2025 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[LGR4GM]

4 hours ago, Mr. Allen said:

With Hagens and Martone fading a little I can see them in their own tier below the top 2.  But I still see those guys ahead of the next group.  
I don’t know why, but Frondell does nothing for me.  I kind of like how Desnoyers plays.  Eklund could be fun. But still like the upside of McQueen.  

Just win the lottery. 

Frondell does nothing for me either. I see a lot of Eklund feeding Frondell pucks. 

Edited Friday at 02:53 AM by LGR4GM
Spelling

[Flashsabre]

A winning mentality and all around  top 6 centre at 6’2.

Edited Friday at 02:50 AM by Flashsabre

[FrenchConnection44]

Interesting that in ESPN’s players to watch in the upcoming NCAA tournament, along with Jake Richard under Sabres control, there were several players who are free agents that are garnering interest from NHL teams. We should be all over some of these guys (first one is Riley Thompson, Ohio St). A big fwd who can play D, and a physical defensive minded 6’6 defender? We probably won’t show any interest 😉

 

Edited Friday at 12:11 PM by FrenchConnection44

[French Collection]

9 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

A winning mentality and all around  top 6 centre at 6’2.

Some nice clips there.

He plays a two way game and is physical. Top scorer on a good team at 18. Playmaking centre.

I like this guy if picking 3rd or later.

[LGR4GM]

Desnoyers ended up 2nd in the Q in ppg with 1.5ppg. The guy who ended up 1st in PPG is 21yrs old. 

[LGR4GM]

We're gonna end up drafting 7th and I can haz Carter Bear?

[shrader]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

We're gonna end up drafting 7th and I can haz Carter Bear?

Or they could win that second lottery and get who you really want.😉

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, shrader said:

Or they could win that second lottery and get who you really want.😉

Are there still two lottery draws? I honestly can't even remember how it all works because I feel like they change it every season.

[shrader]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Are there still two lottery draws? I honestly can't even remember how it all works because I feel like they change it every season.

I had to go back and look at how far you can actually move up, thinking there’s a scenario where Buffalo wins the first draw and only goes to second. That’s 10 spots though, so not possible. I always forget all the minor tweaks they keep making to this system. 

[Flashsabre]

I’m really warming up to Desnoyers. The anti Cozens: big but thinks the game and creates for his teammates with the puck on his stick. All while  being defensively solid.

[Thorner]

Only the Canucks, Islanders, Ducks and Flames have a lower assist total from their team leading forward than Buffalo (Peterka). We have a desperate need for a playmaking F up top

[shrader]

25 minutes ago, Thorner said:

Only the Canucks, Islanders, Ducks and Flames have a lower assist total from their team leading forward than Buffalo (Peterka). We have a desperate need for a playmaking F up top

A question for the masses: who in this draft (and currently in our system) plays that game?

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

A question for the masses: who in this draft (and currently in our system) plays that game?

In the draft? Hagens, Martone, Desnoyers, Eklund. Not Frondell, I'll say that. 

In the system, Östlund, maybe Helenius, idk, those are the two I think of. 

[Thorner]

42 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

In the draft? Hagens, Martone, Desnoyers, Eklund. Not Frondell, I'll say that. 

In the system, Östlund, maybe Helenius, idk, those are the two I think of. 

Playmaking? 

Misa too

Edited 18 hours ago by Thorner

[LGR4GM]

21 minutes ago, Thorner said:

Playmaking? 

Misa too

Yes but I wouldn't say it's his calling card. 

[Flashsabre]

Jake O’Brien is a 6’2 RHC for Brantford in the OHL. He finished with 98 points including 66 assists in 66 games. He will most likely be a top 10 pick.

Here is Sportsnet’s Jason Bakula’s write up:

”

NHL Projection: Top six forward. Deceptive playmaker. 

O’Brien is a crafty playmaker. He reads how plays are developing in the offensive zone and has a knack for finding opportunities in the deep slot and around the net. He works the weak side flank effectively on the power play and has added more of a defensive dimension to his overall game. He produced 32G-66A for the Bulldogs in the regular season and averaged over 20 minutes of ice time. 

O’Brien’s skating mechanics are sound, but he needs time to add more strength to his frame, which should result in more separation in open ice and the ability to track the full 200 feet even more effectively. “
 

Desnoyers, McQueen and O’Brien are all big skilled centres. Probably where they should be looking if they are picking 6-10 area of the draft.

