2025 NHL Entry Draft Grades: Part Three

Welcome to your 2025 NHL Entry Draft Headquarters right here at Last Word On Sports and Top Shelf Prospects. We have you covered with everything you will need to be ready for the big event. Today, we bring you Part Two of our 2025 NHL Draft Grades. 

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The big day has come and gone, and now we look back to see how each team did in the NHL Draft. We know it’s way too soon to evaluate the complete outcomes of this year’s draft. However, we don’t want to wait. Instead, we follow our yearly tradition and do our NHL Draft Grades now.

To be clear, our 2025 NHL Draft Grades are based on the quality and quantity of total talent added in the draft. It is not based on getting value for where you pick. For example, a team that lacks picks is likely to be given a very poor grade for this year’s draft, regardless of how they use them.

LWOS 2025 NHL Draft Evaluation and Grades

Note: VALUE PICK does NOT mean the best player drafted. It means the best value. For example, Matthew Schaefer was the first player taken in this draft. However, he is not our best-value pick for the New York Islanders. Why? Because anyone can take the best player with the first overall pick. What we are looking for is value here, such as what steal did the team get in the draft that went later than we thought he would? If it were merely an exercise in naming the best player drafted, we might as well just name the team’s first pick, as that is who their own scouts felt was their best player.

Our grades are based on every player in the class, even where the later picks are not mentioned in the write-up. Of course, the higher the pick, the more he will affect the grade.

New Jersey: B

Best Value Pick: Benjamin Kevan 

The New Jersey Devils had a very average draft, earning them a B. They made seven selections, and other than Kevan and Hillstrom, we felt they were just okay. Starting it off, New Jersey drafted Conrad Fondrk 50th overall. Although we like some of the things Fondrk brings, we felt that this was a slightly underwhelming selection as there were better players available. Both William Moore and Cole McKinney, two better American forward prospects, were picked 51st and 53rd.

Their next pick was our favourite in Benjamin Kevan. Another American winger, Kevan, brings so much intensity and speed off the rush. His biggest flaw is being able to use his excellence at all times, but when he’s on, he has shown tons of potential. Despite going 63rd overall, Kevan was ranked as high as 3oth by Draft Prospects Hockey.

Islanders: A+

Best Value Pick: Victor Eklund

Next up, we have our second of two A+ grades. The New York Islanders had a phenomenal day. They made nine selections, and we were fans of almost all of them. Starting with the first overall pick, the Isles got their starting defenceman of the future in Matthew Schaefer. An article could be written about the Schaefer pick on its own, so all we’ll say is this: He’s an unbelievable player and an even better person. New York, you’ve got yourself a gem.

Following number one, the Isles made two more selections in the first round, nabbing Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson with picks 16 and 17. We love both of these players and what they bring to this lineup. Starting with Eklund, getting him outside the top-10 is absolutely criminal. He’s a relentless offensive forward who was ranked as high as 4th overall by The Hockey News/Ferrari. Then, after making one of the highest value picks in the draft, you get to skip back up to the podium and select one of, if not the most fun player in this class. Kashawn Aitcheson lays big-time hits and scores big-time goals. What more could you want from a defenceman?

The Islanders made six more selections outside of the first round, and if we talked about how good they all were, this article would be 3000 words long. Trust us when we say that the Isles had themselves a day.

Rangers: B+

Best Value Pick: Malcolm Spence

Moving just down the street, the Rangers made 8 selections and earned themselves a B+. Starting with the 43rd overall pick, the Rangers made their best value pick in Malcolm Spence. Spence can dominate games when his motor is at full throttle, timing his movements to get open for one-timers and slipping passes into the slot after shaking defenders on the wall. He was ranked as high as 16th overall by Craig Button, so getting him at 43rd is great value.

Fast forward to the 5th round, the Rangers selected Swedish D Zeb Lindgren. Ranked 73rd by FCHockey, Zeb is a phenomenal skater and provides great value for New York’s prospect pool. They made a couple more picks we liked, but nothing else that really jumped off the page; hence the B+.

