With points in their last three games, the Chicago Blackhawks have successfully moved out of the worst point percentage in the NHL. Congratulations are in order for the fightin’ Celebrinis in San Jose, because they’re now on the clock! So let’s update our 2025 NHL Mock Draft.
Since our last mock draft effort, a lot more than the draft order has changed. NHL Central Scouting published their mid-term rankings, which threw a whole lot of names into the blender with players’ stock sliding and skyrocketing. We’ve got more new names in the first round of this mock draft than our previous few attempts.
But this time, we’re going to elevate the effort and give you a full two rounds in our mock draft.
Note: for this mock draft I used the league standings in reverse order based on point percentage before games on Tuesday, Jan. 21. With that, the San Jose Sharks moved up into the No. 1 selection.
2025 NHL Mock Draft — First Round
1. San Jose Sharks — Matthew Schaefer, LHD6-2, 183Shoots: Left
Schaefer is trending up to the top spot in many rankings now, and I’ve had him going to San Jose for a couple mock drafts now. So the Sharks owning the top pick and getting him there is easy… and makes life easier for the teams after them to pick their best available forward.
2. Chicago Blackhawks — Porter Martone, RW6-3, 208Shoots: Right
Ya know what? If the Blackhawks end up picking second and the decision to take Schaefer is taken out of their hands that might make life a whole lot easier for everyone. I’m sticking with Martone as my guy for the Blackhawks at the top of this mock draft. He’s a Tkachuk-style player and the Hawks could use that. Martone and Spellacy in the same lineup some day could be scary.
3. Buffalo Sabres — Michael Misa, LW6-1, 184Shoots: Left
Misa is absolutely in play for the top pick. He’s dominating the OHL this season; entering Friday, Misa has 37 goals and 38 assists in 38 games. Buffalo can’t get out of their own way but taking an elite offensive talent like Misa likely makes him the pick over Hagens here.
4. Nashville Predators — James Hagens, C5-11, 170Shoots: Left
Hagens has been considered the top prospect by most analysts since the summer and his performance at the World Juniors only helped that case. Nashville GM Barry Trotz has long coveted centers to build around, so this might be the best-case scenario for the Preds.
5. Anaheim Ducks — Anton Frondell, C6-0, 196Shoots: Right
I’ve had the Ducks going with a right-handed defenseman in most of my mock drafts previously, but it’s hard to justify that in the top five at this point. Frondell is a center with size and a strong game who makes sense as they continue to build.
6. Seattle Kraken — Victor Eklund, RW5-11, 161Shoots: Right
The Kraken are in need of quality across the board. Eklund’s stock had a big up arrow next to it thanks to his strong play at the World Junior Championship. He’s a smart forward who would help them sooner than later at the NHL level.
7. New York Islanders — Roger McQueen, C6-5, 197Shoots: Right
The Islanders picking here means they had another bad season, which means there might eventually be some changes in their front office. But taking a big center makes sense for them. McQueen is the biggest center in the first round of our mock draft.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins — Jackson Smith, LHD6-3, 195Shoots: Left
The Penguins aren’t having the season they wanted, and they also might be looking at some changes in their front office if they are indeed in the top ten in the draft. Smith is a very good defenseman with good size who would help fill a need for them eventually.
9. Detroit Red Wings — Caleb Desnoyers, C6-1, 178Shoots: Left
If the Red Wings are in the lottery and not the playoffs, it will be fascinating to see if Steve Yzerman is still making this selection when the draft arrives in June. Assuming he is, and the Red Wings don’t make a dramatic move before the deadline, I think they’ll look to add more offensive firepower to their pipeline.
10. Philadelphia Flyers — Radim Mrtka, RHD6-6, 207Shoots: Right
The size of Mrtka will make him one of the more intriguing prospects in this draft class. He’s playing for Seattle in the WHL this season after coming over from Czech. I’m sure Philly would love to have a right-handed defenseman with this size coming on board.
11. Utah Hockey Club — Malcolm Spence, LW6-1, 203Shoots: Left
Spence is a very good, strong forward prospect who could be in play earlier than this pick. Utah made a lot of moves beyond leaving Arizona last summer but injuries have kept them from taking a big step forward. They’re loaded with young forwards but Spence is a smart pick here.
