Vaclav Nestrasil – McKeen's Hockey

2026 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Daily Recap- December 29th, 2025- Game Summaries – Standout Performances – Notable Draft Eligible Prospects

Kyle Pereira and Linc Zdancewicz — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:16:19 +0000

Day 4 of the World Juniors was jam packed with action from start to finish, with some very fun matchups.

SWEDEN v GERMANY

Early in this game, Sweden faced similar problems that they faced in their game against Switzerland; the forecheck was giving them issues. But a penalty on Germany gave Sweden the first powerplay, where they scored the opening goal. Anton Frondell fired a beautiful one-timer home after the great set-up from Alfons Freij. After some more back-and-forth, with Sweden continuing to struggle against the tight checking Germans, Maxim Schafer would force a huge turnover in the defensive end, springing him and Elias Pul on a 2-on-0 chance, where he would set Pul up with an easy back-door tap-in.

In the second period, it would be Sweden who made key adjustments to control the play far better. Ivar Stenberg really started to dial in as well, playing a key part in an improved second period. It also helped that Germany took a penalty late in the first, allowing Sweden to open on the powerplay, where Viggo Bjorck finished a very pretty pass from Sascha Boumedienne to give Sweden their lead right back. Sweden would then kill off a 3v5 penalty kill, and score shortly thereafter, with Leo Sahlin Wallenius threading the needle to Jack Berglund on the doorstep for a simple tap in. The second would see Viggo Bjorck get his second of the day on the man advantage as well as a Felix Ohrqvist goal to see the Swedes go up 5-1 on the Germans going into the final period.

To start the third, Anton Frondell continued his power play domination with his second goal of the day and third on the PP in this tournament. The Swedish offense was fully awake and still firing on all cylinders towards the end of the game as they added another goal on the power play from Liam Danielsson to get some extra insurance, pushing the lead to 7-1. The game drew to an end with continued domination from the Swedes, as they did not let off the pedal, even scoring a literal last second goal from Berglund.

MVP’s

Sweden: Anton Frondell, Viggo Bjorck, Leo Sahlin Wallenius

Germany: Elias Pul, Maxim Schafer, Lenny Boos

FINLAND v CZECHIA

Radim Mrtka was back in action for the Czechs as they took on red-hot Finland. Early in the first, Veeti Vaisanen was charged with a 5-minute major and game misconduct for cross-checking Tomas Poletin on a net-drive. The Czech squad would take advantage quickly, as Matej Kubiesa scored from a drop pass from Tomas Galvas. Finland would take another penalty, and Rimpinen was forced into making a few key saves, including a highlight reel stop on a phenomenal pass to the slot from behind the net. It was all Czechia in the first, but Rimpinen held up his end incredibly well, keeping it a one-goal game.

The second period was very chippy, filled with scrums and a few penalties. But both goaltenders stood tall in net, keeping it a one-goal game. More of the same continued in the third, as the chippiness kept building. A few more penalties, and a few more big stops from both netminders. Orsulak made an excellent stop, in particular, going post to post on a one timer try. Emil Hemming would tie the game up late, off one heck of a one-timer to beat Orsulak high, set up excellently by Leo Tuuva, with about 20 seconds remaining in regulation. While Finland forced overtime, they could not cap off the comeback with a win. Instead, it was Adam Jiricek who scored an incredible, highlight reel, between the legs goal on Rimpinen. It was an electric ending to a very fun game.

MVPs

Czechia: Vaclav Nestrasil, Adam Novotny, Michal Orsulak

Finland: Oliver Suvanto, Petteri Rimpinen, Aron Kiviharju

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 29: Slovakia's Tomas Chrenko #29 celebrates with Andreas Straka #15, Luka Radivojevic #26, Adam Nemec #21, Lukas Tomka #24 and Michal Svrcek #11 after scoring a third period goal against USA during Preliminary Round - Group A action at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena on December 29, 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF)

SLOVAKIA v USA

The Americans came out hot to start, pressuring the offensive zone with a fire they hadn’t shown in their first two games. However, the Slovaks quickly regained their confidence, dumping and chasing to where the American defense started to wear down. Off a turnover by L.J. Mooney, Tobias Pitka made the defense pay, netting his first of the tournament during a quick rush. Quickly after Kamil Bednarik’s holding call, Tomas Chrenko scored his fourth goal in two games on the power play to put Slovakia up 2-0 early. The Americans looked frustrated as they ended the period with limited success in the neutral and offensive zones.

Entering the second, the Americans went down a man due to a Mooney interference call, but the U.S. PK found some great success when A.J. Spellacy scored a tip-in goal short-handed. The penalty kill continued to fire up the U.S. bench, getting three or four legitimate dangerous chances during the Slovaks power play. However, Slovakia would deliver a similar performance when the US went on their own power play. Adam Belusko drove one home to put the Slovaks back up two, and killed the Americans man advantage, bringing the Red, White and Blue to 0/7 on the PP.

Shortly after the U.S. began to crawl back, Brendan McMorrow buried a bouncing puck for his second point of the night to cut the lead to one. Soon after that, the U.S. finally tied Slovakia off of their first power play goal in the tournament. From a standstill, Ryker Lee ripped the puck over Michal Pradel’s glove side to even the game at three. Like clockwork, Slovakia went on the power play once again, just in time for them to take the lead. Frustrating failed chance after frustrating chance went by for the Americans as the second period ticked down. That was until James Hagens buried his first goal of the tournament to even the Slovaks at four. The second saw six goals all together between the two teams and they were even through two.

The final period would be the true test. Immediately, the United States struck first off Hagens’ stick again, finding an opportunistic bounce on a dump and chase. Just over three minutes later, the American power play found life again. Will Zellers found the back of the net for the fourth time on the back of a tremendous passing play from Brodie Ziemer and Mooney. From that point on, the game devolved into a chippy back and forth that was carefully built by animosity and grit. The game continued to get more aggressive and more desperate as both teams were deadlocked in terms of chances as time wound down. With the net empty, the desperate Slovaks found relief from the stick of Chrenko, who scored his fifth goal of the tournament. The draft eligible is taking command of the spotlight for the plucky Slovaks. Though they showed a ton of struggle, the United States defended and prevailed, giving their home fans a heart attack with this game, evening them with the Swedes at three regulation wins, setting up a very exciting New Years Eve night game.

MVP’s

Slovakia: Adam Belusko, Tomas Chrenko, Tobias Pitka

U.S.A.: A.J. Spellacy, Chase Reid, James Hagens

CANADA v DENMARK

Immediately, Canada sets the pace, owning possession in the Danes zone. When Denmark took a penalty, the Canadians made quick work. Gavin McKenna put his patented shot to work, getting set up at the dot by Michael Hage for an early lead. A few minutes later, Keaton Verhoeff throws up a brilliant stretch pass to Tij Iginla, who curls back up the boards under pressure, draws the defender in, then throws a beautiful backhand pass into the slot for Braeden Cootes, making it 2-0. After some offensive zone time for Denmark, resulting in their first shot on goal, a turnover created a rush the other way for Caleb Desnoyers, who set up Zayne Parekh on a tee, and he would not miss. A brilliant shot from a red-hot Parekh makes it 3-0.

To start the second period, Denmark would strike first. Less than 30 seconds in, Mads Klyvo would snipe one over the short-side shoulder of Carter George. As the period wore on, Denmark would hold up… until they took another penalty. This time, it was Porter Martone on the man advantage putting one in the back of the net, set up by Parekh for the one-timer. After several incredible saves from Patrick Tiedjen, it is once again McKenna off a one-timer that beats him glove side, off a feed from Brady Martin to make it 5-1 late in the second. Canada would open the scoring of the third period less than five minutes in, when Michael Misa found the back of the net to make it 6-1. About a minute later, McKenna would snag the hat trick, extending the lead to 7-1. Then, late in the third, Kashawn Aitcheson would rip an unbelievable shot over Tiedjen’s shoulder to make it 8-1. Then very shortly after, it would be Martone again, another unreal snipe up and over the shoulder to make it 9-1.

MVPs

Canada: Gavin McKenna, Zayne Parekh, Jett Luchanko

Denmark: Patrick Tiedjen, Mads Klyvø, Markus Jakobsen

INDIVIDUAL REPORTS

Anton Frondell (SWE) (2G)

We can start to talk about Anton Frondell’s role on the Chicago Blackhawks power play when he inevitably makes their roster next year. The proof is in how automatic he has been for the Swedes in the left circle. Frondell’s shot is crisp, fast off the stick, and, best of all, accurate. He’ll need to show it more consistently at even strength, but he’s had a different role when playing 5-on-5. Frondell’s truculence and overall effort have been quite noticeable in this tournament. His games against Switzerland and Slovakia showed this style consistently throughout and it was no different against the Germans today. Frondell came barreling down on the forecheck to firmly establish, with all 205 pounds of his body mass, the Swedish possession and I have loved every minute of it. Off puck he has been opportunistic, getting open consistently trying to find that first even strength goal. Additionally, Frondell has been adept at finding his teammates for chances abound, I was surprised he didn’t get an assist in this contest against the Germans. Anton Frondell continues to exhibit his well-rounded game at the international level, let’s see how he does under the brightest lights, on New Years Eve against the hosts.

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 26: USAÕs James Hagens #10 looks on during Preliminary Round - Group A action against Germany at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena on December 26, 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF)

James Hagens (USA) (2G)

Hagens’ second World Juniors Tournament got under way in a slower fashion then his first as the U.S. was struggling to dominate like they had in years past. In the Americans’ toughest games yet, their top center showed up. Hagens was a crucial part of the U.S. turnaround today against Slovakia, starting with being one of the few forwards who could effectively enter the zone and set up an offensive cycle in the wake of a heavy Slovakian team in front of them. Despite setting up and contributing to a couple high danger chances, the Americans were down 3-4 with time winding down in the second. James Hagens went to work attacking the middle of the ice, receiving a pass and burying the game tying goal under Michal Pradel’s right arm.

His tendency to attack the middle has improved his game in the NCAA by leaps and bounds, making him a worlds better scorer than when he was a budding freshman just a season ago. Coming back onto the ice for the third, Hagens delivered the hot start they so desperately needed less than 20 seconds in. Once again attacking the middle, he jumped on a puck that was deflected by a Slovak stick to punch the then-go-ahead goal for the hosts. Hagens was critiqued in last year's tournament for not showing up in big games, then he scored a big goal in the gold medal game, now he has come through for the United States in their most crucial moment. This clutch factor should be a welcome sight for Bruins fans as they will be looking for him to do it again against a tough Sweden team on New Year’s Eve.

Alfons Freij (SWE) 2A

Freij was incredible when it came to moving the puck against the Germans. All game long, he was moving very well with the puck on his stick and dishing beautiful passes to teammates all over the zone. He was very clearly a standout on the back end for Sweden and a large reason they were able to get their game together after a slow start against Germany.

Patrick Tiedjan (DEN) 40/49, .816 SV%

Yes, he gave up a lot of goals. But the team in front of him was getting absolutely caved in. He played admirably well, battling hard on every save and making several impressive ones at that. Not to mention, he looked great from a mechanical standpoint, moving well laterally. He was very impressive despite the outcome and genuinely played his heart out against the Canadians in this contest, and that absolutely deserves a mention.

DRAFT ELIGIBLES

Tomas Chrenko (SVK) (2G)

The Slovak center has found lightning in a bottle in his last two games, scoring five total goals in two games. Chrenko came alive against the hosts today, blazing by many of their highly touted prospects with his coveted speed and challenging them with his unrelenting energy. Chrenko’s mindset alone when forechecking might be enough for me to consider moving him not only into a first round ranking but potentially a top 20 pick as well. However, his shot has been the talk of the town, finding lanes through heavy traffic for both of his goals. It is clear that this kid has an eye for the net when he slows down his game a bit. Though the Slovaks lost in regulation, Chrenko was one of, if not, the largest sparkplug that kept them in it right until the very end. Chrenko’s wonderful skating and shot, combined with the confidence he’s surely gained with his performance, should set him up nicely for the remainder of his season, playing in the Slovakian Pro league.

Keaton Verhoeff (CAN) 1A

While it wasn’t the cleanest performance, Verhoeff gave a really good taste of the raw talent he possesses. With the puck, he moved so fluidly as a skater and passer, pushing the pace and oozing confidence and swagger. Away from the puck, he slowed down and prevented rushes by Denmark thanks to his excellent skating and just how much space he takes up with his strides and reach. Offensively, he understood where the space was and was completely unafraid to jump right up in the offensive zone. Against a tougher opponent, it’s tough to gauge how much success his style would have, but he really could have produced more simply from how he navigated the zone without the puck. He’s a special talent who, once he really puts it all together, could be a dynamite NHL defender.

Interview with James Hagens

McKeens: I want to take you back to this past off-season. You were drafted by the Bruins obviously. How did the draft experience and going to their development camp help you prepare for the season and this tournament?

