Milton Gastrin 2025 NHL Draft Profile

Gastrin’s on ice production

Gastrin has spent the past couple years working his way up MoDo Hockey’s system. Back in 2022–23, he started to dominate in the J18 Region, later moving up to J18 Nationell and producing 14 points in 14 games.

The following year, he spent most of his time in the J20 Nationell, where his points dropped to 16 in 41 games. However, this is a much tougher league, and he was 17 at the time.

This past season, he saw a big jump in production in the league, where he was just over a point per game. He was looked at as their go-to player, averaging over 20 minutes a night, and was on both the power play and penalty kill units. He also got his first taste of SHL action, playing in eight games.

Gastrin’s strengths

Skating

Arguably, Gastrin’s best strength is his speed. He is able to show off his agility through quick changes in pace and direction, which serve him well in both the offensive and defensive ends. His skating ability makes his on-the-rush play very effective.

Defensive game

Gastrin is known as a player who can be very reliable in all situations. He is looked at as a two-way forward and is usually on the top penalty kill unit. His defensive game can provide solid stability for a team when looking to defend their zone.

Face-offs

As a centre, Gastrin is relied on to take face-offs, and he has been very reliable for MoDo. This past year, he had an over 50% face-off percentage, showing that this is a big strength in his game.

This is something I am sure the Flames are paying attention to, having finished in the bottom three in the NHL in face-off win percentage.

Gastrin’s areas of improvement

Physical play

This area of improvement is not an outlier for prospects, however Gastrin does not have much physicality in his game. You won’t see him running around throwing body checks and getting in his opponents’ heads. That’s just not the type of player that he is.

Despite this, he showcases his strength in puck battles, as he tends to win most of them.

Shot

Gastrin’s shot has accuracy, but right now, what it lacks is power. This is something that Gastrin can work on in order to increase his offensive ceiling.

Gastrin’s comparables

Fit with the Flames

The Flames are in dire need of a centre. That alone makes Gastrin a good fit for the team. On top of that, Gastrin is the 200-foot player who seems like he is good enough at just about everything. Now, he may not have any elite traits, but he can be a reliable player with good traits. Not elite, but good.

That sounds like a Flames pick, if I’ve ever heard one.

Summary

Gastrin is a two-way forward who should be looked at as a high-floor, low-ceiling type. He is reliable in all situations and has a strong ability to win face-offs. He isn’t one of the elite names in this year’s draft class, but a team may look at him as a good source of stability. I would expect him to be selected in the early to mid-second round of the draft.

Risk: 2/5

Reward: 3/5

NHL comparable: Jean-Gabriel Pageau

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