3 Lightning Targets at 59th Overall in the 2025 NHL Draft

We will examine three potential players that the Lightning could draft. We will profile one player considered a reach, one who might drop to them later than projected, and one who is ranked near where the Lightning will pick.

Late Second Round Ranking – Václav Nestrasil

Vaclav Nestrasil is one of the more intriguing forward prospects in the 2025 NHL Draft prospect group. He possesses the ideal combination of size, skating ability, and offensive upside. At 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, he combines his physical presence with smooth skating, strong puck control, and creativity to generate offense. However, significant areas of concern, such as strength, consistency in puck battles, and defensive reliability, put his rankings in the 50s.

Nestrasil is a very smooth skater. His smooth stride allows him to accelerate effectively, particularly in transition. His other significant upside areas are being a playmaker and puck protector. He effectively uses his large frame to shield the puck in tight areas and along the boards. His ability to thread the needle with passes, including backdoor feeds and cross-ice setups, and long-range passes to set up breakaways, demonstrates his skills in game processing, vision, and hockey sense. He could easily develop into a middle-six NHL forward who can be relied on in all situations.

The Reach – Filip Ekberg

After he plummeted 24 spots in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings, Filip Ekberg may have put himself back on the map after a strong performance at the 2025 U18 World Championship. He set a new Swedish single-tournament point record in that tournament and paced the event with 10 goals and 18 points in seven games. He consistently found open ice in critical areas and demonstrated smart puck control and a quick, precise shot.

One of the biggest reasons Ekberg was initially not ranked very high is his size. At 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds, he is not an imposing player on the ice. Although he’s more than willing to drive to the net and battle for pucks, he does not have the strength to win them consistently. Another concern was his league play, as Ekberg didn’t stand out most of the season with the Ottawa 67’s. He had difficulty adjusting to the North American game after going 33rd overall in the 2024 Import Draft. THW’s Dayton Reimer also noted that scouts have remained critical of 67’s head coach Dave Cameron’s deployment of him.

Dropping to Pick 59 – Charlie Trethewey

While we will unlikely see a drop in this year’s draft like we saw with Shadur Sanders in the NFL draft, Charlie Trethewey is one player who could fall to the Lightning. After a very strong season with the U17 team, he started slow this season with the USNDTP U18s and started heating up towards the end of the season. Unfortunately, he fell flat in the 2025 U18 Worlds. The offensive upside was lacking, and his better performances were overshadowed by mishandling the puck under pressure and defensive lapses.

If Trethewey falls to the Lightning, they will get to draft a player who has a great deal of potential. He’s an explosive skater with physicality, puck handling ability, and a high-end motor. Defensively, he locks down off-puck threats, makes high-speed stops off the rush, and beats opponents down along the walls. With the puck, he’s capable of shifting around forecheckers, dangling off the point on the first touch, and creating space for his shot up top. Next season, time in the NCAA with Boston University could help him reach his potential and be an impact player for the Lightning.

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 27 and June 28, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. This will be the 63rd Entry Draft in the league’s history, and it will allow us to see the talent that BriseBois will bring to the Lightning organization.