2025 NHL Draft player poll: 50 top prospects give their own NHL projections

New York Times

4 hours ago

This season, The Athletic's prospects writers Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman set out to do something ambitious: pull off a 2025 NHL Draft player poll similar to the player polls our staff conduct in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.
In the fall, they settled on 10 questions — three on the record and seven anonymous — and spent the season gathering as many responses as possible. Out of it, 50 of the top prospects in the 2025 NHL Draft class were surveyed by year's end for our inaugural NHL Draft player poll.
Here are the responses from when they asked the prospects, 'What NHL player do you realistically think you could become?' The goal was to have the players think honestly and answer candidly about a projected outcome for themselves, rather than asking them for usually lofty player comparables.
Carter Bear: I think a player comparison for me is Zach Hyman. … His motor and his intensity in all zones, and then obviously he has a scoring touch, and I think that I have that too. And also just his play without the puck, he's relentless on (the) puck.
Adam Benak: Clayton Keller and Brayden Point.
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Justin Carbonneau: I think I can become Adrian Kempe. … He's a big guy, he has speed and a good shot, and he grinds. That's the type of player I want to become. … It's my grind and my compete level that gets me to my offense, and then I use my skills. But I would say it starts with my compete.
Braeden Cootes: I like to watch Wyatt Johnston on Dallas, the way he plays. … And Brayden Point, a guy like that. I think they just play a great overall game, and they can obviously score goals, and they're great in the playoffs, too.
Ethan Czata: I like Dylan Larkin or one of the Tkachuk brothers. … I like Larkin because he's a 200-foot player and does all of the right things, but also likes to be physical.
Caleb Desnoyers: I think I can be a Jonathan Toews type. A complete player, versatile, can play in every situation. He's a winner who has won Stanley Cups, and I'd love to become that type.
Victor Eklund: Travis Konecny for sure. … He has a high motor, he's pretty physical out there, and it feels like he never runs out of energy. That's pretty much like me.
Conrad Fondrk: I like to watch the Wild a lot. Kaprizov. Boldy. I don't know if I exactly replicate those guys' games, but I love watching those guys and taking things from their game and putting them in mine.
Anton Frondell: My game is compared to (Aleksander) Barkov. Captain. Good guy. Good size. Good hockey sense.
Eddie Genborg: Matthew Tkachuk.
James Hagens: I think a Jack Hughes. Just kind of the way he skates, the way he handles the puck, and the way he plays.
William Horcoff: Brady Tkachuk.
Jakob Ihs-Wozniak: I would say Filip Forsberg. I feel that we're the same type of player, and I model my game after him a little bit. … He's good at scoring, he's good at finding areas where he can score, and I'm striving to become as hard-working as him in the intensity and stuff like that.
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I feel like it has gotten better and better. Of course, the Hlinka was tough for me, but after that, it has just gone in a positive direction, I would say. It's getting better and better all the time, and I think I'm taking steps.
Ben Kevan: I'd say Jordan Kyrou. Me and him have kind of the same build. Not super big but not undersized type winger. Both of us can get up the ice quick and make quick plays off of the rush and in the zone, so I think that's my comparable. … I'm always trying to stay fast. I played a lot of soccer growing up, too, so that's where I got a lot of my leg strength from.
Ben Kindel: I'd say a guy like Nick Suzuki on upside and the offensive side — a very smart player, two-way center. I'd also say I could become a guy like Phillip Danault. Kind of a third-line checking center in a shutdown role. … (Because of) my hockey sense, my ability on faceoffs, my defensive awareness and my ability to strip pucks and play in the defensive zone.
Lynden Lakovic: I think I could realistically become a top-six player who can contribute scoring. I think I could be a good playoff player who can be physical if the time comes, just growing into my body and physically maturing my game. … A player comparable I use is Tage Thompson. That's someone that I think I can become, and I think we play a lot alike with our frame, our skill sets are pretty similar, and at my age, I think I definitely had better skating, and he definitely has the better shot. I'm not saying my shot's bad, I have a good shot. … I'm definitely more used to the wing, but I think I'm smart enough that I could play center.
Ryker Lee: William Nylander's probably the biggest one for me. Guys like that. David Pastrnak. … Their understanding of time and space, their hands. They're playmakers, but they can shoot the puck for sure.
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Brady Martin: I like to think Matthew Tkachuk. Just a clutch guy, an instigator who is always in the scrums and everything.
Porter Martone: I like Corey Perry and Matthew Tkachuk. You can see Matthew Tkachuk is such an impact player with the Florida Panthers on a deep run to the Stanley Cup. Corey Perry's older now, but the way he had a knack for creating offense and just helping his team every night and being a hard player to play against and just really leaning on his team. They put up good numbers and they're hard players to play against and a pest on the ice. … It's just in my character and the way I finish my checks and get to the net front. I think I just play the right way and then that comes.
Michael Misa: I like to think I play a lot like Kirill Kaprizov, just the way he distributes the puck offensively. But he's a 200-foot player, and he's someone that I think I can model my game after. … It's just the way he plays, but I think I'm more of a center.
Will Moore: Matt Boldy. … Tall, super poised, super creative, but has a great scoring touch.
Jack Nesbitt: Tom Wilson. I love Tom Wilson. … He's a physical guy and he can move the puck well. He's a great leader, and I plan to be like him.
Eric Nilson: I feel like I model my game after Jack Eichel. I love to see him play. He uses his ability to skate and his skill to the inside. I use my skating ability and skills.
