2025 NHL Mock Draft 1 of 2
Folks, we’ve made it: the first of two mock drafts I’ll release this year. For those new around here, I always release two mock drafts in a year and only two. The first comes out the week of the draft lottery, and I predict the first 16 picks. Then, the second and final mock draft comes out a few days before the actual draft, and I predict every selection in the first round.
1. New York Islanders
Matthew Schaefer - Left shot/Defender
While there is always the chance they could go with Misa due to him being a center, the Islanders, more than anything, need talent. Schaefer is easily the most talented player in the draft. If I’m the Islanders General Manager, or whoever is making the decisions on draft day, I’m taking Schaefer without a second thought. While there are a few problems with his game, all of them are fixable and shouldn’t be too concerning.
2. San Jose Sharks
Michael Misa - Left shot/Center/Left Wing
Let’s be real: does anyone actually believe Will Smith is the 2C of the future for the Sharks? He almost feels destined to be a winger on the top line with Celebrini at this point. I think they’ll select Misa and set that in stone. Sharks fans: say hello to your new 2C. You will love him.
3. Chicago Blackhawks
Caleb Desnoyers - Left shot/Center
While Davidson has always talked about drafting the best player available (who would be Hagens) and has done so up to this point, I think this year he takes a detour. Why? They have a whole lot of talent, but not much size. They need some forwards who are skilled but also have size. Enter Desnoyers: the second-best available player and the best player available with size (6’2”). Really, the only thing keeping him from being the best player available is his skating, which isn’t bad; he's just not elite. His acceleration is elite, and he’s quite smooth, but he doesn’t have a high top speed. If he could just unlock a higher top speed, he’d be higher than Hagens in my personal rankings.
4. Utah Mammoth
Anton Frondell - Left shot/Center
The Mammoth are in a similar situation to the Blackhawks: they have a lot of skill in their forward group, but their skill is undersized. They need size. So, I think they’ll take Anton Frondell to help solve that problem. That said, they’ll only do so if they believe him to be an NHL center. Many scouts don’t seem convinced that he is. If not, then I think they’ll go with Jake O’Brien.
5. Nashville Predators
James Hagens - Left shot/Center
The Predators need talent, they need someone they can build around. James Hagens is that guy. His slide will end here and will be selected to be the 1C of the future. That being said, he really isn’t their type (he’s not all that competitive, he pretty easily gives up on puck battles and defense), so I could see them decide to look elsewhere. What I mean is: I’ll probably have them selecting someone else in the second mock draft. I really don’t have confidence they’ll select him. But, at least for now, I (sorta kinda) think they’ll take a near guaranteed 1C. They need talent.
6. Philadelphia Flyers
Jake O’Brien - Right shot/Center
The Flyers need help down the middle, and at least for right now, I see Jake O’Brien as the best center available. That said, I’m not entirely convinced on this and will be doing more tape watching of him and Brady Martin before the second mock draft. But, for now, he’s my best center available, and who I think they’ll go with, even if Brady Martin is more of the Flyers type.
7. Boston Bruins
Brady Martin - Right shot/Center
I’ll be honest: This was one of the hardest selections for me to make. I really don’t know what they’ll do here. They need talent at every position. Badly. Porter Martone is the best player available, but, at least for right now, I think they’ll go center because it’s more valuable. Brady Martin is the best center available, at least on my list, and so I sorta kinda think they’ll go with him.
8. Seattle Kraken
Radim Mrtka - Right shot/Defender
This was another very hard decision to make. Porter Martone is the best player available and would be a huge boost to their forward core. That said, I think (though I have zero confidence in) that they’ll go defense, finally, with their top selection. Enter Mrtka, who plays in their background and is in the WHL. While he’s not likely to be a number #1 defender, he should be, at worst, in the top-four and is the defensive defender they need with some offensive upside.
9. Buffalo Sabres
Porter Martone - Right shot/Right Wing
The Sabres need a talented big guy who is physical and competitive. That’s why I think they’ll take Porter Martone here. He fits the bill perfectly. Sure, he may not be the most consistent in how much effort he gives, but he is getting more consistent. He’s a lot more consistent in his effort levels now than he was at the beginning of the season. He’s physical, is a good skater (though he does have poor acceleration), is a very good shooter, and is an elite playmaker and passer. I’ll be honest: even though he’s not the best in the draft, he is my favorite player in the draft. I wish he’d fall to one of my teams, but that won’t happen. If the Sabres draft him, Sabres fans should be thrilled.
10. Anaheim Ducks
Roger McQueen - Right shot/Center
Ok, this is a risky pick, but the Ducks seem to love taking risks with their picks, so I think they’ll be glad to take him. He’s not risky because of any off-ice issues (that we know of, at least) or any massive problems with his game. It’s because of his back injury. That said, unless NHL teams are being told very bad things about his back, I think this is the perfect landing spot for him.
11. Pittsburgh Penguins
Jackson Smith - Left shot/Defender
Look, the Penguins need help everywhere, and I think Penguins fans would prefer a forward (just from what I can tell from the few Penguins fans I follow, at least). That said, I think they go defense here. They have a serious problem on the left side of the blue line. Jackson Smith is big (6’3”), a good skater, should be a power play quarterback at the NHL level, and is solid defensively (yes, there are definitely things to work on defensively, but they’re all fixable). I think his strengths may be just too much to pass up.
12. New York Rangers
Kashawn Aitcheson - Left shot/Defender
I think the Rangers go defense here and select Kashawn Aitcheson. Why? Because he feels like a Rangers pick. He may not be the biggest (6’1”), but I think he's big enough for them. He’s also quite physical and is very good offensively. In other words: almost a perfect Rangers pick.
13. Detroit Red Wings
Victor Eklund - Right shot/Left Wing
I’ll be honest, I’m not sold the Red Wings will take Eklund if he’s still available (which is seeming more and more likely). And no, it’s not because Yzerman is scared of talented young players. It’s a ridiculous narrative that needs to die. The reason I’m not sure that they’ll take Eklund is because he’s only 5’11” and they’re already quite small at the top of the lineup. Even their most promising forward prospect, Dmitri Buchelnikov, is undersized. Currently, they have Raymond and DeBrincat, who are undersized, and if Carter Mazur ever stays healthy, he’s only 6’0”. They need size, which they’ve tried to address with Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård. So, I’m just struggling to believe that they would want ANOTHER small forward in their top-six. But, so far, they’ve selected the best player available, and until they buck that trend, I predict they’ll take Eklund. If not, they’ll go defense, because frankly, any of the other forwards likely to go in this range do not play the type of game Yzerman would want. If they do want a forward, but want size, I think you’ll see them trade down.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
Jackson Smith - Left shot/Defender
Jackson Smith almost feels like he’s destined to be a Blue Jacket. He’s almost certainly going to be the best defender available, and the Blue Jackets desperately need help on their blue line. I just struggle to see them go with a forward here.
15. Vancouver Canucks
Jack Nesbitt - Left shot/Center
Frankly, Nesbitt is exactly what the Canucks need: a big, competitive, skilled power forward. Oh, and even better: he’s a center. Another need for Vancouver. He just fits the bill too perfectly.
16. Montreal Canadiens
Justin Carbonneau - Right shot/Right Wing
The Canadiens love players with high compete levels, and Carbonneau brings a high compete level. He’s also physical, a great shooter, and a great playmaker. He does have a good number of problems with his game, but I think what he is good at currently is good enough for the Canadiens to take a chance on him.
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