JH: Just being able to grow up and see all those guys who have been through it. You’re in the moment there, and to be able to be with my family and friends, it was really special. To be able to go to development camp. It was great going there, meeting all the guys, met a couple players on the team, so that was something that was really cool. Being able to talk to staff, see what I have to do, just make sure I was prepared for the season.

McKeens: Who are some of the guys behind the scenes here who helped build the culture that you guys have developed over the past couple of years where the team has been so successful?

JH: The coaching staff we have here, it starts with them being able to bring us together and then coaches back at NTDP for the guys that were there in this group, Nick Fohr. He had us really close. I know all of us still talk to each other to this day. Even the guys that aren’t here that we played with. So, I think it stems from there and being able to kind of bring these new guys that you haven’t met, new faces, especially once you’re getting here, being able to grow chemistry with them. Build the connection, you want to make sure that everyone feels welcome, everyone’s friendly, and that was what we did.

McKeens: Chase Reid, such a young, talented defenseman on the team, what’s it like having him on the ice at such a young age and having such a big impact?

JH: It’s great. You see how comfortable he feels out there and to be able to have someone like that on your back end, it helps a lot.

McKeens: Sticking with Reid, I asked him who the biggest trash talker was, guys who are really funny behind the scenes. He brought up Brodie Ziemer, would you agree with that statement or is there someone else who deserves their flowers there?

JH: Ha, I think Ziemer is definitely one of them. I think Teddy Stiga is another guy that’s pretty funny too.

2026 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Daily Recap- December 27th, 2025- Game Summaries – Standout Performances – Notable Draft Eligible Prospects

Kyle Pereira and Linc Zdancewicz — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 17:45:29 +0000

The second day of the 2026 World Juniors was another fun day here in Minnesota, with a loaded schedule.

SLOVAKIA v GERMANY

To kick off the day in Grand Casino Arena, Slovakia took on Germany as both teams look to bounce back from losses on day one. In the first period, Slovakia absolutely dominated. Tomas Chrenko opened the day with a seeing eye shot amidst chaos. Then, on their second power play of the day, Chrenko snagged another goal off a brilliant feed from Adam Nemec, who would record his second assist of the game. Going into the second, the Germans had an uphill battle to climb. They played much better, with Timo Kose standing out the most. However, Slovakia would get another powerplay off a really bad high stick, and Chrenko would strike yet again, recording a hat trick in his second career World Juniors game. Germany kept the momentum going into the third period, striking just past the halfway point. Dustin Willhoft, off an indirect feed, had a strong net drive that he put five hole on Michal Pradel. But Slovakia put the nail in the coffin, as Adam Belusko scored from deep in his own end on the empty net, short-handed.

MVP’s

GERMANY: Fabio Kose, Timo Kose, Carlos Handel

SLOVAKIA: Tomas Chrenko, Michal Pradel, Adam Belusko

LATVIA v CANADA

Day Two in Mariucci Arena began in a similar way to last year's matchup, and Latvia played their patented annoying and grinding style of play against the Canadians. Getting knees and sticks on lanes worked well for Latvia as they outshot the Canadians after period one as the score remained locked at zero. Canada got their first goal of the game soon after a five-minute major from Martins Klaucans, Cole Reschny converted off of a McKenna feed. The Canadians were only able to generate one goal on the five-minute advantage. As the second wound down the game went back and forth as both teams got quality chances on the rush. The Latvians and Czechs have seemed to expose a grave weakness of Canada’s on rushes as they have struggled to defend them in their first two games. The game stayed close to the wire until with just under two minutes, Rudolfs Berzkalns ties it late, bringing up bad memories for Canadians everywhere. However, crucially, the Canadians were bailed out by a delay of game penalty by Latvia’s, Roberts Naudins. The penalty carried over to OT, where McKenna found Michael Hage for the clincher. Latvia, for the second year in a row, took Canada to their absolute limit. However, the talent of the Canadians won the day in this nailbiter.

MVP’s

Canada: Michael Hage, Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone

Latvia: Nils Maurins, Rudolfs Berzkalns, Alberts Smits

USA v SWITZERLAND

The Swiss open their tournament against the back-to-back Gold medalists. Early on, Switzerland took it to the US, who were playing pretty sloppy. But when the US started getting their chances, especially on their powerplay, Christian Kirsch stood on his head. He stonewalled Cole Eiserman several times and made several stops in tight after the powerplay ended. Unfortunately for Switzerland, the US started the second with a bang, as Brodie Ziemer ripped one that was tipped off a Swiss defender and over the blocker. It was started by a great play along the boards by Will Horcoff, then a nifty drop pass by James Hagens. About halfway through the second, the US lost Cole Hutson to a scary injury, when he took a puck to the back of the neck and had to be stretchered off. Soon after, the Swiss would score off a beautiful point shot from Basile Sansonnens. A few minutes later, Will Zellers would roof a shot top corner on the short side, giving the US the lead back.

MVPs

USA: Chase Reid, Cole Eiserman, Teddy Stiga

Switzerland: Lars Steiner, Christian Krisch, Basile Sansonnens

DENMARK v CZECHIA

The final matchup on day two got underway with much fanfare at the beginning. The Czechs went up first off of a weird bounce off Vojtech Cihar’s stick. However, that momentum would be quashed after Tristan Petersen banged home a wild puck. That goal was the result of some dangerous Danish pressure that really challenged the Czechs for the majority of the first period. The Czechs would buck that early pressure by taking the lead on an amazing shot by Matej Kubiesa on a five-minute power play that was drawn by Denmark’s Jesper Olesen, who was ejected for a high hit. That Czech momentum would carry over to the second period as Vaclav Nestrasil sunk a pretty no-look snipe for the 3-1 lead on yet another power play. Though the Czechs were more talented throughout, the Danes played heavy and took advantage of many chances, creating breakaways, shutting down opposing offensive attacks. That opportunistic style of play came in handy when Oliver Larsen ripped home a quick snipe off a face off to bring the game within one score. The Czechs started to close the door at the end of the second, scoring two off the sticks off Adam Jiricek and Stepan Hoch, giving them a 5-2 lead. Starting in the third, the Czechs continued dominating with two more even strength goals from Tomas Galvas and Richard Zemlicka respectively. That was all she wrote as Czechia would fail to score on the two other power play chances given to them by Denmark, closing it out in dominant fashion, 7-2.

MVPS

Czechia: Vaclav Nestrasil, Matyas Marik, Adam Jiricek

Denmark: Oliver Green, Emil Jakobsen

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 27: Czechia's Vaclav Nestrasil #14 celebrates his second period goal against Denmark during Preliminary Round - Group B action at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at 3M Arena at Mariucci on December 27, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. (Photo by Tim Austen/IIHF)

VACLAV NESTRASIL (CZE) 1G 2A

Probably the most dangerous offensive threat for Czechia on a day where their entire offense was buzzing. I am routinely impressed with the swiftness and ease that Nestrasil can skate with the puck at his mammoth 6-foot-6 frame. His skating has been very solid and noticeably better from his draft year, that’s been evident throughout his first two games. Nestrasil was also able to showcase his blistering shot, wiring a no-look snipe past Denmark early in the second. Though both of his assists were secondary, they both showed off his adept ability to set up chances in the offensive zone and on the rush respectively. Away from the puck, Nestrasil displayed energy and truculence against a Danish team that was certainly giving it back to the Czechs earlier on. His efforts have not gone unnoticed as he now leads the Czech team in points. If he can carry over this monster start to this tournament to the rest of his season, he could be with the Blackhawks much sooner than previously thought.

CHRISTIAN KIRSCH (SUI) 0.900 SV%, 18/20

Kirsch was a massive reason behind just how close the Swiss came to winning this game. From the jump, he made several massive saves on breakaways, while also standing tall against several US powerplay attempts. While he did give up two goals in the end, if it wasn’t for Kirsch’s outstanding performance, especially in the first, the US could have pulled away fast.

COLE EISERMAN (USA)

Eiserman, while he was held off the score sheet, was one of the standouts in this game for the US. The Americans, like in their game against Germany, played sloppy, especially in the neutral zone. Eiserman was one of the few who were able to move the puck efficiently. Once in the offensive zone, especially on the powerplay, Eiserman was seemingly getting constant scoring chances. He could’ve had at least two goals in this game, if not for Kirsch.

DRAFT ELIGIBLES

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 27: Switzerland's Kimi Koerbler #89 and USAÕs Chase Reid #25 battle for the puck during Preliminary Round - Group A action at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena on December 27, 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF)

CHASE REID (USA)

As he was a standout on day one, it was very difficult to not include him again on day two. He was arguably the best defenseman on the US blueline. He is so steady on the back end, getting in the right spots to prevent scoring chances against. When it comes to transporting the puck, Reid is one of the best in the tournament. He is so quick at reading the space and finding teammates moving up ice. He can connect consistently on some difficult stretch passes as well, that can really break open a shift. If he continues to stand out like this, he could really push his way into the top of the 2026 draft.

TOMAS CHRENKO (SVK) 3G

The speedy center came alive for the Slovaks on Day Two of this tournament, netting a hat trick in his second ever World Juniors game. Chrenko was a standout for the Slovaks due to his excellent play with HK Nitra so far this season. His first two goals were very crafty, greasy goals around the net as he showed that fight that has been so characteristic of his individual game and his national team's game. Though, Chrenko’s third goal was a lucky bounce off of a defender's stick, it was on track to hitting his fellow countryman Adam Nemec’s stick for a deflection. Chrenko has given Slovakia a serious boost in speed and energy throughout their two games this tournament. He was blazing past defenders in space against Germany today and was unrecoverable in the offensive zone.

Interview with Chase Reid

McKeens: Chase, you’re a draft-eligible of course, and these tournaments are usually dominated by older players. What is it like playing with these older guys and having such a big impact already?

CR: My teammates and coaches make it very easy to go out there and play my game every night, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have the opportunity to be here.

McKeens: What can you learn from these older guys at a tournament like this?

CR: Cole Hutson does some things with the puck that you’d want to do yourself, but I think just playing my game and making sure I’m making the easy plays that the other guys do and simplifying like they do.

McKeens: Going back a couple of years ago, you played with Waterloo in the USHL, things didn’t work out there and you moved to the NAHL. What’s changed from then to now, and what’s allowed you to be such an impact player?

CR: I’d say just my mindset going into everything. If you’re not first you’re last, so I think just going in with the mindset that I want to be the best in every situation I’m in, it all trends in the right direction from there.

McKeens: Going back to the tournament here, it’s important to have a tight group. Who are some of the guys in that locker room who keep everything light-hearted and fun behind the scenes?

CR: Yeah, Brodie Ziemer for sure. Hagens, Hutty [Hutson], Eiserman, everybody pulls their strings, and everybody does what they have to do to make sure the room’s an enjoyable place to come every day. I think we have a really tight group.

McKeens: Is there anyone who stands out as a trash-talker, on the ice to the other team or even behind the scenes?

CR: No, I wouldn’t say anyone chirps too much. Obviously, you give it to guys here and there but, nothing that overdoes it.

2026 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP GUIDE – CZECHIA – Team Preview, Key Players and Draft Eligible Profiles

Marek Novotny — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 21:50:41 +0000

Czechia enters the 2026 World Junior Championship with growing confidence and genuine expectations. Over the last three tournaments, the national junior program has transformed from a dark horse into a reliable contender for medals in international hockey. The silver finish in 2023 rekindled belief, and the two consecutive bronze medals showed it was not just a one-time achievement. This current roster showcases years of building momentum. The group heading to Minnesota is younger than last season, yet their identity is clear. Czechia has become fast, battle-tested, and noticeably more confident on the ice.

Recent World Junior history has given Czech hockey some unforgettable moments. Two years ago, the team won bronze with a dramatic comeback against Finland in the medal game. That night demonstrated the maturity and emotional strength of a young group. Last season brought another milestone when Czechia eliminated Canada in the quarterfinals, showcasing structure, poise, and disciplined execution against a tournament favorite. These successes have shifted the national program from a respected competitor to a team that opponents must truly prepare for. This tournament comes with a new goal: to prove that the medal successes were not mere coincidence and to pursue the biggest prize, which has eluded the nation since the early 2000s.

On paper, Czechia has clear strengths. The program benefits from young players stepping into significant roles in strong professional settings. Several forwards rank among the most productive scorers in their North American leagues, while the defense features a blend of modern puck movement and traditional size. Concerns lie in goal, where previous years offered stability and experience, but this edition starts with open competition. Still, Czechia believes it has enough talent to navigate the early rounds while solidifying its goaltending situation.

Expect fast transition play, aggressive forechecking, and a defensive group eager to control the game instead of just defending. Czechia has reached a point where medals are not just dreams but attainable goals and matching the historic run of four consecutive podium finishes is genuinely within reach.

