Seattle Thunderbirds Radim Mrtka Drafted Ninth Overall By The Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have selected Radim Mrtka ninth overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old right-shot defenceman was the first WHLer off the board and the second defender drafted. Listed at 6'6", 218 lbs, the 2024-25 season was Mrtka's first in the WHL.
Mrtka had a successful rookie season in the WHL. He recorded 35 points in 43 regular-season games while adding three points in six post-season games. Mrtka, who is from Czechia, is considered a two-way defenceman who projects as a top-four defender at the NHL level.
Radim Mrtka of the Seattle Thunderbirds (Photo Credit: Evan Morud/Everett Silvertips/WHL)
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
Eight WHLers Projected To Be Selected In The First Round Of The 2025 NHL Entry Draft
2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Brandon Gorzynski
Tri-City Americans Trade Max Curran To The Edmonton Oil Kings
2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Joshua Ravensbergen
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
NHL Draft 2025 winners and losers: Islanders impress while Maple Leafs falls short
LOS ANGELES — Welcome to my complete review of the 2025 NHL Draft classes of all 32 teams, including thoughts on almost all of the 224 prospects selected. This annual year-end analysis follows a season of travel and countless viewings and conversations with coaches, managers, scouts, agents and players. It's meant to be your one-stop shop for a complete review of your team's picks. Advertisement It's my educated view of how all 32 clubs did with the selections they had, carefully considering both my own evaluations of the prospects and each player's consensus expected draft range. Note that this is not an evaluation of the total value each club got out of its picks, but rather an examination of each team's class relative to where they picked and the number of selections that they had. Teams with more picks (or higher picks on average) are not guaranteed high grades, just as teams with few picks (or lower picks on average) are not guaranteed poor ones. Trades are also not considered — the focus here is exclusively on the picks. The goal is for this to be the most comprehensive draft review available anywhere. As always, the team-by-team analysis is sorted into the following tiers for an added layer of context: And for more information on these players, here's my full 2025 NHL Draft package, which featured scouting reports on 145 prospects this year: The Islanders left Day 1 with the most impressive haul. Matthew Schaefer, Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson could transform that organization on and off the ice with their play, identity, competitiveness, talent and charisma. Though I'm a little lower than the league is on Daniil Prokhorov, who they took at No. 42, that was his range for a lot of people and he gives them another tough-to-play-against player, like Eklund and Aitcheson, who gets after it and does it with a big, strong, 6-5 frame and some dirty areas scoring punch. He could be a really solid third-line forward who adds some size and a different dimension to his line. Think Alexei Toropchenko. Though Luca Romano faced consistency criticisms in Kitchener this year, he's got top-two-round talent and skating and I think could be good value at No. 74 as well (he was No. 48 on my board). He could take a step production wise in the OHL next year, for sure. I even liked Tomas Poletin at No. 106 and Sam Laurila at No. 138. Advertisement Poletin's a big, heavy kid who has had some good showings internationally and domestically in my viewings. There's a chance he tops out as a middle-six AHLer but he's going to have a long pro career. And Laurila was a breakout star in the USHL this season after being a depth D at the program, making a ton of plays and really blossoming into a draft pick as an overager. I could go on, too. Burke Hood was my last cut at goalie and is exactly the kind of goalie you take in the sixth round. He was excellent for Vancouver this year and as Canada's third-stringer at U18 worlds. It was a phenomenal two days for the Islanders and a great start for Mathieu Darche at the helm. And 202nd overall pick Jacob Kvasnicka is a dog who charmed me into putting him in my top 100. The Flames have shown a willingness over the last few years to take some swings on talent, and after finding some on the wing and particularly on defense, they needed to find a couple of centers this year and really leaned into that with the selections of Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter, my No. 15 and No. 16 prospects, in the first round. Reschny is a committed three-zone player with real playmaking sense who was one of the best players in junior hockey in the second half, and Potter is the best skater in the draft for me and has real puck skill. If one of them can become a 2C and a second-line winger for them, they'll be thrilled with their Round 1 in 2025. Swedish center Theo Stocksellius was a second-round pick for me. He needs to improve his pace and skating but he knows that and he's a very well-rounded player in every other area. I think he's got bottom-six forward potential if he can take some steps. Ethan Wyttenbach is another sign tha they're not particularly worried about size on draft day. Wyttenbach, a Quinnipiac commit, is a late bloomer who was one of the USHL's most productive players as a rookie this season. He can play the game at different paces and I think he was a fine late-round flier. Advertisement The Mace'o Phillips selection at No. 80 was a head-scratcher for me. I'm sure they see a towering physical menace and special athlete who can move and think he could become a fearsome third-pairing option for them someday. But he really struggles to handle and move the puck and I've seen him have too many bad games and moments over the last couple of years to see it. He's definitely different from the other D they have! My favourite Day 2 Flames pick was the selection of St. Andrew's College forward Aidan Lane at No. 176. They found good value in Aydar Suniev, another SAC kid who had legit skill and scoring but needed to improve his skating. Suniev scored 20 goals as a sophomore at UMass last year and has already been signed. I think Lane, No. 74 on my board, could follow a similar path at Harvard. He just needs the skating to improve. The Phillips pick felt out of place for me but I liked what they did a lot. I think Michael Misa's going to be a top-of-the-lineup star in the league and gives the Sharks arguably three of the 10 best under-21 forwards in the game with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. And while I thought they'd take a defenseman with their second first, Joshua Ravensbergen belonged