Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of each NHL group’s prospects. You could find the whole rating and extra data on the mission and its standards here, as we depend down every day from No. 32 to No. 1. The collection, which incorporates in-depth evaluations and perception from sources on practically 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.
The Canucks have a median pool. They didn’t choose within the first two rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft, although, and whereas they nonetheless have two legit prospects and a few dozen ones of various curiosity, the result’s that their rating slipped barely on this yr’s countdown (whereas remaining nearer to the center of the pack than to the league’s weaker swimming pools beneath them).
2024 prospect pool rank: No. 18 (change: -3)

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NHL prospect pool rankings 2025: Scott Wheeler evaluates all 32 farm systems
1. Jonathan Lekkerimäki, RW, 20 (Vancouver Canucks/Abbotsford Canucks)
After a disappointing post-draft season that included two lackluster performances on the World Juniors (first in the summertime event in Edmonton after which in Halifax) and a difficult common season in HockeyAllsvenkan, Lekkerimaki actually hit his stride within the HockeyAllsvenskan playoffs on the finish of the 2022-23 season and hasn’t regarded again. He gained a World Juniors MVP on dwelling ice in Gothenburg, led his SHL workforce in scoring as a teen, and is now within the midst of a constructive first season in North America that has seen him get a few NHL call-ups and proceed to attain within the AHL.
A few of that development is probably going some should-have-been-expected catchup given his late July birthday. A few of it’s good well being after his draft yr was impacted by accidents and sickness (together with a bout with COVID-19). And a few of it’s pure expertise taking on and a few necessary work accomplished on areas of his sport that wanted it.
Lekkerimaki’s expertise is plain. He’s dynamic in management and threatening from anyplace within the offensive zone. He can beat you immediately with a fast catch-and-release or curl-and-drag shot, or cling onto pucks and make issues occur himself. He’s bought a knack for hitting holes within the web, regularly beating goalies low-blocker and five-hole. He’s bought A-level arms, a misleading launch, a deadly one-timer and a slyness to his sport that permits him to get to spots to attain with and with out the puck. He has slowly develop into extra threatening on a constant foundation at five-on-five towards males, coming and going much less in video games, fading to the perimeter in management much less and ensuring he’s getting touches by retaining his toes transferring extra and dealing to contain himself within the play extra. He has discovered to play with extra intention off the puck and on the forecheck and has discovered extra consistency in his strategy and consequently his sport.
Perhaps most necessary of all, although, he has added some extra tempo to his sport in order that he doesn’t should default to lengthy photographs by means of toes as a result of he can’t assault defenders one-on-one rapidly sufficient. He has began to push tempo extra. He has began to attract extra penalties as a result of he’s extra snug hanging onto pucks longer and taking some bumps. His skating and tight turns particularly have gotten faster. He has performed with a bit extra combat. He’s nonetheless determining find out how to be extra constant and find out how to make his expertise work, and he’s by no means going to be a burner by way of velocity, however he’s bought the ability and ending to determine it out within the NHL.
With the fitting growth and training, he at all times had clear upside as a top-six/PP1 finisher — you need the puck in his arms.
2. Tom Willander, RHD, 19 (Boston College)
One of many better-skating D prospects in hockey, Willander was a beast for the Swedish under-18 workforce and Rogle’s junior workforce in his draft yr and drove robust two-way outcomes for the Terriers as a freshman and for the Swedish under-20 workforce final season with out essentially taking a pronounced step (his post-draft season was simply OK). This season, he has performed massive minutes as a sophomore at BU and was impactful as Sweden’s go-to D on their shutdown pair (and likewise sharing the blue line on the ability play with Axel Sandin Pellikka).
He’s a strong-in-all-three-zones defenseman who performs a assured and decisive defensive sport that makes use of his stunning, balanced skating to swallow up opposing carriers after which push ahead or fall again onto his heels and outlet the puck.
He pulls away or retreats from strain with ease, and excels on exits and going again to get pucks. His head is at all times up. He will get his photographs by means of. After which, on prime of the professional body, the skating and the overall athleticism, he additionally simply performs the sport with an intentionality that’s uncommon in gamers his age. He appears and operates like a professional on the market. His passes are fast and agency. He prompts when he can and picks his spots. Defensively, he’s aggressive on pinches and shutting gaps, and infrequently mistimes them, taking away the house so nicely in impartial ice. He made some errors that confirmed his youth at occasions as a freshman however he has regarded again to his polished self this season. Willander doesn’t have dynamic ability or creativity on the puck, and his offensive-zone instincts are nonetheless coming, however he tasks safely as an NHL defenseman and will develop into a two-way transition monster in a top-four position. Due to how excessive a stage he defends and skates at, he hardly ever has dangerous video games and play usually tilts in his workforce’s favor. And though the offense doesn’t at all times pop contained in the offensive zone, he’s a cushty puck mover and transporter. He’s going to have an extended profession as a No. 3-4.