12. St. Louis Blues — Cameron Reid, LHD6-0, 175Shoots: Left
The Blues need to add depth on their blue line, and Reid is a good one who’s stock is rising quickly. He has decent size for a LHD, but his offensive ability is opening eyes. He projects as the power play quarterback of the future in St. Louis.
13. New York Rangers — Kashawn Aitcheson, LHD6-1, 196Shoots: Left
The Rangers might not own this pick if they make a bold trade to get back into the playoff picture (cough, JT Miller, cough). If they move a player like K’Andre Miller off their NHL roster, replacing him eventually with a left-handed defenseman makes sense here.
14. Boston Bruins — Jake O’Brien, C6-2, 172Shoots: Right
O’Brien is a really good center with ideal size for the Eastern Conference. And how did the Bruins succeed for as long as they did? Strength down the middle. So putting a good center with size and offense in Boston feels like an ideal marriage.
15. Columbus Blue Jackets — Cameron Schmidt, RW5-8, 152Shoots: Right
Not a big player by any means, but Schmidt has a knack for putting the puck in the net and scorers come at a premium. Columbus has some big bodies in their building already but could use a sniper.
16. Montreal Canadiens — Carter Bear, LW6-0, 179Shoots: Left
Bear is a solid winger with good size and ability whose stock appears to be rising quickly right now. Montreal is pushing for a playoff berth and might be another team that considers moving their pick to bolster those chances.
17. Vancouver Canucks — Lynden Lakovic, LW6-4 , 190Shoots: Left
Who knows where the Canucks will be when the dust settles in Vancouver? They might have more than one pick in the first round… their own pick might be earlier than 17 as well. Lakovic has terrific size on the wing. He turned 18 in mid-December and has already almost matched his production in 68 games last year (39 points) his first 31 games this year.
18. Ottawa Senators — Brady Martin, C6-0, 178Shoots: Right
The Sens are hoping to finally make the postseason this year. But they need to continue to focus on adding quality to their pipeline. Martin is a solid center prospect who projects to go in the mid- to late-teens.
19. Montreal Canadiens (from CGY) — Justin Carbonneau, RW6-1, 191Shoots: Right
Can you imagine a guy named Carbonneau in Montreal? (See what I did there?) This is a good player who should come off the board around this spot, so I’m making it happen for the Habs in this mock draft.
20. Nashville Predators (from TB) — Logan Hensler, RHD6-2, 192Shoots: Right
Nashville got their center with their first of three picks in the first round of our mock draft, so I have them taking a really good right-handed defenseman who could go as high as the top ten here. Hensler is a solid defenseman with decent size.
21. Calgary Flames (from NJ) — William Moore, C6-2, 161Shoots: Left
The way our mock draft order lines up right now, Calgary would own two of three picks at this point. Would they consider packaging them to move up? Possibly. But they could use two more good prospects to inject more quality into their pipeline. Moore is a good center who projects as a middle-six player.
22. Philadelphia Flyers (from COL) — Braeden Cootes, C6-0, 183Shoots: Right
The Flyers went with a massive RHD earlier in our mock draft, so taking an athletic center here makes sense. Cootes is a nice prospect who will likely be in play in the 20s.
23. Calgary Flames (from FLA) — Bill Zonnon, LW6-2, 190Shoots: Left
With their second pick in the first round, the Flames take another athletic forward with good size. Zonnon is climbing a lot of draft boards right now, so while this might feel a little early for the player at this point his trajectory could have him in play here in June.
24. Los Angeles Kings — Blake Fiddler, RHD6-4, 207Shoots: Right
Yes, this is the son of Vern Fiddler. And he’s a big right-handed defenseman, which is a trendy thing for NHL teams to target. And, at some point, the Kings are going to have to replace Drew Doughty on the right side of their blue line. His injury this season made that even more apparent.
