Came here to post this, shoulda known the joke woulda been taken.
What does the 2025 NHL draft look like? Top heavy? Strong 1st round? No clear #1? Etc?
At the moment, there appear to be a couple folks standing out near the top -
James Hagens: just broke Kucherov's U18 tournament points mark this spring, was the top player on the NTDP squad even though it isn't his draft year. Think Jack Hughes-ish in the smaller but crafty, skilled center vein.
Porter Martone: Canada's bid for the top spot, was good at the 202
3 U18's along with that Celebrini kid, had a strong 2024 U18 and a 30-goal season in the OHL. Big kid, plays sort of a power game in using his size to get inside, absorbs more than he dishes from my viewings but 6'3" already.
Ivan Ryabkin: The obligatory Russian phenom, already broke records in the MHL as a U17 player last year. Could be better than Michkov or Demidov but he looks like he'll be a good one even if he doesn't get to that height.
Anton Frondell: Swedish entry for possible 1OA, but was hurt at the U18's this spring but he's in a solid program and has all sorts of 1C skills.
I like how it's shaping up for the top 10, still curious how deep it will get and who will be the development curve risers.