Welcome to my annual draft class superlatives. This year-end class undertaking (pun meant) is just like the “better of” or “almost definitely to” part of your highschool yearbook, besides the graduating class is every draft class.
My closing draft board and draft bundle rating the top 100 prospects (plus 30 honorable mentions and 15 overagers) within the 2025 NHL Draft is already out.
At the moment, I rank the prospects throughout a number of totally different classes: greatest skaters, greatest shooters, greatest arms, best, smartest, most bodily, most well-rounded forwards and strongest.
Finest skaters
The three 5-foot-7ish guys on this class can all completely fly, however the two greatest skaters on this class are Cullen Potter and Matthew Schaefer. No one can wind up like Potter (Cameron Schmidt, who I’ve seen pointed to as the highest skater within the class, included), who is among the quickest skaters I’ve scouted each in straight traces and rounding corners by means of his edges. And no one flows north-south up and down the ice as effortlessly as Schaefer does. Reese Hamilton’s edges additionally get excessive marks, and Radim Mrtka and Simon Wang aren’t simply good skaters for 6-foot-5-plus however good skaters by any measure.
1. Cullen Potter
2. Matthew Schaefer
3. Cameron Schmidt
4. L.J. Mooney
5. Adam Benak
6. Ben Kevan
7. Reese Hamilton
8. James Hagens
9. Michael Misa
10. Sascha Boumedienne
11. Cameron Reid
12. Luca Romano
13. Haoxi “Simon” Wang
Honorable mentions: Radim Mrtka, Lasse Boelius, Jackson Smith, Viggo Nordlund, Tomas Galvas, Daniel Nieminen, Kieren Dervin, Arvid Drott, Malcolm Spence, Lirim Amidovski
Finest photographs
This draft class doesn’t have any big-time shooters, and looking for names for this class underscored that. Final 12 months’s class had snipers similar to Cole Eiserman and Justin Poirier, and defensemen similar to Zayne Parekh and Carter Yakemchuk who might actually shoot it. Even Tij Iginla had a noteworthy shot. Not one of the gamers on this class have that sort of pop off the blade, with Schmidt possibly being the closest factor when he actually rocks it again into his pocket and lets it rip.
1. Cameron Schmidt
2. Justin Carbonneau
3. Anton Frondell
4. Jakob Ihs-Wozniak
5. Kashawn Aitcheson
6. Jack Murtagh
7. Porter Martone
8. Bryce Pickford
9. Michael Misa
Honorable mentions: Daniil Prokhorov, Emile Guite, Charlie Trethewey, Cooper Simpson, Brent Solomon, Brady Martin, Carter Bear
Finest arms
They name Ryker Lee “The Wizard,” and he lives as much as the identify, with the slickest arms and puck talent that I watched on this draft from an ankle-breaking/in-a-phone-booth/one-on-one perspective. Jake O’Brien is the following closest by way of contact and really feel on the puck. L.J. Mooney’s arms are significantly spectacular for a way they mix in along with his skating and agility, although, too. He finds his means out of hassle and thru holes higher than anybody within the class. There are a few large, sturdy wingers whose arms I wished to attract consideration to in Justin Carbonneau and Porter Martone as nicely. These two love the toe drag and execute it very skillfully. Fondrk is a sneaky one, too. His teammates give his talent stage a variety of love, and if he’d been wholesome this 12 months, I feel it might have been extra of a speaking level.
1. Ryker Lee
2. Jake O’Brien
3. L.J. Mooney
4. Justin Carbonneau
5. James Hagens
6. Porter Martone
7. Alexander Zharovsky
8. Michael Misa
9. Conrad Fondrk
10. Ivan Ryabkin
Honorable mentions: Brady Martin, Benjamin Kindel, Cullen Potter, Adam Benak, Viktor Klingsell, Aidan Lane, Filip Ekberg, Philippe Veilleux, Benjamin Rautiainen, Roger McQueen, Caleb Desnoyers, Cole Reschny
Smartest
For what this class would possibly lack within the shooters class, it makes up for with some excessive, high-end hockey IQ varieties. I feel Adam Benak thinks it on the highest aircraft, however there are some very, very good gamers on this group who actually perceive the right way to navigate the ice. You’ll discover Martone showing in some locations you may not have anticipated (like right here), too, and never in some others you may need thought (like best and most bodily). I feel he has been miscast within the public sphere a bit of. Individuals see the scale, the penalty minute totals and that he dropped the gloves a couple of occasions this 12 months and assume he’s the ultra-competitive kind. However scouts truly need him to be extra persistently aggressive and intense, and people across the OHL laud him for his smarts and talent first.
