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Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Draft Targets For The Jets At Pick 28
Joshua Ravensbergen / James Doyle Now that a Stanley Cup winner has been determined, the event to look forward to is the NHL Draft, which commences on Jun. 27-28 in Los Angeles, where the Winnipeg Jets will make the 28th overall selection in the first round. Advertisement Although the Jets don't have the deepest prospect pool, they are in a better situation than several teams. Nikita Chibrikov and Elias Salomonsson highlight the prospects who are closest to being NHL-ready, as soon as next season. Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow, Zach Nehring and Alfons Freij headline the skilled prospects who could become key contributors sometime in the future. In the 2024 NHL draft, the Jets selected Freij in the second round before selecting three consecutive forwards, those being Kevin He in the fourth round, Markus Loponen in the fifth and Kieron Walton in the sixth. In fact, Freij is the lone defenseman to be drafted by the Jets in the previous two drafts. With a fairly strong balance in their prospect pool, the Jets can afford to select the best available, a strategy that tends to bode well for most teams selecting late in the first round. The Athletic's Corey Pronman released his latest mock draft and had the Jets selecting Henry Brzustewicz, a 6'1, 18-year-old defenseman who scored 10 goals and 42 points in 67 OHL games with the London Knights. Brzustewicz won back-to-back OHL championships and a Memorial Cup playing alongside Jets prospect Jacob Julien. Advertisement Bleacher Report's Lyle Richardson has the Jets selecting Blake Fiddler, a 6'4, 17-year-old right-handed defenseman. Fiddler spent the 2024-25 season with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he scored 10 goals and 33 points in 64 games. Despite his big frame, Fiddler is a great skater, using it both offensively and defensively. He's strong on the puck, making plays on retrievals and as a playmaker in the offensive zone. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler predicts the Jets draft Bill Zonnon, a 6'2 winger who recorded 28 goals and 83 points in 64 QMJHL games. Zonnon is a hard worker who plays an attentive defenseman game even as a winger. Offensively, he's a playmaker, creating passing lanes with neat zone entries off the rush. While Wheeler believes the Jets could do with a defenseman, he believes Zonnon would be a good fit for the Jets. TSN's Bob McKenzie has the Jets selecting goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen. Ravensbergen is a 6'5, 18-year-old right-handed catching goaltender. He posted a 33-13-4 record with the Prince Town Cougars, routinely showcasing his calmness in the crease. The North Vancouver native uses his size to be positionally sound, but he moves very well in his crease. The Jets are very thin in net in terms of prospects, and Ravensbergen could be the successor to Connor Hellebuyck. The only thing that is certain in this draft is that it'll be full of surprises. Following picks one and two, which are nearing a guarantee to be Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa, no other pick is set in stone, which opens up the possibility for so many trades. The Jets selecting at 28 isn't a foregone conclusion as they could easily trade back, looking to regain draft capital, considering they are making just five selections in this draft. Advertisement Stay updated with the most interesting Jets stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story. Jets Will Make The 28th Selection At The 2025 NHL Entry Draft Jets Will Make The 28th Selection At The 2025 NHL Entry Draft The Winnipeg Jets will make the 28th overall selection at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, which is set to begin on Jun. 27.
