2025 NHL Mock Draft by The Win Column team

With just under a week until the 2025 NHL Draft, teams are putting the finishing touches on their lists and making plans for what could happen at the draft this year. After winning the draft lottery, the New York Islanders are selecting first overall for the first time since 2009.

A total of 20 people in the Win Column Sports team have taken on the task of immersing themselves into the space of every team and made first-round selections based on each team’s needs and the players available. Here is how we expect each team to select in the first round. Naturally, we did not account for any trades on the draft floor in our mock draft.

Let’s get into it.

1. New York Islanders: Matthew Schaefer

Drew: Matthew Schaefer showed in a short time that he was worthy of the first overall selection in this year’s draft. Flashing great progression from his rookie season, he would start the season by putting up seven goals and 22 points in 17 games. He was selected to represent Canada at the World Juniors and arguably was their best player before he went down with injury in the second game.

Unfortunately, that injury would sideline him for the rest of the season. Although it was not a huge sample size, Schaefer showed abilities far ahead of his draft class that slot him in as a near-consensus number-one pick.

Schaefer dominates his game with his elite skating ability. He brings four-way mobility that makes him a struggle to play against whether it be offensively or defensively. The smoothness of his edgework, the speed of his skating, and how composed he stays really resemble the best of the best defencemen in players such as Rasmus Dahlin and Miro Heiskanen.

The rest of Schaefer’s game is also at an incredibly high level. He’s arguably the best passer in the draft and displays elite qualities in his vision and creativity. His hands are quick and smooth, leaving the opposing team confused. Offence, defence, IQ, etc., it’s also contributed at a level any team would be drooling over.

The Islanders lucked into a franchise-altering pick, and landing Matthew Schaefer will forever change their defence corps. I did consider going with Michael Misa here as he would also have a similar impact to their forward corps, but Schaefer portrays the best potential in the draft, and it’s much harder to land a top-end defenceman than a forward.

2. San Jose Sharks: Michael Misa

James W: Michael Misa finally showed this year why he was granted Exceptional Status. He absolutely dominated the OHL to the tune of 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games. He was the highest-scoring player in the CHL. Misa is an elite skater and puck handler with a high hockey IQ, who is also responsible in his own end. The only real knocks on his game are a lack of physicality and that he can sometimes make bad decisions that lead to turnovers.

The San Jose Sharks have drafted often and drafted well over the last several years, consistently having at least nine picks in each draft since 2019. This has left them with a bounty of prospects who project to become NHLers at each position. It also affords them the flexibility to draft the best available player, even if it adds to a position of strength. To that effect, they select Michael Misa, who I believe to be the best player in this draft and the type of centre you build a franchise around.

Misa joins 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini and 2023 fourth overall pick Will Smith as high-end centres in the Sharks’ system. Celebrini had a stellar season and looks like a lock to be the Sharks’ top centre going forward. Smith, on the other hand, spent a good chunk of this year as a winger. He may be more suited to the wing at the NHL level, especially when you see that he only won 65 of 178 face-offs this year.

3. Chicago Blackhawks: Porter Martone

Ryan: The Chicago Blackhawks have prioritized speed early in the draft with their forwards in previous years. With players like Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Sacha Boisvert, Colton Dach, and Ryan Greene all showing flexibility as centres, I have them going with the standout Brampton Steelheads winger and Canada’s captain at the U18s in Porter Martone.

With Bedard, Nazar, and Moore forming a smaller-sized group at the top of that young forward core, Martone’s blend of soft skills and scoring ability at his size makes him a perfect complement to those players.

Chicago’s main priority at this draft should be maximizing Connor Bedard. Martone’s net front skills, his ability to make good reads as a passer, and his ability to control the game along the half wall in the cycle make him an ideal fit to take some of the creation responsibilities away from Bedard.

