The not to early 2025 Canes Pre Draft Thread

[MyLuckyPuck]

Pick the biggest, meanest, SNARRGHHLer you can find. That's all I ask.

 

[LakeLivin]

We have WAY more cap space than any other contender. Using that to get a good player for a low acquisition price by swallowing a bad contract really is the obvious move.

But personally, I think our 1st will be used on a big guy who either has hands and we think we can teach to skate, or a big guy who can skate but we think we can maybe teach him not to hold his stick upside down. Nic Roy or Julian Gauthier, basically.

I think He said a couple days ago he’s going the hockey route. He’s an absolute boom or bust prospect but you can’t teach that size or athleticism

I'd bet the Borg has some type of algorithm that incorporates things like size, team need, floor, ceiling, likelihood, etc. to each player available when making a draft pick.

E.g., what to do if the two best options at pick #35 are a smaller RW with a 65% chance of becoming a Jack Drury or a big RW with a 65% chance of becoming Julien Gauthier?

For reference, here are just a couple Canes picks that have been around long enough to have a decent idea of outcome. Probably not a fair representation of where we ended up with respect to different sizes as it's biased towards the more noticeable hits or misses. I'm sure that some of you more familiar with the team could supplement the list.

(player, draft position)
Gauthier 21, Roy 96, Foegele 67, Drury 42, Blake 109, Aho 35, Stank 47 (yeah, we didn't draft him but he's ours now!).

You can say we should get away from drafting smaller skilled players but that ignores what might be available in their place if we do. Yeah, maybe bump up how you're weighting "size" in the algorithm, but a lot will still depend on who is available.

 

[chaz4hockey]

 

[Peterpuck7810]

Personaly i hope they trade up and draft a stud center they been trying to find for years. Prob take 2-4 years to get here but whatever. They should not draft a single player under 6 foot. The bigger and uglier the better....

 

[NotOpie]

Just saw this this morning; I also did a little research over the weekend concentrating on centers. We have a dearth of pivots in the system, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple selected. Not sure if this list contains any of our guys mentioned (no Mason West, for example). I think there are a couple of other guys in the 2nd and possibly the 3rd we might look at. Of course, if somebody like Roger McQueen slips to us (back injury), I'd be all over him as well.

Morreale's Top Ten Centermen in 2025 Draft

Of this group I like Brady Martin (right shot), Jack Nesbitt (big, left shot), and Milton Gastrin (left shot). I think any of those guys would fit with all looking like high end middle-sixers (read: 2C).

A couple of other guys to look at are:

Carter Bear (left shot)
Jack Murtaugh (left shot)
Lee Ryker (right shot; Shattuck St. Mary's product; good USHL numbers; Mich. St. bound)

But if I had to guess, and he's still there, it wouldn't surprise me if we ended up with William Horcoff. Big kid who apparently is a possession monster.

 

[WreckingCrew]

Just saw this this morning; I also did a little research over the weekend concentrating on centers. We have a dearth of pivots in the system, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple selected. Not sure if this list contains any of our guys mentioned (no Mason West, for example). I think there are a couple of other guys in the 2nd and possibly the 3rd we might look at. Of course, if somebody like Roger McQueen slips to us (back injury), I'd be all over him as well.

Morreale's Top Ten Centermen in 2025 Draft

Of this group I like Brady Martin (right shot), Jack Nesbitt (big, left shot), and Milton Gastrin (left shot). I think any of those guys would fit with all looking like high end middle-sixers (read: 2C).

A couple of other guys to look at are:

Carter Bear (left shot)
Jack Murtaugh (left shot)
Lee Ryker (right shot; Shattuck St. Mary's product; good USHL numbers; Mich. St. bound)

But if I had to guess, and he's still there, it wouldn't surprise me if we ended up with William Horcoff. Big kid who apparently is a possession monster.

