NHL Mock Draft 2025: Predicting all 64 picks of the first two rounds with Pronman and Wheeler

New York Times

20-05-2025

Today, we attempt a projection of how the first two rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft will take place, this time with our two NHL prospects writers, Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, alternating picks.
After a coin toss, Pronman selected for the odd-numbered teams in the draft order and Wheeler picked for the even-numbered teams.
A note that the mock was finished on Friday, before the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs was completed. As a result, the draft order at the end of Rounds 1 and 2 has changed slightly since these picks were made.
Schaefer is the most special talent in this year's class. Despite the limited number of games, when healthy, he displayed that he's the only true game-breaker in this draft. He could be a potential No. 1 defenseman for the Islanders. — Pronman
Schaefer would have been the preferred outcome for the Sharks, but they should be excited about building around the trio of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Misa — three of the bright young forwards in the game — up front as well. — Wheeler
Chicago picks the top player in Europe in Frondell. He's a great all-around center who is highly skilled and competitive and a gifted goal scorer. — Pronman
The Mammoth get their 2C of the future to play behind Logan Cooley. Desnoyers' combination of smarts, skill, leadership and two-way play is an ideal fit for them. — Wheeler
Nashville adds much-needed dynamic traits to its organization by picking Hagens. He will hopefully provide a spark to the Predators' offense. — Pronman
The Flyers strongly consider center Brady Martin and winger Porter Martone here, but O'Brien's smarts come the closest to matching Matvei Michkov's, and they bet on that pair working in sync. — Wheeler
Boston rolls the dice on a player who could quickly reset their organization if he hits. McQueen is the rare game-breaker you can get at 7, and is here solely due to injury concerns. He addresses a critical need for them at center. In an ideal world, there isn't a huge run on centers like there was in this mock. — Pronman
The Kraken's pool could use a top D prospect and they consider Seattle's WHL standout Radim Mrtka and the ultra-competitive Kashawn Aitcheson here for that reason, but they pass on a defenseman (again) because they can't pass on a winger of Martone's skill to pair with one of the three centers they've already taken in the top 10. — Wheeler
Mrtka is tempting here for Buffalo but the Sabres opt for the skill and hard elements that Martin brings to their forward group. — Pronman
Mrtka is tempting here as well, but after taking a right-shot winger with their first pick a year ago with Beckett Sennecke, the Ducks double down at an area of organizational focus and turn it into a strength with the competitive, skilled and fast Eklund. — Wheeler
It's tempting to add a center or defenseman here for the Penguins, but Bear's high-end skill and tenacity will be highly appealing, especially since he's a late birthday who can be on the team potentially in a year or two to play alongside their aging star centers. — Pronman
There's never just one D taken in the top 12 picks and the Rangers could use another one in their pool. They consider the toughness of Kashawn Aitcheson here but they prioritized length and skating with their selection of E.J. Emery a year ago and they double down on those two attributes with even more emphasis with Mrtka. — Wheeler
Aitcheson brings the high-end compete traits that Detroit tends to crave while also being mobile and skilled with decent size, too. — Pronman
The Blue Jackets would probably love to get Mrtka or Aitcheson here, and likely consider defensemen Cameron Reid, Logan Hensler and Jackson Smith, but they could also use a left-shot wing prospect and Lakovic fits their type/range. — Wheeler
Vancouver adds a much-needed quality young center in Cootes who provides a very good two-way game, with NHL caliber speed, skill and compete. — Pronman
All of Lakovic, Bear, and Carbonneau fit the bill of the type of winger the Habs should/could be after. Two of them are gone for good reason but Carbonneau's combination of strength and skill make him a natural choice. Center Cole Reschny and defensemen Cameron Reid, Jackson Smith and Logan Hensler would warrant consideration here as well. — Wheeler
Smith's stock is down after a so-so U18 worlds but his slide ends here. Montreal jumps at the opportunity to pick a big, mobile defenseman who can move a puck and hope his trajectory can be similar to Thomas Harley's from the same age. — Pronman
The Flames could benefit from taking a center here and Reschny's combination of skill, smarts and two-way play fits their type. They haven't shied away from taking 5-10/11 players in the last couple of years either. — Wheeler
