Asher Barnett – 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Defensively, Barnett shows great vision and anticipation in his own end. He’s quick on retrieving pucks and has clean breakouts on zone exits. He has good positioning in front of the net and is always pressuring in one-on-one coverage. He excels defending the rush very well with strong gap control and is never giving up the middle of the ice easily. He has an active stick and does a great job of getting into shooting lanes to cut off an opportunity.

He has average height, but under 200 pounds, he shows great strength with his puck protection skills. While he could look to use that to his advantage to play with more of an edge, he can be physical when he needs to at the right moment, not putting himself in a bad spot to get caught.

Barnett’s offensive upside may be limited at the next level, but there are a lot of things that he does well with his offensive game. He sees the ice well to find the open lanes, walk in and get a quality shot off. Either on net or for good placement for a second-chance opportunity or deflection. His head is always up to spot teammates with crisp, cross-ice passes and even on the breakouts, he’s quick and accurate. He has good mobility and speed in the neutral zone to lead a rush and carry a play forward. 

He was productive for USA at the U18 Championship with six points in seven games. If he can elevate his offense from the blueline a little more, then he can be even more effective as a two-way defender.

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Asher Barnett- NHL Draft Projection

Barnett is a name that gained some traction thanks to his play at the U18 Championship. Although, there were no dynamic players on the U18 Team on the blueline, he was one of the better standouts. He could easily find himself as a fourth-round selection come June.

Quotables

“He’s as well-rounded as they come, controlling from slot-to-slot with a strong understanding of how to defend inside-out and not cede too much ground to opponents. He’s not very physical, but makes up for it with strong stick-checking and fundamentals.” – Gabe Foley, Recruit Scouting

“He’s the kind of player you trust to start in the defensive zone and close out games. With a strong base, high-end battle habits, and elite defensive stick detail, Barnett projects as a dependable bottom-pairing NHL defenseman who can log tough minutes and kill penalties.” – Neutral Zone 

Strengths

Under Construction- Improvements to Make

NHL Potential

Barnett has great intangibles as a leader on the ice. He’s competitive, driven and excels within his own end. He’s a defensive-minded presence with a foundation for a steady two-way game. He can be a strong depth option on a bottom pairing while still providing strong play at five-on-five and on the penalty kill.

Risk- Reward Analysis

Risk- 1.5/5, Reward 3/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense- 3/10, Defense 7/10

Awards/ Achievements

Barnett captained Team USA to a bronze medal at the World U18 Championship.

Interviews/Links

Asher Barnett Stats

Videos