New York Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Jets at 2025 NHL Draft: Evaluating 12 options for Winnipeg with pick No. 28
Barring trades, the Winnipeg Jets will pick 28th at this year's draft. There's pressure to do well with this one: Winnipeg didn't have a first-round pick last year and 2021 first-rounder Chaz Lucius recently announced his retirement due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The Jets' prospect pool does have exciting players — Elias Salomonsson, Brayden Yager, Brad Lambert and Colby Barlow most of all — but it's thinner than Winnipeg is used to. Advertisement So, who is likely to be available when they pick at 28? Who should Winnipeg choose? Here are 12 options, with analysis from Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler — plus my view on how each individual player could fit into the Jets' future success. Please note that this piece borrows heavily from the deep, detailed reports provided by Pronman and Wheeler. Their latest top prospects pieces are linked below; use them for an even deeper look at Winnipeg's potential draft options. Pronman's report (27): Brzustewicz played a notable role on a strong London team this season, appearing at times on both special teams. He's a tall right-shot who skates well and doesn't shy from using his feet to jump up into the attack … I could see more offence coming from him with more opportunity. Ates' angle: A big, mobile, right-handed defenceman sounds so much like the ideal Jets draft pick that Pronman chose Brzustewicz for Winnipeg in his most recent mock draft. The connections get closer, still, with Brzustewicz teaming up with Jets 2023 fifth-round pick, Jacob Julien, to win the Memorial Cup. The Knights are a dominant OHL team known for leaning heavily on their stars, sometimes inflating their draft year projections — but Brzustewicz didn't get that treatment. That's why both of our analysts see room for him to grow with a bigger role. Wheeler's report (31): Nobody works harder. He can play both center and wing … He's competitive and has a good stick on lifts and disruptions. He makes plays quickly. He can be a menace on the forecheck. But he's also got some vision, with an ability to find the secondary wave on the ice and get pucks off the wall and to the interior. Ates' angle: Again, with Florida's second straight Stanley Cup on everybody's mind, I'm guessing elite forecheckers who play with NHL size and speed and can play all three forward positions will have extra cachet on draft day. Zonnon plays the kind of all-around game with a lot of subtle strengths and relatively few weaknesses that gives him a high floor and a playoff-ready middle-six ceiling. If I'm right about teams' draft day thinking, Zonnon may be off the board before the Jets pick — despite our experts' rankings of 31 and 41. Advertisement Pronman's report (42): Skates well, has good puck skills and can make creative plays with the puck. I wouldn't describe him as a top-tier playmaker, but he sees the ice well enough. Moore's compete has come into question at times this season, and he's certainly inconsistent, but he has the ability to be effective down low and can kill penalties. Ates' angle: It's tough to watch Florida win the Stanley Cup and get fired up about players whose 'compete' gets listed as a weakness. That said, Moore seems capable of getting to the danger areas and improved his play enough down the stretch to feel projectable as an NHL centre. He's a wiry, big-framed player who Wheeler believes will add yet more muscle and power to his game. Even if he tops out as a bottom-six centre, the Jets do need some insulation beyond 30-plus stalwarts such as Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry. Yager is the only blue-chip centre in the system; I'm still thinking Lambert's best bet is on the wing. Wheeler's report (40): He finished the year above a point per game as their top scorer and he's a centre who has been counted upon to play an important role on both special teams (he tracks and angles well on the PK, is strong, protects pucks well and took on defensive assignments) and is credited for his well-rounded game on and off the puck. Ates' angle: The more I look into U.S. NTDP players, the more I prefer McKinney to Moore, although critics of McKinney's game point to a 'vanilla' skill set without a clearly identifiable NHL strength. I tend to like it when the Jets make ambitious swings at the end of the first round (such as Lambert, whose explosive talent and precipitous draft day fall made him feel like a high-risk, high-reward type of pick.) McKinney feels more like a David Gustafsson type of pick — probably 'safer' and probably with a bottom-six NHL ceiling. Pronman's report (35): Vansaghi played limited minutes on a top NCAA team in Michigan State this season. Despite his role, he still showed a lot of traits that will appeal to NHL teams. He's got a very high