2025 NHL Mock Draft 2.0: Scott Wheeler predicts the first 32 picks

New York Times

09-06-2025

After spending the week in Buffalo, N.Y., at the NHL Scouting Combine, here's my second version of a first-round mock for the 2025 NHL Draft.
These are my best predictions for the first 32 picks after speaking with agents, scouts, team staff and those around many of the players over the course of the year, combining sourcing with my sense for team, each amateur scouting department's preferences and the consensus around the top prospects' projected draft ranges.
Throughout, I've also mapped out potential contingencies and likely considerations for certain picks.
"The world loves Schaefer. He is going No. 1." That's a text I received from a scouting director during the NHL Combine. It has really been that way since November/December, after people saw him play the way he did at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge and again for Canada at the World Juniors. Even though Schaefer didn't return to the ice from then on, he has never stopped being the guy. The Islanders had dinners with James Hagens and Michael Misa in Buffalo last week, but it would come as a bit of a surprise if it's not Schaefer.
I heard really good things about the way Caleb Desnoyers, Anton Frondell and Hagens all did in interviews at the combine, and I think each impressed teams with the way they carried themselves. Misa and Desnoyers are the two likely candidates for the Sharks, though. There are people around the league who will make a case for Desnoyers as the perfect 2C for the Sharks. It's probably still Misa (who remains the consensus guy even if it's not absolute) here but don't rule out Desnoyers.
Misa would be an obvious choice for the Blackhawks if he were to get to No. 3, but if he doesn't, I've felt it's going to be Frondell or Desnoyers for them here since the lottery. Their abundance of 5-10/11 forward prospects probably takes Hagens out of their mix, and Porter Martone doesn't have the skating/pace they prioritize. I've taken Frondell in both of my mocks, but Desnoyers is a real possibility here. Both are very well-liked and crushed their combine interviews. Frondell is a little thicker and has the bigger shot. Desnoyers is smarter as a player and more versatile. Both could complement Connor Bedard or slot in behind him as the team's 2C of the future.
There has been some talk that the Mammoth won't take Hagens because a core of Hagens, Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller would be too small (Tij Iginla isn't 'big' either). But I believe they're considering him, and they have plenty of size up front and particularly on the back end in their depth chart and prospect pool. Desnoyers seems to make the most sense as a natural fit to be their 2C behind Cooley, though. Watch out for Brady Martin here, too. I think he's firmly in the conversation, starting at No. 4 with Utah.
I'd bet the Preds strongly consider Hagens here and Desnoyers if he's around, but they do have decent center depth in their pool and I've heard they scouted Martone a lot this year. They've been starving for a high-end skill forward prospect for what feels like decades, and Martone gives them a right-shot winger with size, strength and high-end skill.
If Hagens gets here, I think the Flyers like him and would consider taking him. Same goes for Desnoyers, whose well-rounded game and smarts could really support and complement Matvei Michkov. But Desnoyers isn't going to be there. If Hagens isn't, I think they lean Martin over Jake O'Brien here in terms of the other centers (though they did take O'Brien to dinner in Buffalo). The pull of a center, and a player like Martin, is real in this range.
If Martin doesn't go in the 4-6 range, the sense I get is that he doesn't get past the Bruins. If he does go in the 4-6 range, I think that could mean Hagens surprises a little and gets here, or they pivot to O'Brien. They're probably the start of where Roger McQueen gets consideration as well.
Because they've used all their high picks on natural centers in Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and Berkly Catton, the Kraken are in a unique position among the teams at the top of this draft where they don't have to feel they need to necessarily take one of the centers. I think they have to consider finally using one of their top picks on Radim Mrtka and Kashawn Aitcheson here because defense is a position of need, and their pool is so much stronger up front than it is on the back end. But O'Brien, Wright and Catton could all conceivably play the wing as well, and O'Brien would be the likely consensus pick here. The Kraken could take McQueen as well, so don't count them out of taking another forward.
A couple of people have connected Mrtka and the Sabres to me, and it's not hard to connect the dots and determine he'd be a fit. A blue line built around Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson and Mrtka gives them the size and mobility that every organization now prioritizes on the back end. Prospects Nikita Novikov, Maxim Strbak, Vsevolod Komarov and Adam Kleber are all big and strong, and could conceivably compete for jobs 5-7 on their blue line at some point as well.