Martone’s motor and pace of play are concerns, but he does show flashes of a power game at his size that gets you excited about what he could be if he can remain active and engaged like he showed more and more down the stretch for Mississauga.

4. Utah Mammoth: Caleb Desnoyers

Adhi: Caleb Desnoyers is a highly intelligent two-way centre with pro-ready habits and a strong postseason pedigree, having captured the Guy Lafleur trophy as playoff MVP earlier this year. At 6’2″, the talented prospect blends size, skating, and vision while being a reliable presence in all three zones. His mature game and high floor make him a tantalizing option for a franchise looking to develop their identity and build on a promising inaugural season.

5. Nashville Predators: James Hagens

Gurpal: It seemed like the Nashville Predators won the offseason last year as they had the free agency of a lifetime. After adding Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, this team was poised for contention. However, the team would fall flat on their faces, missing the playoffs and being given the fifth overall pick.

James Hagens is the easy pick here. Hagens was once the consensus first overall pick, but in this mock draft, he’ll be going fifth. Hagens has the potential to be a future number-one centre, something the Predators have never really had. Nashville is desperate for an injection of youth, and Hagens would be an excellent starting piece for their retool. Nashville is also relatively old down the middle, as their number-one centre as of right now is Ryan O’Reilly. Hagens will likely be NHL-ready sooner rather than later, and he’s going to be a great starting piece to build a new era for Predators hockey in Music City.

6. Philadelphia Flyers: Anton Frondell

Troy: Frondell with Allsvenskan averaged almost a point per game with 25 points—11 goals and 14 assists —in 29 games. He finished with the second-most points ever by a player aged 17 or younger. He’s a strong skater, skilled, and a two-way player. The Philadelphia Flyers could definitely use a centreman like him in their lineup, to add some more depth and strength to their top-six or bottom-six.

7. Boston Bruins: Roger McQueen

Greg: With some great players already on the roster, the Bruins can shorten the length of their playoff irrelevance by adding a high-end centre. Though Brady Martin was considered, McQueen presents a bit more offensive upside as a skilled net front scorer, as well as a bit more risk due to missing most of the season with injury. The Bruins might not pick this high for a while, so swinging for fences to give David Pastrnak an inside scorer to work with is the play.

8. Seattle Kraken: Brady Martin

Karim: Seattle scores big time with a big centre. The middle of the ice isn’t necessarily a position of weakness for the Kraken as they have Matty Beniers and Shane Wright on the roster, and Berkley Catton drafted last season. However, adding Martin would really solidify the Kraken as an elite centre-driven team, something that is key to succeeding in the Western Conference. There is lots of talk about Martin not even being available at eighth overall, so the Kraken make no mistake taking him here.

9. Buffalo Sabres: Victor Eklund

Darnell: Though consideration would have been strongly given to Brady Martin (who was selected at #8) and speculation towards Jake O’Brien, Eklund was the given choice for the Sabres.

Though slightly smaller, 5’11”, he makes up for his undersized with strong two-way play, tenacity and a physical edge that is relatively uncommon for a player of his offensive calibre, leading to winning puck battles when forechecking and maintaining possession against larger, more physical players.

Not regarded as the strongest skater, his development in this area has been a pinnacle of focus this season, and improvement has been noted by scouts.

Offensively, his determination and fearlessness often position him in notable offensive high-danger areas, mainly found within the slot and net-front areas, allowing him to contribute at a greater level in his Swedish Elite League at such a young age. His greatest strength, resulting from his strong forechecking and physical toolkit, is his playmaking, allowing him to maintain and dictate play, especially below the goal line.

With Buffalo’s current rumoured situation of losing either Alex Tuch or JJ Peterka, a strong playmaker with this level of grit would be a fantastic future addition for the likes of Tage Thompson and company.

10. Anaheim Ducks: Radim Mrtka

Lexi: With a bevy of forwards in their prospect pool, the Ducks should be looking at defence for their pick; Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba won’t be around forever. Enter Radim Mrtka, a hulking 6’6″ defenceman who’s of the more valuable right-shot variety to boot.