skill level, especially for a forward of his size. He beats defenders one-on-one routinely and has a ton of imagination with the puck. Advertisement Ates' angle: Wouldn't you know it: Right after I complain about low ceilings, we get to discuss Vansaghi, whose physical tools give him a chance to pop — if he can add a bit of footspeed or if he can learn to make his reads with more of an impact player's pace. I tend to be wary of players with below-average footspeed unless they have high-end hockey sense to make up for it. (For a perhaps unwelcome example: Rutger McGroary gives up footspeed to most NHL players, but his read of the game does imply middle-six possibilities to me.) Thus, I get concerned when I see Pronman rate Vansaghi's hockey sense as 'below average.' Wheeler's report (44): Wang's an extraordinarily mobile player for his size, with impressive skating technique through his inside and outside edges laterally and flowing mechanics going north or back to pucks. And while his handling still needs a little refinement, he's got some skill, can play with fearless confidence (which I wanted him to show more of and skate more pucks in the OHL instead of deferring), and has the heavy shot you'd expect. Ates' angle: I'm sorry, but you're telling me that Wang is 6-foot-6, 222 pounds, and is 'extraordinarily mobile' and a 'premium' athlete? That's the kind of long term bet I'm willing to make — despite the questions about Wang's hockey sense. He's still 17 years old and has just played half a season for Oshawa in the OHL — if he's going to become an NHL player, he's going to need many, many more reps against elite players his own age. His size, mobility, backstory and late-blooming status remind me of Johnathan Kovacevic as a Jets comparable — years away from pro impact, but has the tools to be helpful if his college career goes well. Pronman's report (32): He's huge at 6-foot-6 and quite athletic in how easily he gets around the ice. That athleticism is also why he is being recruited as a D-1 football player. … The speed and skill for his size are very unique. … The team that drafts him will bank on him not being fully developed yet, and ideally, him picking hockey full-time. Ates' angle: Another 6-foot-6 prospect with great athleticism and good mobility, another player I view as worth investing in — if it's clear that West wants to pursue NHL hockey as opposed to college football. To be clear, he's not a burner — he's mobile for his size more so than a top-end skater — but West has good hockey sense and is seen as a 'true' centre (that is: not someone who will immediately get moved to wing by his NHL team.) It's possible that he picks football or that West's relative lack of offence compared to other players on this list make him a second-round pick as opposed to Winnipeg's choice at No. 28. I wouldn't be put off by a 'draft and follow' if the same scouting staff that picked Kieron Walton in the sixth round last year believed in West this time around. Wheeler's report (24): They called him 'The Wizard' at Shattuck, and he lives up to it. The lightning-quick, puck-on-a-string hands. The shiftiness. The clairvoyant vision and eyes on the back of his head. The touch and finesse on passes. The feel. The natural release … Not that long ago, he was 5-foot-7, and now he's closer to 6-feet, and he still has room to grow and get stronger. If he can improve his skating, he'll become a top offensive player in college. Ates' angle: I recently argued for the Jets to choose Lee in our staff mock draft, likening a bet on the silky-mitted Madison product to the play Winnipeg made on Lambert in 2022. (The difference in that year's case was that Winnipeg had two first-round picks and had already made a 'safe' bet on McGroarty at No. 14.) In Lee's case, the appeal is in his elite hands and the idea that he's in the midst of a dramatic growth spurt; Lee is a below average skater but the idea is that his wheels may catch up once he stops growing quite so quickly. If the Jets have any reason to believe his feet will catch up to his hands, I think Lee would be a bet worth making late in the first round. Advertisement Pronman's report (28): He's a very skilled big man who can make small-man-type plays in tight areas. He sees the ice at a high level and has a creative offensive mind. Horcoff is also good enough in the hard areas and can play the body when he needs to. Ates' angle: Horcoff left the U.S. NTDP to join Michigan partway through last season, making a more impressive impact for his college team than he did for the American program. He has good puck skill for his size and plays an athletic, competitive game that makes him hard to play against. His dad, Shawn, was not a burner when he was drafted but went on to win the fastest skater competition at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game — for this potentially irrational reason, I read Horcoff's highly athletic