Jake O'Brien: I think I can become Wyatt Johnston because of my hockey IQ and my passing ability.
Cullen Potter: I hear (Mathew) Barzal, and I think that's realistic for me.
Cole Reschny: I think I could definitely become a player like Brayden Schenn, or Ryan O'Reilly, or Brayden Point. I think they're just very strong, 200-foot centermen, they think the game well and they're very fast. You see the high-end plays that they can make at the speed of the game, that's just something that I've always had, my hockey IQ and taking pride in the defensive zone just as much as the offensive zone and then in the offensive zone setting up a teammate or shooting the puck.
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Luca Romano: Dawson Mercer. … He plays heavy. Two-way game. Good on pucks. Skill. And he's fast.
Cameron Schmidt: He hasn't been in the league long, but I'd say (Logan) Stankoven, just the size similarities and his scoring ability that he has. Two years ago, we played in the first round, and I went and watched that.
Malcolm Spence: A player I try to play like is Carter Verhaeghe. I like his game a lot. He's a fast player, he can play anywhere in the lineup, he can play penalty kill, he can play power play, he's on at the end of a game if you need a goal or if you have a lead and you're trying to keep it. And I think Ryan O'Reilly as well. I know he's a centerman most of the time, but I like his details, and I think he's a good player.
Theo Stockselius: I really like Joel Eriksson Ek from Minnesota. … I think we have the same size, and he wasn't the best skater when he was my age. I really like him for his skating and his speed and he's good defensively and offensively.
Shane Vansaghi: I think like Josh Anderson in Montreal. He's a big power forward who plays that north-south game that I would consider myself to play as well. He's physical and effective on the forecheck, and I see him take pucks to the net all the time, and that's what I try and do, and I feel like I do a pretty good job of that.
Mason West: I think Tage Thompson with his size and athletic ability. I think I really play like an athlete and I think he really worked on his shot, which I'm really trying to do and work on my body control and edges, which he does a really good job of. So I think I'd just say Tage Thompson. I think I can kind of become that type of player and also do different things that he doesn't.
Bill Zonnon: Adrian Kempe. I think we're pretty similar. He's good both ways. He's got good size. He's pretty dynamic offensively. He's a big boy. I'd like to be a player like him in the NHL.
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Kashawn Aitcheson: Charlie McAvoy. … I think I'm a great skater, good IQ, and I play a really shutdown defensive game and can stop other teams' top lines, but also create secondary offense. … I think I can grow into (a power-play guy) for sure.
Quinn Beauchesne: That's a tough question. Someone I try to model my game after is someone like Charlie McAvoy, a good skater and good puck-moving defenseman who can join the offense and shows a physical side when he needs to. … For me, it's just really trying to model my game and not setting any limits on myself and just trying to become the best player that I can become. I think he's just good at everything, so it's really just trying to watch and learn. He's a great puck-moving D, he can skate really well, and he plays really well with his stick.
Sascha Boumedienne: Miro Heiskanen.
Blake Fiddler: I think I could become a big two-way, top-four defenseman in the NHL. … Shea Theodore's a guy I model my game after.
Milton Gastrin: Maybe Landeskog. … He works hard, he's good offensively and good defensively. That's the way I play.
Reese Hamilton: I would like to become like a Miro Heiskanen from Dallas. Smooth-skating defenseman, I'm pretty mobile. … It really has nothing to do with his draft and where he went; it has more to do with his playing style. We both have pretty good feet, and he's pretty good in the defensive zone as well as the offensive zone. Eventually, down the road, I think it's realistic.
Logan Hensler: Jake Sanderson. Not the flashiest guy, but great skater and how efficient and reliable he is. That's a big piece I'm trying to grow into.
Radim Mrtka: I would say Moritz Seider. … I think that we are kind of the same. He's high IQ, we play a two-way game, and I've always found we're really similar.
Jack Murtagh: Mikko Rantanen or Matthew Tkachuk.
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Max Psenicka: I think in the future I think I can be something similar to Victor Hedman … I think we both are similar heights. I need to get stronger to get to his size, but I think I can probably be him.
Cam Reid: I'd say someone like Morgan Rielly. He moves his feet well and he thinks the game well. It's something I model my game after, and I think that will carry me.
Jackson Smith: I feel like I could become like a Miro Heiskanen. He's a big, good-skating, 200-foot defenseman, and I feel like that's what I am.
Matthew Schaefer: I like to model my game after Cale Makar, so hopefully a Cale Makar. But I want to be a two-way defenseman and kind of just play my game. … I feel like I look at Makar for a lot of things with his skating ability and hockey IQ, but I feel like Heiskanen's another one and I just want to be a two-way defenseman that can play both offense and defense when needed. There's maybe not one guy; there's a lot of guys you watch and take from each of their games.
Simon Wang: I think there's a lot of guys that are tall and mobile with the wingspan: (Colton) Parayko, (Victor) Hedman, (Brandon) Carlo.
Jack Ivankovic: I like Juuse Saros. He's not a big goalie, but he's one of the best goalies in the world. He's definitely the big one for me. I take pride in my skating and work on it all the time, and I watch his skating and watch him play and think, 'I can do that.' He wins games for his team, and that's something I want to do at the next level.
Joshua Ravensbergen: I think maybe one day become something like a (Jake) Oettinger. He's big like me, he uses his size well, and I think there's a reality where I can become something like that.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos of Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Martin and Porter Martone: Brian Babineau/NHLI, Kevin Sousa, Michael Miller/ISI Photos / Getty Images)