Edited 10 hours ago by Flashsabre

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Jake O’Brien is a 6’2 RHC for Brantford in the OHL. He finished with 98 points including 66 assists in 66 games. He will most likely be a top 10 pick.

Here is Sportsnet’s Jason Bakula’s write up:

”

NHL Projection: Top six forward. Deceptive playmaker. 

O’Brien is a crafty playmaker. He reads how plays are developing in the offensive zone and has a knack for finding opportunities in the deep slot and around the net. He works the weak side flank effectively on the power play and has added more of a defensive dimension to his overall game. He produced 32G-66A for the Bulldogs in the regular season and averaged over 20 minutes of ice time. 

O’Brien’s skating mechanics are sound, but he needs time to add more strength to his frame, which should result in more separation in open ice and the ability to track the full 200 feet even more effectively. “
 

Desnoyers, McQueen and O’Brien are all big skilled centres. Probably where they should be looking if they are picking 6-10 area of the draft.

Word of... idk caution I guess with O'Brien. He played with Nick Lardis who dropped a 71 goal season and no, I wrote that correctly, Seventy-One Goals. He still finished on his team as 2nd in assists behind 20yr old 4th round pick Patrick Thomas. Tbh, I think I take Eklund over O'Brien and before anyone yells at me about him being 5'11"... ik. But that skating of O'Brien and the way he engages away from the puck just worries me enough. He isn't a puck hound, he has solid positioning, his skating is fine and will get better with strength (he's 170lbs), he has a lot of slick passing ideas that mostly work. I just wonder at the NHL level if he has the manipulation skills needed to open lanes and the other skillset needed to take advantage. At 10, sure but at 6... no. 

Quote

Making plays with backpressure was a consistent issue, as he failed to skate through their routes or engage with his back. Too slow to make some plays, and his slow-it-down, pass-only style resulted in turnovers and missed opportunities. The skill and potential as a defensive centre were clearly visible here, but games like these make me wonder if he ends up in a third-line supportive role in the NHL, more so than a top-six driver. Either way, still a top prospect because of the combination of NHL likelihood and upside. - Mitchell Brown, EP, March 29th, 2025

 

I should do another top 10 or 12... idk something like that. 

Hold please... 

[LGR4GM]