in that range and gives them a second high-end young goalie with Yaroslav Askarov. Then they kicked off Day 2 by taking a defenseman in Simon Wang who has a ton of untapped potential and is already a high-end skater at nearly 6-foot-6. Wang's one of the most interesting prospects and stories in this draft and becomes the highest-drafted Chinese-born player in NHL history. If he makes it, he's alright signed with WME in China and could become one of their first major team sport athletes since Yao Ming. His career is bigger than him for the growth of Chinese hockey. Sharks fans are going to love cheering him on. I liked the Cole McKinney selection at No. 53 as well. McKinney's a hockey player. He's a strongly built center who excels in the faceoff circle, cares about detail and checking off of the puck, and was productive on an NTDP team that didn't have a star or a first-round pick. I think he's got a very clear path to becoming a 3C for them behind Celebrini and one of Misa/Smith. Overager Zack Sharp showed enough on the NCAA-champion Western Michigan University Broncos to warrant getting drafted where he did as well. And I've got a ton of time for the small but consistent in work ethic and impact Richard Gallant, even if he's a long shot. He'll go as far as his career can take him. Advertisement The only Sharks pick that left me scratching my head was the selection of Teddy Mutryn in the third round. I didn't view him as a draft pick. Otherwise, I thought they did really well. I've really liked what the Capitals have done at the last three drafts. In Lynden Lakovic, they added some size to a pool that skewed a little smaller, while still prioritizing the skill they've consistently targeted. He's 6-4 with legit skill, scoring and skating. With a little more consistency to his game, he's got legit NHL potential. I really liked the selection of center Milton Gastrin early in the second round as well. He's a well-rounded, complete player at an early age who gets a ton of respect from the other players in this class. I think they drafted their 3C of the future there. And though German Maxim Schafer didn't quite make my top 100, he was an honorable mention and No. 96 was an appropriate range. He looked quite impressive at U18 worlds, where the Capitals had the largest contingent of scouts, and he has size and some skill. The Predators chased identity, physicality and competitiveness by taking Martin — a player I love but who gives back some production upside to guys like James Hagens and Porter Martone — at No. 5, but they crushed their next two picks, taking two of my favorites in defenseman Cameron Reid (who fans will love on and off the ice) and Ryker Lee (who has the best hands in the draft for me). After taking Reid with their second first, I wondered if they'd prioritize getting a bigger D early in the second (Reid and Molendyk are both 5-foot-11/6-feet). And that's exactly what they did at No. 35, taking Jacob Rombach, who I viewed as more of a late-second but was an early-second for most in the league. Rombach's a huge defender with some other pro attributes. He's another lefty (as Reid and Molendyk are), but I think there's a world where those three become their three lefties at some point. I had heard a few days ago that the Preds were high on Jack Ivankovic, which prompted me to mention that I wasn't convinced they'd take a goalie in the first and could target him in the second. And that's exactly what they did. If you followed my work this year, you already know I'm a big believer in the undersized Canadian goalie. His compete, talent and anticipation are all high-end for me. Advertisement They got a right-shot defenseman I'm higher on than the consensus in Alex Huang (my No. 55-ranked prospect) at No. 122 as well. Wang is average-sized and needs to be firmer on both sides of the puck at times, but he's got skill, vision, smarts, and good skating that has areas for executable improvement. I expect him to break out offensively in the QMJHL next season and to become a productive D at Harvard who gives himself a chance to get an entry-level contract as a fourth-round pick. I think he's probably an offensively inclined AHL D at minimum. They got another highly mobile defender in smooth-skating overager Daniel Nieminen, who was on my board last year, in Round 6. If they'd taken Hagens or Martone at No. 5, they would have been winners here. I liked the rest of their draft a lot and thought about slotting them as winners regardless because I really do like Martin as well. I'm very confident James Hagens will be a riser in a re-draft when we start doing those for this class years from now, and I think people are going to come to that realization as early as next year when he's one of the best players in college hockey and stars (again) at the World Juniors. The Bruins needed a premium, potential top-of-the-lineup forward and preferably a center at that pick, and I think it could and should sail over the wall for a home run. They went back to the Boston College well with William Moore (remember Dean Letourneau a year ago and Oskar Jellvik before that as well, etc.) at No. 51, which was one of my favourite picks of Round 2. Moore's skating needs to improve and he needs to fill out his frame and play a little harder at times, but he has made progress on the former and the latter and the muscle should eventually come. He's also a talented, smart player and great kid who I know is going to put in the work. I think he's capable of becoming a high-end college player as an upperclassman if he hits some development checkpoints. Those two picks made the draft for the Bruins, even if I didn't love the rest of what they did and felt Liam Pettersson, their second second-rounder, was a round or two to high. Minnesota high school goal-scoring dynamo Cooper Simpson is a really solid third-round swing, too. He showed he could do it in the USHL in his time there as well. Advertisement The Red Wings got two Red Wings and two players I'd mocked to them at different points in Carter Bear and Eddie Genborg. They're both competitive, hard-working, committed, pro-style players. Bear has top-six talent and potential and Genborg's profile is a bottom-six one, but nobody will ever be able to question future teams in Detroit for their work ethic. I'll never fault a team for taking a goalie in the middle rounds, either. Once the top goalies in the draft were gone, and they were by No. 75, the big Michal Pradel was in that next tier and was a fine third-round pick. The Red Wings aren't a team that's desperate for young goalies either, so they must really like him. My favourite pick of the Red Wings' was Slovak forward Michal Svrcek in the fourth round. He was No. 70 on my board; they got him at No. 119 and I've yet to see him play a bad game. He attacks and scores against his peers