Senators: B

Best Value Pick: Bruno Idzan

The biggest factor when it comes to Ottawa’s grade is the quality. With only six picks being made, it’s hard to get a top-tier grade. With that said, we liked a couple of their picks quite a bit. Starting with their first round pick, the Sens decided to trade down in the draft. This ended up being a great move as they were able to land Logan Hensler 23rd overall. Hensler has been a favourite of ours since the start and someone we feel is slightly underrated. The highest ranking for Hensler was Bob McKenzie at 15th, so his position wasn’t that far off. Despite that, we still feel Hensler provided a lot of value for the Senators.

Their best pick was easily Bruno Idzan. The 6’0″ Croatian winger is so fun to watch every time he steps on the ice. After moving from the AlpsHL to the USHL this season, Bruno quickly became one of the most electric finishers in the league, scoring 22 goals in 36 games. Recuit Scouting had Idzan ranked at #95, so getting him in the 6th round is amazing value.

Flyers: A-

Best Value Pick: Shane Vansaghi

The Philadelphia Flyers made nine selections, some we liked, some we didn’t, and earned themselves an A-. Starting with their first of two first-round picks, the Flyers had Porter Martone fall into their laps at #6. This couldn’t have worked out better for Philly, as Martone has legit top-line power forward potential.

When it comes to the 12th overall pick, we don’t like this one nearly as much. The Flyers decided to reach for another big forward in Jack Nesbitt. Now Nesbitt is still a very good prospect and has the chance to be a great player for Philly someday; however, we feel there were plenty of better players available. He had an Elite Prospects consolidation ranking of 28th, so taking him while guys like Carter Bear and Victor Eklund were available is simply a mistake.

Their best value pick was Shane Vansaghi. Drafted 48th overall despite being ranked as high as 23rd by SMAHT Scouting is excellent value. Vansaghi blends high-end shooting skills with creative playmaking, using deceptive releases to beat defenders and goalies alike. Even under pressure, he finds smart passing lanes, then quickly gets open for return feeds, showing strong offensive awareness.

Penguins: A-

Best Value Pick: Kale Dach

The A- grade that we’ve awarded the Penguins is heavily as a result of quantity over quality. With 12 picks in this year’s draft, we felt that almost all of them were rather uninspiring. Don’t get us wrong, Pittsburgh selected plenty of NHL-calibre players, but many of them felt like reaches, and they often seemed to pass up on better players that were still on the board.

Their best value pick was easily Kale Dach. A natural playmaker who thrives on quick processing and refined soft skills, Dach using one-touch passes, slick hands, and subtle delay tactics to create scoring chances. His diverse handoff plays and ability to manipulate defenders make him a constant offensive threat. Drafted 201st overall, Kale was ranked 28th overall by Nick Lacoban of Watch The Stats. This is exceptional value and definitely the Penguins’ best selection.

Sharks: A-

Best Value Pick: Cole McKinney

Next, with our third A- in a row, we have the San Jose Sharks. Starting with the second overall pick, the Sharks were very happy to select Michael Misa. Celebrini, Smith, Eklund, and now Misa. That has the workings of a world-class core-4 in the next couple of years.

When it comes to Cole McKinney, we feel the Sharks got a gem. McKinney plays with relentless determination and elite attention to detail, constantly forcing turnovers and disrupting plays. Using proactive physicality and a strong stick, he strips bigger opponents of possession and quickly transitions his team back to the attack. Ranked as high as 20th overall by FChockey, San Jose was able to snag him just outside the top 50.

Kraken: B

Best Value Pick: Blake Fiddler

For our final grade of part 3, the Seattle Kraken earn a B. They made only six selections, and despite having a great first two picks, the rest were rather uninspiring. Starting with pick number eight, they selected yet another centerman in Jake O’Brien. It’s clear that the Kraken’s hockey ops are of the philosophy to draft the best player available rather than drafting for position (a philosophy that we are on board with). Regardless of position, Jake O’Brien is an excellent addition to the pool.

In the second round, Seattle was able to take Blake Fiddler. Fiddler stands out through his defensive reliability and knack for creating advantages. With explosive backward crossovers and sharp positional reads, he wins races to the middle, shuts down threats, and intercepts plays with smart body positioning. Despite falling to 36th, Fiddler provided immense value as he was ranked as high as 17th by THN/Ferrari.

Stay Tuned for Part 4.