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National Post
9 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Depth in picks won't necessarily turn into draft gold for Maple Leafs
Dig into that draft depth, Maple Leafs. Article content Currently with no selection in the 2025 National Hockey League draft until the last pick of the second round, Leafs amateur scouting director Mark Leach and his staff will have to bide their time next weekend. Article content Article content Barring trades by general manager Brad Treliving, the Leafs are about to embark on a run of three consecutive drafts without a first-round choice. Consider that since 2011, there have been only three drafts that the Leafs didn't announce the name of a prospect in the first round. Article content Article content In 2022, Toronto picked Fraser Minten with their first selection at No. 38; in 2021, Matthew Knies was snagged at No. 57 and, in 2019, Nick Robertson was taken at No. 53. Article content There might be a good prospect available when the Leafs make their first choice at No. 64. Whether they get it right, we're not going to know for several years. Article content Article content As for organizational needs, they're not really applicable without a first-round pick. Taking the best player available (as deemed by you and your staff) would be the most prudent route. Article content With this in mind, we take a look forward and a glance back to see where the Leafs stand heading into the draft. Article content The final order of the draft was set once the Stanley Cup final between the victorious Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers finished on Tuesday night. The Leafs will have six picks: Nos. 64, 86 (third round), 137 and 153 (fifth round), 185 (sixth round) and 217 (seventh round). Article content The Leafs have known for a while they weren't going to have a first-round pick this year, going back to the Kyle Dubas era. Article content In February 2023, in the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in which defenceman Jake McCabe was the centrepiece coming to Toronto, a conditional first-round pick in 2025 was sent to the Blackhawks. The pick was top-10 protected and when the Leafs qualified for the playoffs early in April, it became Chicago's selection. It's going to be the 25th pick overall. Article content Article content The choice at 64th came via the Panthers in a swap of picks between the teams last June. Article content Originally, the Leafs would have had the 57th pick. Now owned by Seattle, the pick has changed teams several times since the Leafs traded a conditional pick to Arizona in February 2022 in a deal that brought defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin to Toronto. The Coyotes had a choice between the Leafs' third-round pick in 2023 or the second-round pick in '25 and went with the latter before trading it (now in Utah) to Tampa Bay. Article content The 86th pick was acquired in the trade last October that sent defenceman Timothy Liljegren to San Jose. The Leafs would have had the 89th pick, but traded it to Anaheim (which then sent it to the New York Rangers in the Chris Kreider trade last week) in a February 2024 swap for forward Kirill Slepets.
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
18 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Blues can pull off a perfect offseason, in 5 steps
ST. LOUIS — With the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, it's time for the St. Louis Blues to become more than spectators. The NHL Draft is just more than a week away (June 27 and 28), and free agency and development camp will be the following week. The Blues have the No. 19 pick in the first round, and when I was asked by The Athletic recently to project who the club might pick, I chose University of Wisconsin right-shot defenseman Logan Hensler. Advertisement As far as free agency, the Blues have approximately $5.5 million in salary-cap space for the 2025-26 season, according to PuckPedia, but that number will grow when they place injured defenseman Torey Krug on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). And if we're talking trades, few can predict what general manager Doug Armstrong will have up his sleeve this summer. But that's what makes it fun: imagining the scenarios. Let's start by laying out what a perfect Blues offseason looks like — but before you get too excited, just know that the nightmare version is coming Friday. Wanting to make moves for the future and remain competitive now, it makes sense that the Blues wind up in the middle of the first round — and for the second consecutive year, that's where they are. In 2024, the Blues had the No. 16 pick and went with defenseman Adam Jiricek, who's had an injury-riddled couple of seasons. This year, they have the No. 19 pick, and as I mentioned, I went with Hensler in The Athletic's beat writer mock draft. I debated taking Kitchener Rangers defenseman Cameron Reid, who colleague Corey Pronman selected for the Blues when he did his mock draft. But even though Pronman and I both have the Blues