and I think they could look back on that pick like the Dmitri Buchelnikov one because I think he's got legit skill and he's an SHL/AHL top-sixer for sure. Also in the fourth round, Minnesota high schooler Brent Solomon's an interest dice roll. He's got a long way to go but he can rip the puck. Theodor Hallquisth, who was the Wild's first pick of the draft at No. 52, was my mock for them and someone who always felt like their type as a competitive, physical, effective, efficient defenseman who makes the smart play consistently. He projects as a solid depth defenseman in the NHL and while I viewed him as more of a third-rounder than a second-rounder, the Wild weren't alone in their assessment. I love the swing on Adam Benak, another played I tied to them, too. Benak is one of the smartest players in this class and one of its best skaters. He's extremely tiny and that's going to make it hard, but in the fourth-round I don't think you can go wrong with that bet. He's fearless, too. I think he could surprise some people and I know there were a few other teams that were pretty high on him and were prepared to pick him shortly after the Wild did at No. 102. I liked the Lirim Amidovski pick at No. 121 as well. He really grabbed me at the OHL Top Prospects Game and I spent a good amount of time on him after that before ranking him in my final top 100. Amidovski has a pro frame, pro skating, and can play in straight lines. I could see him take a big step next season. Advertisement Carter Klippenstein, their third fourth-rounder, has a path to becoming a fourth-line if he develops well because of his athleticism, skating, size, strength, and unending work ethic. And in Victoria Royals captain and overager Justin Kipkie, the Wild get one of the WHL's better D last season. He may top out as an AHLer but he's going to play pro. I thought the Wild did well with what they had. The Kraken have used all of their premium draft capital on forwards since they entered the league but I still liked the decision to take Jake O'Brien at No. 8. He was the consensus No. 8 prospect in this class. They then went out and traded up to draft Blake Fiddler when he slipped out of the first round and was available on Day 2, and drafted a second D at No. 68 in Will Reynolds and a third one at No. 134 in Russian Maxim Agafonov to begin to add some blue line depth. Fiddler's puck game is pretty vanilla but he's a 6-foot-4/5 right-shot D who should have a long career in the league. Reynolds is a player I highlighted earlier this week as a late riser. He's a big, strong, highly mobile D who took some major steps in the second half of this season to emerge as a late-second/early-third candidate for multiple teams. He could become a depth option for them in time. Agafonov's game comes with some highs and lows but he made enough plays for a 6-foot-2 defenseman in the MHL this season that I ranked him at No. 91 on my board. Even seventh-rounder Karl Annborn, another D, makes a lot of sense for them. Annborn was once viewed as a top prospect in the Swedish age group and that's probably enough to warrant a late-round selection even if he hasn't met expectations. I liked the Kraken's draft. Porter Martone has star potential and gives the Flyers pool some of the size it needed. Jack Nesbitt has middle-six potential and gives the Flyers some more of that size. I love the Martone pick. I was less enthused about the Nesbitt selection at No. 12 and think there's some risk there if his feet don't take some real steps that they left some upside on the board (especially after moving up to do it). Advertisement They tripled down on adding size with Carter Amico at No. 38. Amico was viewed as a potential first-rounder entering the year but comes with some risk now after losing almost the entirety of his draft year. He is huge and can move and defend, though. I liked the Jack Murtagh pick two spots later and the Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard picks a little behind that in the second round as well. Murtagh's a strong, physically mature goal-scoring winger who loves to put the puck in the net and adds a potential middle-six scorer to their pool. Vansaghi is one of the strongest, heaviest forwards in the class and projects safely as a future bottom-sixer. Gard's a 6-5 forward who skates really well as well. He needs to show more offence but has a pretty translatable bottom-six profile to work with. Though fifth-rounder Max Westergard didn't quite make my list, he was one of my honorable mentions. He's small and his skill level isn't dynamic but he was productive at the J20 level this year, he can skate, and he works. They clearly set out with a plan with their six picks in Rounds 1-2 and accomplished it by adding size/strength at each of them. I didn't love the Nesbitt and Amico picks, which I think come with some risk, but I liked the other four and Martone's a big deal. I thought the Ducks had a nice draft. McQueen was a swing worth taking exactly where they took him and while he comes with some risk, there's serious upside there and he's a unique player and talent. I viewed Eric Nilson as one of the top prospects available on Day 2 and where they took him at No. 45 as well. He's got to fill out his frame but he's a very intelligent player who can skate, make plays and understands the game, and I expect them to be developed well at Michigan State. Lasse Boelius, the first Finn taken in the draft all the way at No. 60, was a little high there for me. He's a plus-level skater who has average to above average tools everywhere else. I actually thought he should have gone closer to the range they took Drew Schock in at No. 101. They're very comparable prospects for me in a lot of ways. I liked the Shock pick in the fourth. He's going to be a very good college player by the time he's a junior or senior and then you go from there. All of Swiss goalie Elihjah Neuenschwander, big Baie-Comeau D Alexis Mathieu, talented low-pace shooter Emile Guite, and the hard-working Anthony Allain-Samake have something that makes them at least relevant/worth following as well. The only pick they made that I felt was out-of-range was London forward Noah Read in the third round. I don't see much there. They had a decent draft though. As I reported prior to the draft, Zharovsky's name was hot coming out of Gold Star's camp in Florida and it looked like he was trending to be a late-first/early-second. The Habs pounced, moving up to take him at No. 34. Zharovsky is one of the most physically immature prospects in the draft and some were scared off by just how much physical development he has in front of him. When you've got a long way to go, it can be viewed as a plus. When you've got a long, long way to go, some start to wonder if you'll get there. Zharovsky is one of the most skilled players on the puck in the