Key Players to Watch

Adam Novotny of Czech Republic and David Granberg of Sweden during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship game between Sweden and Czech Republic on December 31, 2024 in Ottawa.
Photo: Mathias Bergeld / BILDBYRÅN

Adam Novotny – Wing (2026 Draft)

Novotny is one of the brightest forward prospects Czechia has produced in years. His background is already impressive. He scored in the Czech top league at just fifteen and played two full seasons against men before moving to the OHL. His adjustment to Canada has gone smoothly. He plays with strong reading ability, excellent puck control in traffic, and an attacking mindset that pressures defenders. Novotny has a powerful shot and has made noticeable progress as a playmaker this season, especially with quick passing combinations in the offensive zone. For Czechia, he is expected to take on top-line responsibilities and be a key player on the power play. His size, poise, and awareness make him a strong candidate to be one of the tournament's standout forwards.

VANTAA, FINLAND - APRIL 26: Adam Benak #9 of Czechia controls the puck against Kashawn Aitcheson #2 in Preliminary Round - Group B action at the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Vantaa Trio Arena on April 26, 2024 in Vantaa, Finland. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/IIHF6

Adam Benak – Center (Minnesota Wild)

Benak enters this tournament after an impressive scoring streak in the OHL, proving that his game holds up against elite Canadian junior competition. His offensive skills are clear. He drives to the middle of the ice, evades checks with smooth edge control, and has the vision to break down defenses. He can score from distance with a quick shot that surprises goalies. What elevates Benak beyond pure skill is his pace. He hunts pucks, wins battles, and brings possession through controlled zone entries. Czechia will rely on him to spark the offense and make key plays on special teams. His confidence is high, and this platform could elevate his recognition internationally.

Tomas Galvas of Czech Republic during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship game between Czech Republic and Slovakia on December 29, 2024 in Ottawa.
Photo: Mathias Bergeld / BILDBYRÅN

Tomas Galvas – Defense (2026 Draft, third year of eligibility)

Galvas arrives with experience beyond his years. He logs significant minutes in the Czech top league, often matched against strong opponents and trusted in all situations. His strength is skating. He effectively reads rush threats, closes gaps quickly, and turns defensive stops into breakouts. Galvas handles the puck well under pressure and makes smart, steady decisions. His offensive stats may not stand out, but his impact is substantial because he stabilizes play. In short tournaments, where single mistakes can shape outcomes, Galvas provides a calming presence. Expect him to play top pair shifts and support both sides of special teams.

Vaclav Nestrasil - Wing (Chicago Blackhawks)

Nestrasil has taken one of the most interesting development paths in Czech hockey. From doubts about his hockey future to a strong USHL breakout and a productive start in the NCAA, his rise has been consistent. He has a tall build, long reach, and an unyielding work ethic that suits modern international play. Offensively, he excels around the goal, screening goalies, deflecting shots, and fighting for rebounds. He has soft hands in tight spaces, and his passing is underrated. When off the puck, he is disciplined and strong on defense. Czechia sees him as an important winger who makes contributions on both ends and sets a physical tone for top lines.

Radim Mrtka – Defense (Buffalo Sabres)

Mrtka is a complete right-shot defenseman who combines reach, mobility, and defensive insight. His ability to shut down rush attempts is notable. He angles attackers toward the boards, disrupts plays early, and moves the puck confidently. Czechia views him as a key player for matchups against top forwards. He will be relied upon in late-game situations, on penalty kills, and during high-pressure moments. His presence should help Czechia manage defensive play with stability and order.

Other Draft Eligible Players to Watch

Jakub Vanecek - Defense (2026 Draft)

Vanecek is the youngest player on the roster and one of the most intriguing long-term prospects. His puck movement and confidence to take possession deep into the offensive zone demonstrate natural vision. His recent experience in the WHL has polished his defensive play and added physical responsibility. Scouts see him as an exciting two-way player in development.

Vladimir Dravecky - Defense (2026 Draft)

Dravecky arrives at this tournament as a mobile right-shot defender with strong potential. His year in the OHL has improved his physical play and sharpened his decision-making under forechecking pressure. He plays confidently when retrieving the puck, keeps his feet moving, and can exit the defensive zone through skating or passing. While his defensive reads are still maturing, his abilities are strong enough to earn trust at this level. With more consistency, he could become one of the breakout stories in the Czech draft class.

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #2

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 16:43:27 +0000

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 02: Oliver Moore #11 of the Chicago Blackhawks controls the puck during overtime against the Colorado Avalanche on April 2, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

Prospect System Ranking – 2nd (May 2025 - 4th)
GM: Kyle Davidson Hired: October 2021
COACH: Jeff Blashill Hired: May 2025

Connor Bedard’s brilliance is undeniable, but even a player of his caliber can’t single-handedly lift a team. The 2024-25 season made that clear, as the Chicago Blackhawks finished 31st in the NHL and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year; and the seventh in eight seasons. Still, beneath the losses lies a promising foundation.

Frank Nazar may be the biggest reason for optimism. After tearing up the AHL with 24 points in 21 games, he jumped into Chicago’s lineup for 53 games and proved he belonged. He looks poised to stay full-time in 2025-26. On the back end, Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov both made strong early impressions. Levshunov split time between the AHL and NHL in his draft-plus-one season, while Rinzel arrived from the University of Minnesota and chipped in five assists across nine NHL games. Having two young, right-shot defensemen maturing simultaneously is a rare luxury for Davidson’s rebuild.

In Rockford, a wave of near-ready talent continues to push forward. Ethan Del Mastro and Colton Dach are trending upward, while Drew Commesso is on the verge of battling for NHL crease time. Further down, high-octane scorers Nick Lardis (117 points, fourth in OHL scoring) and Marek Vanacker (42 points in 45 games despite injury) are both primed to join the AHL ranks and extend the pipeline’s offensive depth.

The 2025 draft brought even more firepower, with three first-rounders added to the system. Headlining the class is Anton Frondell at third overall, followed by late-first selections Vaclav Nestrasil and Mason West—both ranking among the organization’s top 15 prospects.

With Bedard, Nazar, and Levshunov forming the nucleus, and waves of support talent developing behind them, Chicago’s rebuild is tracking toward its next phase. The results have been painful, but the Blackhawks’ prospect depth and draft capital suggest brighter days are not far off.

Chicago Blackhawks Top-15 Prospects

1 - Artyom Levshunov

It’s hard to envision a scenario where Artyom Levshunov doesn’t become an all-situations number one defenceman at the NHL level. From a pure talent perspective, all the qualities are there; he can distribute the puck and make plays, he’s a very mobile player at all ends of the ice, he can utilize his strength to play a strong physical game, and he is a capable defender (although this is very much still a work in progress at the pro level). It’s hard to expect a young defensive prospect to be able to play heavy minutes in the AHL as a teenager, but there were many nights last season when Levshunov looked like he was miles ahead of the rest of the players on the ice. Levshunov does have to continue to work on his physical game, and the offensive numbers will improve with more reps at the pro level, but he is a can’t-miss prospect who should make the full-time jump to the Chicago Blackhawks next season.

2 - Sam Rinzel

Sam Rinzel showed consistent growth and improvements in all areas of his game compared to his freshman season. Aggression and great stick-checking ability have continued to be excellent, demonstrating an active presence in all three zones. His skating and puck-handling at high speeds are strengths, enabling him to break up plays and contribute offensively by pinching at the blue line and joining the rush, all while having the elite creativity and puck skills. His defensive positioning has been a concern in moments, as he occasionally vacates the net front and relies on his stick over physicality, leading to mixed success in board battles. Under pressure, he has improved a lot with his puck movement and decision making. Same can be said for his reads off pinches while joining and creating offence. While his offensive instincts were already evident, he has proven this season how effective he can be on defence as well. With further development in physical engagement, he projects as a mobile, two-way defenceman with offensive upside, capable of playing in all special teams situations in a top four role. His strong finish to the year at the NHL level suggests he’s already ready for a full-time role.

3 - Anton Frondell

Kyle Davidson & the Blackhawks got their guy at third overall this past draft. While that may have been a surprise to some, it’s easy to see why Frondell was so highly regarded. Firstly, it isn’t easy to find guys who play with the heaviness AND the soft scoring touch that Frondell possesses. He’s got quick hands in tight and a tactical mind for playmaking. He reads the game at a very high level. He’s the type of player who can play with anybody and make their life easier. By all accounts, he’s a terrific teammate and leader in the dressing room - perfect for a rebuilding team like the Hawks. The only big question mark is how high his ceiling truly is. He lacks the high-end skill-speed combo that your typical NHL 1C possesses. It also limits his effectiveness in transition. Now, he could put those concerns to bed this coming year in the SHL after a full offseason of training uninhibited by injury. If not, Frondell could still probably play center in the middle six. However, he might be an even better complimentary top six goal-scoring winger. Think on the wing of Connor Bedard.

4 - Sacha Boisvert

Boisvert showed notable offensive growth throughout the season, progressing as a skilled playmaker with good skating and great puck-handling abilities. His vision and passing creates space and scoring opportunities for teammates, particularly in offensive zone setups and off the rush. Early in the season highlighted his reliable 200-foot game, good back pressure, and defensive support, suggesting top six potential. However, as the season progressed, concerns emerged regarding his compete level and defensive consistency. We hope to see much higher levels of compete and consistency at Boston University this upcoming season, after transferring from North Dakota. Strengths include his offensive awareness, puck protection, and distribution, making him a threat in the offensive zone. Weaknesses center around his inconsistent engagement in puck battles and defensive play. Boisvert currently projects as a middle six offensive forward with the potential to contribute on a second power play unit. His future development will hinge on addressing compete level and two-way reliability. Expect him to spend at least another year at the college level.

5 - Oliver Moore

Oliver Moore is a dynamic, high-speed forward with excellent skating ability, making him a dangerous offensive threat in transition. His acceleration and edgework allow him to create separation, drive play, and pressure defenders effectively. Throughout the season, Moore demonstrated strong two-way play, using his speed to track back defensively and contribute to the forecheck. His offensive instincts and playmaking have steadily improved, showcasing a growing ability to distribute the puck and finish scoring opportunities. Despite his elite skating, Moore can refine his puck handling in tight spaces and continue developing his ability to play through physical pressure. While not the most imposing forward, his compete level and tenacity make up for any size disadvantage. Projecting forward, Moore has the tools to develop into a top six NHL forward with a focus on speed-driven offence and strong defensive responsibility. Continued work on his finishing and puck protection will be key to maximizing his pro potential.

6 - Nick Lardis

What a momentous year for Lardis. 71 goals. First player to hit that plateau since John Tavares nearly two decades ago. Mostly healthy this past year (save for a knee injury in the playoffs), the transformation in Lardis’ game was huge. He went from a high-end complementary piece to a player who could take over games with the puck on his stick. He wasn’t just a threat on the power play. He scored at will at even strength too. He consistently created his own scoring chances by using his speed to attack the middle of the ice, showcasing greater strength on the puck to fight through contact to get shots off. Of course, you don’t score 70 plus without a few weapons in your shooting arsenal either. Lardis owns both a wickedly quick and deceptive wrister and a heavy one timer that he unleashes from both the slot and the flank. Moving to the pro level next year, the focus for Lardis will be on conditioning to ensure that he can withstand the rigors of the pro game and remain healthy. After a year or two in the AHL, he should be a great scoring option for the Hawks, perhaps even alongside Connor Bedard.

7 - Drew Commesso

Commesso is a solid goalie who specializes in skating. He’s quick and precise on his feet. Back it up with solid positioning, and you have someone who can always be in the right place at the right time. Outside of those aspects, he doesn’t excel elsewhere. He isn't overly athletic and can sometimes lose his structure in various areas, often looking to struggle in a butterfly. This area of weakness has led to being scored on five hole a few too many times when faced with chaotic situations. He also has been shown to get beat pretty easily on clean rush shots where his hands weren’t active enough. His skating is easily good enough to take him to the NHL, whether he finds much success won’t be as easily determined. Without being super athletic, he will have to perfect his structure and work on bettering his hands to be impactful at the next level.

8 - Roman Kantserov

Despite missing the start of the season due to injury, Roman Kantserov had an impressive second KHL season. After a bottom six checking role last year, he was given much more offensive freedom this season, scoring 38 points in 47 games. Known for his quick hands and shifty play during his draft year, he started to showcase that skill again while maintaining the hard-working style he developed in his checking role. His high pace of play often catches opponents off guard, and his ability to shield the puck helps him create numerous scoring chances. However, he still struggles with overhandling the puck, leading to turnovers, and sometimes forces flashy plays that put him in bad spots. Kantserov will take another KHL season before joining Chicago’s system but projects as a high-energy, third-line grinder with the potential to contribute offensively. There are areas that need refinement, but his development has been very promising.