Brady Martin sounds like the quintessential RBA type guy, but I get the feeling he'll probably be gone well before getting to us, lots have him as a top 10 guy. Gastrin & Murtaugh seem like they'd be the most likely available around our turn (if we don't trade down)

 

[NotOpie]

Brady Martin sounds like the quintessential RBA type guy, but I get the feeling he'll probably be gone well before getting to us, lots have him as a top 10 guy. Gastrin & Murtaugh seem like they'd be the most likely available around our turn (if we don't trade down)

I really like what I've read about Gastrin. Ryker Lee is very intriguing to me. Doing more research on him....

 

[chaz4hockey]

Drafts seem to come down to either:
Take the best player or
Take a position of need.

I put my chips on taking the best player

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Brady Martin sounds like the quintessential RBA type guy, but I get the feeling he'll probably be gone well before getting to us, lots have him as a top 10 guy. Gastrin & Murtaugh seem like they'd be the most likely available around our turn (if we don't trade down)

A cross between Brady Skjei and Joran Martinook? Yeah, that's a RBA type guy.

 

[Chrispy]

A cross between Brady Skjei and Joran Martinook? Yeah, that's a RBA type guy.

Tulsky:

"It's 2024. I have Brady Skjei and Jordan Martinook on the roster."

"It's 2030. I have Brady Martin on the roster. Rod is wistful every time he calls Brady Martin's name, even though I have re-acquired Brady Skjei from Nashville and Jordan Martinook is an assistant coach in charge of the power play."

 

[Joe McGrath]

I wouldn’t worry about picking anyone in the first round or early 2nd. That shit is getting traded for something useful to the now.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I wouldn’t worry about picking anyone in the first round or early 2nd. That shit is getting traded for something useful to the now.

Nah. They're going to do some trade-downs, as is tradition. Canes always teeter on the balance between the right-now and the later-term. That's not going to particularly change.

 

[Not Jim Cantore]

Excited for when they end up selecting 9 players none of which were mentioned once on this thread

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Cullen Potter would be a realistic choice in the late first-to-early 2nd round (if the Canes trade down, as I expect). Very skilled center, albeit-undersized, but the Canes are unafraid to draft small.

 

[Unsustainable]

Cole McKinney still seems like a RBA player to me

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I think people get so myopic about teams like Florida that they forget that there are multiple ways to win a Stanley Cup. Tampa's forward group was undersized in many parts but won twice. Colorado had an undersized defensive group in parts but won a Stanley Cup. The key to Cup winners is not some sort of size or playstyle blueprint, but rather to have a balanced mix of top-end talent and great depth. Carolina clearly has the latter but not the former, which happens to be the polar opposite of groups like the current versions of Tampa/Colorado/Toronto.

 

[zman77]

Henry Brzustewicz**LONDON KNIGHTS​

6' 1 " 192 lbs
Right Shot D-Man

Top Prospect eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft

• Rankings
  Ranked #40 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
  Ranked #38 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
  Ranked #41 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
  Ranked #47 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
  Ranked #31 by THN/KENNEDY
  Ranked #37 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY
  Ranked #46 by FCHOCKEY
  Ranked #37 by DAILY FACEOFF
  Ranked #19 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
  Ranked #24 by HPR/MALLOY
  Ranked #35 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
  Ranked #28 by SPORTSNET/BUKALA
  Ranked #39 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
  Ranked #75 by SMAHT SCOUTING

In most shifts, Brzustewicz plays a quiet and supportive style of game. Rotating ahead of plays, denying the middle, pushing opponents wide, and walling off the front of the net, he contains the opposition. When they put themselves in vulnerable spots, he engages, skating forward at them, and pushing them off the puck. He retrieves it and moves it to his partner, prioritizing safety over creativity. -EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

Henry Brzustewicz Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Henry Brzustewicz, a hockey player from Washington, MI born Feb 9 2007 who was active from 2023 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

 

[HisIceness]

I haven't gone in-depth here but I'm not impressed with anyone that we're expected to pick at 29. I wonder if they feel the same and trade down.