draft though and if he hits he's got top-six talent/point production upside. Advertisement I've got a lot of time for third-rounder Hayden Paupanekis (taken No. 69, ranked No. 81 on my board). He's a big player with a lot of pro attributes who still feels very early in his development. I expect him to be a big part of the Memorial Cup hosts in Kelowna next year and to take a real step forward. He's very interesting. After the top overagers started to go in the late-second and into the third, I liked their decision to take Medicine Hat's Bryce Pickford as well. He's got an NHL shot, had a huge year in huge minutes on the best team in the WHL, and plays firmly on both sides of the puck. I think he plays NHL games someday. Belarusian goalie Arseni Radkov was the first player of the draft that I hadn't watched with the very next pick at No. 82, so I won't comment on him (I typically don't watch more than the top dozen or so goalies, because there will never be that amount in my top 100, and nobody ever told me I had to watch him). I love that the Habs were the team to take a chance on L.J. Mooney as well. I'm a big believer in this kid, as tiny as he might be and as hard as the climb may be because of it. He is going to be a tremendous college hockey player and grades near the top of this draft in skating, skill, smarts and work ethic. I hope he beats the odds and won't be surprised if he plays NHL games. German D Carlos Handel, their first of two sixth-round picks, was a mid-to-late-round pick for me as well. His game lacks a standout quality but he's a good player in this age group and should become AHL depth at minimum. The Devils didn't pick until No. 50 and they took a cut — which I always respect — by drafting Conrad Fondrk, who I had ranked just one spot in front of where they took him at No. 49 on my list. Fondrk, like Amico, missed most of this season due to injury and was missed at the program when he wasn't in the lineup. His skill is first-round level but the production hasn't aligned with it. I have no issue with them taking a chance there. I liked the roll of the dice on Ben Kevan at the end of the second round as well. He's got to finish off more plays but he's one of the better skaters in the draft, was a second-rounder for me, and should become a very good college player. Advertisement I think Mason Moe is an interesting pick in the late-third as well (he ranked seven spots ahead of where they took him on my list and that was right in his range). He was overshadowed by Ryker Lee in Madison this year but he played off of him well as well and has some pro tools. I could see him becoming a really solid college player who earns a pro deal coming out of the University of Minnesota. Patience will be important there though. The Devils opened Round 6 by taking Czech forward David Rozsival, who I think plays pro hockey and was an honorable mention for my board, even if the NHL is a bit of a long shot. He's strong over pucks and plays with drive. Fourth-rounder Gustav Hillstrom worked his way onto my list this year and has some quality as well. I didn't spend time on 6-foot-8 CCHL goalie and Owen Sound third-stringer Trenton Bennett, a St. Lawrence commit, but big goalie tends to equal relevancy and his numbers were really good in a small sample with the Attack. The Canes did what the Canes do and, to the surprise of no one, moved out of the first round and then back again from there before making their first three picks at No. 41, No. 49 and No. 62 with three selections in the second round. Then they picked three very Canes prospects. They selected Russian goalie Semyon Frolov with the first pick, adding a high-end goalie prospect to their pool and filling an area of need. Frolov was viewed as a late-first/early second and one of the top goalie prospects in the draft by a good portion of the league. There are camps of people who believe he's got legit starter upside. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Canes were the first team to take an overager, either. Charlie Cerrato was a top-six center for a Frozen Four team last year at Penn State and I believe the Penguins were going to target him with one of their third-round picks if the Canes didn't get out in front of them. He plays hard and has secondary skill. Advertisement And of all of the teams to take a swing on the skill and question marks of Ivan Ryabkin, I could have told you the Canes were likely the most likely. The concerns about his fitness, and his attitude, and his on-ice decision-making, are very real. But on talent he's a first-round talent. If they can whip him into shape and get him back on track a little, there's some potential reward there. It's not without risk, to be sure, but late in the second round you can afford to take that risk. Sixth-rounder Viggo Nordlund always had Canes pick all over him as a sub-6-foot winger who plays fast, produces, and works. I liked him there. And certainly seventh-rounder Filip Ekberg, this year's U18 worlds MVP, who has looked like a dynamic offensive zone player with the Swedish national team but is undersized and didn't pop in Ottawa (after dealing with an illness throughout the fall), is my kind of seventh-round pick. I liked the Canes' draft on the whole, as I tend to. The Sabres are going to challenge the Mammoth for the biggest blue line in the NHL. Rasmus Dahlin. Owen Power. Mattias Samuelsson. Adam Kleber in the second round a year ago. And now Radim Mrtka at No. 9 and David Bedkowski at No. 71. Mrtka's my second-ranked D and has legit skating and poise in his nearly 6-foot-6 profile. Bedkowski, who ranked No. 100 in my top 100, is nearly 6-foot-5 and can also skate. Bedkowski's one of the most physical players in this age group as well and while his offence is limited he can make the simple play. Czech forward Matous Jan Kucharcik, Rouyn-Noranda goalie Samuel Meloche, and Acadie-Bathurst Titan D Noah Laberge were fine picks in Round 4 and 5 even if I wouldn't have been banging the table for any of them (I'm actually slightly higher on Laberge, the fifth-rounder, than the two fourth-rounders and expect him to take a step with the relocated Newfoundland Regiment next season). I thought they had a fine draft. I thought Jackson Smith was the right pick for the Blue Jackets at No. 14 and while I thought No. 20 was a little early to take Pyotr Andreyanov, I'm still very high on Andreyanov and the Blue Jackets clearly filled two needs with their two first-rounders. Advertisement I've got time for rugged and physical defenseman Malte Vass as a mid-round pick even if I wouldn't have taken him at No. 76 as well. He's got a path to becoming a hard-to-play-against third-pairing D and the real believers in him see a little Radko Gudas. My favourite of their Day 2 picks was the Owen Griffin selection at No. 160, though. Griffin became an