After impressing in 2023–24 in the HC Oceláři Třinec system, including a combined 13 games with the pro club, Mrtka moved over to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds in 2024–25, tallying 35 points in just 43 games played. The North American experience will push Mrtka’s stock higher than it already is, given his blend of size, scoring skill and right-shot ability. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Anaheim make him a top 10 pick.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins: Carter Bear

Khalid: The Penguins are one of the few teams actively looking to rebuild right now, and they just got notice that they could make back-to-back picks as the New York Rangers are sending the 12th overall pick to Pittsburgh.

With their 11th overall pick, the Penguins take Carter Bear, who frankly should have gone earlier in the draft. The winger had 40 goals and 82 points in 56 games in a season shortened by a nasty laceration. A physical winger who has a nose for the net and is unafraid to get into the corners is exactly the type of piece that the Penguins can build with. He reads the game well, and once he builds more muscle, he’ll be even more effective.

A fantastic snag for the Pens at 11.

12. Pittsburgh Penguins (via NYR): Jake O’Brien

John: The Penguins’ centre depth is not as deep as it once was. The team had two of the best centres in the world, but Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin’s combined ages heading into 2025–26 would be a whopping 77 years old. If they could get Bear and also add O’Brien at this range, it would be a strong draft for the franchise’s future.

A playmaker with a strong IQ, O’Brien could fit in extremely well as a key part of the Penguins’ forward corps. He fell just short of 100 points this season, scoring 32 goals and 66 assists in just 66 games played. His physical size also translates well to the NHL, despite being a bit lanky at this age. Once he fills out a bit, his all-around game would be a huge addition for the Penguins at 12.

13. Detroit Red Wings: Cole Reschny

Cody: The Detroit Red Wings need to draft some more elite forwards. With the 13th overall pick, Cole Reschny seems like a solid pick for them. He is a reliable two-way centreman who has exceptional offensive skills. Reschny is projected to go in this range, making him a realistic selection at this point in the draft. Outside of Nate Danielson, the Red Wings do not have any other solid centre prospects, which makes Reschny a great pick.

The 18-year-old had a phenomenal season in the WHL. He put up 92 points in 62 games as well as 25 points in only 11 playoff games. Reschny has committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2025–2026 season. Hopefully, he can take some significant steps forward in his development at the NCAA level.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Jackson Smith

Sean: The Columbus Blue Jackets may already have a promising left-shot defence prospect in Denton Mateychuk, but you can really never have too many solid defenders kicking around the prospect pool. Especially when Jackson Smith falls to pick 14.

Smith is projected by some to be a top-10 pick, and if the 6’3″ defender were to fall to Don Waddell and the Blue Jackets here, they should be all over this pick.

Offensively gifted defence prospects do not grow on trees, and one with Smith’s skillset is bound to find success in the current NHL. Smooth skating and a play driver from the back end, Smith possesses excellent hockey sense and vision already, as he looks to develop his defensive game further.

15. Vancouver Canucks: Braeden Cootes

James J: The Canucks are looking for centres, and are probably hoping one or both of Cole Reschny and Braeden Cootes are available for them at 15th. Reschny was taken two picks ago, but Cootes is still available.

Playing close to Vancouver with the Seattle Thunderbirds the last three seasons, Cootes projects as a top-nine forechecking centre with a high motor. His upside might not be as high as some other players still available here, but he fits a positional need, and there is upside to be a top-six centre. Coaches love these Swiss-Army knife-type players.

16. Montreal Canadiens (via Calgary): Justin Carbonneau

Jashan: Montreal just took a major step forward with their rebuild, making the playoffs this past season. With young players on defence and some still looking to emerge, their first of two picks should be used to solidify themselves up front.