calling out the name of a defenseman with their first-round pick, that doesn't mean it's their biggest need. Pronman has the center position more pressing. So don't rule out the possibility of centers Jack Nesbitt (Windsor), Cole Reschny (Victoria) or Braeden Cootes (Seattle). And Nesbitt, especially, at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, would be a nice land. The winner of the Conn Smythe Award as the NHL's playoff MVP, Sam Bennett is going to be able to write his own price tag in free agency, and by many accounts, he wants to return to the Panthers. Some Blues fans may not be too upset by that, because Bennett will turn 29 years old Friday, and after scoring 15 goals in 23 playoff games, he could get a long-term deal with a cap hit of $9 million-plus. That may be an overpayment for a player who's certainly contributed to the Panthers' success but also benefited from the talent around him. Advertisement This article is part constructive and part fantasyland, though, so if we're going to wish for the Blues to come away this summer with the best available player at the position they need the most help, it probably has to be Bennett. To be clear, Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg each have one more season left on the two-year deals they signed with the Blues when the team lured them away from the Edmonton Oilers with a pair of shocking offer sheets last summer. They are eligible to sign extensions on July 1, though, and while it's not imperative that they're signed this summer, it sure would make fans more comfortable to know they're locked up long-term. Both are 23 years old and will be restricted free agents next summer, so the team would still retain their rights. I was a bit surprised when The Athletic conducted its Blues fan survey recently and a majority of the 1,800 responses wanted four-year extensions for both Holloway and Broberg. Perhaps I'm too excited about what I saw, but I'd be willing to give them each eight years, and I'd do it this summer before the possibility of them increasing their value in 2025-26. Cam Fowler, 33, has one more season left on his contract, and like Broberg and Holloway, is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. He's been a perfect fit on the top pair with Colton Parayko, which is perhaps why Parayko had a career year in 2024-25. A two-year extension for Fowler may be more ideal, but for a couple of reasons, I agree with 47.3 percent of those in the survey who selected a three-year deal. The Blues may be able to get a lower cap hit by giving him more term, and even if he drops off by the third year, his skating ability makes it hard to believe that he won't be able to contribute, even if it's not in the top four. The Blues have some defensive prospects in the system like Jiricek, Lukas Fischer and Theo Lindstein, who have promising futures, but that future is a few years away. So in the meantime, a player with Fowler's experience is extremely valuable. I don't want to pile on Leddy, and I know there are many fans who would trade Justin Faulk before him. But Leddy is down to just one more year left on his contract, and with a $4 million cap hit, that may be more feasible to move than the remaining two years and $6.5 million cap hit for Faulk. Either way, the Blues need to clear out a defenseman and add more toughness to a blue line that's been severely lacking it for years. Tyler Tucker needs to be a regular in the top six — not sitting at the expense of a vanilla veteran. While the Blues may not be in the market for Florida's Aaron Ekblad in free agency, there are a few defensemen available who could fit the description of what they need, and they could also look for one in a trade. (Top photo of Brayden Schenn and Sam Bennett: Jasen Vinlove / USA Today)
New York Times
19 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Matthew Schaefer at No. 1, who goes next and answering the 2025 NHL Draft's 10 biggest questions
With the 2025 NHL Draft just over a week away, we line up the 10 biggest questions to be answered when the picks start flying on June 27. The New York Islanders hold the top pick, and the consensus No. 1 prospect is defenseman Matthew Schaefer. The left-shot blueliner has the full package: size, skating, legit offense and a high compete level. He projects to play big minutes in all situations and has the potential to be a legit No. 1 NHL defenseman. Advertisement But there's a local wrinkle. James Hagens, once projected to be the top pick in this class, hails from Long Island. The idea of the Islanders drafting a homegrown, dynamic forward with elite skill has emotional and marketing appeal. That said, Hagens' stock cooled in the second half of the year, with many scouts now placing him closer to No. 5 on their boards. It seems highly unlikely the Islanders would go away from Schaefer for either Hagens or Saginaw's Michael Misa, but still, within the NHL, the possibility hasn't been completely discounted in the lead-up to the draft. Misa, the exceptional status forward who was the top player in the OHL this season, seems like