The Blues add a defenseman with their top pick in back-to-back drafts. Boumedienne is a 6-foot-2 defender who can fly and just set the record for most points by a defenseman at the U18 worlds. He projects as a two-way second or third pair guy in the NHL. — Pronman
After going forward with their earlier pick, the Blue Jackets draft one of the top remaining D in Reid with their second selection. Blue Jackets rookie Denton Mateychuk is a natural comp for Reid. — Wheeler
Ottawa continues to build a huge, mobile, physical blue line adding USA's top defenseman from the recent U18s. Fiddler projects as a very reliable NHL defenseman. — Pronman
After taking a center with their first pick, the Flames add a potential up-and-down-the-lineup two-way winger. Spence is also off to Michigan with Flames prospect Henry Mews in the fall. Jack Nesbitt and Ben Kindel made some sense if they decide to double down on centers here, too. — Wheeler
Carolina drafts arguably the best skater in the draft in Potter who is a very skilled forward albeit on the small side. He is a gamble but one the Hurricanes have shown a history of taking before. — Pronman
In one fell swoop, the Flyers rebuild their pool's center depth. O'Brien, Jett Luchanko and Nesbitt give them their potential top three Cs of the future. — Wheeler
Hensler slides, but it ends here as the Flyers use their third pick of the first round on the 6-2, mobile puck-mover who was up and down as a freshman. — Pronman
After trading Yaroslav Askarov, the Preds take Ravensbergen, whose timeline better aligns with Juuse Saros'. — Wheeler
The Kings add a potential future middle-six center in Gastrin, who is highly competitive, fits their team identity and has decent offensive traits as well. — Pronman
Ideally the Sharks get a D here but the top group is gone and this is a little early for the next tier. Instead, they continue to add smarts and skill up front with Kindel, who moved from the wing to center this year but may end up back on the wing in the NHL. — Wheeler
Zonnon is a well-rounded forward with strong speed and skill and the ability to provide value on both special teams. He fits in with the type of player Chicago wants to build with. — Pronman
The Preds inject more skill and scoring into their pool with the talented 6-foot-2 shooting winger, who fills an area of need as a right-shot winger within Nashville's system. — Wheeler
Washington takes the top Russian in this class in Prokhorov. He's a big winger who skates well, is very physical and has shown a goal-scoring touch. — Pronman
The Jets pool could use a D prospect behind Elias Salomonsson and while the top group has all been selected, Brzustewicz, a teammate of Jets prospect Jacob Julien in London, is justifiable in the 30s. — Wheeler
San Jose would probably be frustrated if this is the way the draft goes, with a run on the top defensemen before their later picks. They opt for one of the best athletes in the draft in Wang who is huge, mobile and physical, but very raw and a work in progress with the puck. — Pronman
The Blackhawks have an abundance of 5-11 speedsters, but Romano is their type and has another level to find still. — Wheeler
Once a potential lottery pick, Moore falls to the early parts of Day 2 due to worries about his compete. He's still a big, fast, skilled center who, on his best days, looks like a legit NHLer. — Pronman
The Flyers add more size with Horcoff, betting that a positive second half at Michigan and U18 worlds is sign of things to come. He's got pro attributes for an NHL bottom six. — Wheeler
Washington adds the program's top center in McKinney. He's a well-rounded player whose compete, speed, hands and shot could make him a bottom-six center in the NHL. — Pronman
After taking a forward (yet again) at the top, the Kraken add Kettles, a 6-foot-5 right-shot D who is one of the youngest players in the draft and has the potential to be a stopper. — Wheeler
Buffalo opts for the two-way center in Nilsson who was excellent at the Swedish junior level this season. He has strong offensive skills and some bite in his game as well although he is average sized. — Pronman
The Flyers can afford to take a swing with their bevy of first-round picks and they take a big one on the talent of the mercurial and frustrating Ryabkin. They've taken three Russians in the last two drafts as well, so he'll have some countrymen in the organization. — Wheeler
Montreal takes one of the most purely talented players in the draft in West, a 6-6 center who can skate and has legit offensive tools, but has scared teams during the draft process due to being a football recruit as well. — Pronman
A year after drafting an NTDP scorer bound for Boston University in the first round in Cole Eiserman, the Islanders take another in the second round in Murtagh, a natural goal scorer and standout athlete who is one of the younger players in the draft. Murtagh isn't Eiserman, but he gives the Islanders pool some more scoring punch. — Wheeler