9 - Marek Vanacker

It was a bit of a strange year for Vanacker, as his production dipped significantly on a strong Brantford team. The explanation for that is twofold. Firstly, he got a late start to the year following offseason shoulder surgery last season and never really seemed to find his stride. Secondly, with the explosion of Lardis and Patrick Thomas duo, Vanacker found himself off the top power play unit. Should Hawks fans worry? We would say no. Next year, he’ll be fully healthy, and he and Jake O’Brien can continue to build off their chemistry as the top duo on what should be another strong Brantford team. He still has the work rate and the scoring chops to be a quality middle six NHL player in the future. Next year will be more telling as to the likelihood of that upside occurring.

10 - Ethan Del Mastro

Ethan Del Mastro is a strong, physical defender with sound positioning, good mobility for his size, and fierce competitiveness. For these reasons, it’s not hard to envision a scenario where Del Mastro enjoys a long career as an NHL defender. Del Mastro played very well in heavy minutes last season for the Rockford IceHogs, despite putting up lower offensive numbers than he did in his rookie season. This was due in part to the addition of Artyom Levshunov, as he got many of the reps Del Mastro had been receiving the prior season, but Del Mastro also spent time with the Blackhawks, which can make it difficult for a prospect to gain offensive traction. Nevertheless, Del Mastro will make his millions in the NHL as a player that plays defence first, so it’s not too alarming that his offensive numbers dipped as a sophomore pro. Del Mastro looks ready for consistent minutes at the NHL level and should be on the Blackhawks this season.

11 - Colton Dach

Dach is the prototypical power forward in the NHL. He blends speed, physicality, and a good shot, which makes slowing him down nearly impossible. Dach earned the call up to the NHL at the turn of the year last season and looks to build on that again this year. His unique blend of size and skill makes him a versatile forward who can just as easily fill the net as he can run people over.

12 - Vaclav Nestrasil

Nestrasil has top six finesse and some bottom six grit. He’s a big guy who is a smooth skater, has a snappy shot, and isn’t afraid to lay the body. He has the offensive and defensive skills to play on both special teams' units. Nestrasil isn’t the best playmaker, though. He doesn’t drive the offence himself yet can complement just about any center he plays with. He’ll be a big-minute player for UMass next season, playing in all situations for the Minutemen.

13 - Mason West

There aren’t many players at 6-foot-6 who have as much finesse as Mason West has. West is a great skater whose playmaking shines above the rest. Still a raw prospect, West will get plenty of opportunity to hone his physical game as well as his skills against tougher competition in the USHL. Once his football season comes to an end, West will look to continue his development as an integral piece of the Fargo Force.

14 - Ryan Greene

For every flashy, high skill forward, teams want a shutdown guy too. That’s what the Chicago Blackhawks hope they have in Ryan Greene. While posting near point-per-game numbers with Boston University, Greene has developed as a playmaker and strong defensive center. Depending on how NHL-ready Greene looks in training camp, he could start the year in the NHL as another young Chicago forward or be the first-line center in Rockford.

15 - Aidan Thompson

Not many players make a 20-point jump in production between their sophomore and junior seasons at the NCAA level. Thompson did just that after netting 55 points in 44 games with Denver. Thompson’s sizable jump got him to the AHL level, but another significant improvement all around will be required for him to get NHL minutes. He’ll be a responsible winger on both ends of the ice for Rockford, where he’ll likely bounce around the top six.

2025 NHL DRAFT: Scouting Reports for First Round Picks – Cole Reschny, Pyotr Andreyanov, Will Horcoff, Vaclav Nestrasil, Ryker Lee, Mason West

Brock Otten, Jamison Derksen, Liam Crouse, Derek Neumeier, Kaeden Ireland — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:09:22 +0000

Each draft season, we try to bring you as many in-depth scouting reports as possible leading up to the draft. However, there were six players that were selected in the first round that we did not finish reports on. As such, we asked our team to submit more condensed reports on those six players so that every player drafted in this year’s first round has something filed.

Cole Reschny - Center - Victoria Royals

Drafted 18th by the Calgary Flames

By Derek Neumeier

Few prospects throughout the CHL — if any — had a stronger back half of their year than Reschny did in 2024-25. He was an all-around monster for the Victoria Royals, playing as their number one center and offensive linchpin, quarterbacking their powerplay, and handling a lot of tough matchups against the top players on other teams, including a head-to-head playoff showdown against Spokane Chiefs superstar Berkly Catton. It's hard to overstate just how much good work he did for that team, helping them to their best regular season record since 2015-16 and their first playoff series victory since 2018-19.

Reschny is one of the best puck managers to come up through the WHL in a while. First, he's deceptively strong for a slightly undersized forward, with an abundance of strength in his lower body and when bearing down on his stick. He then pairs those traits with buttery soft hands and superb peripheral awareness. Put those traits together it becomes incredibly difficult for opponents to win pucks away from him when he's really engaged, which is almost all of the time as someone who competes hard. If all that wasn't enough, he's also a top-tier playmaker who can easily find and connect difficult passes. He's a real expert at making the players around him look good, driving possession for his line and drawing defensive pressure until someone else gets open for a pass in a dangerous spot.

While Reschny has different parts of his game that are very appealing, there are still some imbalances as well. His shot usually isn't much of a threat, with a notable lack of power, though he at least possesses good precision and quick hands in tight. In other words, he can score, but not well from the medium distance or worse. His skating also leaves something to be desired, with a clear need for him to improve both his agility and straight-line speed before he turns pro.

When you step back and try to analyze Reschny’s overall long-term projection, the outlook is pretty optimistic. He already carries himself like a seasoned professional with the way that he approaches and thinks about the game, and there’s already a solid skill base that isn’t going to wane. Frankly, it would be shocking if he didn’t go on to become a longtime NHLer, as well as someone that goes on to be a core roster piece and maybe even wears a letter on his sweater. At the same time, though, it’s also hard to see him reaching as high of a ceiling as the other top prospects in this year’s draft class, as players with his matching limitations of size and skating don’t reach the highest echelons of the sport more often than not (with a few notable exceptions, of course, like Nick Suzuki and Kirill Kaprizov). Still, Reschny is a pretty special player already, and if he can find a way to add another gear to his skating as he develops, he could reach a whole new level entirely.

Skating

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SKATING-Reschny-skating.mp4

This short clip gives you a good idea of what Reschny’s skating is like, both the good and the bad. The balance and edges are pretty solid, and there’s nothing mechanically wrong with his skating. However, you can also see that he’s not especially quick with his movements. He creates space for himself like this all the time at the WHL level, but he’ll need to be able to execute these kinds of things a lot faster if he hopes to find similar success in the NHL one day.

Grade: 50

Shot

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SHOT-Reschny-hands-in-tight.mp4

As mentioned above, Reschny’s goal-scoring contributions are mostly limited to when he gets in tight, but boy does he know how to finish when he does get there. This overtime, game-winning goal against Czechia at this spring’s U18 tournament was outright surgical.

Grade: 50

Puck Skills

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SKILLS-Reschny-tip-pass.mp4

Reschny can really feast when he’s on the powerplay. He’s just so naturally talented at receiving pucks, getting them under his control, and distributing passes however he sees fit. This is an elite pass to his teammate for an easy backdoor goal.

Grade: 55

Smarts

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SMARTS-Reschny-smarts-poise.mp4

This clip highlights Reschny at his absolute best. Impeccable poise, awareness and timing by him to help open up this dangerous passing lane and connect with the target that he knew was going to be there. The opposing goalie never stood a chance.

Grade: 60

Physicality / Compete

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PHYSICAL-Reschny-battle.mp4

Even though Reschny is on the smaller side he doesn’t shy away from battles or going into the dirty areas of the ice. There’s some real stockiness to him, and he knows how to get leverage and win body positioning against bigger opponents.

Grade: 50

OFP: 53.75

Pyotr Andreyanov - Goaltender - Krasnaya Armiya Moskva

Drafted 20th by the Columbus Blue Jackets

By Liam Crouse

Pyotr Andreyanov was one of the biggest surprises from draft night, having been the first goalie taken off the board but also the 20th overall pick. But even though he may not have been our top goalie eligible for the draft, his potential to be a starter in the NHL is evident. He’s a highly athletic goalie, a phenomenal skater, and has also shown to be a solid play reader. But he still has drawbacks in his diminutive stature and erraticism. While he competes hard, his erraticism makes his job tougher, something he will have to clean up to succeed in the NHL

Athleticism

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PA64-Athleticism.mp4

Andreyanov’s identity is speed and athleticism, and it’s vehemently shown in this clip. He’s playing a very low stance, which reduces mobility, but with his natural flexibility, he can still generate power. He exploded out of his low stance, stretching out with both leg and glove, robbing the shooter.

Grade: 60

Technique

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PA64-Technique.mp4

While Andreyanov is aggressive and erratic, his technical foundation is great. Here, he starts by challenging the puck carrier way out of his crease. He then makes very subtle movements to re-adjust back to the top. Making a really strong push, he uses an economical route to cut through the crease. He gets his blocker down to stuff the shot as it’s in tight and makes a great save.

Grade: 55

Play Reading

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PA64-Play-Read.mp4

While it may not always be present, Andreyanov has shown good flashes of reading the play. Here, due to it being a penalty kill and there are passing options, Andreyanov stays a little deeper. When the puck goes to his short-side post, he doesn’t fully commit. He deepens and wings his lead leg back in anticipation of the slot pass, and with quick tracking, he’s able to laterally release into a butterfly for a nice save.

Grade: 52.5

Compete/Temperament

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PA64-Compete_temp.mp4

Andreyanov’s erraticism can turn badly quickly, and it does here. He starts playing low and trying to look through traffic, and starts to panic, moving around too much. The extra slide he did put him in a bad spot where he couldn’t react to the loose puck, and he started to freak out by pushing too far. Being the hyper-competitor he is, he got back to his crease quickly and made a save, but the whole play was ugly

Grade: 52.5

Rebound Control

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PA64-Rebound-Control.mp4

Rebounds are a weakness of Andreyanov, and you can see here how he just allows the puck to bounce off his chest without reacting with his glove to suppress it at all.

Grade: 47.5

Puck Skills

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PA64-Puck-Skills.mp4

Andreyanov is an average puck player, mostly only being active on power plays like here, but even though he isn’t aggressive in moving the puck, he can still make a tape-to-tape pass when needed.

Grade: 50

OFP: 53.375

Will Horcoff - Center - University of Michigan

Drafted 24th by the Pittsburgh Penguins

By Brock Otten

The son of former Edmonton Oiler two-way standout Shawn Horcoff, Will is an intriguing, but raw centerman cut from a similar cloth. He made the gutsy decision to leave the U.S. NTDP half way through the year to join the Michigan Wolverines early and that decision paid off in a big way, as it allowed Horcoff to shine on a greater stage. He also returned to the U.S.’ U18 team at the end of the year at the IIHF U18’s, playing a key role en route to a bronze medal. It was this late season surge, in combination with his immense physical upside, that made Horcoff an attractive first round selection and late season riser on many lists.

At the University of Michigan, Horcoff impressed with his work on the powerplay, demonstrating strong offensive zone awareness and a willingness to get to the net and work the half wall to extend possession. At the U18’s, Horcoff impressed with his ability to create coming out of the cycle, showing great vision and passing ability coming off the wall. Despite still being slight, he protected the puck well, shielding defenders to extend possession and exhibited poise with the puck, again, showcasing a high IQ as an offensive player. However, at the NCAA level, Horcoff hasn’t been able to be as consistent winning those 50/50 battles and his even strength production and scoring chance generation lagged because of this. Horcoff also needs to upgrade his quickness. With his long legs, he can build to an adequate top speed that does allow him to carry in transition and get to the net. However, his edgework and explosiveness need to improve in a big way to make him a more difficult cover. As his conditioning improves and his frame fills out, he should be able to improve at least his power generation.

As Horcoff develops, both physically and from a skill perspective, he projects to be a very versatile player. He has shown the ability to play both center and the wing. He can play a variety of roles on the powerplay, including netfront. His reach, two-way awareness, and improving competitiveness should also make him a very good defensive player, much like his father. Of course, upgrading his quickness will be the key, but that should happen after a few years in college.

From a projection standpoint, Horcoff could develop into a quality middle six player who can be utilized in any situation. Identifying his true upside currently is a difficult task considering how underdeveloped he is physically. When that frame is filled out and he’s playing at 6’5, 225+, he could be an entirely different player and that’s what the Pittsburgh Penguins are banking on.