excellent junior hockey player this year and while he was one of the final cuts for my top 100, I've seen him play a ton in Oshawa and he's got skill, drive, skating and a lot of what you should be betting on in an undersized late-rounder. The Blackhawks walked away from Round 1 with what they were looking for: More size and a second top young forward to play with or behind Bedard in Anton Frondell. Vaclav Nestrasil is more second-rounder than late-first for me and he's going to have to continue to develop down the steep trajectory he started on this year, but he could become a really solid third-line checking winger with size and some sneaky skill. West is a complete wild card and felt a little cute to me as a trade-up chase, but there's no denying he has some real attributes. I've got a lot of time for Nathan Behm as an early third-rounder and viewed him as a mid-to-late-second this year. His game lacks a dynamic trait but he's a solid, projectable player who could become a contributing bottom-sixer. I've got a lot of time for overager Julius Sumpf, who was one of the best players in the QMJHL this year, as well. I do wonder with Sumpf whether he just becomes a really good second-line AHLer but he's going to have a long pro career and I wouldn't be surprised if he plays NHL games. I don't see it with giant Brantford forward Parker Holmes, who wasn't listed by NHL Central Scouting and scored one goal with the Bulldogs last year, especially in the fourth round, but they would be familiar with Nick Lardis and Marek Vanacker there. The Blackhawks' draft doesn't get me excited like some of their recent ones have but I thought they addressed some needs. Advertisement I'm lower on first-rounder Henry Brzustewicz than the Kings appear to be and felt he was more of a late-second than a late-first, but I thought the draft's hosts did well on the whole and either ranked or nearly ranked every one of their picks. Vojtech Cihar is already a pro and is going to have a long pro career, though there is some question as to his ultimate upside. Overager Kristian Epperson was one of the more talented prospects taken in the third round and can get after it when he's playing his best. Jimmy Lombardi, who they got No. 125, was No. 97 on my list and gets credit for his smarts even if he doesn't have a standout pro attribute. Overager Caeden Herrington probably plays pro after he's done at the University of Vermont, though I haven't seen NHL upside. And if you tuned into the 2025 World Juniors you'll remember the standout performance of fifth-round goalie and overager Petteri Rimpinen, who is undersized but had a good year in Liiga and obviously internationally. I've got time for Slovak forward Jan Chovan and overager Brendan McMorrow as late-round selections as well. McMorrow's a super competitive player. I liked the Kings' Day 2 fine. Defenseman Will Sharpe, who they took in the seventh-round, is a bit of a chicken with his head cut off out there but has enough tools that I ranked him in my top 100. I expect him to take a big step next year. The Rangers didn't pick until No. 43 but they got a player in Malcolm Spence that I view as a pretty clear late-first quality player in this age group. Spence didn't pop this year but I'm very confident he's going to have a long career in the NHL as an up-and-down-the-lineup top-nine winger who skates, works, and can contribute offensively. He's a hockey player. Norwegian forward Mikkel Eriksen, who they took at No. 111, was one of my favourite late-round picks as well and ranked No. 69 on my board. He has made plays every time I've watched him domestically or internationally and while there's a chance he just becomes a second-line AHLer, I like the roll of the dice. Advertisement Outside of those two picks, I was a little uninspired though. Sean Barnhill's a big man with real athletic attributes but No. 70 was early for me. So is Evan Passmore. And the rest is a mix of long shots and longer shots. The Spence and Eriksen picks carried this rating for me though. The Senators did well to move back a couple of spots and draft Logan Hensler where they did in the first round. His game lacks a bit of identity but he has the tools to be a top-four two-way five-on-five D in the NHL who could contribute on both second special teams. Between Jake Sanderson, Carter Yakemchuk and Hensler, they've got a good mix of D to build around. I thought the decision to take a swing on Minnesota high school standout Blake Vanek in the third round was a little early. He's a big, north-south winger with some definite pro attributes and an NHL shot but he's going to have to take a lot of steps to get signed. They likely saw enough from his brief but strong showing with the Chicago Steel to believe he's going to keep taking steps in Wenatchee in the WHL next season. I really liked the selection of goalie Lucas Beckman with the first pick of the fourth round though. Beckman was one of six goalies in my top 100 and was excellent for Baie-Comeau in the Q this year. He's a technically sound goalie and decently-mobile goalie who just makes saves. Croatian Bruno Idzan's a nice story. He's an overager who was very good after coming over to the USHL this year. They clearly trust the Mike Hastings and the University of Wisconsin staff, too, because that's now Blake Montgomery, Hensler and Idzan all there or going there. The Blues were one of my winners of Day 1 with the Justin Carbonneau selection at No. 19. I'm a big believe in Carbonneau, gave him high grades in this class for his hands and shot, and believe he has 30-goal upside in the NHL. Both of their Day 2 picks are long shots but were draft picks in this class. Russian Mikhail Fyodorov is a small but crafty player (the kind you draft late and then wait on and find out). I'm not a big believer in Swedish goalie Love Harenstam but he's been a go-to for their national team. Advertisement Caleb Desnoyers was the right pick on Day 1 and profiles perfectly to slot in as their 2C of the future behind Logan Cooley. They drafted a Mammoth with their first pick of Day 2 at No. 46 in the 6-foot-5 Max Psenicka, who I know was going to go right there in that range if the Mammoth didn't grab him. He adds more length to an organization that really covets it in their D prospects. He can also skate and has some sneaky offence to his game. There's some upside there. Stepan Hoch's a big, pro-built, pro-style forward who is probably a really solid AHLer/depth at minimum. Their four picks in Round 4-6 aren't prospects for me, but Desnoyers should be a central piece of the future and Psenicka should be a solid NHL D. The Golden Knights didn't make their first pick on the draft until late in the second round but they moved up to do it got a player with first-round talent in Jakob Ihs-Wozniak. He's a winger and teams wanted to see him