3. Elias Pettersson, LHD, 20 (Abbotsford Canucks)
I assumed the third spherical was a bit excessive for EP 2.0 in 2022, however he has regarded the half since and had some proponents in Sweden (and throughout the Canucks) who believed in his measurement, mobility and stable defensive sport, and he’s develop into a legit B-grade prospect. He has had a decent first season within the AHL for a D his age, too, enjoying to constructive defensive leads to second-pairing utilization (18-19 minutes per sport).
He can management his ice and might influence play in all three zones however particularly so defensively. He’s environment friendly, generally commanding and at all times very bodily and aggressive in battles. He normally makes the fitting decisions with and with out the puck, even when he’s not essentially the most cerebral participant. There’s the form of a superb professional participant there. Efficient. Environment friendly. Bodily. He’s a giant boy and he performs prefer it. He’ll block photographs. And whereas he’s often sloppy and might generally misinterpret performs when the tempo is excessive, I’ve additionally seen him shock and make some little performs.
He’s bought the dimensions (6-foot-4, 200-plus kilos), first rate sufficient mobility, the primary move and the shot (it comes off laborious and he does a superb job sliding off the road to get open or strolling the road to position it by means of, given his measurement). He makes use of an extended stick and nonetheless has shocking pop off his wrister with it. He does the little issues nicely and wins nearly all of his engagements. He appears like he’s on monitor to changing into a dependable depth defenseman. On the very least, he most likely turns into organizational depth/a No. 7/8. He’s not only a defense-first man, both (although that’s the place it begins). There’s doubtlessly some two-way worth there as nicely.
4. Aatu Räty, C, 22 (Abbotsford Canucks/Vancouver Canucks)
After a superb post-draft season bought Räty’s to-that-point up-and-down profession again on monitor, he has been efficient with out being a star in his bounce to the AHL these final three seasons break up between Abbotsford and Bridgeport (with occasional NHL call-ups). Contemplating his age (he turned 22 in November), that in-between was a tremendous place to be for some time. The clock goes to begin to tick if he can’t set up himself as a full-timer with the Canucks by the tip of this season, although, as that is the final yr of his entry-level deal and so they’ll should decide on him (waivers may even come into play ultimately).
When he performs deliberately, retains his toes transferring and stays between the dots to play a give-and-go sport that drives downhill, he’s an impactful participant. His skating has progressed sufficient, to the purpose the place he can put some professional defenders on their heels and enter the zone with management within the center third. When the north-south sport isn’t there, he has begun to see the ice and make performs by means of layers with extra regularity. Confidence has at all times performed a giant position in his play, and as he will get extra snug on the AHL stage, I anticipate him to seize maintain of it and progress to a profession as a tertiary NHL ahead.
He’s bought some professional instruments (together with measurement, fast arms and a decently laborious, although at occasions overrated, shot). Slowly however certainly, he has discovered to hold onto the puck when mandatory and play fast when required. He’s not good sufficient to drive a line by himself or make performs when he’s much less concerned, so linemates will play a think about his success, however on the entire, and with the fitting growth, I imagine he’ll get there. The larger query is whether or not he’s a middle or a winger. I’ve most well-liked him down the center as a result of it retains him extra concerned, however that’s most likely the minority opinion at this level. He may develop into a little bit of a tweener, too.
5. Sawyer Mynio, LHD, 19 (Calgary Hitmen)
As with EP 2.0, I felt the third spherical was a spherical excessive for Mynio on the draft, however he has regarded the a part of a participant taken in that vary since (each in his first rookie event/camp expertise with the Canucks and in Seattle earlier than a transfer to Calgary after he made Canada as a No. 7/8 at this yr’s World Juniors), predictably taking a step in a extra outstanding position on a Thunderbirds workforce that was as deep as any in junior in his first two years however then entered a rebuild with him as their No. 1 and captain.
Mynio is a hardworking, aggressive, two-way defender with good pure athleticism and high-end skating. He’s a prime penalty-killer within the WHL, has proven his laborious level shot extra within the final yr (he can actually lean into a standard slapper) and has developed extra confidence on the puck. He defends nicely and has proven some secondary offense. He additionally added some energy, which has helped him take cost on the ice a bit extra. His sport is about his toes, his smarts and his competitiveness and every is at a excessive stage. There could also be a stable depth defenseman there in time.