25. Carolina Hurricanes — Joshua Ravensbergen, G6-5, 195
Goaltending has been an issue in Carolina since Cam Ward left. So they’ll use their first-round pick this year on the top netminder in the glass — and the only one with a first-round grade.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets (from MIN) — Shane Vansaghi, RW6-2, 214Shoots: Right
With their second pick in the first round, Columbus takes a college player from Michigan (State this time). Vansaghi has a pro body already and could complement their previous pick’s lack of size ideally. Schmidt and Vansaghi is a nice first round for Columbus.
27. Dallas Stars — Nathan Behm, RW6-2, 198Shoots: Right
The Stars have consistently been considered among the best front offices at identifying talent and developing prospects in recent years. Behm is another new name in our mock draft’s first round because his stock is moving up. He, too, has a pro-ready body and Dallas likes players with good size.
28. Chicago Blackhawks (from TOR) — Jack Nesbitt, C 6-4, 185Shoots: Left
Nesbitt is a big-time helium prospect right now since NHL Central Scouting released their mid-term rankings and others have followed suit. He was one of the fastest skaters at the OHL Top Prospects Game (something the Blackhawks like a lot) and he’s playing alongside Spellacy in Windsor, so Chicago has seen plenty of him.
29. Nashville Predators (from VGK) — Jakob Ihs Wozniak, RW6-2, 184Shoots: Right
Another pick for the Preds has them taking a talented winger from Sweden. He has good size and is playing at a high level in Sweden as a 17-year-old.
30. Philadelphia Flyers (from EDM) — Ben Kindel, C5-10, 176Shoots: Left
I have the Flyers taking the best player on the board here. Kindel doesn’t turn 18 until April and has blown past his 68-game production from last year, posting 24 goals and 44 assists in his first 41 games for Calgary in the WHL this year.
31. Winnipeg Jets — Cole Reschny, C5-10, 187Shoots: Left
I’ve got the Jets taking the best player available here, pretty simple. Reschny isn’t a big player and likely projects as a wing at the next level, which is why his draft stock has him ranked anywhere between the mid-20s and mid-30s. Solid add for the second-to-last pick in the first round of our mock draft.
32. Washington Capitals — Ivan Ryabkin, C6-0, 170Shoots: Left
The Caps have been magnificent this season, and selecting here means they’re Stanley Cup champions. In this year’s draft class, once you get past the top 14-16 picks there’s a lot of talk about wild cards and lottery tickets. After being released from his contract with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL, he’s now skating with Muskegon in the USHL. We’ll see if that elevates him back into more solid first round consideration.
2025 NHL Mock Draft — Second Round
33. San Jose — Cullen Potter, C34. Chicago — Milton Gästrin, C35. Buffalo — Ben Kevan, F36. Nashville — Kurban Limatov, LHD37. Philadelphia (from ANA) — Henry Brzustewicz, RHD38. Seattle — Charlie Trethewey, RHD39. NY Islanders — Jack Murtagh, C40. Montreal (from PIT) — Emile Guite, LW41. Detroit — Eric Nilsson, C42. Philadelphia — Haoxi “Simon” Wang, LHD43. Tampa Bay (from UT) — Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, LHD44. Edmonton (from STL) — Peyton Kettles, RHD45. Colorado (from NYR) — Gustav Hillström, C46. Washington (from BOS) — Sascha Boumedienne, LHD47. Philadelphia (from CBJ) — Melvin Novotny, F48. Montreal — Max Psenicka, RHD49. Vancouver — Zachary Morin, LW50. Ottawa — Vojtech Cihar, LW51. Calgary — Tomas Pobezal, C52. Nashville (from TB) — Artyom Vilchinsky, LHD53. New Jersey — Pyotr Andreyanov, G54. Calgary (from COL) — Cole McKinney, C55. Toronto (from FLA) — Jack Ivankovic, G56. Tampa Bay (from LAK) — Petteri Rimpinen, G57. Carolina — Carter Amico, RHD58. Minnesota — Oscar Davidsson, LW59. Chicago (from DAL) — Will Horcoff, C60. Utah (from TOR) — Owen Conrad, LHD61. Nashville (from VGK) — Adam Benak, C62. New Jersey (from EDM) — David Bedkowski, RHD63. New Jersey (from WPG) — Viktor Klingsell, LW64. Washington — Reese Hamilton, LHD
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