The Ducks have a strong pool, a developing young core, and McQueen feels like a swing they could take — and one Pat Verbeek would take. As one scout put it to me, the Ducks also took McQueen to a bit of a "sneaky" dinner just before the combine got formally underway. Leo Carlsson, McQueen, Beckett Sennecke and Mason McTavish would give the Ducks a unique mix of size and varied skill sets up front. I could see them consider Mrtka and Aitcheson here as well, and I think there's a chance O'Brien makes it this far, in which case he'd probably be in the conversation for them.
Going into the combine, Lynden Lakovic is a name I kept hearing a number of the teams in the 11-19 range liked. Then he did well in his interviews, by the sounds of it. I think he's going to go higher than people think, and I think the Penguins are the start of where he's in the mix. But lefties Aitcheson and Jackson Smith make a lot of sense for their pool, which has emerging righty Harrison Brunicke but little coming on the left side. The Penguins also spent time with both at the combine.
Of note: If O'Brien doesn't go 6-8, I do wonder if he's available at 10 or 11. In that scenario, I'd guess the Penguins are as far as he falls. Same goes for McQueen and Mrtka if they're here. They're not in this scenario, though, and Aitcheson is a fit for them and this range.
Aitcheson and the Rangers feel like a match made in heaven (they love the ultra-competitive, thorny types), but Smith's profile as a strong-skating, strongly built lefty with potential makes a lot of sense as well. I think the Rangers go D here, and either Aitcheson and Smith should be available.
Bear's Achilles tear/laceration is on the mend and he's back skating, which is positive for him still going in the teens range he was talked about before the injury. If the Red Wings go D, Smith feels like a fit for their pool/depth charts as well (if he's available). Lakovic could be in play for them, too. Same for Victor Eklund and Justin Carbonneau, though they've got more right-shot forwards than left-shot forwards. Bear checks a lot of their boxes, though, as a competitive left-shot winger in the Steve Yzerman mold.
The two names I keep going back to with the Blue Jackets are Lakovic and Smith. I've heard they like Lakovic, and he just makes so much sense for them as a big, left-shot, top-nine winger who can skate and has skill. And they could use a D in their pool, and one like Smith, with all of his pro attributes, makes sense. One of them is — and maybe even both are — likely gone by the time they're up, but there's also a chance one of them is available. Lakovic is in this scenario, and while I'm sure they'd like to draft a D, sometimes you're not dealt those cards.
The sense I got from a couple of scouts I talked to at the combine was that Eklund is going to be available later than people in the public sphere think. But the Canucks feel like the floor for Eklund. I think they're also the start of Cameron Reid's range. I could also see them targeting a left-shot winger like Bear or Lakovic, or a center like Braeden Cootes (Cootes is expected to go 15-20 and had dinner at the combine with the Canucks).
I think the Habs will strongly consider Reid with their two picks in the teens. I think they're the start of where you could start to see Cullen Potter get some consideration from certain teams. I could see them considering centers cole Reschny and Cootes as well. But Reid is a player I believe they like a lot.
If Lakovic were to linger, I wonder if the Habs would prioritize him over Carbonneau or Bear. One of those wingers will be here for them, though, and each is a good fit for them if they do. Carbonneau is the one in this scenario. Despite the organizational need at center, I don't think they necessarily have to take Cootes or Reschny here.
The Flames have used a lot of their first- and second-round picks on wingers and defensemen over the last couple of years. I think they go center here. That puts Reschny, Cootes, Jack Nesbitt and maybe Milton Gastrin and Benjamin Kindel in play. Cootes is the consensus top C left here, though I think it's close with Reschny and there's a decent chance Cootes goes right before this.
I think the Blues would take Reid if he were to get here, but I'm starting to feel like he won't. Instead, a center like Reschny or Cootes makes a lot of sense for them in this range. Logan Hensler is also an option here.
I haven't heard Hensler connected to any teams in particular, but I could see the Blue Jackets doubling down on D or taking him here if they take a forward like Lakovic with their first pick. His good length, skating and skill remain appealing even if he hasn't blown people away and really grabbed it over the last couple of years. His peers — the players — respect his game, too.
Lakovic is the Sens' type, but he'll be long gone before they're up. I could see them liking Simon Wang as well, but this is a little too early (if they were to move back, and I think they're open to it, I could see him being a target in a trade-down). If they stand pat, two players in this range that make sense are Spence and Nesbitt. Both have the competitive spirit and athletic builds they've prioritized in the past, but Spence has more pace and has done it with more consistency and in straight lines. He could be an up-and-down-the-lineup winger for them who really fits their culture.
I think it's absolutely possible the Flyers take centers with two of their first three picks, and Nesbitt could be a potential 3C behind whoever they take at No. 6 and Jett Luchanko (though there are some who think Nesbitt may end up on the wing in the NHL). He also gives their pool some needed size.