Justin Carbonneau helps them do exactly that. A high-octane offensive winger whose release has the ability to fool any goalie that comes across it. Carbonneau is similar to Cole Caufield in the sense of his offensive capabilities. Carbonneau would be able to have an impact for his hometown team in the middle-six and on the second power play.

17. Montreal Canadiens: Joshua Ravensbergen

Jashan: With their second of back-to-back picks, I have Kent Hughes addressing goaltending. Taking Joshua Ravensbergen may seem off for a team with Jacob Fowler in their system. However, Ravensbergen has better upside than Fowler. At 6’5″, Ravensbergen still has scary athleticism and moves quickly throughout his crease. The Habs currently have Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes between the pipes, and Ravensbergen could be a needed addition. Especially with what is available at this point in the draft, the Habs don’t have many options.

18. Calgary Flames (via New Jersey): Kashawn Aitcheson

Jess: Kashawn Aitcheson would be a nice addition to the Flames’ left side. Defencemen typically take longer to develop, which is fine for the Flames’ current situation. They’ve taken care of the right side so it’s only fair to improve on the left.

His physicality appears to pair well with his ability to read plays in the offensive zone. With the typical defenceman development timeline, the Flames would be smart to take Aitcheson. His quick thinking and attacker mindset make it a lot harder for opponents to find space in the zone.

19. St. Louis Blues: Malcolm Spence

Mackenzie: Winger Malcolm Spence could strengthen the Blues’ left side in the middle-six and may develop into a solid option on special teams. Spence has experience on special teams with the Otters and played in significant games like the WJC-18 and Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he had 12 points in 12 games. The Blues struggled with their power play in this year’s playoffs, and Spence could help enhance that aspect of their game.

Standing at 6’2″ and weighing 201 pounds, Spence can leverage his size to break up plays effectively and showed improvement in his production this season, increasing from 19 to 32 goals. He was also averaging over a point per game this season, with 73 points in 65 games. 

20. Columbus Blue Jackets (via Minnesota): Jack Murtagh

Sean: With their second pick in the first round of this draft, the Blue Jackets will look to fill a need at forward. Jack Murtagh might be a bit of a reach at 20, but with two picks in this first round, Waddell can use one of them to target a specific need.

Columbus has a plethora of talent up front, with many of them looking to be capable of top-six roles. Murtagh will be looking to fill a physical, grinding role in the middle-six.

His style of play will be a good fit for the system, someone to follow in Boone Jenner’s footsteps. He brings a skillset that is lacking a bit in the Blue Jackets’ prospect pipeline, but his ability to play on the left wing, especially, will be a welcome addition to the organization.

21. Ottawa Senators: Lynden Lakovic

James J: The Senators have a poor prospect pool, so they’re looking to add the best player available. It just so happens that the best player available also fits a positional need and player type that they’re looking for. The Sens have trended towards size in recent drafts. Lakovic is a big forward with a lot of raw skill and good speed for his size. He’s not so much a “power forward” package, but rather skilled in the open ice. If he can add to his physical traits, he could be an impact player.

22. Philadelphia Flyers (via Colorado): Cameron Reid

Troy: Cameron Reid is an excellent skater who is able to escape pressure in his own zone and on the blue line by using his edge work. His great vision and playmaking ability will be used to help the Flyers break the puck out and up the ice more easily. As an alternate captain with the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL, Reid was able to produce 54 points in 67 games—14 goals and 40 assists.

23. Nashville Predators (via Tampa Bay): Ben Kindel

Gurpal: For the Predators, having three first-round picks is huge. They have the opportunity to massively improve their prospect pool. At 23rd, I have them selecting WHL forward Ben Kindel.

Kindel finished this season with 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games with the Calgary Hitmen. While he’s listed as a centre, he’ll likely be more of a winger at the NHL level. His offensive instincts are what make him the most intriguing as a player, with his incredible playmaking and goalscoring pedigree.