Grades:

Skating: 50

Shot: 52.5

Skills: 55

Smarts: 55

Physicality/Compete: 55

OFP: 53.625

VIDEOS

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-1-william_horcoff_-_2nd_period_7_50_-_8_2.mp4

Horcoff’s first point as a Wolverine after leaving the NTDP. He showcases his strong vision from the wall as he sets up a goal from behind the net.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-2-william_horcoff_-_2nd_period_12_3_-_12_15.mp4

Strong defensive effort and awareness from Horcoff here. He hustles to support the backcheck and reads the drop along the wall. He then makes a quick transition up ice.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-3-william_horcoff_-_1st_period_0_46_-_0_58.mp4

Horcoff is skilled enough to be a strong transitional player once his skating picks up. Again, we love how he attacks the middle of the ice consistently.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-4-william_horcoff_-_3rd_period_8_37_-_8_49.mp4

Quick play coming off the wall as Horcoff, again, gets himself into the middle of the ice. His shot shows a lot of promise, but his release needs work as he has a tendency to heel or misfire shots, especially under duress.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-5-william_horcoff_-_1st_period_13_18_-_13_30.mp4

A good look at Horcoff’s inability to build speed. He tries to accelerate out of a pivot, but his footwork isn’t clean and he gets bottled up in the neutral zone. Credit to Horcoff for staying with the play to get it out of the neutral zone.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-6-william_horcoff_-_1st_period_37_38_-_37_50.mp4

Horcoff’s game offensively is predicated on those quick touches. Great two-man game here as he works to the inside and draws a penalty. Although, again, you see the lack of quickness as he can’t create separation to earn a clean look.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-7-william_horcoff_-_1st_period_30_36_-_30_48.mp4

Another impressive passing play by Horcoff, again showcasing his vision and ability to make decisions quickly.

Vaclav Nestrasil - Wing - Muskegon

Drafted 25th by the Chicago Blackhawks

By Kaeden Ireland

Vaclav Nestrasil played his first full season in North America this year with Muskegon and made vast strides in development. His improvements and adjustments to the USHL were very visible, and to cap it off, Vaclav also finished 8th in league playoff scoring with 13 points in 14 games.

Nestrasil projects to be a defensively responsible middle-six winger who competes hard every shift. He has some offensive potential with his hands, shot in tight, and creativity with the puck.

Skating

Nestrasil’s skating is unorthodox, but he makes it work with his effort level and pace once he gets up to speed. One key area Nestrasil must improve is his acceleration.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SKATING-NestrasilSkating.mp4

Nestrasil could use some work cleaning up his acceleration, as seen in this clip.

Skating: 52.5

Shooting

Vaclav’s wrist shot lacks consistency; he won’t be a primary shooting threat from the wing, but on rebounds and loose pucks, he does a good job of getting low and elevating shots into the upper third of the net to beat goalies. Nestrastil’s snapshot is a nice alternative to his wrist shot, as he can catch goalies off guard with rather unpredictable, snappy shots down low.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SHOT-NestrasilShot_Skill.mp4

A nice clean finish with time by Nestrasil.

Shooting: 55

Smarts

Nestrasil isn’t afraid to try more elaborate passes, often looking to pass through the bodies of defenders to his teammates for shooting opportunities. His passes can come off as a bit panicky, but his decision making did slightly improve over the past season. I would like to see Nestrasil learn to find safe outlets more consistently as he’s struggled with turnovers.

Smarts: 50

Skills

Nestrasil can pull off some very impressive moves, but like his passing abilities, he turns the puck over far too frequently. For a 6’6 forward, protecting the puck when attacking a defender head-on will be more difficult due to the longer stick, so he will need to learn to use his body to protect the puck better.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SKILLS-NestrasilSkills.mp4

Nestrasil showcases his creativity with this fun deke to get away with the puck down low.

Skills: 55

Compete/Physicality

Vaclav is still a physical project. He stands at 6’6 but weighs under 190 pounds at the moment, leaving plenty of room to add to his frame. Nestrasil makes his physical presence known by putting his body on opponents, whether it be small bumps away from play or big hits that put defensemen on the ice; Nestrasil puts every inch of his 6’6 frame to use. No doubt, his growing physical dominance is one reason why he went as high as 25th overall. It’s encouraging to see how in post-draft interviews Nestrasil emphasized how coachable he was when improving his physical game, leaning on Muskegon staff to noticeably get rougher and more chippy down the stretch.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PHYSICAL-1-NestrasilPhys.mp4

Massive hit here to catch the Waterloo defenseman on a recovery.

Nestrasil competes for pucks constantly, using his long reach to close gaps and put the heat on puck carriers, forcing them to pass off or face a barrage of stick checks. Nestrasil’s compete makes him a likely bet to crack Chicago’s top penalty-kill unit in the future. His forechecking and backchecking also stand out as noteworthy traits that suit him to an NHL middle-six role.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PHYSICAL-2-NestrasilCompeteandSmarts.mp4

While Vaclav does give up the middle of the ice here on the PK, he recovers by charging over and getting the block before making a great pass to his trailing teammate.

Compete/Physicality: 55

OFP: 53.375

Ryker Lee - Wing - Madison Capitals

Drafted 26th by the Nashville Predators

By Jamison Derksen

Ryker Lee was one of the top offensive players in the USHL this season, finishing fourth in the league scoring race with 68 points. His Madison Capitols improved from being a fringe playoff team in 2023/24 to being in contention for first place in the East, thanks in large part to the infusion of offense brought by Lee. The Nashville Predators liked what they saw from him this season, and made him the 26th Overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Lee is a high risk / high reward pick, as his skating and defensive game need a lot of work, but he is among the most skilled players in the draft. It is worth noting that Lee hit a huge growth spurt recently, as he was listed at 5’4 heading into the 2022/23 season, so there is plenty of room for development in the physical game, as well as his skating. Right now as a pro he projects to be a middle-six winger that contributes on a top powerplay unit.

Skating:

Lee’s skating is certainly his biggest knock right now. When he’s not in a full-out sprint, he straightens up his stance quite a bit and can go shifts without displaying anything resembling pace at all. His acceleration is also a struggle, but once he gets going, his speed is average in the USHL. Obviously, that will need to improve in order for him to have an NHL career.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Lee-Skating-upd.mp4

Grade: 50

Shot:

Ryker Lee is dangerous as a shooter, particularly with his wrist shot in the USHL. He scores a lot off of wrist shots around the top of the right circle, but when he’s not the puck carrier, he often finds ice in the slot. His slapshot is only for one timers, and is seldom used, despite its effectiveness. One improvement Lee will need to make to his wrist shot is that he needs to shorten his reach back when loading, it makes him too easy to read at times and takes too much time to get a shot off.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SHOT-Lee-Shot.mp4

Grade: 55

Skills:

Lee is among the most talented players in the 2025 draft class. His puck control and creativity are fantastic, and he is able to handle tough passes with no problem at all. Lee loves to challenge defenders one-on-one as a puck carrier, and often makes them look silly. However, he does have a tendency to overhandle the puck, so he can definitely stickhandle himself into positions where he is on the outside and isn’t really a threat. This is a junior habit that will need to be broken.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Lee-Skill-2-updated.mp4

Grade: 57.5

Smarts:

Lee’s hockey IQ is a bit of a mixed bag. One of the things he’s best at is drawing opponents to himself to create space for teammates. He also has the aforementioned issue of overhandling the puck, though he has shown the ability to adapt on the fly and make a new play when he stickhandles himself into trouble. Positionally, he finds space excellently in the offensive zone, whereas in his own zone he can be pretty spotty.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Lee-IQ-2.mp4

Grade: 52.5

Physical/Compete:

Right now, Lee doesn’t shy away from physical play, but he does need to get stronger. He will throw the occasional check, but often gets outmuscled and pushed around in puck battles. His soft hands with the puck can also result in some dangerous turnovers when they don’t end up on the highlight reel. He will also need to work on being engaged defensively with more consistency, especially given that he likes to take liberties with the puck.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PHYSICAL-Lee-Physical.mp4

Grade: 50

OFP: 53

Mason West - Wing - Fargo Force/Edina High

Drafted 29th by the Chicago Blackhawks

By Brock Otten

West was one of the draft’s most heavily discussed players this year for a variety of reasons. Firstly, his in-season improvement and end of the season play in the USHL helped to propel him up draft boards based on his raw tools and physical upside. On our draft board, West went from an honorable mention outside of our top 100 (at midseason) to 49th on our final rankings. Secondly, the discourse surrounding his future as a football player and desire to play football again next year has brought about concerns. Leading up to the draft, West committed to Michigan State for hockey and this helped to alleviate some concerns that he would pick football. However, he still intends to return to Edina High to start at quarterback for his senior year. The concerns here are three-fold. For one, West could get hurt. For two, West will be repeating the high school hockey level for much of the year, likely splitting between Edina High and Fargo again. For three, if West performs at a high level in football, will a highly regarded school come calling with a scholarship and NIL money, forcing West to re-evaluate his sporting future?

Regardless of the above, it was plainly obvious that a team would opt to select West in the first round given his tantalizing upside and the Blackhawks did just that. West compares himself to Anders Lee of the New York Islanders and that’s fitting considering Lee once had to make a similar choice surrounding football and potential scholarship offers.

West’ high end athleticism is visible on the ice. He’s a big kid who moves very impressively. Builds to a solid top speed moving North/South, but has refined balance and edgework that allows him to put defenders on his back to protect the puck in motion. For that reason, he’s a tough check for high school defenders right now; near impossible for them to separate him from the puck. He also was successful in beating USHL defenders the same way later in the season. West shows strong vision with the puck and a clear understanding of how to use his size to be a factor away from the puck. He could probably stand to get to the net and play through the middle a bit more often, however, he forechecks and backchecks with ferocity. We wouldn’t call him an overly physical player (perhaps shocking given his football background), but maybe that’s something he grows into. His shot shows promise if he can work on his release; it’s heavy, but he can have a tendency to whiff under pressure. From a skill perspective, again, there’s upside. He handles impressively well at full speed for a big man, although he can keep the puck too far out, leaving him susceptible to stick checks. He needs to operate more in his hip pocket, using his size to his advantage in transition.

So, what is West’s upside? The Anders Lee comparison is apt. In a best-case scenario, West develops into a similar kind of impactful, well-rounded player. Yes, there are concerns; the ones we outlined above. However, repeating the USHL (or even finding a WHL program to close out the season with) will not be a bad thing for West who is still quite raw. We saw the difficulty that a similar kind of player in Dean Letourneau had jumping to the NCAA this year out of prep. In the long run, Michigan State is a great landing spot for West and in three-four years, he could end up looking like a real steal for the Blackhawks.

Grades:

Skating: 55

Shot: 50

Skills: 55

Smarts: 55

Physicality/Compete: 52.5

OFP: 53.625

VIDEOS

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-1-mason_west_-_2nd_period_5_18_-_5_31.mp4

At the high school level we see West’s quick strike ability as he jumps on a loose puck and generates a high end scoring chance.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-2-mason_west_-_2nd_period_6_37_-_6_50.mp4

Again, at the high school level, West’s frame and reach are at work as he plays through a defender to make a pass to the slot that results in a goal.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-3-mason_west.mp4

The rest of the clips are all from his time in the USHL with Fargo. Both clips here showcase West’s speed and athleticism and how it can impact the game off the puck. He disrupts a clean zone entry and he closes ground quickly on the forecheck.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-4-mason_west_-_3rd_period_0_41_-_0_53.mp4

How about an NBA style box out to help initiate the breakout?

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-5-mason_west_-_1st_period_0_18_-_0_30.mp4

A terrific play on the forecheck as West gets inside leverage, secures possession, which in turn leads to a scoring chance from the slot.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/VIDEO-6-mason_west_-_2nd_period_26_58_-_27_11.mp4

A look at West’s ability to create off the rush, but the pass is just a bit behind his teammate, and they can’t connect. The precision on his passes will be an area of focus for him.

A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.

MCKEEN’S HOCKEY 2025 NHL DRAFT GUIDE: TWO-ROUND MOCK DRAFT

Brock Otten — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:33:54 +0000

1. New York Islanders - Matthew Schaefer - Defense

Even though this year doesn’t have the allure of the first pick next year (Gavin McKenna), the Islanders still hit the gold mine by winning the lottery with such low chances. There’s been some chatter about a Hagens selection given his local connection, but you can’t pick first overall based on that. The Islanders just locked up Ilya Sorokin long term as one of the better netminders in the NHL, so it truly makes sense to jump at the chance to draft Schaefer, a potential franchise defender who can play in all situations and eventually serve as the team’s captain.

2. San Jose Sharks - Michael Misa - Center

We’ve read some chatter that draft pundits believe Mike Grier could favour selecting someone like Martone or Frondell with this pick, given his desire to add size/tenacity to the lineup moving forward. We’d argue that Misa is just as competitive, but more skilled. This is an extremely well-rounded player who gives the Sharks a ton of flexibility moving forward. He can slot at the wing or move another of their top young forwards to the wing. He also gives them a little more dynamic, play driving ability than they currently have in the system.