play harder and be more consistent at times this year but I thought he made good progress on both fronts and he can score, which, in case you haven't heard, is the hardest thing to do. He's also 6-foot-2. If he hits, he could be a middle-six scorer with PP2 upside, which isn't often found on Day 2. Mateo Nobert was taken exactly where I thought he belonged at No. 85 as well. He had a quietly very good year alongside Justin Carboneau with the Armada. He needs to get stronger but there's some smarts/feel/playmaking there. I don't view overeager Alex Weiermair as a prospect, though he did seem to figure it out a little after leaving Denver to go to Portland. The Jets didn't have quantity but I thought they did well with what they did have over the two days. They needed to add a D prospect to their pool, which outside of Elias Salomonsson, had arguably nothing else before Friday night to project onto an NHL blue line. They got another Salomonsson-calibre prospect in countryman Sascha Boumedienne, a 6-foot-2 D who can really skate and has physical development and decision-making development in front of him. Advertisement Owen Martin was a third-round pick all day for me as well. He's a pro-style player who has some real believers and I expect him to take a step next season in the WHL production-wise. Viktor Klingsell is exactly the type of player I think you target late in the draft, too. He's sub-6-foot but I wouldn't say he's got some muscle on him and the skill level on the puck is legit. There's a chance he's just an AHL/SHL scorer but you can live with that if that's the outcome in the fifth round. Sixth-rounder Edison Engle would have to take a lot of steps in Brantford and then at OSU to get signed someday, but has some coveted attributes as a good-sized D with some average attributes. I don't view seventh-rounder Jacob Cloutier as an NHL prospect but he works for a 5-10 guy. The Avalanche were one of the last teams to make their first pick of the draft, waiting until the middle of the third-round to take UMass defenseman Francesco Dell'Elce, one of the top overagers in the class. I've got a lot of time for Dell'Elce, who has appeared in my honorable mentions in two different drafts and is a plus-skater and athlete with good instincts. Fourth-rounder Linus Funck is a good-sized right-shot D with some pro attributes even if he's a bit of a long shot. I don't really know how to slot a team that makes three picks but I didn't hate any of them so we'll go with overtime losers. I wouldn't read too much into the slotting here. The Lightning had to wait until No. 56 to make their first pick and targeted a very Lightning-type player in Ethan Czata. He's a competitive, hard-working, good-skating center who projects as a potential two-way third-line forward. I haven't seen a lot of natural offence there but he should be able to contribute and he's a very well-rounded young player. Advertisement I think Benjamin Rautiainen, who they took at No. 108 with their first of two fourth-rounders, is one of the top overagers in this class, too. He's quite skilled on the puck and while some think he may just be a AAAA AHL playmaker, that's probably a guarantee and not a bad guarantee to target where they did. The rest were late-round long shots but fine ones. Fourth-rounder Aiden Foster is a fearsome competitor. Fifth-round D Everett Baldwin was a standout in the pre school circuit the last two years and plays a busy style. Caleb Heil hasn't quite met expectations after he was once viewed as one of the better goalie prospects in a weaker American goalie class but there are some who still think he's a better goalie than his numbers indicate. Overager Roman Luttsev absolutely lit up the MHL this season and has legit skill on the puck. There's not a lot to get excited about in the Lightning's class though. The Stars didn't make their first pick until No. 94, but in typical Stars fashion they didn't shy away from targeting a talent that others couldn't quite get there on in Cameron Schmidt. Schmidt is one of the best skaters and shooters in this class and guys who get top grades in two different attributes in an age group are almost never available in the third round. Schmidt, who is listed at 5-foot-7.25 and can frustrate with his shot selection and body language at times, was available, and the team that took Logan Stankoven took him. Despite the challenges players his size face, I think he's more likely to become an NHLer than a number of the other players who were taken in the third-round. He might score 50 in the WHL next year. The rest of their picks in Rounds 4-7 aren't anything, in my opinion, though. Mans Goos is a huge goalie, which makes him relevant, but I've seen him let in a lot of bad goals. Advertisement I've viewed Tommy Lafreniere, the Oilers' first pick of the draft, as more of an AHL prospect than an NHL prospect when I've watched Kamloops. He's an average-at-everything player for me, unless there's something I'm missing. The Oilers' second pick of the draft, though, German forward David Lewandowski, belonged in that range and turned the staff in Saskatoon into real believers (not just in the he's-our-guy way, either). He's a very, very smart player. There's some average-at-everything worries with him as well, but the smarts might be enough to give him a chance. Fifth-rounder Asher Barnett was one of the last cuts on D for my top-100 as well. He's a solid, reliable defender who wore the 'C' at the program. A lack of a defining trait raises questions about whether he just becomes a solid college and then AHL D, but I don't think you can go wrong having him be a part of your organization. He's a good player and by all accounts a good kid. This Oilers class probably doesn't produce an NHLer, though. I thought the Penguins, despite getting three good prospects in the first round and two I quite like in Ben Kindel and Bill Zonnon, got a little cute in the first-round with where they took their three guys. The prospect I'm lowest on was actually the one who went in the range the league expected him to go in William Horcoff, ironically. Peyton Kettles, who they took with their first pick of Day 2, is more of a late-second than an early-second for me, but was also viewed by the league in the range they took him. He's a big, strong D who defends and skates well and has more of a puck game than his statistical profile suggests but won't ever be a producer in the NHL. He's got some projectable attributes and the game is trending towards his type. I liked the swing on Charlie Trethewey early in the third round. He was viewed as a potential first-round talent coming out of his U17 year at the program and then really struggled with the decision-making side of the game this year. He's a standout athlete with a big shot and several pro attributes. If the reads on both sides