1. Matthew Schaefer, 6'2" 183lbs, LHD - He's stylistically a mix between Dhalin and Makar. He's so f-ing young for this class that come guys listed below are 11 months older than him. I've seen the sample size concerns and I get it, but the rest of the tape from that sample is dynamic. This is a #1 all around defender in his prime barring injury. BTW, his yr was shortened due to mono and slamming into a goal post during the WJC, so isn't some weird injury prone thing going on.
2. Michael Misa, 6'1" 185lbs, C/LW - He scores, a lot. By a lot I mean the 4th most goals for a draft eligible since 2001. He's got dynamic skating, his brain works well, motor is good, will engage physically. He's pretty much everything you want in a forward and I have almost nothing to even complain about. He's in that Fantilli level of of prospect and boy could teams use him. 
3. James Hagens, 5'11" 176lbs, C - He needs to get stronger. It all starts and ends there because at the NCAA level, he just gets moves off the puck. That said, the brain and skills are so good he is constantly trouble shooting and adjusting for his weakness. I think everyone expected more from him but the playmaking and stickhandling is still there and he's really in that Jack Hughes mold where you just need to be a little patient for it all to come together. 200ft center in training.
4. Porter Martone, 6'3" 207lbs, RW - Martone is a playmaker first and a good shooter second. He has a lot of great vision and all the requisite skills to execute his ideas. I just wish the pace was higher. He isn't always the guy driving the plays and sometimes acts more as a connector. When he does turn it on, he's great but the inconsistency is why he slides for me. High motor high skill. 
5. Roger McQueen, 6'5" 192lbs, C - Is this a vibes pick for me? Yea a little but man, from what I have watched from McQueen, I love them vibes. He's big, he skates well, his hands are awesome, and he's smart. A level below Martone in terms of the creation part but there's great ideas with McQueen. I love his shot and how he drives the net too. The question is, is he going to get more stress fractures in his back because that will end his career quick like Nolan Patrick. 
6. Caleb Desnoyers, 6'2" 172lbs, C - He's similar to McQueen with a bit less overall skill but a more projectible floor. Good playmaking ideas with the skill to execute them, he has some delay and manipulation techniques which I like. He is also physical and willing to use his body to shield or cut the hands of opposing players. Technically sound at both ends of the ice, you may have a 30g, 40a center on your hands or a 20g, 30a center, hard to say. 
7. Carter Bear, 6' 176lb, C/LW - F### You, that's why. Not you, meaning the reader, more like whoever Bear is playing. He's a ball of hate and not exactly small either. He's motor is a 10, Zach Benson might not even motor as hard as Bear. He also has the skills to do something with all that energy and mixing in slick passes with a good shot. The issue is the skating which is average. He's tough to knock off the puck but he needs more speed and to fix his stride if he wants to be more than a middle 6 checker with 20g, 25a. Also Carter Bear hates you. Yes, you. 
8. Jackson Smith, 6'3" 190lbs, LHD - He's a LHD and he's big and skates well and idc... moving on. 
9. Justin Carbonneau, 6'1" 192lbs, RW - I think my fav part of Carbonneau is listening to the difference between French and English announcers say his name. He is one of the most skilled players in this draft. He can stickhandle in a porta-potty. He loads and shoots with the best in the class. His skating is lovely to watch. The catch is, he kinda sorta is jekyl and hyde. He never hurts you, he still plays every shift but then about half his shifts he plays them like everyone else is his lesser and the other half more like hockey is fun going for a casual skate. Still, if the game continues to develop and nails down the details at both ends, in a re-draft he might be a top 5 or higher player. Those pesky details though, when he's on, he's great. 
10. Victor Eklund, 5'11" 161lbs, LW - Eklund almost dropped below O'Brien but Eklund played against better competition and I think he showed out better. He has excellent skating and quick hands. His motor revs very high and he engages all over the ice. He needs strength but is oddly a pain to get off the puck even at his weight. Good shot, clever playmaking, if he were 2-3inches taller and 25lbs heavier, he might be higher but he's not and you can see at times how that works against him. Nice player though and I would expect him to have the dev line of his brother in San Jose. Don't sleep on Eklund. 
11. Jake O'Brien, 6'2" 170lb, C - I don't think he has as many skills as Eklund but he's still really good and his development is really good. You can find his early year stuff and then look at later year and you see the growth. With a June bday, he's got a lot of runway and development going on. I think the high end brain really allows him to diagnose his weaknesses and he's working on them. Skating, shooting, and overall pace have all improved. Still, he's a playmaker at heart.
12. Lynden Lakovic, 6'4" 190lbs, LW - This MOFO just needs to play every shift. My god son, you are huge, skate really well, handle like Carbonneau and yet here you are at 12. Some shifts Lakovic uses his size and skills to be dominate. Other shifts he gets a bit lost, waits for things to develop instead of forcing the issue... and then his shift ends... and he goes off the ice. He reminds me a bit of Power but at forward where the physical gifts are all there but that mental side where you demand pucks and get pucks and are just someone that gets noticed every shift, isn't there. If he matures and applies his god given talents consistently, this is a really really good hockey player. But I don't believe in these profiles anymore because I have seen more guys with slow pace of play fail than I do guys with mediocre skating. You can improve skating easier than changing the mindset IMPO. 

[steveoath]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Carter Bear, 6' 176lb, C/LW - F### You, that's why. Not you, meaning the reader, more like whoever Bear is playing. He's a ball of hate and not exactly small either. He's motor is a 10, Zach Benson might not even motor as hard as Bear. He also has the skills to do something with all that energy and mixing in slick passes with a good shot. The issue is the skating which is average. He's tough to knock off the puck but he needs more speed and to fix his stride if he wants to be more than a middle 6 checker with 20g, 25a. Also Carter Bear hates you. Yes, you

I’m all in. Let’s go. 

[LGR4GM]

 

Edited 2 hours ago by LGR4GM
added another video

[inkman]

Who dis 

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, inkman said:

Who dis 

Nicholas Fascia, why? https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/603218/nicholas-fascia

[Thorner]

Imo misa would be the only fellow who stirs up actual excitement as far as I’m personally concerned, re: another young pick 

Edited 1 hour ago by Thorner

[GASabresIUFAN]

If we are going to draft 7th or 8th, I'd like a solid ball of hate that is Bear.  The Caps have Wilson.  Ottawa and Florida have a Thakcuk.  We need big ball of hate as well.

[LGR4GM]

49 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

If we are going to draft 7th or 8th, I'd like a solid ball of hate that is Bear.  The Caps have Wilson.  Ottawa and Florida have a Thakcuk.  We need big ball of hate as well.

Idk if Bear plays like Wilson. Bear is more of an aggressive checker than a big hitter type.