the safest bet to be the first forward off the board. He's a creative, pace-driving center who has produced at a very high level. But there are some other options. Porter Martone is a very skilled big winger with a strong compete level. Anton Frondell brings a complete game to go with a high skill level and an elite shot. Caleb Desnoyers had a monster year in the QMJHL and projects as a tough minutes NHL center. Jake O'Brien and Roger McQueen bring size and skill down the middle. In discussions with NHL teams, most have Misa as their top forward, but each of the above names got at least one vote as the best forward in the class. There is a notable section of the league, for example, that prefers Frondell to Misa currently. McQueen has all the tools an NHL team wants: a 6-foot-5 frame, NHL-level foot speed, great hands, a high hockey IQ and a willingness to use his big body. But he missed the majority of the season, and the cause, a back injury, is notoriously tricky for NHL teams. The risk-reward calculus here is steep. If healthy, McQueen is a matchup nightmare who could become a dominant NHL center. The question is when does a team feel confident enough to roll the dice on him. Joshua Ravensbergen has been the top-rated goaltender this draft season, but his play was inconsistent. He's big and highly athletic, and tracks pucks well enough, but his game was a bit chaotic at times. First-round goalies are always a gamble, and organizational philosophy often plays a role. Some teams simply don't take goalies early, and Ravensbergen lacks the pedigree of other goalies who have gone high in recent years. Still, with few elite goalie prospects in recent years, someone may decide to secure their crease of the future in Round 1. If that happens, look for it to be in the 20-32 range. After Schaefer is picked, it's unclear who will be the next defenseman selected. Radim Mrtka is a huge right-shot defenseman who can skate, has legit offensive skill and hockey sense, although he's not overly physical. Jackson Smith brings size, mobility and high-end offensive skill, but his game can be a roller coaster. Kashawn Aitcheson is highly physical but has good enough speed and skill. Advertisement Team preference will dictate who goes next. Mrtka probably has the safest profile. Smith is the most purely talented. Aitcheson is the most unique profile that could translate the best to the playoffs. Brady Martin's stock was sharply on the rise following a good second half and a great U18 worlds. He's relentless, physical and also highly skilled. Teams are also falling in love with his background and character. Two months ago, it felt like Martin had a strong chance to be a top-10 pick in the draft, but as things stand right now, the question is now more about how high in the top 10 he goes. Hagens entered his draft year rated by many as the top prospect in the draft. He's extremely skilled and creative, a great skater and projects to run an NHL PP1. He had a very good but not great season at Boston College, though, and some scouts have raised concerns about how his barely 5-foot-11 frame will translate, especially given he's not overly physical. He's still likely a top-10 pick, but it's not clear where he goes in that range. Frankly, I've talked to more teams that have him in the 6-10 range than those who see him as a top-five prospect. Ivan Ryabkin entered the season being projected as a potential top-10 pick by some scouts. He was just as productive as Matvei Michkov and Ivan Demidov were as underage players, and talking to scouts a year ago, he was being discussed in the same light as them. He's a super-skilled winger who plays hard and was quite productive in the USHL in the second half this season. However, the term 'headache' has followed Ryabkin. He wore out his welcome in Dynamo Moscow, leading to a mid-year transfer, and his time in the USHL involved several suspensions and scouts picking apart the habits in his game. He also came in noticeably overweight at the NHL Combine. He's a legit first-round talent, but I haven't talked to many people excited to call his name in recent months. Advertisement This is one of the weakest Finnish draft classes in recent memory. There isn't a clear-cut top-100 player from Finland, but there are a few players at least on the radar. From the 2007 age group, defenseman Lasse Boelius is a good skater who was a top player internationally. In terms of re-entry candidates, Benjamin Rautiainen up front and Petteri Rimpinen in goal were good versus men and for Finland's World Junior team. Mason West might be the most intriguing athlete in the class. A legitimate dual-sport prospect in football and hockey, he has the physical tools of a legit first-round pick. He's a powerful center with NHL-caliber footspeed and puck skills, but will teams hesitate if they think he might eventually pivot to football? West has been trying to reassure teams he is going to eventually commit to hockey full-time after playing high school football this fall. (Photo of Michael Misa and Matthew Schaefer: Joe Hrycych / NHLI via Getty Images)