but medium-paced scouting reports without a lot of concern. He strikes me as the kind of player who will be a productive version of a bottom-six centre if he doesn't make it further up the lineup. Wheeler's report (26): Gastrin's habits and details are there at an early age. He's not a dynamic offensive player, but he handles it well, makes plays around the net and below the goal line, and seems to really understand timing and spacing. He's also got a natural shot and release that I expect him to show more of as he learns to attack for himself more. Ates' angle: Gastrin is the captain of his age group for Team Sweden and had some spectacular moments at the Ivan Hlinka tournament last summer, including an eight-point game against Team Switzerland. I think he's the kind of big, responsible centre brimming with intangibles that the Jets would love to draft — if he's still available to them at 28. He's one of the hardest-working players in this draft class, shoots well and doesn't have any real holes in his game. Pronman's report (30): Prokhorov is a huge winger with very good hands. He can make a lot of skilled plays in open ice, at full speed and in traffic. He's a very physical forward who leans into guys with his big body and plays a direct style. Prokhorov isn't blazing fast, but he moves well for his size and can skate at the higher levels. Ates' angle: There are a ton of big players on this list — I'm sure you've noticed — but it's more about the quality of the prospect than hunting for size with the Jets specifically in mind. Prokhorov may have less appeal than big centres such as Horcoff and West, given the Jets' relative strength on the wing, but he makes great use of his size in the danger areas in front of the net. It's a little odd to think of the Jets picking a winger without high-end skating — their homegrown stars, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers are great skaters — but then I think of Vilardi and Perfetti's effectiveness and the idea doesn't seem so absurd. Wheeler's report (21): He's a worker with legit skill and smarts. That combination of effort, sense and talent really blends well together at the junior level, and though he looks a little lean, it doesn't present itself in his game because of his work rate off the puck. I do find he can slow the play down a little too much at times, but he thinks it at a very high level. Advertisement Ates' angle: Kindel is skilled, he's fast, he's lauded for his compete level and he can create offence in a lot of different ways. It's the sort of profile that would dazzle were he not listed at 5-foot-10 and will almost certainly make him a first-round pick regardless of that caveat. Talent plus work ethic is a dangerous combination and I'll admit I'm biased toward any prospect with 'hard to play against' as a realistic descriptor of their play — as long as they score well, which Kindel definitely did: 99 points in 65 WHL games despite being 17 for most of the season. (Top photo of Henry Brzustewicz: Kevin Sousa / Getty Images)
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Submit your 2025 NHL Draft questions for Corey Pronman's mailbag
Corey Pronman is opening the mailbag as we near the 2025 NHL Draft. If you want a certain question answered, give it a like as it will increase the chances of a reply. Read Corey's latest stories: • Which 2025 NHL Draft prospects have the best skills? Ranking 6 different tools and traits • How do 2025 NHL Draft's best prospects compare with 2024's top 10? • NHL Draft 2025 ranking: Matthew Schaefer leads Corey Pronman's top 125 prospects list • NHL Draft Confidential 2025: What insiders think of Matthew Schaefer, goalies and more
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
NHL Draft Guide 2025: Prospect rankings, mock drafts and more
The New York Islanders have the first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, which will take place on June 27 and 28. Matthew Schaefer is the consensus pick to go No. 1. The Athletic's staff, led by prospects writers Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, will provide insight and analysis ahead of the big event, giving readers an in-depth look at the top draft-eligible prospects and the impact these players could have on an NHL team. Corey Pronman's ranking NHL Draft 2025 ranking: Matthew Schaefer leads Corey Pronman's top 125 prospects list Scott Wheeler's ranking 2025 NHL Draft ranking: Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa lead Scott Wheeler's final top 100 list NHL Draft Confidential 2025: What insiders think of Matthew Schaefer, goalies and more After surveying several NHL evaluators, here's what they think about the big questions facing this draft class. Advertisement The 30 prospects who just missed the cut for Wheeler's final top 100 Scouting reports for 30 players who were considered but not placed on Wheeler's upcoming draft ranking. Ranking the NHL Draft's