3. Chicago Blackhawks - Caleb Desnoyers - Center

If there has been one modus operandi of the Hawks management in recent years, it’s that they’ve heavily focused on bringing in elite skaters. When we look at the players in this range, Desnoyers is the best skater of the remaining forwards. The Hawks could see Desnoyers filling a Jonathan Toews type role for them in the future, giving them a well-rounded two-way guy and helping to shore up their center depth moving forward.

4. Utah Mammoth - Anton Frondell - Center

Similar to the Hawks, Utah has also had an modus operandi related to size and physicality. If their picks aren’t big, they need to be competitive. The newly minted Mammoth could go a variety of directions. Porter Martone would provide that size on the wing they’ve been building up. Maybe they’re enticed by Roger McQueen and not scared by the injuries. And while Frondell isn’t huge, he plays a heavy, mature game. They liked a similar player in Cole Beaudoin last year, but Frondell has greater offensive upside. Utah’s interest stems from the hope that Frondell can be their Sasha Barkov or Anze Kopitar.

5. Nashville Predators - James Hagens - Center

This is a system that needs to add a high-end playmaker and that’s Hagens. Did he have a disappointing second half? Sure. Are there concerns about his size and ability to play center at the NHL level? Probably. But the Predators have trusted their U.S. scouts a lot in recent years and Hagens would really inject skill into a system that needs it.

6. Philadelphia Flyers - Porter Martone - Wing

On the one hand, this feels low for Martone, given that NHL teams are going to be drawn to his style of play in hopes that he can be a playoff warrior in the future. But, on the other hand, it’s also possible that teams take a run on the centers available at the top of this draft. That allows Martone to fall into the lap of the Flyers. The perfect complement to Michkov in the future? Maybe there’s hope that Martone could provide what the Flyers thought they’d be getting in Cutter Gauthier prior to the trade demand.

7. Boston Bruins - Brady Martin - Center

At this point it seems inevitable that Martin goes fairly high, perhaps even higher than this. NHL teams love his work ethic and his potential to be a top shelf NHL playoff performer. Look no further than what Sam Bennett is doing in the NHL playoffs currently. Martin is the kind of all situations impact forward that the Bruins need to kickstart their retool.

8. Seattle Kraken - Radim Mrtka - Defense

Is this the year that the Kraken finally uses a first-round selection on a defender? It has to happen at some point, right? The Kraken opt for Mrtka, a big Czech defender who could develop into a top four defensive anchor. How much offensive upside is there? Can the physical game reach another level? They could go for Jackson Smith here, but it seems more likely that they go for the more polished Mrtka, especially considering he played in Seattle of the WHL this year, so they’d be very familiar with him.

9. Buffalo Sabres - Victor Eklund - Wing

Eklund is the type of player that the organization badly needs to help them take that next step. He’s an absolute warrior on the ice and projects as that strong playoff performer because of his compete level. Yes, he’s not huge and needs to fill out, but he could be the perfect complementary winger in their top six. He already had success as a pro in Sweden this past year and could move through their system quickly, fitting their timeline perfectly.

10. Anaheim Ducks - Jake O’Brien - Center

The Ducks have some great goal scorers right now, but a top shelf playmaker like O’Brien could really help the organization moving forward. Anaheim has drafted out of the OHL a lot in recent drafts, and they obviously trust that region and their scouts from that region. O’Brien is going to need some time to bulk up and get quicker, but his upside is as high as any pivot in this draft class.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins - Roger McQueen - Center

The true wild card of the draft because of his health. If McQueen’s back wasn’t an issue, he’s likely a top five pick because of his unique skill set. But, on the heels of Cayden Lindstrom, NHL teams are likely to be pretty skittish. The Penguins are a franchise who can afford to take this home run swing. Their system needs help; they badly need a home run on the heels of the end of the Crosby era. However, the Penguins scouting staff also loves physically assertive and competitive players so don’t rule out someone like Kashawn Aitcheson here.

12. New York Rangers - Jackson Smith - Defense

Smith is unquestionably one of the highest upside players available in the draft this year. He is potentially the complete package on the blueline. However, there are some concerns over his ability to process the game. For that reason, he’s probably a longer-term project who will require patience. For the Rangers, while they could use a center more, it seems unlikely they reach on a player just for the sake of positional or organizational need. Smith gives the Rangers a potential home run and they’ve had some luck with a similar kind of player in K’Andre Miller.

13. Detroit Red Wings - Kashawn Aitcheson - Defense

The Red Wings have a type. Aitcheson is that type. The organization wants to build a team eventually engineered for the playoffs, so the focus has been on compete level and physicality. There may not be a defender who exemplifies those characteristics more in this draft. But his offensive game is underrated, and it gives him a solid chance of developing into a Kevin Bieksa style two-way type. The Wings traded Andrew Gibson and Brady Cleveland hasn’t developed well since being selected. Aitcheson is better than both.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Justin Carbonneau - Wing

One of the draft’s most creative and skilled offensive players, Carbonneau has excellent offensive upside. The Jackets have not shied away from the QMJHL in recent years and he would give them another high-quality offensive player on the wing to build around, given that their center depth is fairly solid. Could make a similar impact to Kent Johnson, who is coming off his best NHL season.

15. Vancouver Canucks - Braeden Cootes - Center

Sometimes things just work out. The Canucks badly need a young center with upside in their system and Cootes just happens to be one of the best players available. It’s likely that they’d be very familiar with him too, considering he plays with Seattle of the WHL. Cootes is a well-rounded two-way center who projects as an all-situations type.

16. Montreal Canadiens (via Calgary) - Carter Bear - Wing

With news that Bear’s achilles injury was only a partial tear and that he’s already back on the ice, his draft stock isn’t likely to take much of a hit. Montreal would see Bear as a strong fit in their organization as a complementary piece. He’s competitive and effective through the middle of the ice and would likely be the perfect fit with guys like Suzuki or Demidov.

17. Montreal Canadiens - Blake Fiddler - Defense

With back-to-back picks, the Canadiens take back-to-back WHL players. Yeah, the Canadiens have Reinbacher and Mailloux waiting in the wings as right shot defenders, but the main club badly needs one to pan out. You can never have too many solid defenders who can play the right side in the NHL. Fiddler is a solid two-way presence and gives them a great security blanket.

18. Calgary Flames (via New Jersey) - Jack Nesbitt - Center

This just feels like a fit. The Flames favored the OHL last year and their picks out of the league all had strong draft plus one years. Additionally, they’ve shown a desire to add size to their forward group. Nesbitt is a big pivot who showed really positive growth this year in Windsor. He is a potential all-situations, middle six center.

19. St. Louis Blues - Lynden Lakovic - Wing

While there are some concerns over Lakovic’s compete level and consistency, he’s still a high upside swing as a big winger with skill. The Blues don’t really have a player like this in their system right now, and at this point of the first round, the risks associated with Lakovic are worth taking.

20. Columbus Blue Jackets (via Minnesota) - Joshua Ravensbergen - Goaltender

It just seems inevitable that someone is going to bite on Ravensbergen in the first round. He has all the tools to develop into a topflight netminder. The Jackets are a likely candidate. They need a true incumbent in net. They have multiple first round picks. They’ve drafted a lot out of the WHL. Yes, they took Evan Gardner in the second-round last year, but he’s not the same quality of prospect as Ravensbergen.

21. Ottawa Senators - Jakob Ihs Wozniak - Wing

Ottawa is a team that hasn’t been afraid to go a little off the board in recent years. And they’ve primarily focused on players with unique skill sets or physical tools. Ihs Wozniak saved his draft stock with a strong second half and he has top six upside as a bigger scoring winger. Ottawa has also drafted heavily out of Sweden in recent years.

22. Philadelphia Flyers (via Colorado) - Cameron Reid - Defense

After selecting Martone earlier, the Flyers go back to the OHL again to take Kitchener’s Cam Reid. Reid is a highly mobile, two-way defender. He’s not big, but he’s very intelligent and projects as a solid second pairing type who could possibly quarterback a powerplay unit in the future.

23. Nashville Predators (via Tampa Bay) - Logan Hensler - Defense

Earlier the Predators selected James Hagens out of the NCAA, and they returned there with their second pick, opting for Wisconsin defender Logan Hensler. While his offensive production disappointed in his freshman season, his physical tools make him a potential defensive stalwart at the NHL level. It will also be interesting to see how his on puck game develops as he matures. The Preds traded for Andrew Gibson previously, so there’s obviously a desire to add prospects like this to their pipeline.

24. Los Angeles Kings - Sascha Boumedienne - Defense

There’s definitely a need for the Kings to add a quality defensive prospect to their cupboard and Boumedienne would be a great selection here. He improved drastically in the second half of this year, helping Sweden to a silver medal at the U18’s and Boston University to a second place finish in the NCAA. There’s a need to refine his game and improve his decision making, but the mobility is great, and he has great upside as a top four defender.

25. Chicago Blackhawks (via Toronto) - Malcolm Spence - Wing

After taking Desnoyers with the third overall selection, the Hawks take a similar player in Malcolm Spence, only Spence plays the wing. This gives Chicago another mature two-way player who skates well, who can help insulate some of their younger, higher skilled guys. Spence is leaving the OHL next year to play at Michigan (NCAA), but he could be an NHL’er in only a few years.

26. Nashville Predators (via Vegas) - Vaclav Nestrasil - Wing

The big Czech wing finished the season on a high, with a strong Clark Cup playoff performance for Muskegon. There’s a need to improve his skating, but Nashville hasn’t shied away from players who need to improve pace. With four picks inside the top 35, the Predators can afford to take a few big swings and Nestrasil has solid potential as a top six support player.

27. Washington Capitals - Henry Brzustewicz - Defense

The Capitals would have seen a lot of Brzustewicz this year while keeping tabs on defensive prospect Cam Allen, and there’s certainly been a previous connection to London with the likes of Connor McMichael and John Carlson. Brzustewicz is a raw, but toolsy two-way defender who is going to get a ton of ice time and development opportunities in London moving forward.

28. Winnipeg Jets - Milton Gastrin - Center

It seems likely that the Jets could take a center with their first this year, given the need to improve organizational depth. They have lots of options at this point in the draft, but after what happened with Rutger McGroarty, I wonder if they steer clear of an NCAA player. Gastrin is an athletic, two-way center who projects as a middle six type.

29. Carolina Hurricanes - Cullen Potter - Center/Wing

It seems like the Hurricanes always take the player who is highest ranked by the amateur scouting organizations left remaining on the board; in this case? Speedy forward Cullen Potter. One of the draft’s best skaters, there are concerns about his NHL effectiveness given his size and somewhat perimeter-oriented game. However, Potter is a player with significant NHL upside.

30. San Jose Sharks (via Dallas) - Mason West - Wing

It’s starting to feel inevitable that West goes in the first round this year after fully committing to hockey. He’s such a tremendous athlete and his upside is quite high, as long as you’re willing to exhibit patience. The Sharks already have a deep system and can afford to play the waiting game here. This is the type of home run swing you take when your system is already loaded.

31. Calgary Flames (via Florida) - Cole Reschny - Center

There’s definitely a chance that Reschny goes much higher than this. He’s one of the draft’s most intelligent pivots. However, he also has the feel of the type of guy who NHL teams are a little wary of, with average size and average athleticism. This would be a coup for the Flames, who solidify their center depth with two great first round selections.

32. Philadelphia Flyers (via Edmonton) - Will Horcoff - Center

When you’ve got three first round picks, you probably take a big swing with one of them. Horcoff is very raw and underdeveloped physically, but when his frame fills out, he could end up being a quality pro. He had some really great moments in the NCAA as a true freshman in the second half.

33. San Jose Sharks - Bill Zonnon - Center/Wing

GM Mike Grier has a type and that’s Zonnon. He loves forwards who bring consistent energy and physicality. Zonnon is one of the draft’s best forecheckers and he’s a capable offensive player too.

34. Chicago Blackhawks - Simon Wang - Defense

It seems likely that an NHL team jumps at Wang early, even if we have him ranked a little lower. The Hawks are probably a great fit. They have the depth to take a big swing like this that requires patience. They also put more emphasis on skating ability than pretty much any other organization at the draft.

35. Nashville Predators - Kurban Limatov - Defense

Last year, the Preds opted to take Russian Yegor Surin with their first-round selection and that looks like a tremendous pick. So why not go back and select mobile defender Limatov, who possesses significant upside as a two-way rock?

36. Philadelphia Flyers - Jacob Rombach - Defense

With a few high-end offensive defenders in the system, including taking Cam Reid earlier in this draft, they take big, stay at home defender Rombach out of the USHL. He could really help to be a calming presence on the blueline in the coming years.

37. Washington Capitals (via Boston) - Michal Pradel - Goaltender

The second goaltender off the board can often be a bit off the board and the Caps continue that trend by taking Pradel, a big netminder with a ton of potential as he gets stronger and improves technically. He gives them a future netminder to build around, a weakness in the system.