Selecting Kindel has the potential to reap high rewards. The Predators would only be adding more skill to their system. Nashville needs young players with high upside, and Kindel certainly fits this mould.

24. Los Angeles Kings: Logan Hensler

Greg: Drew Doughty is getting older, and there are rumblings that the Kings might look to shake up their right side underneath him, but this pick is firmly about the best player available. Though Hensler’s offensive totals are underwhelming, he was eighth on his team in scoring as a freshman. With a good combination of size and skating, not even the tantalizing Will Horcoff could keep the Kings from selecting a good prospect at a high-value position.

25. Chicago Blackhawks (via Toronto): Vaclav Nestrasil

Ryan: The Blackhawks double down in this draft by grabbing a raw and exciting USHL product from Czechia in Vaclav Nestrasil.

As mentioned before, Chicago is lacking some size in their forward group, and while there are some nice defencemen available, the Blackhawks have a lot of great young defensive depth built up, making a pick here redundant.

Amongst all the remaining power forwards available in this stage of the draft, Nestrasil excites me the most. He plays with an incessant motor, winning pucks back while being leaned on and trusted defensively.

He’s physical and has shown flashes of dynamic off-puck movement at his size. He’s still got more potential at this stage; you see his ability to open up passing lanes with his eyes and driving the net with his frame, but he also struggles with maintaining balance through contact and making passing decisions consistently.

Luckily, Chicago has taken so many players in the last few years who look pretty projectable that they can swing for the fences here at 25 on the 6’6” Muskegon Lumberjack behemoth.

26.  Nashville Predators (via Vegas): Blake Fiddler

Gurpal: With their final first-round pick, I have the Predators switching things up and selecting defenceman Blake Fiddler also from the WHL.

Fiddler is a talented defenceman who had a strong year with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He scored 10 goals and 33 points in 64 games, and has a big frame standing at 6’4” and 209 lbs. He’s also a right-shot defenceman, and Nashville doesn’t have a whole lot of those types of players in their prospect pool. With how old the Predators’ blueline currently is, Fiddler would be a great addition to potentially be a top-four defenceman for the future.

27. Washington Capitals: Jack Ivankovic

Simon: The Capitals are a team with a very bright future. They have youth throughout the lineup and plenty of depth coming down the pipeline. The one spot where they do not seem to have a plan for the future is between the pipes.

While I imagine the Capitals will be hoping for a fall from Ravensbergen, the chances of that are slim, as evidenced by him getting taken 17th earlier in this mock draft. Jack Ivankovic is a pretty solid consolation prize, though.

Ivankovic would be a slight reach at this spot, but he has the potential to be worth it for them, with many projecting him to be a future NHL starter. He also fits well in their window with Logan Thompson being on contract till 2031. There will be no rush to get Ivankovic to the NHL level. When the time comes, he will be a strong replacement for Thompson.

28. Winnipeg Jets: Bill Zonnon

Drew: This pick was between two players for me: Bill Zonnon and Cullen Potter. Both are prospects who play centre or left wing while having good production and great skill. The factor in choosing Zonnon over Potter was that Winnipeg isn’t a super desirable market for players and has gotten burned recently by an American prospect, so Zonnon being Canadian makes him the winner.

Zonnon is a very intriguing prospect that honestly could become much better than his draft ranking. In 64 games with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Zonnon scored 28 goals and 83 points, just a point shy of the team lead. He would add an extra eight goals and 16 points in his 13-game playoff run. Zonnon is also decently sized at 6’2″ and 190lbs. The aspects that make Zonnon’s style of play are his playmaking abilities, a never-ending motor, and a great sense for the game.

Zonnon knows the right play to make, consistently. He can set up his teammates with a brilliant pass or constantly be in motion to stay in position for a play to be made. Pace is kept with Zonnon, and if no option is around, he tends to create one using his strength and motor. His passes are placed at perfect times, leading to great opportunities for his team. He drives into the offensive looking to engage in puck battles and retrieve the puck by any means necessary.