top 15 overagers, from Francesco Dell'Elce to Charlie Cerrato Scouting reports on 15 players who were passed over once or twice but warrant continued consideration from NHL clubs. How do 2025 NHL Draft's best prospects compare with 2024's top 10? A combined ranking from Corey Pronman of the top players from the 2024 and 2025 NHL Draft classes. Staff mock draft 2.0 (June 11) Wheeler mock 2.0 (June 9) Pronman mock 3.0 (June 3) Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman play GM and pick Round 1 (May 28) Pronman and Wheeler predict all 64 picks of the first two rounds (May 20) Pronman mock 2.0 (May 13) Wheeler mock 1.0 (May 8) Staff mock draft: Lottery picks (May 5) Pronman mock 1.0 (April 24) What are the risks in taking Matthew Schaefer with NHL Draft's No. 1 pick? How does Matthew Schaefer compare to recent No. 1 NHL Draft picks? Scouts, execs weigh in Adam Benák Benák, one of the 2025 NHL Draft's smallest prospects, could defy his size Anton Frondell Why Frondell is the draft's most difficult top prospect to evaluate Ben Kindel Through soccer and sense, Kindel has become a top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Blake Fiddler Charting Fiddler's path from skates with his dad to the 2025 NHL Draft Brady Martin How Martin's farm upbringing helped him become a top draft prospect Caleb Desnoyers Why 'special' Desnoyers is one of the draft's top prospects Cameron Reid Reid is a draft prospect with only one mode: 'Very good' Cole Reschny Reschny, one of the hottest prospects in the draft, 'stirs the drink' Haoxi Simon Wang Inside Wang's journey to the 2025 NHL Draft from China Advertisement Jack Ivankovic Why Ivankovic, a top 2025 draft prospect, is Canada's heir apparent in net Jack Murtagh Meet Murtagh, lover of scoring goals, 'gamer' and 'freak athlete' Jack Nesbitt How Nesbitt became one of the draft's biggest risers Jackson Smith Why Smith's two-way upside makes him an exciting draft prospect Jake O'Brien How 'incredible' O'Brien became one of the draft's top prospects James Hagens Why Hagens dropped down NHL draft boards, and the Islanders' unique predicament at No. 1 | Meet James Hagens, the 2025 NHL Draft's top prospect and hockey's next American star Joshua Ravensbergen Ravensbergen went from unknown to the draft's top goalie prospect Justin Carbonneau How Carbonneau blends power with skill and scoring Kashawn Aitcheson Why Aitcheson is the draft's meanest prospect: 'He's got that extra' Michael Misa For Misa, OHL exceptional status and the 2025 NHL Draft are just the start Porter Martone How 'phenomenal' Martone has made his case as a top prospect Radim Mrtka Mrtka is one of the draft's top — and most unique — prospects Roger McQueen Why McQueen is the draft's most fascinating top prospect Sascha Boumedienne How 'uber talent' Boumedienne re-emerged as a top draft prospect William Moore Moore's intellect made him a top draft prospect. But he's just getting started Why Matthew Schaefer is No. 1 prospect, and who follows What is the scouting process for NHL Draft prospects? Everything you need to know in 2025
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
NHL trade grades: Rangers needed to unload Chris Kreider to move forward
By Shayna Goldman, Harman Dayal and Corey Pronman Anaheim Ducks get: F Chris Kreider, 2025 fourth-round draft pick (No. 104). New York Rangers get: Prospect F Carey Terrance (OHL Erie), 2025 third-round draft pick (No. 89) (No salary was retained on either side.) Harman Dayal: At first glance, trading away a popular, assumed-Ranger-for-life for a modest return isn't anything worth celebrating. If anything, losing Kreider is a painful, emotional goodbye for Rangers fans. However, the Rangers' cap situation was dire before this trade, and moving the full freight of Kreider's $6.5 million cap hit, especially coming off a down year, opens up much-needed breathing room. Advertisement Before the Kreider trade, New York only had $8.4 million of cap space, according to PuckPedia. The Rangers needed to move out at least one significant contract just to afford pending restricted free agents K'Andre Miller and Will Cuylle's next contracts (or to find a top-four replacement in the event Miller is traded), let alone any roster upgrades for a team that missed the playoffs. There weren't a ton of options to manufacture that cap space — many of New York's top players have trade protection — so getting Kreider off the books was important. It's a win that the Rangers got off Kreider's contract without having to retain salary, take money back or pay a sweetener. Kreider's obviously a highly accomplished player, but at 34 years old, coming off a 30-point season in which he played through back issues and illness, this didn't profile as an easy contract to trade. And let's not forget that teams weren't exactly jumping to bid for his services back in November when Chris Drury sent out a memo to the league's 31 other teams stating