1. Adam Benak
2. James Hagens
3. Jake O’Brien
4. Caleb Desnoyers
5. Benjamin Kindel
6. Michael Misa
7. L.J. Mooney
8. Matthew Schaefer
9. Cole Reschny
10. Cameron Reid
11. Porter Martone
Honorable mentions: William Moore, Roger McQueen, Victor Eklund, Luka Radivojevic, Jack Ivankovic
Best
I feel Brady Martin stands alone on this attribute on this class, with Kashawn Aitcheson and Victor Eklund in one other class behind him. Martin’s solely acquired one mode, and it’s all-out. He runs sizzling, he imposes his will on shifts and he by no means provides up on a puck. Aitcheson performs persistently laborious and imply as nicely, however Martin has no let-up. After which Eklund’s motor and stick-to-itiveness are actually admirable for a sub-6-foot, sub-170-pound winger. Shoutout to the diminutive Mooney, who will get full marks for his effort stage and compete at his dimension. I wished to offer him some flowers as nicely.
1. Brady Martin
2. Kashawn Aitcheson
3. Victor Eklund
4. Carter Klippenstein
5. Milton Gastrin
6. Carter Bear
7. Malcolm Spence
8. Invoice Zonnon
9. Caleb Desnoyers
Honorable mentions: Theo Hallquisth, Cole Reschny, Jacob Kvasnicka, Eddie Genborg, Braeden Cootes, Travis Hayes, Malte Vass, Brendan McMorrow, Ethan Czata, Charlie Cerrato, L.J. Mooney, Shane Vansaghi, Tyler Hopkins, Tomas Pobezal
Most bodily
No one on this class delivers hits tougher or extra usually than Martin, although NTDPers Mace’o Phillips and William Belle positive can’t assist themselves (usually to a fault) both. Physicality can also be Swedish D Malte Vass’ calling card.
1. Brady Martin
2. Kashawn Aitcheson
3. Mace’o Phillips
4. William Belle
5. Malte Vass
6. David Bedkowski
Honorable mentions: Carter Bear, Jack Nesbitt, Peyton Kettles, Shane Vansaghi, Carter Klippenstein, Daniil Prokhorov
Strongest
Shane Vansaghi appears like a 30-year-old professional bodily already, and, importantly, you possibly can truly see it on the ice as nicely. He bullied mid-20s gamers in faculty hockey as a young person this 12 months, dominating some video games on the forecheck and manhandling some guys under the objective line. He performs big-boy hockey the way in which a variety of bottom-six NHLers do.
1. Shane Vansaghi
2. Mace’o Phillips
3. William Belle
4. David Bedkowski
5. Charlie Trethewey
Honorable mentions: Anton Frondell, Kashawn Aitcheson, Brady Martin, Cole McKinney, Porter Martone, Carter Klippenstein, William Horcoff, Sean Barnhill, Jack Murtagh, Daniil Prokhorov, David Bedkowski, Justin Carbonneau, Carter Amico, Hayden Paupanekis, Brady Peddle, Peyton Kettles
Most well-rounded forwards
I at all times like to complete with this, as a result of I feel it’s essential to focus on younger gamers who perceive each side of the puck and the intangibles of the sport, as a result of they’re the toughest attributes to seek out in youngsters. These are all very mature, full gamers at an age the place many play immature, incomplete video games. Guys who perceive the little issues.
1. Caleb Desnoyers
2. Milton Gastrin
3. Cole Reschny
4. Braeden Cootes
5. Cole McKinney
6. Victor Eklund
7. Malcolm Spence
8. Carter Bear
Honorable mentions: Eric Nilson, Jake O’Brien, Anton Frondell, Michael Misa, Tyler Hopkins
(Photograph of Matthew Schaefer on the NHL Scouting Mix: Joe Hrycych / NHLI by way of Getty Pictures)
