Jake O’Brien 2025 NHL Draft Profile

O’Brien’s on-ice production

O’Brien’s strengths

Jake O’Brien is about as well-rounded a hockey prospect as you will find. Praised for his hockey IQ, O’Brien is looked at as a player who can shine in any situation. Defensively, he isn’t the most physical player, but he makes up for it with speed and IQ. Has a knack for getting in lanes and turning the other team’s mistakes into chances. He isn’t afraid to get a little mud on his tires, either. Whether it’s getting his body in front of shots or winning battles in the corners, O’Brien does what it takes to keep the puck out of his net.

Offensively, O’Brien primarily excels as a playmaker. Clearly sees the game at a very high level and uses that vision to create plenty of high-danger chances for both himself and his teammates. He controls the speed of the game effectively and remains calm under pressure. When in scoring situations himself, he relies on a quick release and strong stick handling to generate chances. In what is another testament to his hockey IQ, many scouts have noticed his ability to avoid unnecessary stickhandling to be able to take advantage of situations in a very effective manner.

O’Brien’s areas for improvement

Jake O’Brien suffers from a few rather common issues that are often seen in young centremen. In the OHL this season, he struggled in the face-off dot, winning only 49 percent of his draws. Scouts speculate this could be due to a lack of strength, which could become a larger concern as he attempts to make the jump to professional hockey.

O’Brien currently only weighs 175 pounds and has some scouts worried he may not be built to be able to survive a grueling NHL season quite yet. Oftentimes, his play style leads him to receive more hits than most, which is especially concerning. He may need a year or two to grow a bit more.

Lastly, it has been noted that he sometimes lacks offensive aggressiveness, often passing up dangerous chances to try to set up teammates. It’s not a bad thing to be an unselfish player, but he may need to work on knowing when to take matters into his own hands.

NHL comparisons

Jake O’Brien’s two-way play has many comparing him to Ryan O’Reilly. Both are strong two-way centres who can contribute on either sides of the ice. Similar to O’Brien, O’Reilly is more of a playmaker but can score when needed to. O’Brien also has demonstrated leadership qualities both on and off the ice putting a nice little bow on the comparisons to the former St. Louis Blues’ captain.

Fit with the Flames

The chances of O’Brien falling to the Calgary Flames are very slim. While he isn’t without his flaws, he is still a very strong prospect who isn’t likely to fall out of the top 15. Although If he did, he would have the potential to finally be the elite centre the Flames have spent decades looking for.

Summary

Jake O’Brien is an intriguing prospect who can fit into just about any role a team could need him to. He is a strong playmaker with a defensive edge as well, which allows him to be dangerous no matter where he is on the ice. Shows endless potential but may not be ready for the physicality of the NHL quite yet. It will be very interesting to see which NHL team calls his name on draft night.

Risk: 2.5/5

Reward: 4.5/5

Projection: Top-6 centre

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