Of course for all I know they might think someone in that range is a future top-minutes getter. But overall this draft is giving me 2012 vibes.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I haven't gone in-depth here but I'm not impressed with anyone that we're expected to pick at 29. I wonder if they feel the same and trade down.

Of course for all I know they might think someone in that range is a future top-minutes getter. But overall this draft is giving me 2012 vibes.

The funny thing is that the 2012 redraft is actually very good. The problem was that the draft positions were all wrong.

 

[Chan790]

I haven't gone in-depth here but I'm not impressed with anyone that we're expected to pick at 29. I wonder if they feel the same and trade down.

Of course for all I know they might think someone in that range is a future top-minutes getter. But overall this draft is giving me 2012 vibes.

I honestly feel that we have organizational depth and really don't need to come out of any more drafts with 9 guys and 5 drafted in the top-100...we need to start taking home run swings. It's time to start trading up and consolidating ourselves into the ~top-15, even if we only make ~5 picks because of it.

It's unlikely, short of a bit of luck, that we start pulling the top-line/top-6 help we need drafting where we are.

 

[Chrispy]

I honestly feel that we have organizational depth and really don't need to come out of any more drafts with 9 guys and 5 drafted in the top-100...we need to start taking home run swings. It's time to start trading up and consolidating ourselves into the ~top-15, even if we only make ~5 picks because of it.

It's unlikely, short of a bit of luck, that we start pulling the top-line/top-6 help we need drafting where we are.

The problem is pick 15 isn’t much more of a guarantee than the end of the first round. This analysis is well out of date but you can see how steep the drop off is to even get 100 nhl games:

Going for the home run draft talent means getting up into the top 10, more likely the top 5.

 

[NotOpie]

Here's a guy I've taken a bit of a shine to. He may still be there at 29 (his rankings are all over the place with Bob McKenzie and Craig Button having him ranked 19 and 24 respectively). He's ranked anywhere from 19 to 54 in the different ranking's that I've seen. But this kid not only seems like a Rod type of player, he brings something else that we need:

From Elite Prospects:

"Ryabkin is a violent centre who can thread a needle and hammer a puck. His best elements are shooting, passing, and hitting. One-timers from the flank, quick-release wristers, and skillful in-tight deflections are his top scoring tools, and he has the handling skill to create space for his shot off the rush."

First time I've ever seen one of these youngsters tagged as "violent".

He had a nice run with Muskegon after he came over from Russia.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Every draft prognosticator I've seen suggests this is a very weak draft and the pool beyond the top 10 is not great.

At 29, don't you think the Canes will do their usual pathway & trade down for more picks?

'26 is projected to be a deep year and having 2 firsts will be much more beneficial.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Every draft prognosticator I've seen suggests this is a very weak draft and the pool beyond the top 10 is not great.

At 29, don't you think the Canes will do their usual pathway & trade down for more picks?

'26 is projected to be a deep year and having 2 firsts will be much more beneficial.

The trade-downs were highly effective in 2021, a draft that was thought to be weak at the time and doesn't look great for most teams besides us and Dallas in hindsight. I would certainly do the same this time if I were the Canes.

 

[baconandbread]

Here's a guy I've taken a bit of a shine to. He may still be there at 29 (his rankings are all over the place with Bob McKenzie and Craig Button having him ranked 19 and 24 respectively). He's ranked anywhere from 19 to 54 in the different ranking's that I've seen. But this kid not only seems like a Rod type of player, he brings something else that we need:

From Elite Prospects:

"Ryabkin is a violent centre who can thread a needle and hammer a puck. His best elements are shooting, passing, and hitting. One-timers from the flank, quick-release wristers, and skillful in-tight deflections are his top scoring tools, and he has the handling skill to create space for his shot off the rush."

First time I've ever seen one of these youngsters tagged as "violent".

He had a nice run with Muskegon after he came over from Russia

If he falls, this is absolutely the guy you take. His main issues seem to be work ethic and conditioning...both of which RBA excels at.