of the puck can improve, there could be a player there. Advertisement I was pretty surprised to see them take former QMJHL No. 1 pick Gabriel D'Aigle in the third-round though. D'Aigle has really struggled in the QMJHL and there are people in Quebec who've completely written him off as a goalie prospect. I'm pretty confident he would have been there later for them. Brady Peddle's an interesting dice roll at No. 91, even if that was a little high for me as well. He's a big, physical D who is a standout athlete not dissimilar to Kettles. He's a high-floor, low-ceiling bet and should be a solid depth AHL D at minimum with proper development. Travis Hayes is a Kyle Dubas/Wes Clark type and was a worthy fourth-round pick for me. He's a hard-working pest with a nose for the dirty areas and teams didn't like playing him and his pal Brady Martin in the Soo this year. Though Quinn Beauchesne didn't quite make my top 100, there are some profile similarities between him and Ben Danford, who Clark took in the first round in Toronto last year. He's a Hockey Canada favourite who prides himself on defending hard, blocking shots, and playing a coachable game. There are some who argue injuries got in the way of him being a Round 2 or Round 3 pick instead of a Round 5 one. The small but crafty Kale Dach is exactly the kind of player I'd look at in the seventh round and is interesting in the same way Penn State leading scorer and Preds prospect Aiden Fink was in last year's draft. A lot of volume and a huge mixed bag for me though. Braeden Cootes is a legit prospect at a premium position but I thought the Canucks played it a little safe taking him at No. 15 and would have encouraged them to really chase some skill and take a cut, because they need more of it. Though Kieren Dervin was one of the final cuts for my top 100, I actually liked them taking him at No. 65 because it represented a bit more of cut. Dervin's a really impressive skater and athlete who also has some skill. I and others wanted to see him play with more intensity at times this year but he's got the tools to follow the college path at Penn State and come out the other side as something interesting. Advertisement The same goes for the decision to go after overager Wilson Bjorck, the older brother of top 2026 prospect Viggo Bjorck, who lit up the J20 level this season and flashed some skill and feel for the game. And likewise for Alexei Medvedev, who is one of the best goalie prospects in this class for me and has tandem upside. Matthew Lansing is a likeable player type but not an NHL prospect for me. We'll see. I'm largely uninspired by what they did on the whole. I thought the Panthers' fourth-rounders, Dane Mad Kongsbak Klyvø and Everett's Shea Busch, were late-rounders more than fourth-rounders whenever I watched Frolunda and the Silvertips this year. You're hoping both take steps next year after playing on deeper teams in their draft year. Shamar Moses, my No. 98-ranked prospect, is a strong, heavy, hardworking winger with some power forward elements that I thought was taken in exactly the right range in the fifth round. He may end up as AHL depth but he's a coach's type and that can sometimes take you a little further than that. Swedish sixth-rounder Arvid Drott can really skate, which makes him worth following. His peers think he's underrated, which I think is always noteworthy as well. The Panthers will be lucky to get NHL games out of any of the kids they picked though. The Leafs aren't going to be making very many picks over the next few years and it's going to be really important for them to find players and value in the ones that they do. So Leafs fans probably won't love to hear that the decision to take Norwegian center Tinus Luc Koblar was the first of Day 2 that I really didn't understand. He's a big, strong, sturdy center who can skate but he scored eight goals at Sweden's J20 level this year and has a long way to go to have a chance to become a bottom-six option someday. He's a summer birthday who already has some pro attributes, so I'm sure they're counting on a steep progression moving forward, but I'm confident they could have got him later and he was ranked No. 56 on NHL Central Scouting's list of international skaters when they took him at No. 64 among all skaters. Advertisement I've got a lot of time for Tyler Hopkins, who they took No. 86 and was No. 80 on my board, and think he's much more likely to become a bottom-six forward in the NHL than Luc Koblar. Hopkins is one of the most detail-oriented forwards in the draft. He needs to show he can make more plays in the OHL next year but he works, and tracks, and supports, and really understands how to play the game. I think we're going to see some more picks like the William Belle one from the Leafs in coming years as well. Belle's one of the biggest, strongest, meanest, most physical players in the draft but he barely played for the NTDP at times this year and he's a bit of a one-trick pony. The Leafs likely see a potential fourth-liner. I don't think he's got the smarts to get there, personally. Owen Sound's Harry Nansi showed me very little skill in my viewings as well but he's one of the youngest players in the draft and his defining quality is his work ethic, so they're likely betting on development being in front of him and a potential depth projection. He's a long shot who will have to take some big steps though. Sixth-rounder Ryan Fellinger's a big D with a lot of limitations. I don't see what the vision/end goal is.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Simon Wang makes history as NHL's highest-drafted Chinese player
LOS ANGELES - Simon Wang is still only 17 years old. The journey that brought him to Peacock Theater on Saturday morning had already been long and winding. Then he made history. The San Jose Sharks chose the defenceman from the Ontario Hockey League's Oshawa Generals with the first pick of the NHL draft's second round, making the six-foot-six, 222-pound Wang the highest-ever Chinese player selected at No. 33 overall. 'Unreal moment for my family, for hockey (in) China,' Wang said as he sported his new team's teal threads. 'Trying to soak it in.' The teenager started playing hockey in Beijing at age four, but his family decided he needed more competition to develop following conversations with a friend already in Canada. Wang moved to the Toronto area in 2019, and after heading home during the COVID-19 pandemic, returned to Ontario and enrolled in a private school. Wang's mother, Willa, then bought a junior-A team in Brantford, Ont., and relocated it to Nobleton — roughly 125 kilometres away — where her son started to flourish. The two other Chinese-born players drafted to the NHL are 2024 Winnipeg Jets fourth-round pick Kevin He and 2015 New York Islanders sixth-rounder Andong Song. 