38. Seattle Kraken - Eric Nilson - Center

The son of former NHL’er Marcus, Eric is a potential middle six, two-way center who gives the Kraken another pivot to pencil into their lineup in the future. They haven’t drafted a ton out of Sweden, but he checks a lot of the boxes that they typically value.

39. Buffalo Sabres - Shane Vansaghi - Wing/Center

This is a franchise that needs to turn things around and become harder to play against. Vansaghi projects as a fierce competitor who can be tough to play against and who can provide a ton of versatility to the Sabres’ coaching staff in a few years. The Sabres would be very familiar with Vansaghi after watching Maxim Strbak this year.

40. Philadelphia Flyers (via Anaheim) - Daniil Prokhorov - Wing

There’s definitely a chance that this big, budding power forward goes earlier than this. However, he’d look great in the Philadelphia organization as a crease crasher, powerplay triggerman, and overall physical nuisance.

41. Montreal Canadiens (via Pittsburgh) - William Moore - Center

The Canadiens have gotten some good players out of the NTDP in recent drafts. It’s strange to think that it’s possible (like forecasted in this mock) that none could be selected in the first round. Moore is a rangy pivot who has the tools but just needs to get stronger to become more consistent. Montreal can take a swing here in hopes that he puts things together to reach his upside.

42. New York Islanders - Ben Kindel - Center

A bit of a drop for Kindel due to concerns over his frame and skating ability, but he’s a top tier playmaker and a potential all situations pivot. With Eiserman in the system, it would make sense to target a high-end playmaker to help get him the puck in the future. Insert Kindel.

43. New York Rangers - Cole McKinney - Center

The Rangers have loved the NTDP in recent years and after taking Jackson Smith in round one, they opt for a bit safer prospect in round two. McKinney is one of the draft’s best defensive centers and he improved a ton offensively over the course of the season. He is a great fit in the Rangers’ system.

44. Detroit Red Wings - Alexander Zharovsky - Wing

Detroit hasn’t drafted a ton out of Russia lately, at least not like in the glory days, however this seems like the kind of player that they should be targeting here, especially if they go “safer” again with their first-round pick. Zharovsky is a skilled and creative playmaker who has terrific offensive upside. Gives them a player that they don’t have a ton of in the system currently.

45. Philadelphia Flyers (via Columbus) - Ryker Lee - Wing

A late bloomer physically, Lee is an intelligent and well-rounded offensive player who just needs to get stronger and quicker. There’s a bit of a similar profile to Alex Bump here, when the Flyers took him and that’s worked out pretty well for them so far. Why not go back and try to strike gold twice?

46. Utah Mammoth - Ivan Ryabkin - Center

At some point, someone is going to pull the trigger on Ryabkin early, even if his year was pretty disjointed. The offensive upside is simply too tantalizing to pass up and the Utah franchise has been all about swinging for the fences on Russian players in recent years. This feels like a fit.

47. Vancouver Canucks - Semyon Frolov - Goaltender

It definitely seems likely that the Canucks could look to bring in a goaltender with one of their early round picks this year, given the lack of a clear-cut top prospect in the pool. It seems pretty clear that the Canucks are size queens at the position and that screams Frolov, a big, athletic type that is likely one of the first off the board for the position.

48. Philadelphia Flyers (via Calgary) - Cameron Schmidt - Wing

When you have THIS many selections, you’re going to come to a point where the risk is worth the reward on a player. Schmidt isn’t perfect as a smaller winger, but he has among the highest goal scoring upside of any forward available this year.

49. Montreal Canadiens - Jack Murtagh - Wing

Back-to-back NTDP selections for the Canadiens in this mock. This is a bit of a fall for Murtagh, but his poor U18’s might have left a sour taste in the mouth of some chiefs of staff. He’s got the potential to be a solid complementary piece and that could fit in really well in the Canadiens system down the line.

50. New Jersey Devils - Matthew Gard - Center

A big pivot with good two-way upside and enticing physical tools. The Devils need to upgrade the center depth in their organization and Gard would be considered one of the better pivots still left on the board.

51. Boston Bruins (via St. Louis) - Jack Ivankovic - Goaltender

Given his lack of size, it does seem likely that other goaltenders go before Ivankovic, even if it’s debatable whether he’s the most talented netminder in the class. The Bruins badly need goaltending in the system with the two Providence standouts (Dipietro and Bussi) set to be UFA’s. The Bruins have had good luck historically with smaller netminders like Tim Thomas, Byron Dafoe, and Andy Moog, so this…kind of makes sense.

52. Minnesota Wild - Petteri Rimpinen - Goaltender

With the Wild’s first pick of the draft (after dealing their first), they take a goaltender who had a heck of a season in Rimpinen. He was the Liiga ROY and the top goaltender at the WJC’s. The reality is that Wallstedt’s development has stagnated and Rimpinen can push him pretty quickly.

53. San Jose Sharks (via Ottawa) - Carter Amico - Defense

The Sharks are loaded. We’ve already said it. But if there is a need in the system currently, it is a potential standout stay at home defender. Amico may just be this draft’s best, but he missed most of the year with a knee injury. San Jose can be patient with him in hopes that he can develop into a potential partner for someone like Luca Cagnoni down the line.

54. Calgary Flames (via Colorado) - David Bedkowski - Defense

After drafting so many high-end offensive defenders in recent years, you’d think Calgary could look to use one of their high end picks this year on a physical, stay at home type to pair with them down the line. We’re a bit lower on Bedkowski than the rest of the industry, but we expect him to be drafted this high. Calgary has also loved the OHL in recent years.

55. Nashville Predators (via Tampa Bay) - Pyotr Andreyanov - Goaltender

Another goaltender taken early because it’s a strong goalie draft. The Predators go with another Russian, who could end up being the best goalie in this class. With so many picks in a strong goalie year, we’d be shocked if the Predators don’t use one on a goalie to groom behind Saros.

56. Tampa Bay Lightning (via Los Angeles) - Adam Benak - Center

When you don’t have a ton in your system and your best prospect (Issac Howard) sounds like he’s spurning you, you’ve got to shoot for the stars. There’s obviously a chance that he’s a faller even further than this because of his size, but you get to a point where the risk is worth it. Benak could certainly end up being a great player for the Lightning.

57. Seattle Kraken (via Toronto) - Ethan Czata - Wing/Center

The Kraken have loved them some OHL since joining the league and even though they took a similar player in Nathan Villeneuve last year, you can’t have too many of these types of players come playoff time. Czata is a staunch competitor and two-way forward who projects as a possible elite third line player down the road.

58. Vegas Golden Knights - Max Psenicka - Defense

The Golden Knights haven’t taken a defender in the first two rounds since Daniil Chayka and that isn’t working out. So, with their first pick in the draft, they go to the WHL to select Import defenseman Max Psenicka. He’s got some really intriguing tools, but he’s still learning to use them to develop an identity.

59. Pittsburgh Penguins (via Washington) - Ben Kevan - Wing

Kevan is a well-rounded offensive player with a chance of developing into a middle six piece in the future. He would instantly become one of the higher upside forward prospects in the system, even if there’s a need for him to get quicker and refine his critical thinking skills on the ice.

60. Anaheim Ducks (via Winnipeg) - Eddie Genborg - Wing

The Ducks have really loved drafting out of Sweden in recent years and here they take Genborg, one of the draft’s most physical forwards. The offensive upside may be a bit limited, but he’s the kind of player who fits in the system well because he projects as a solid complementary piece to the other talented players they have. He’d be a potential playoff warrior for them when the time comes.

61. Boston Bruins (via Carolina) - Everett Baldwin - Defense

Prep kid from Rhode Island who is heading to Providence. Outstanding upside as a two-way defender and one of the better skaters in the draft. He’s a long-term project who needs time to improve his decision making, but he’s a somewhat local kid they would likely be very familiar with.

62. Chicago Blackhawks (via Dallas) - Charlie Trethewey - Defense

Coming into the season Trethewey was seen as a contender for the top defender selected along with Schaefer. Not the case anymore after a poor year with the NTDP. However, he still has great upside as a two-way defender with good mobility. The Hawks can take that chance that he gets back on track.

63. Toronto Maple Leafs (via Florida) - Alexei Medvedev - Goaltender

The Leafs haven’t used a pick in the first three rounds on a goalie since 2016 (when they took Joseph Woll), so they’re due. They’d be very familiar with Medvedev and his development from scouting Easton Cowan this year. His timeline also perfectly lines up with when the pro system will need a new injection of youth. He has the upside to be an NHL netminder and is one of our top goalies available this year.

64. New Jersey Devils (via Edmonton) - Theo Stockselius - Wing/Center

Stockselius is a player flying under the radar a bit right now who could go higher than the pre-draft consensus says. He’s a high IQ type who could potentially be a very versatile player for the Devils down the line. As his frame fills out, it will be interesting to see how the offensive side of things becomes more consistent for him.

2025 MCKEEN’S NHL DRAFT GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD!

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 19:05:49 +0000

We are very proud to release our 2025 NHL Draft Guide. The culmination of a season's worth of scouting, travelling and logging countless hours on video, we want to thank our dedicated team of scouts across the country.

140-page magazine (PDF format) for download
Top 300 NHL Draft Prospects
In-depth profiles with grades in five characteristics for forwards, six for goaltenders.
Best of skills rankings
A two round mock draft
Feature articles including interviews, top sleepers, plus much more ...

You can read about our final first round rankings in this free article

Subscribers can download the magazine here.

If you are not a subscriber and interested in learning more, you can learn more here.

Subscribers will receive access for three months and will include all of our other NHL draft coverage as well preparation for the upcoming season. If you choose not to subscribe and wish for a direct download, that will be available next week.

Check out our in-depth profile of #1 ranked Matthew Schaefer as an example of our coverage.

2025 NHL DRAFT: TOP 100 PLUS HONOURABLE MENTIONS – March edition – FOR SUBSCRIBERS

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 14:34:18 +0000

Porter Mantone of the Brampton Steelheads. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

It’s time for an update to our 2025 NHL draft rankings. Back in December, prior to the World Junior Championships, we released our top 64. Now, not only are we updating, but we’re expanding to a Top 100 (plus honorable mentions). This will be our final draft ranking prior to the release of our Top 300 (along with our annual draft guide).

Erie Otters defender Matthew Schaefer remains on top, despite not playing since our last release due to a collarbone injury suffered at the World Juniors. However, we have no doubt that Schaefer will return stronger than ever. He has been skating recently and is gearing up for a return for the OHL playoffs. At this point, Schaefer is our clear number one and we don’t expect that to change.

The other players in our top ten are all the same, with some minor shuffling. Michael Misa moves ahead of James Hagens based on his strong production with Saginaw, mixed with Hagen’s drop in production with Boston College post World Juniors. We feel that both players have similar projections as top six pivots, but we feel Misa’s frame gives him a greater opportunity to be a more complete pro. Caleb Desnoyers is the other big riser. While, admittedly, we do have some minimal concerns about his offensive upside, we appreciate his pro style of play and safe floor, in combination with the improvement he has shown offensively over the course of this season. Roger McQueen is the big “faller” inside our top ten due to injury and durability concerns. He has recently returned to action and we’re eager to see how he performs down the stretch.

Among the biggest risers, Bill Zonnon, Cole McKinney, and Jake O’Brien standout. O’Brien is knocking on the door of the top ten, moving from 23 to 13 thanks to his elite playmaking ability and three zone awareness. McKinney elevated his play in the second half to become the top pivot on the US NTDP, giving our scouts a better indication of his offensive upside. Zonnon is an energetic forward with a pro frame who has been a favourite of our Eastern scouts thanks to consistent production.

Among the biggest fallers are Malcolm Spence (from 13 to 23, switching with O’Brien), Luca Romano (24 to 44), Ivan Ryabkin (26 to 39), and Tomas Pobezal (from 39 to 81).

You may have caught our recent, and annual second chances series that outlined the top “re-entries” available for 2025. Kristian Epperson (49), Francesco Dell’Elce (82), Petteri Rimpinen (84), and Sam Laurila (98) cracked our Top 100. Additionally, Jamiro Reber is listed as an honorable mention.

Overall, the picture is becoming more and more clear regarding this draft class. Simply put, the majority of our scouts are not enamored with the depth of this group. “In a normal year, when we put together our March list, the debate for the first round is often charged, with the regional scouts all fighting to have their personal, regional favourites included in the top 32,” said Director of Scouting Brock Otten. “But this year, the debate was more about who actually deserved to be ranked in the first round…there was significantly less table pounding.”

“The way I see it” continues Otten, “there is a clear drop off after about the 20th position. There are unquestionably some solid players available outside this range, but few high upside players. Potential role players are the name of the game this year. As a staff, we’re really hoping some players step up in their respective league playoffs and at the U18’s to help give this draft class a little more excitement.”