6. Melvin Fernstrom, RW, 18 (Orebro HK)
Fernstrom has been one of the crucial productive gamers on the J20 stage the final two seasons, has begun to determine himself within the SHL as an 18-year-old and needs to be a top-six winger for subsequent yr’s Swedish World Junior workforce in Minnesota. He impressed final season on a workforce with fellow 2024 prospect Alexander Zetterberg, main the J20 stage in scoring and main Sweden’s U18 workforce in scoring at worlds with eight factors in seven video games. This season, he has performed at a goal-per-game clip when towards his friends and has scored his first few SHL targets. He’s a decently robust child (who nonetheless has extra room so as to add muscle) who can keep over pucks and energy by means of a wide range of shot sorts towards his friends, with a superb one-timer and a heavy wrister. He’s harmful on the flank on his off-side on the ability play but additionally does a very good job hiding off protection and discovering gaps to get open into within the offensive zone at five-on-five. He’s bought one-on-one ability and might use it whereas transferring. He will get to rebounds and is hungry for offense. He’s bought some craft. Whereas his skating can look hurried at occasions, it’s really first rate. He shades away from sticks with the puck rather well. I like the best way he helps, tracks and will get the puck again defensively. I like the best way he protects and shields it towards defenders offensively. He’s a competitor who works laborious and likes to combine it up (and sometimes takes dangerous penalties). There’s a superb shell to work with. I believe he was miscast as merely a ability man who didn’t have sufficient tempo final yr. There are some who imagine he’s going to prime out as an AHL/SHL playmaker however I believe he’s at the very least bought an opportunity of changing into a secondary middle-six offensive contributor.
7. Artūrs Šilovs, G, 23 (Abbotsford Canucks)
Šilovs has been a supply of fascination and disagreement for lots of oldsters over time. For some time, I discovered his sport to be sloppy and missing in management and was a little bit of a doubter. Then, for one more whereas, it regarded like he would possibly show me incorrect. However his struggles in reliability/over-movement have cropped up increasingly in his NHL appears. He’s bought clear professional measurement and athleticism however was lengthy liable to pulling himself out of place or letting routine photographs sneak by means of. There have been others who believed that the uncooked potential may very well be formed into one thing, although, and with reps towards professional competitors (each within the AHL and in back-to-back standout performances at males’s worlds), it regarded like he’d begun to refine his once-rough-around-the-edges sport. This season a few of that erratic play within the web has returned, although.
When Šilovs is on, he fills the web and he can get to loads of pucks when he doesn’t. That made him value working with and believing in. He’s nonetheless younger by professional goalie requirements, in order that’s value remembering, too. There could also be extra progress in entrance of him but. Can he develop into greater than only a call-up possibility and make the saves he’s speculated to make within the NHL? The expertise has at all times been there.
8. Danila Klimovich, RW, 22 (Abbotsford Canucks)
Klimovich was at all times going to be a little bit of a piece in progress, particularly when the Canucks determined towards sending him to Rouyn-Noranda three seasons in the past in favor of an early bounce to the AHL. Now he’s simply turned 22 a few weeks in the past and he’s in his fourth season within the AHL and there have been some highs and lows. Two completely different accidents actually derailed what may have been an necessary season final yr, although, and I’m beginning to surprise if he’ll determine it out/what he actually is on the subsequent stage.
Klimovich is massive and robust (6-2, over 200 kilos) and has a professional shot (he’s a kind of gamers the place, when his shot misses the web and bangs off the boards, it sounds prefer it ought to have put a gap by means of the wall) and good arms. Add in a tenacious “go get the puck” disposition and he’s intriguing. I really suppose he’s owed greater than his counting stats have indicated within the AHL however his development has been sluggish. He’s additionally not the neatest nor essentially the most athletic child, so discovering methods to get essentially the most out of his size-shot combo has confirmed a problem. You hope that he turns into a complementary bottom-six scorer at his ceiling and an AHL call-up at his ground, and I believe that’s doable for him however I wouldn’t say it’s possible at this level. Consistency is the important thing with him and it has been laborious for him to essentially set up himself/his sport/his identification.
I considered rating him a number of spots decrease right here and am hesitant on this slotting now.
9. Riley Patterson, C, 18 (Barrie Colts)
Patterson is a participant I caught my neck out on final season, rating him when NHL Central Scouting didn’t even embody him on their gamers to observe checklist within the fall (as he discovered his method as an OHL rookie and the Colts struggled to determine who was going to play the place of their lineup) and the slotting him 67th on my remaining checklist when the Canucks drafted him one hundred and twenty fifth. I anticipated him to pop offensively within the OHL greater than he has this yr, although. As a substitute, after beginning the season a bit banged up, he has simply been extra of a point-per-game sort on a deep Colts roster up entrance the place no one’s actually “the man.”