After they get their forward early, adding to their pool on D, where it's already thinner than it is up front, makes the most sense for the Preds with their second selection. Boumedienne and Blake Fiddler are the most likely candidates. Fiddler is 6-4 and can skate and play both ways. Boumedienne is 6-2 and gets a higher grade as a skater. I debated Fiddler here because he's a righty and their top D prospect, Tanner Molendyk, is a lefty, but Boumedienne offers a little more in transition offense and untapped physical potential.
The sense I've gotten from a few people is that the Kings are likely to take a D here and that they want to get bigger. That points to Fiddler, but I don't think Wang is completely out of the question late in the first round, either. If Reid were to be here, I think they'd take him even though he doesn't check the size box, but it sounds like he'll be gone. Boumedienne is also an option they could consider, and I think this is the start of where Henry Brzustewicz enters the conversation.
The Blackhawks should look to be aggressive and package some of their picks to move up from here or look to add a player. If they do, I could see Nesbitt being a potential target a few spots up. If they don't, I don't see the consensus D in this range (Fiddler and Boumedienne, and then Brzustewicz) as targets. The competitive, well-rounded Gastrin makes sense if they stay here as a potential 3C of the future. I think the Blackhawks could be the start of where you could see a team think about Prokhorov as well. He's their type and their pool could use his size/profile.
The two teams that make the most sense for Ravensbergen in the first round are the Preds and Jets. Ironically, both have two of the best goalies in the world currently. But both men are also on the other side of 30, and each team's pool doesn't have the next-in-line goalie. Ravensbergen's timeline would line up better with Saros' than Yaroslav Askarov's did. Walking away with a forward, a D and the top goalie in the draft would be a good haul for them, too. I could see them take Gastrin here as well, though. He fits their profile.
All of Potter, Kindel, Ryker Lee and Ivan Ryabkin are players I could see the Capitals not shying away from like some others do. But Gastrin, a projectable 3C and competitor who is liked by all and respected by the players in this class for his consistent two-way impact, would be a really solid get for them here and add something to their pool that they don't really have.
I could see the Jets take a D here, and while it's maybe a little early for Brzustewicz and Wang, there are some who believe both could sneak into the end of the first round, and I think the Jets would consider them. As I mentioned with the third Preds pick, the Jets could use a goalie prospect and could consider Ravensbergen here (or take one in the second round) as well. But while their pool is deeper at forward than on D or in net, it doesn't have a prospect of Zonnon's profile. He projects as an up-and-down-the-lineup top-nine forward and is only one year away from potentially turning pro because of his late birthday.
Kindel, Lee and Jakob Ihs-Wozniak are all players who make sense as potential targets for the Canes, as they've shown a willingness to draft outside of the convention and take some swings. But it's not often that a player who can skate like Potter is available late in the first and he probably gets to them. They're the team to take the swing on his elite speed and legit skill, even if he's 5-10.
The Sharks are clearly comfortable taking London Knights players and will likely want to take a D here given how strong their pool is up front. Brzustewicz, who was paired with Sam Dickinson for much of this year (including stretches of the playoffs), makes a lot of sense for them. He's strong and sturdy, has a good stick and projects as an NHLer. If they go forward, they could afford to take a cut on Ryabkin, as they have shown a willingness to draft and develop Russians. After looking out of shape and interviewing poorly at the combine, however, Ryabkin continues to look like a second-rounder. This is Ihs-Wozniak's range as well, and I could see them take the 6-2 scoring winger.
The Flames took a cut on a Russian late in the first round last year with Matvei Gridin, and they could take an even bigger one here on Ryabkin. I thought about that here. But as mentioned above, Ryabkin's fitness and interviews at the combine again hurt his cause. Kindel is a highly intelligent and talented center as well (though some wonder if he'll have to move back to the wing in the NHL) and it probably doesn't hurt that he has been playing in their building all year.
One of the things that I heard repeatedly at the combine was that Vansaghi could sneak into the end of the first round. The Flyers, if they'd like to continue to add size to their relatively small pool, could double down with Nesbitt and Vansaghi, two of the biggest, strongest prospects in the class up front. Vansaghi projects as a heavy bottom-six player in the NHL someday.
Some notable prospects not picked in the first round here but could sneak in: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Ryker Lee, Ivan Ryabkin, William Moore, Jack Murtagh, Mason West, William Horcoff, Cole McKinney, Eric Nilson, Simon Wang.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos of Anton Frondell, Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa: Michael Miller / ISI Photos, Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)