With a high floor and some potential, Zonnon looks to be a player that a competitive team will love to have in the middle-six of their lineup. The Jets are poised as a team that wants to be in that competitive status for as long as they can be, so to have a player like Zonnon in their system would come perfectly for them.

29. Carolina Hurricanes: Cullen Potter

Joshua: It wouldn’t be a draft year without an uber-talented player falling into the Hurricanes’ lap. Getting a player of Potter’s skill at 29 could look like one of the steals of the draft in a couple of years, and I think they’d be very pleased with Potter falling to them.

Even with the Hurricanes needing other types of players in their system, like centres (I think Potter moves to the wing at the next level) and players with size, Potter is simply too good to pass up, and they’d be smart to take the best player available. He’s one of the draft’s most dynamic players and could be a big piece of the future in Carolina as a complementary piece to Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov.

30. San Jose Sharks (via Dallas): Henry Brzustewicz

James W: Many of the defencemen whom I think the Sharks should target are gone at this point, but they still land Henry Brzustewicz. Brzustewicz is coming off an OHL championship and a Memorial Cup championship with the London Knights. Another plus: he’s familiar with Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson, who was an integral part of that Knights team this year.

Brzustewicz is a good skater with good offensive instincts and puck skills, but he needs to work on his defensive play more. He has good speed, acceleration, and mobility, making him your prototypical offensive defenceman. In addition to his playmaking ability, Brzustewicz also boasts a powerful shot from the point.

In an expanded role as a sophomore this year, Brzustewicz scored 10 goals and 42 points in 67 games. Dickinson has shown he has nothing left to prove at the junior level this year, taking home top honours as OHL and CHL defenceman of the year. He should move on to the NHL, opening up an opportunity for Brzustewicz to fill his shoes for the Knights next year.

The Sharks already have some solid prospects at right defence in 2022 second-rounder Mattias Havelid and 2022 third-rounder Michael Fisher. However, as I mentioned earlier, they’re strong at every position. Drafting a player of Brzustewicz’s talent and pedigree will force competition and ultimately make them all better… or weed out the weak.

31. Philadelphia Flyers (via Edmonton): Milton Gästrin

Troy: Milton Gästrin played 81 games with the MoDo Hockey J20 National team, where he was able to put up 25 goals and 33 assists for 58 points. Gästrin is a strong skater who plays a simple and effective game with a high hockey IQ, and is effective on face-offs as well. The Flyers could use his face-off skill to win more draws and allow the team to have more puck possession, while generating offensive pressure.

32. Calgary Flames (via Florida): Ivan Ryabkin

Jess: He is a centre who will likely land himself on the wing. His shot is touted as sharp, and he handles the puck well. Ryabkin does bring a bit more physicality to his game, which would be an added bonus. One great upside with Ryabkin is his shot. It’s precise and quick. His ability to generate plays off the rush would be of great benefit to the Flames, especially as they build a contending team. With a little bit of refining, you could find a complementary piece for a guy like Matt Coronato.

Let the draft begin

We’ll soon see how the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft pans out, but there are many reasons for teams to make sure-bet picks, reaches, or outright swing for the stars.

Want to know more about each of these players?

Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:

Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau | Malcolm Spence | Cameron Reid | Logan Hensler |Cameron Schmidt | Ben Kindel | Kashawn Aitcheson | Cullen Potter | Braeden Cootes | Ivan Ryabkin | Blake Fiddler | Cole Reschny | Joshua Ravensbergen | Bill Zonnon | William Moore | Jack Nesbitt | Jack Murtagh | Milton Gastrin | Sascha Boumedienne | Henry Brzustewicz | Adam Benak | Shane Vansaghi | Cole McKinney | Jakob Ihs-Wozniak | Ryker Lee | Ben Kevan | Michal Svrcek | Arvid Drott