Elijah Neuenschwander – 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Neuenschwander’s first thing that pops up is his height and size. Nowadays, NHL teams are very sensible in their approach to goalies and size, and the Swiss goalie checks all the boxes with his 6-foot-4, 192-pound frame. He had a good season at the club level, posting good numbers in both junior and pro hockey. He had a decent showing with HC Fribourg-Gottéron in the U20 league, competing in 22 games including the postseason, and played nine games with EHC Chur in the Swiss second league, coached by national legend Reto von Arx.

His performance in both leagues was solid, although his space was limited with EHC Chur. However, in nine games, he posted an impressive 6-2-1 record, which is really good for a player of his age. For the next season, he is expected to play a more prominent role in Chur as it was already announced that he will be loaned there for the season. With more time spent playing against pros, the hope is that he fixes some of the flaws still present in his game, like the lack of good rebound control or side-to-side mobility.

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Elijah Neuenschwander – NHL Draft Projection

At this point, the Swiss goalie looks more like a project pick, a sixth or seventh rounder with an interesting profile due to his sheer size and decent play in different leagues. However, he failed to impress at the World Juniors, albeit not with the best team, and this has certainly hurt his stock.

Quotables

“Neuenschwander is a legitimate late-round draft candidate who checks key boxes for NHL goaltenders—size, poise, consistent baseline performance, and technical structure. While his upside may not be elite and questions remain about his athletic ceiling, his steadiness, mental maturity, and translatable traits make him a low-risk development target for teams seeking long-term goaltending depth with professional experience already underway.” – Neutral Zone

“What I like about Elijah, who stands at 6’4 and 183 pounds, is that he is not just another flopping butterfly goalie that everyone who plays this position now has seemed to turn into. He is more of a traditional stand-up goalie who will go down to stop a puck when he has to but will quickly recover to a standing position afterward. This style breeds patience as Neuenschwander often elects to utilize his immense size to his advantage by leaving the crease to challenge the shooter that is barring down on him in an effort to eliminate any sight of twine for them to aim at.” – Lance Green, SteelFlyers

Strengths

Under Construction – Improvements to Make

NHL Potential

Neuenschwander can evolve into a solid backup NHL goalie, but he still has a long road in front of himself. However, his size and basic goaltending skills are a good foundation to build on.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk – 2.5/5, Reward – 3.5/5

Awards/Achievements

Elijah Neuenschwander Stats