The Rangers add a huge center in Gard who skates well for a big guy and has a hard, interior style game even though he's not the most creative offensive player. — Pronman
The Red Wings add Vansaghi, a big, strong, powerful, heavy forward playing at MSU who can skate and projects as a bottom-sixer. — Wheeler
A true throwback Flyers type of pick, Genborg is one of the most physical players in the draft while also having a strong athletic toolkit and some offensive touch. — Pronman
The Mammoth scouting staff has prioritized size over the years and they add more to their pool with Nestrasil, a rangy 6-5 winger who projects as a potential bottom-six forward. — Wheeler
Vancouver goes back to Sweden with Hallquisth, who is a tall right-shot defenseman who can skate, makes a steady first pass and provides value at both ends. — Pronman
Philly adds Behm, who was a riser in the first half. While he regressed a little in the second half, he's still a pro-built 6-2 winger who scored 30-plus goals in the WHL this season and makes sense for the Flyers. — Wheeler
Montreal picks one of the top players in the USHL last season. Lee's skating worries teams but he's super skilled with a great shot and has legit scoring potential at higher levels if he can handle the pace. — Pronman
The Devils add Zharovsky, a highly skilled winger who was one of the top young forwards in the MHL this season. With the right patience, his talent could deliver value in the late second. — Wheeler
Psenicka is a tall right-shot who can skate and is a steady all-around defenseman. It wouldn't surprise me if he's gone by 51 but if not he fits what Boston likes for its blue line. — Pronman
After a challenging season for Jesper Wallstedt, the Wild shore up their goaltending depth with the best European goalie prospect in this class. Andreyanov was lights out in the MHL this season. — Wheeler
Limatov is a good sized defenseman who skates well, plays hard and shows good flashes of skill with the puck. He has a lot of NHL traits and there were points in the season where he looked like he may go higher. — Pronman
Brad Treliving has prioritized building through size on the back end and the 6-foot-6 Rombach, a Minnesota commit, offers what they're looking for in Toronto right now. — Wheeler
Czata is one of the more physical players in his age group who played a big role for Niagara and won gold for Canada at the U18 level twice. He's fast, makes some plays and could be a versatile pro center. — Pronman
The Flames have drafted a lot of talented, average-sized, offensive defensemen over the last couple of years. Amico's a 6-foot-5 D who gives their pool something a little different. He lost almost all of his draft year to knee surgery but has appeal for his length and mobility. — Wheeler
Nashville drafts the smooth skating Schock who played big minutes for the NTDP. He can make difficult plays with the puck while being one of the most mobile players in his age group albeit with average size. — Pronman
Andrei Vasilevskiy isn't getting any younger and the depth chart behind him is thin within the Lightning organization. This is the range where goalies like Medvedev, Semyon Frolov, Lucas Beckman and Jack Ivankovic could start getting serious consideration, too. The Lightning take Medvedev, a talented goalie who is one of the youngest players in the draft. Austin Elliott wouldn't give back the net with the Knights this year but Medvedev impressed in his action in the first half of the season as well. — Wheeler
Conrad is mobile, especially for being 6-foot-3, and played big minutes for Charlottetown. He makes a decent first pass, although his offense underwhelmed this year. — Pronman
This is the range where the talent gap between the draft's three big-name 5-7 forwards and the rest of the available players will be noticeable enough that some teams will consider taking a swing. The Golden Knights have never been shy, even if they've often ended up dealing their prospects. Schmidt can frustrate but his speed and shot are both dynamic. — Wheeler
Klippenstein is one of the most competitive players in this draft. That he's 6-3, a center, and skates like an NHL player gives him a path to potentially making it for Anaheim even if he's not a huge points producer. — Pronman
Paupanekis is a big two-way center who skates well, works and played in all situations for Kelowna this season. He's got a chance to become a reliable depth forward. — Wheeler
Pittsburgh drafts a hopeful goalie of the future. Frolov is a talented goalie, but he had sparse playing time this season. In his best games, he looked like a potential first-rounder. — Pronman
The Devils add Stockselius, a good-sized forward who was very productive on a talented J20 team playing with good players, and also showed he could play with good players in more of a support role with the Swedish national team this year. — Wheeler
(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos of Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer and Caleb Desnoyers: Michael Miller, Dale Preston / Getty Images)