Upside Hockey's 2025 NHL Mock Draft March Madness Edition

[UpsideHockey]

"To be clear, this is not our rankings. For the March Edition of our exclusive 2025 NHL Draft Rankings head to our 2025 NHL Draft Headquarters. Though often an exercise in futility, it is nonetheless a fun exercise to work through to project where prospects may land. Here’s our take and your thoughts are welcomed."

Guess who's #1.

Here's 2 through 10 as a teaser:

"2. Chicago Blackhawks: Anton Frondell, C/RW (Djurgardens, Allsvenskan)

Blackhawks go ever so slightly off the board here, but, Holy Frondell!, will they ever be getting a key piece in the rebuild. His formidable shot release will be another weapon to go with Bedard et al.

3. Nashville Predators: James Hagens, C (Boston College, NCAA)

Preds hope they land a future franchise centreman.

4. Buffalo Sabres: Porter Martone, RW (Brampton Steelheads, OHL)

Undeniable package of size, power, and skill.

5. Seattle Kraken: Michael Misa, C/LW (Saginaw Spirit, OHL)

GM Ron Francis and staff ecstatic the exceptional forward falls to their number five slot.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins: Roger McQueen, C (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

The Pens don’t let the injury-plague season scare them off from McQueen’s tantalizing combination of size, hockey sense, and skill.

7. Philadelphia Flyers: Caleb Desnoyers, C (Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL)

Smart playmaking centreman.

8. Anaheim Ducks: Jake O’Brien, C (Brantford Bulldogs, OHL)

Stock rising on this all-around centreman.

9. Boston Bruins: Radim Mrtka, RHD (Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL)

Size (6’6”!), skating, and skill makes this right-handed defenseman from Czechia super enticing to the Bruins.

10. Detroit Red Wings: Victor Eklund, RW (Djurgardens, Allsvenskan)

Cerebral two-way speedy winger."

Go ahead, mock our mock...

Link to Substack article:

Upside Hockey's 2025 NHL Mock Draft

The March Madness Edition of our NHL Mock Draft

upsidehockey.substack.com

 

[EddieTheEagle]

 

[UpsideHockey]

Bait, in what way lol...let us know what picks you disagree with - match it up against our extensive, exclusive March Rankings...

(for instance if yah think Holy Frondell when you saw the Hawks choice, well, he's moved up to #3 in our rankings...)

Here are picks 11-20:

11. New York Islanders: Brady Martin, C (Soo Greyounds, OHL)

“A one-man wrecking crew, and a responsible two-way centreman.”

12. Utah Hockey Club: Jackson Smith, LHD (Tri-City Americans, WHL)

Size. Hockey sense. Skating. He;s a contender for second best defensemen in this draft class.

13. Montreal Canadiens: Justin Carbonneau, RW (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL)

“He's a 6'2" speedster with soft hands, and a bit of a chip on his shoulder.”

14. St. Louis Blues: Blake Fiddler, RHD (Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL)

“Fiddler is an above-average skater for a player his size, exploiting long and powerful strides, with smooth agility and edgework to pivot or change direction quickly. His lateral mobility lets him surf across wide tracts of ice to intercept attackers along the boards. Even still, he has room to improve his top speed and explosiveness. There's some surprising puck-skill in his repertoire to go with his unyielding puck-protection; his handling looks good, and he can dangle around defenders on occasion in the offensive zone, or when exiting the defensive zone.”

15. Pittsburgh Penguins (via New York Rangers): Jack Nesbitt, C (Windsor Spitfires, OHL)

“He's 6'4" power forward with a physical style.”

16. Vancouver Canucks: Lynden Lakovic, LW (Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL)

“Lakovic possesses solid IQ and awareness in all areas, and is able to find soft spots in coverage, often finding himself in the slot at the exact right moment to strike. He is inside-driven, attacking the middle while exhibiting high-end off-puck instincts. Mobility-wise, he's not a burner, but he's well above average in the speed department, on skating that is smooth and powerful with long, fluid strides.”

17. Columbus Blue Jackets: Malcolm Spence, LW (Erie Otters, OHL)

“Physical winger with a pro-style, two-way game.”

18. Montreal Canadiens (via Calgary Flames): Ivan Ryabkin, C (Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL)

“Ryabkin is a smooth and fluid skater, but his straight-ahead speed is average- he needs plenty of work on his explosiveness, acceleration, and top speed. Though he can lose races, and can't easily separate in open ice, he is freakishly strong on the puck, and has uncommon balance, making it very hard to knock him over; he stays on his feet through contact, and is slippery and elusive on his edges. His lack of high-end speed doesn't hurt him as much as his inconsistent pace though. Ryabkin's best traits are his elite IQ and his advanced anticipation in the offensive zone, giving him a creative playmaking game that is augmented by his high-end passing skills. He understands how to create space for teammates by drawing pressure with delays, cut-backs, and button-hooks, and reads the ice as well as anyone in this year's draft class, with the ability to pull off feeds that few others could; he can connect with teammates through traffic, or across the ice, with crisp, accurate passing. Since he came to North America though, it looks as though he's been flexing his goal-scoring skills, with his laser of a shot on a quick, deceptive release, and superb precision to pick corners with. He also displays soft hands in-tight, and times his attacks to the slot so that he arrives at the right time to strike.”

19. Ottawa Senators: Kawshawn Aitcheson, LHD (Barrie Colts, OHL)

Silky smooth skating physical blueliner.

20. Calgary Flames (via New Jersey Devils): Carter Bear, C/LW (Everett Silvertips)

Will the Bear drop this far to the Flames to join their Wolf?

***For the rest (i.e. picks 21-32) of our inaugural 2025 NHL Mock Draft check our Mock Draft HQ over at Upside Hockey.***