both Kreider and Jacob Trouba were available for trade. The Ducks need a healthier, rejuvenated version of Kreider to make this trade worth it. The biggest area where Kreider could help the Ducks is on the power play. Kreider has long been an elite net-front power-play scorer, and the Ducks' man advantage could certainly use a boost after ranking 32nd in the NHL this season. It isn't farfetched to think he could deliver 25 to 30 goals in 2025-26 if he rebounds. But given his age, there's always a chance that he never regains the top-six form he showed in previous years. That would be a scary thought, especially because his even-strength play-driving also fell considerably this season. With all that said, Anaheim's risk isn't too high here. The Ducks didn't surrender any premium assets, Kreider only has two years left on his deal and the Ducks still have more than $30 million in cap space this offseason. Advertisement Rangers grade: B+ Ducks grade: B Shayna Goldman: It's the end of an era in New York, with the Rangers trading one of their longest tenured players to Anaheim. The reality is that Kreider's value cratered over the last year. He still scored 22 goals, but only tallied eight assists in 68 games for a career-low 30 points — and it's not just because his linemates weren't converting on his passes. One of Kreider's strengths is that he is more than just an elite net-front presence on the power play. His speed and strength make him more of a threat at five-on-five. But this past year, he wasn't as effective off the rush and didn't drive to the net as often. Unlike in most seasons, there wasn't a lot of power-play production to make up for it. The problem is, it's not clear how much of that was due to his surroundings, age-related decline or a lingering back injury. Or whether that injury is exacerbating the aging effects, which can happen to players who take a lot of wear and tear in a net-front role. The Rangers have to be active this summer. The team can't afford to just run it back and hope for a bunch of rebounds after a disastrous 2024-25 season. One takeaway from the four teams that reached the conference finals this year is that general managers need to know when it's time to move on and start fresh, despite long-term connections to a player. Plus, Rangers management couldn't afford to extend key RFAs and improve with Kreider's contract on the books. So, clearing out his entire cap hit is a win for New York. The timing is interesting. The Rangers could have waited to see if there was interest from teams that missed out on the few high-end wingers set to hit the free-agent market. Maybe management didn't want any lingering questions this offseason and wanted a clean slate. But at what cost? Unless the team has corresponding moves in mind to add more high-end talent, then this was the first domino that had to fall to create space. The Ducks, on the other hand, have a ton of cap space, and management should leverage it to take on reclamation projects such as Kreider. Absorbing his $6.5 million cap hit won't stop management from taking big swings this summer. And it shouldn't be a problem next year, either, with $12 million coming off the books between Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas. By the time the Ducks are truly competitive again, this contract will be over — and until then, it'll help the team stay above the cap floor. Advertisement Between Kreider, Trouba, Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome, there's a lot of 2021-22 Rangers, which is a choice. But as long as Kreider doesn't take away meaningful minutes from up-and-coming players and provides some much-needed support at even strength and on the power play, this is fine for the Ducks. Rangers grade: B- Ducks grade: B Corey Pronman: Kreider's game fell off notably this season, but he's still a useful forward. He's a big-bodied winger who skates very well, plays hard, and has some scoring touch. He's never been the most natural playmaker, and there's always a worry that, with a speed-based player, when the end of his career comes, it can come to an abrupt stop. Anaheim has money to play with, and their exceptionally young lineup can use a veteran like Kreider. They also have a deep prospect system, so losing Terrance is tolerable. Terrance is a strong skating forward. He has the edge work and speed for higher levels and can skate by junior defenders routinely. He has good hands and can create offense off the rush. I don't think his vision is a selling point, and he's more of a goal-scorer, but Terrance makes enough plays. His compete is solid and he can kill penalties. Terrance won't ever stand out in any one area, but he has versatility in his style of play and in the fact that he can play center or wing. He could be a bottom-six forward. He's not the biggest coup ever, but this is essentially a salary dump for New York. Rangers grade: B- Ducks grade: B+