Getting into final yr, I’d heard good issues about his expertise as a participant popping out of the OJHL and into the OHL. Sixteen-year-olds don’t typically lead their groups in scoring by 19 factors or go for 30 targets and 70-plus factors in 50-something video games within the OJHL (though he did play on a nasty workforce the place his defensive obligations weren’t the main target) and whereas it took him a while to get the factors to fall within the OHL, once I watched him each stay in Barrie and on tape he gave the impression to be getting loads of Grade-A probabilities (posts, targets referred to as again, targets incorrect on the scoresheet, and so on.). Then the floodgates opened and the factors actually began to come back within the second half, climbing to some extent per sport as one of many Colts’ prime offensive gamers by season’s finish. He had some studying to do defensively to begin final yr within the OHL by way of choosing up marks and retaining his toes transferring, however he adjusted rapidly, improved his play off the puck and upped his tempo when he didn’t have it (he actually bought after it and confirmed an actual need to get to pucks in order that he may make performs because the yr progressed). This season, although, issues simply haven’t clicked for him and it has felt like he’s been enjoying catch-up after beginning behind the 8-ball with an damage.
Patterson’s a robust skater and athlete (although he does carry a bit little bit of weight). He’s fairly robust on pucks and within the faceoff circle. He goes to the web, assaults the center third and performs a direct attacking type offensively. He shoots it laborious, will get it off rapidly and has good really feel across the slot. He executes little slip performs one-on-one to take pucks underneath defenders and to the web. He performs with confidence, he’s very vocal and he needs to take the house that’s supplied. The Colts paid quite a bit to accumulate him, sending six draft picks to Flint, which owned his rights (he was beforehand a Michigan State commit). NHL Central Scouting ultimately listed him at No. 116 on their mid-term checklist of North American skaters after which moved him all the best way as much as No. 61 on their remaining checklist. He’s bought the ability to be a prime participant on the OHL stage. It’d simply have to attend for subsequent yr to essentially reveal itself. I ponder, too, after the Colts went all-in this season, if he will get traded subsequent season and performs his 19-year-old yr someplace else.
10. Anthony Romani, RW, 19 (Barrie Colts)
Romani is a summer time birthday who handed by means of the 2023 draft after enjoying a third-line position for a deep North Bay workforce. Final yr, he led the OHL in targets (58, six greater than the Kraken’s Carson Rehkopf) and completed second in scoring with 111 factors. He landed No. 68 on my remaining rating, one spot behind Patterson (the place he additionally ranks right here), and was invited to the World Junior Summer season Showcase by Hockey Canada. Sadly, he broke his clavicle early on this season following a success by Erie D Ty Henry and he was restricted to only six video games in North Bay earlier than being dealt to the title-chasing Colts.
He’s bought an NHL shot. He performs offense with good timing and sense for spacing off protection. He goes to the home-plate space but additionally confirmed a midrange sport final yr. However he additionally performed with a superb 20-year-old in Dalyn Wakely final yr (although his five-on-five manufacturing throughout the final two seasons does deserve loads of respect) and he’s a winger with common measurement, skating and competitiveness. Coincidentally, he’ll now be reunited with Wakely for the second half of the season in Barrie after each have been traded there. I (and others) have puzzled if he’ll be extra of an AHL scorer than an NHL participant as a result of that’s so typically what gamers along with his make-up develop into. There are some current success tales, although, too (Tye Kartye in Seattle being one instance). That’s what Romani has to construct towards (a secondary bottom-six scorer who can construct out his sport to fill a task as a substitute of simply changing into a median AHLer) and I believe he’s bought an opportunity to try this however the misplaced time this yr doesn’t assist.
11. Kirill Kudryavtsev, LHD, 21 (Abbotsford Canucks)
Kudryatsev, who simply turned 21, was one of many final cuts for my prime 100 in 2022 and went on to develop into one of many higher defensemen within the OHL earlier than turning professional with Abbotsford this yr. As a rookie within the AHL, he has been fairly productive this season as nicely. Although he solely performs 15-16 minutes per sport and so they’ve eased him in usage-wise, he has run one in all Abbotsford’s power-play models fairly nicely in my viewings.
He performed an efficient sport on the junior stage that was supported by a professional body and loads of average-to-above-average instruments throughout the board. He’s a 6-foot however already-200-pound defenseman who impacts play by staying concerned in it.