'I'm just getting started,' said Wang, who's committed to eventually attend Boston University in the NCAA. 'I never really knew this game, how it's supposed to be played, until (age) 14. I'm always the underdog. Always have distance to catch up. I still have hunger in me, still have to drive that I've got to get better every single day. 'That's why I'm probably one of the most unique guys in the draft class.' Wang started this season in junior-A before signing on in the OHL with the Generals, where he put up two assists in 32 games as he continued to grow into his body and learn the sport. Now he's set a new draft benchmark. 'Definitely special,' Wang said. 'I hope I've inspired a lot of kids back home, and hopefully one day my record gets broken — someone goes in the first round, maybe top-10. That's probably the ultimate goal for Chinese hockey. 'There'll definitely be someone that is going to make a huge impact on the game.' It could very well be Wang. DECENTRALIZED DRAFT The league's first-ever decentralized draft in a non-pandemic scenario — similar to the NFL and NBA, where teams make selections off-site — continued with the Montreal Canadiens trading up to get Alexander Zharovsky at No. 34. The six-foot-one, 163-pound Russian winger had 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points across 45 games for Ufa on his country's junior circuit this past season. The Vancouver Canucks took goaltender Alexei Medvedev of the OHL's London Knights at No. 47. The Russian went 22-8-2 with a .912 save percentage and 2.79 goal-against average for the Memorial Cup champions. The Calgary Flames picked centre Theo Stockselius at No. 54. The six-foot-three, 196-pound centre put up 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) in 40 games in 2024-25 for Djurgardens' developmental team in Sweden. The Toronto Maple Leafs made their first pick OF the draft with the second round's final selection, taking Tinus Luc Koblar, also out of the Swedish junior league, at No 64. The Norwegian centre had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 43 games for Leksands in 2024-25. The Ottawa Senators made a trade with the Los Angeles Kings earlier in the day when they acquired defenceman Jordan Spence for a third-round pick this year and a 2026 sixth-rounder. The Detroit Red Wings made the day's biggest splash, adding John Gibson via trade from the Anaheim Ducks for fellow goaltender Petr Mrazek, a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-rounder in 2026. Saturday's third round saw Vancouver take centre Kieren Dervin (No. 65), Montreal grab centre Hayden Paupanekis (No. 69), and Calgary go with defenceman Maceo Phillips (No. 80) before the Canadiens took blueliner Bryce Pickford (No. 81) and goaltender Arseni Radkov (No. 82). The Edmonton Oilers made their first pick of 2025 at No. 83 with winger Tommy Lafreniere. The Leafs then selected Tyler Hopkins at No. 86. The centre from Campbellville, Ont. — just outside Toronto — grew up a fan of both the team and captain Auston Matthews. 'To wear this jersey, I can't even describe the feeling,' said the 18-year-old. 'That was the ultimate dream.' Winnipeg took centre Owen Martin (No. 92) and Ottawa chose winger Blake Vanek (No. 93). Ottawa opened the fourth round by selecting goaltender Lucas Beckman (No. 97), wingers Dmitri Isayev (No. 149) and Bruno Idzan (No. 181), along with netminder Andrei Trofimov (No. 213). Montreal tabbed centre John Mooney (No. 113) and goaltender Alexis Cournoyer (No. 145). The Canadiens then added a trio of defencemen in Carlos Handel (No. 177), Andrew MacNiel (No. 189) and Maxon Vig (No. 209). Edmonton plucked winger David Lewandowski (No. 117), defenceman Asher Barnett (No. 131), goaltender Daniel Salonen (No. 191) and centre Aiden Park (No. 223). Toronto grabbed winger William Belle (No. 137), winger Harry Nansi (No. 153), defenceman Bruno Idzan (No. 185) and winger Matthew Hlacar (No. 217). Vancouver selected centre Wilson Bjorck (No. 143), winger Gabriel Chiarot (No. 175) and centre Matthew Lansing (No. 207). Calgary picked wingers Ethan Wyttenbach (No. 144) and Aiden Lane (No. 176), defenceman Jakob Leander (No. 208) and winger Yan Matveiko (No. 211). Winnipeg wound up with winger Viktor Klingsell (No. 156), defenceman Edison Engle (No. 188) and winger Jacob Cloutier (No. 220). This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Will the Broad Street Bullies be back? Flyers go big at the NHL draft
By the time the Philadelphia Flyers are legitimate contenders again a few years down the road, they could have a lineup that makes the 1970s Broad Street Bullies proud. Five of their eight selections in the NHL draft stand 6-foot-3 or taller, including first-rounders Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt. They overlooked smaller talent to get a hulking winger in Martone at No. 6 and traded up for Nesbitt, a 6-5 center, with the 12th pick. 'It's a nice bonus that they're both tall and will bring us size, as well,' general manager Daniel Briere said. 'It just kind of worked out that way. It wasn't a plan that we had in mind going into the draft that we wanted to get bigger. It just happened that way.' Philadelphia's second-rounders were 6-6, 232-pound defenseman Carter Amico and a trio of nice-sized forwards: Jack Murtagh, Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard. Murtagh described himself as 'a high-end workhorse.' Their second fifth-round pick, Luke Vlooswyk, called himself 'a big defensive, defenseman.' He said Gard, a teammate with the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels, is 'a big kid like me.' Bulking up the prospect pool makes sense for the Flyers, who have a lot of smaller talent in the system, from budding star Matvei Michkov already on the roster to 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko, who played four games for them last season. They also just traded for 6-foot center Trevor Zegras and could use some size in their not-too-distant future. Bloodlines After William Horcoff, whose dad Shawn spent 15 seasons in the NHL, went 24th to Pittsburgh in the first round, Day 2 of the draft was full of the sons and nephews of retired players hearing their names called. It started with Seattle trading up to get Blake Fiddler, son of Vernon, early in the second round. Eric Nilson, son of Marcus, went a handful of picks later to Anaheim. There were more familiar names picked in the third round: Artyom Gonchar, nephew of 2009 Stanley Cup champion Sergei Gonchar, to the New York Rangers, and Blake Vanek, son of Thomas, to Ottawa. Italian history After Simon Wang became the highest-ranked China-born NHL draft pick when San Jose chose him at No. 33, Matous Jan Kucharcik made some Italian hockey history. Taken by Buffalo 103rd, Kucharcik is a Czech national but became the fourth player born in Italy to be selected. ___