You can expect our final draft ranking to be released in late May, coinciding with the release of our annual draft guide.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP	G	A	PTS
1	Matthew Schaefer	D	Erie (OHL)	6-2/180	5-Sep-07	17	7	15	22
2	Michael Misa	C	Saginaw (OHL)	6-1/185	16-Feb-07	62	59	67	126
3	James Hagens	C	Boston College (NCAA)	5-10/175	3-Nov-06	35	10	25	35
4	Porter Martone	RW	Brampton (OHL)	6-3/205	26-Oct-06	54	32	60	92
5	Jackson Smith	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-3/195	13-May-07	65	7	41	48
6	Caleb Desnoyers	C	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-2/180	11-Apr-07	56	35	49	84
7	Victor Eklund	LW	Djurgardens (HockeyAllsvenskan)	5-11/160	3-Oct-06	42	19	12	31
8	Anton Frondell	C	Djurgardens (HockeyAllsvenskan)	6-1/195	7-May-07	29	11	14	25
9	Roger McQueen	C	Brandon (WHL)	6-5/195	2-Oct-06	14	9	9	18
10	Lynden Lakovic	LW	Moose Jaw (WHL)	6-4/190	12-Dec-06	45	24	31	55
11	Radim Mrtka	D	Seattle (WHL)	6-6/205	9-Jun-07	41	3	31	34
12	Brady Martin	C	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	6-0/175	16-Mar-07	55	30	37	67
13	Jake O'Brien	C	Brantford (OHL)	6-2/170	16-Jun-07	64	32	64	96
14	Cullen Potter	C	Arizona State (NCAA)	5-10/170	10-Jan-07	34	13	9	22
15	Justin Carbonneau	RW	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	6-1/190	25-Nov-06	61	46	43	89
16	Kashawn Aitcheson	D	Barrie (OHL)	6-1/195	21-Sep-06	63	25	33	58
17	Cameron Reid	D	Kitchener (OHL)	6-0/190	8-Apr-07	66	14	39	53
18	Ben Kindel	C	Calgary (WHL)	5-10/175	19-Apr-07	62	34	64	98
19	Braeden Cootes	C	Seattle (WHL)	5-11/180	9-Feb-07	58	25	36	61
20	Carter Bear	LW	Everett (WHL)	6-0/180	4-Nov-06	56	40	42	82
21	Jack Murtagh	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	6-1/200	22-Aug-07	42	20	24	44
22	Cameron Schmidt	RW	Vancouver (WHL)	5-7/160	19-Jan-07	59	39	37	76
23	Malcolm Spence	LW	Erie (OHL)	6-1/200	22-Sep-06	62	32	38	70
24	Joshua Ravensbergen	G	Prince George (WHL)	6-5/190	27-Nov-06	50	33	12	2.93
25	Jack Nesbitt	C	Windsor (OHL)	6-4/185	12-Jan-07	63	24	39	63
26	Cole McKinney	C	USN U18 (USDP)	6-0/200	16-Mar-07	45	21	29	50
27	Eric Nilson	C	Djurgardens (Swe J20)	5-11/155	11-May-07	37	12	26	38
28	Logan Hensler	D	Wisconsin (NCAA)	6-2/190	14-Oct-06	32	2	10	12
29	Henry Brzustewicz	D	London (OHL)	6-2/200	9-Feb-07	65	10	29	39
30	Blake Fiddler	D	Edmonton (WHL)	6-4/210	9-Jul-07	62	9	22	31
31	Shane Vansaghi	RW	Michigan State (NCAA)	6-2/210	11-Oct-06	35	6	10	16
32	Bill Zonnon	C	Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL)	6-1/185	3-Oct-06	62	28	53	81
33	Jakob Ihs Wozniak	RW	Lulea (Swe J20)	6-2/185	1-Feb-07	40	23	34	57
34	Nathan Behm	RW	Kamloops (WHL)	6-1/190	18-Apr-07	57	31	35	66
35	Adam Benak	C	Youngstown (USHL)	5-7/160	10-Apr-07	53	16	38	54
36	Kurban Limatov	D	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	6-3/195	20-Mar-07	45	8	15	23
37	Carter Amico	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-5/225	15-Mar-07	13	0	3	3
38	Cole Reschny	C	Victoria (WHL)	5-10/180	6-Apr-07	60	23	63	86
39	Ivan Ryabkin	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-0/195	25-Apr-07	18	11	8	19
40	Milton Gastrin	C	MoDo Hockey (Swe J20)	6-1/185	2-Jun-07	40	18	24	42
41	Will Moore	C	USN U18 (USDP)	6-2/175	24-Mar-07	49	21	22	43
42	Sascha Boumedienne	D	Boston University (NCAA)	6-1/175	17-Jan-07	35	3	9	12
43	Conrad Fondrk	C	USN U18 (USDP)	6-0/190	1-Jun-07	40	13	14	27
44	Luca Romano	C	Kitchener (OHL)	5-11/175	25-Jun-07	65	25	26	51
45	Alexander Zharovsky	RW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6-1/165	22-Feb-07	45	24	26	50
46	Max Psenicka	D	Portland (WHL)	6-4/175	18-Jan-07	22	1	5	6
47	Jack Ivankovic	G	Brampton (OHL)	5-11/180	22-May-07	41	23	12	3.13
48	Maxim Agafonov	D	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6-2/195	10-Apr-07	33	6	7	13
49	Kristian Epperson	LW	Saginaw (OHL)	5-11/180	7-May-06	55	26	51	77
50	Vaclav Nestrasil	RW	Muskegon (USHL)	6-5/185	6-Apr-07	51	14	19	33
51	Jimmy Lombardi	C	Flint (OHL)	6-0/180	16-Feb-07	61	13	28	41
52	Gustav Hillstrom	C	Brynas (Swe J20)	6-1/175	20-Jan-07	43	16	22	38
53	Pyotr Andreyanov	G	Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL)	6-0/205	22-Jan-07	37	23	6	1.75
54	Arvid Drott	RW	Djurgardens (Swe J20)	6-0/180	11-Aug-07	40	18	18	36
55	Matthew Gard	C	Red Deer (WHL)	6-5/190	7-Apr-07	63	18	17	35
56	Ethan Czata	C	Niagara (OHL)	6-1/175	29-May-07	65	20	33	53
57	Hayden Paupanekis	C	Spokane-Kelowna (WHL)	6-4/195	4-Feb-07	68	22	19	41
58	Charlie Trethewey	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-1/200	2-Aug-07	51	6	12	18
59	Aleksei Medvedev	G	London (OHL)	6-2/180	10-Sep-07	33	22	7	2.72
60	Daniil Prokhorov	RW	MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)	6-5/210	27-Apr-07	41	19	7	26
61	William Horcoff	C	Michigan (NCAA)	6-5/190	23-Jan-07	18	4	6	10
62	Tyler Hopkins	C	Kingston (OHL)	6-1/180	23-Jan-07	64	19	31	50
63	Lasse Boelius	D	Assat (Fin-U20)	6-0/180	16-Mar-07	34	4	14	18
64	Eddie Genborg	RW	Linkopings (SHL)	6-1/180	20-Apr-07	28	2	0	2
65	Semyon Frolov	G	MHK Krylia Sovetov (MHL)	6-3/200	17-Jan-07	5	2	2	2.75
66	Ben Kevan	RW	Des Moines (USHL)	6-0/180	3-Jan-07	46	12	29	41
67	Peyton Kettles	D	Swift Current (WHL)	6-5/195	1-Sep-07	51	5	9	14
68	Zeb Lindgren	D	Skelleftea (Swe J20)	6-1/195	14-Apr-07	38	4	15	19
69	Everett Baldwin	D	St. George's School (USHS-RI)	5-11/175	15-Jan-07	22	10	10	20
70	Ryker Lee	RW	Madison (USHL)	5-11/180	8-Nov-06	48	27	33	60
71	Michal Svrcek	LW	Brynas (Swe J20)	5-10/175	26-Jan-07	30	14	16	30
72	Zachary Morin	LW	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-1/185	25-Jan-07	54	16	20	36
73	Jacob Rombach	D	Lincoln (USHL)	6-6/200	1-Apr-07	50	3	15	18
74	Alex Huang	D	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	6-0/170	30-Jul-07	62	6	33	39
75	Tommy Lafreniere	C	Kamloops (WHL)	5-11/170	16-Jan-07	66	24	32	56
76	Haoxi (Simon) Wang	D	Oshawa (OHL)	6-6/210	27-Jul-07	29	0	2	2
77	William Belle	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/220	14-Jan-07	50	4	11	15
78	Jan Chovan	RW	Tappara (Fin-U20)	6-3/185	9-Jan-07	39	11	12	23
79	Luka Radivojevic	D	Muskegon (USHL)	5-9/165	3-Jan-07	28	1	16	17
80	Shamar Moses	RW	North Bay (OHL)	6-1/200	6-May-07	58	12	35	47
81	Tomas Pobezal	C	HK Nitra (Svk)	5-10/180	18-Sep-06	42	15	8	23
82	Francesco Dell'Elce	D	Massachusetts (NCAA)	6-0/170	23-Jun-05	38	6	16	22
83	Vojtech Cihar	LW	Karlovy Vary (Czechia)	6-0/175	29-Mar-07	43	4	5	9
84	Petteri Rimpinen	G	Kiekko-Espoo (Fin)	6-0/175	25-Apr-06	40	16	9	2.36
85	Carlos Handel	D	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-0/170	31-Mar-07	50	3	23	26
86	Burke Hood	G	Vancouver (WHL)	6-3/195	30-Apr-07	41	18	13	3.21
87	Melvin Novotny	LW	Leksands (Swe J20)	6-1/185	3-Apr-07	41	12	26	38
88	Sean Barnhill	D	Dubuque (USHL)	6-5/205	8-Jan-07	46	4	4	8
89	Tomas Poletin	LW	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	6-1/200	30-Apr-07	25	13	7	20
90	Roman Bausov	D	MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)	6-5/180	28-Apr-07	39	2	9	11
91	Mason Moe	C	Madison (USHL)	6-1/185	26-Mar-07	41	13	24	37
92	Reese Hamilton	D	Calgary-Regina (WHL)	6-0/170	26-Mar-07	59	4	10	14
93	Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen	D	Michigan (NCAA)	6-0/180	18-Dec-06	35	3	6	9
94	Nathan Quinn	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	5-11/170	29-Aug-07	52	17	29	46
95	Samuel Meloche	G	Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL)	6-2/190	22-Jul-07	49	29	13	2.96
96	Maceo Phillips	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-6/225	25-Feb-07	47	2	4	6
97	Eduard Bondar	D	Val d'Or (QMJHL)	6-5/195	31-Jan-07	52	3	9	12
98	Sam Laurila	D	Fargo (USHL)	6-1/185	2-Sep-06	50	7	28	35
99	Owen Conrad	D	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	6-2/210	10-Mar-07	62	7	19	26
100	Malte Vass	D	Farjestads (Swe J20)	6-2/185	28-Mar-07	40	2	9	11
HM	Karl Annborn	D	HV 71 (Swe J20)	6-1/185	6-Mar-07	39	3	21	24
HM	Lucas Beckman	G	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	6-1/180	23-Aug-07	51	30	18	2.68
HM	Carson Cameron	D	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/190	27-Jun-07	60	7	16	23
HM	Hayden Harsanyi	C	Medicine Hat-Saskatoon (WHL)	5-10/175	10-Jan-07	34	11	12	23
HM	Dmitri Isayev	LW	Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)	5-9/150	26-Jun-07	43	22	23	45
HM	Atte Joki	C	Lukko (Fin-U20)	6-1/190	21-Jul-07	40	15	17	32
HM	Viktor Klingsell	RW	Skelleftea (Swe J20)	5-10/185	10-Feb-07	43	17	22	39
HM	Nathan Lecompte	C	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)	5-10/165	19-Jan-07	56	14	35	49
HM	Jeremy Loranger	C	Sherwood Park (BCHL)	5-9/160	15-Jun-07	50	37	57	94
HM	Jamiro Reber	C	HV 71 (SHL)	5-10/170	4-Sep-06	47	8	7	15
HM	Grayden Robertson-Palmer	C	Phillips Academy (USHS-MA)	5-11/195	29-Aug-07	30	16	23	39
HM	David Rozsival	RW	Bili Tygri Liberec (Czechia U20)	6-0/185	1-Jun-07	30	17	20	37
HM	Lukas Sawchyn	LW	Edmonton (WHL)	5-10/175	27-Feb-07	64	15	38	53
HM	Theo Stockselius	C	Djurgardens (Swe J20)	6-2/180	24-Jul-07	40	22	29	51
HM	Mason West	RW	Edina (USHS-MN)	6-5/205	3-Aug-07	31	27	22	49
HM	Max Westergard	RW	Frolunda (Swe J20)	5-11/160	3-Sep-07	41	19	31	50