine Keller making so many poor plays.

 

[Shark Finn]

1. Brady Martin
2. Michael Misa

I don't know which is crazier here, the Islanders picking Brady Martin at 1OA or the Sharks passing on Schaefer at 2OA.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

This isn't based on BPA.
#1 Schaefer
#2 Misa
#3 Desnoyers
#4 Frondell
#5 McQueen
#6 Hagens
#7 O'Brien
#8 Martone
#9 Aitcheson
#10 Martin
#11 Eklund
#12 Smith
#13 Mrtka
#14 Bear
#15 Carbonneau
#16 Lakovic
#17 Spence
#18 Fiddler
#19 Reschny
#20 Reid

 

[Fyodorov]

I didn't rank Hagens. He's better than plenty of these guys on this list, but when you have a guy much lower than consensus, sometimes it's better to just say "let someone else pick him". I had been thinking Clayton Keller, but I kept thinking while watching Hagens that I couldn't imagine Keller making so many poor plays.

Thank god the draft is almost here.