Three years in the past, he was a superb piece of a stacked OHL blue line that featured a number of NHL draft picks. Two seasons in the past, on a lesser Greyhounds workforce, he was the one drafted defenseman and so they requested extra of him to blended outcomes. Final season, he performed to essentially robust two-way outcomes as a prime participant on a prime workforce. And now he’s taken one other step, shocking me a bit with how rapidly he has produced offensively within the AHL.
Offensively, he’s placing the fitting stability between leaping into the play (which he has by no means been shy to do) and making the early play, and has made issues occur inside motive. Defensively, he has held his personal. He reads the play nicely on either side of the puck, which helps. His sport doesn’t scream NHL expertise or NHL protection, however he’s a superb participant with a number of redeeming qualities. He’s value monitoring, and I like him higher than the place he was picked (No. 208).
12. Ty Mueller, C, 21 (Abbotsford Canucks)
Mueller had a superb sophomore season in faculty to complete tied for fourth on the Mavericks in scoring and get picked within the fourth spherical, completed fourth on the Mavericks in scoring once more as a junior after which signed his entry-level cope with the Canucks. As a rookie in Abbotsford, he, like Kudryavtsev, has confronted fewer rising pains than I anticipated and has been extra productive immediately than I anticipated (he has by no means been a extremely productive participant however has instantly develop into a superb contributor and performed 17 minutes per sport to good leads to the AHL). Mueller’s an athletic 5-foot-11 participant who skates nicely and performs a constant game-to-game type. He’s bought a pure wrister that he has scored some targets from pretty lengthy vary on the ability play with throughout ranges. He helps the play nicely off the puck (offensively and defensively). He’s good within the faceoff circle and has been a counted-upon participant in all conditions with completely different groups. I do surprise if he’s bought a little bit of an AHL ceiling along with his make-up however he has proven extra ability the final two years than I assumed he had and I may see him getting a call-up in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent yr or two.
I considered slotting him larger right here, and considered gamers 8-12 as fairly interchangeable.
13. Nikita Tolopilo, G, 24 (Abbotsford Canucks)
Tolopilo is a captivating participant and story as a large 6-foot-6 Belarusian goalie who isn’t as lean as most goalies that measurement and whose play in HockeyAllsvenskan two seasons in the past garnered the eye of a number of NHL golf equipment earlier than he landed with Vancouver. He has been stable with out being dominant in his first two years in North America within the AHL, too, enjoying to a successful file and a save proportion round .900.
His measurement is clearly essentially the most interesting component however he does a superb job getting down into his butterfly to cowl the five-hole (a standard drawback for goalies his measurement), he performs his angles nicely when he’s squared up with shooters to essentially fill the web and he’ll stick with scrambles and combat for pucks. There are different areas to enhance upon (primarily the odd puck that squeaks underneath his arm, motion that’s highly effective by means of one push however can lack mobility in shuffles/readjustments, and so on.) however there’s quite a bit to work with there and he’s tremendous organizational depth within the meantime. He isn’t younger, although, and can flip 25 in April.
The Tiers
As at all times, every prospect pool rating is damaged down into team-specific tiers with a purpose to provide you with a greater sense of the proximity from one participant — or group of gamers — to the subsequent.
The Canucks’ pool is split into three tiers: 1-2, 3-5, 6-12.
Goaltenders Ty Younger (who has had a good first professional season break up between the ECHL and AHL) and Aku Koskenvuo have been additionally thought of however not ranked.
Rank
|
Participant
|
Pos.
|
Age
|
Workforce
|
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Jonathan Lekkerimaki |
RW |
20 |
Abbotsford/Vancouver |
2 |
Tom Willander |
RHD |
19 |
Boston U. |
3 |
Elias Pettersson |
LHD |
20 |
Abbotsford |
4 |
Aatu Raty |
C |
22 |
Abbotsford/Vancouver |
5 |
Sawyer Mynio |
LHD |
19 |
Calgary |
6 |
Melvin Fernstrom |
RW |
18 |
Orebro |
7 |
Arturs Silovs |
G |
22 |
Abbotsford/Vancouver |
8 |
Danila Klimovich |
RW |
22 |
Abbotsford |
9 |
Riley Patterson |
C |
18 |
Barrie |
10 |
Anthony Romani |
RW |
19 |
Barrie |
11 |
Kirill Kudryavtsev |
LHD |
21 |
Abbotsford |
12 |
Ty Mueller |
C |
21 |
Abbotsford |
13 |
Nikita Tolopilo |
G |
24 |
Abbotsford |
(Picture of Tom Willander: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Photos)