I don’t think the lottery balls could have gone much worse for the Buffalo Sabres. After last night, the Sabres fell to the 9th overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft.

It’s way too early to do a realistic mock draft. There will be players who will skyrocket into the top 10 and some that will fall out in the upcoming weeks as information is leaked from NHL teams. However, let’s do it anyway.

The 2025 Way-Too-Early Mock Draft

1.) New York Islanders select Matthew Schaefer, LHD, Erie Otters (OHL)

Unfortunately for the San Jose Sharks, the Islanders are just as desperate to get a high-end defenseman in their pipeline as they are. While the Islanders will most likely be paying Noah Dobson north of 10 million dollars a season after his RFA deal is done, the pipeline is barren of defensemen in the organization, and their NHL-level defensemen all lack the offensive upside that Schaefer possesses.

I like to think of Schaefer in the same archetype as Jake Sanderson rather than your typical offensive defenseman. His game excels when the puck is on his stick in transition and when he uses his speed and aggressiveness to activate into plays. He doesn’t have the shiftiness of a Quinn Hughes or Makar, but he moves the puck well and can beat forecheckers easily with quick fakes and speed.

2.) San Jose Sharks select Michael Misa, C, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

If there is one team that was desperate for Schaefer to fall, or who we should be watching to trade up to the first overall pick/trade this pick for an NHL difference-making defenseman, it’s the San Jose Sharks. Misa would be a luxury pick for the Sharks, who have found a young and dynamic one-two punch with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith to close out the year. Misa would slide into the 2C for the Sharks and provide instant offense and a second-line offensive engine for them right away.

Add to the fact that he’ll be paired with his running mate in Saginaw, Igor Chernyshov, and it could be a lethal second line in a few years.

3.) Chicago Blackhawks select James Hagans, C, Boston College

The Blackhawks are sitting on a plethora of prospects, especially at center, and moving this pick for immediate NHL talent makes a lot of sense. While Oliver Moore is a good center prospect, his game translates more to a middle-six role than a top 6 role. Hagans could center a second line behind Bedard and drive transition and play creation for the talented wingers that are in the pipeline.

Hagans was considered by many to be the frontrunner for the first overall selection going into this year, however, his inability to drive play playing alongside Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault made him more of an ancillary piece of the Boston College attack. His passing ability and vision to create plays stand out, but his lack of dynamic speed for his size and lack of driving play to the inside for a shot with the puck on his stick have to improve for him to hit his lofty preseason expectations.

4.) Utah Hockey Club selects Anton Frondell, C/LW, Djurgardens (Allsvenskan)

I thought Frondell looked best playing in the Allsvenskan as a winger, where he wasn’t asked to carry the puck in transition but could act as a triggerman in the slot and use his wicked one-timer as a strength. He has puck skill but isn’t puck dominant, and he prefers to play a more power game than a finesse one, but his ability to make quick decisions in the offensive zone and his shot made him one of the best point producers in the history of draft eligibles playing in the Allsvenskan.

5.) Nashville Predators select Caleb Desnoyers, C/LW, Moncton (QMJHL)

It’s tempting for the Predators to take Martone here, but after watching them play this year, they can ill afford another lower-pace forward in their top six. Instead, the Predators select a player who I thought turned it on in the last few months in Desnoyers. He’ll play best riding shotgun to a puck-dominant running mate, but he is masterful at finding space, making quick twitch skill plays to get around a defender and feed pucks to dangerous areas, and to get into areas to get his shot off as well. He has a great compete level as a forechecker and in the defensive zone, and is among the best at winning faceoffs in the class. He’s not a sexy pick, but he’ll move the needle in a positive direction no matter what line he’s on.

6.) Philadelphia Flyers select Porter Martone, RW, Brampton (OHL)

When Martone flashes his physicality and plays on the edge, that’s when I feel like he’s at his best. However, he’s inconsistent with the physicality, and his lower pace and lack of edgework do give me pause on saying he’s a sure-fire top 6 player. He has great skill and vision for a power forward, and play can run through him in the offensive zone. He can play in front of the net and navigate small areas so well for a player his size. If his pace of play can get a bit better and he can learn to play with a Sam Bennett-esque type of edge, he’ll be one of the more coveted players to come out of this draft.

7.) Boston Bruins select Jake O’Brien, C, Brantford (OHL)

Perhaps this is a pick for the old Bruins regime, but when it comes to playing classic Bruins hockey, I think O’Brien is the perfect fit. He’s such a great thinker of the game, and processes plays so fast, and his vision can see two steps ahead of the play to get pucks to space or move defenders off their line to open up passing/rush lanes. He plays on the inside in the offensive zone and can get the puck to the slot or into great shooting areas to score on his own. He’s a slower-paced pivot, which is his one drawback, but he has proven to be able to be successful in transition and the offensive zone despite not being able to wheel around defenders.

8.) Seattle Kraken select Jackson Smith, LHD, Tri-City (WHL)

Seattle is desperate for a defenseman in the pipeline, and in a draft devoid of high-end defensemen, they can snag perhaps the only other first-round defenseman who has the upside to one day run their first-unit power play. The 6’3 defenseman is great on the rush and has flashed the ability to have four-way lateral agility and shiftiness to get past defenders in the cycle to create odd-man advantages at even strength.

I’m a bit more skeptical than most about his upside. I have seen too many low-effort plays in the defensive zone and carelessness in zone exits that I expect out of a top 10 defenseman. However, given their prospect depth at forward and lack of an impact defensemen, this seems like the most logical choice.

9.) Buffalo Sabres select Victor Eklund, RW, Djurgardens (Allsvenskan)

Our prospect pool has a lot of potential at forward, but the one thing that NHL club desperately needs is a puck-dominant transition player who can create in the offensive zone as well. Players like Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, Alex Tuch, and McLeod are among the few who can take a puck into the offensive zone with pace and create plays. However, McLeod thrives at the initial entry and prefers to defer to the actual driving of dangerous chances. Eklund would provide the Sabres a dynamic driver of a line who could pair well with players like Jiri Kulich or Jack Quinn to unlock their goal-scoring prowess.

10.) Anaheim Ducks select Lynden, Lakovic, LW/C, Moose Jaw (WHL)

The 6’4 forward does not play to his size. He’s smooth skating with speed and lateral agility, puck skill of a smaller player, and a hard shot that can beat goalies clean from distance. He’s still learning to process plays faster and getting pucks to dangerous parts of the ice instead of just facilitating play in the offensive zone, but the traits are all there for Lakovic to become a very good top-six, complementary winger. If he can learn to add a physical component to match his size, he could have one of the higher ceilings in this draft.

11.) Pittsburgh Penguins select Roger McQueen, C, Brandon (WHL)

I’ll start with my assessment of McQueen: he’s 100% a homerun swing that you’d make on flashes and traits rather than production and scouting assessment. He was a low-volume shooter, passer, and transition player who didn’t have high efficiency in any of those areas. However, there are certainly flashes that the 6’5 center shows that make you understand why an NHL team might look 3 years down the road and say, “But if he puts together who is stopping him!?”

I think the consensus comes down to his medicals at the combine. He’s had back issues for a while now, and at his size, that is not an easy injury to overcome. If he’s given a clean bill of health or a clear runway to recover, I can see him going earlier than here. For now, the Penguins take a swing at a guy who could hit the lineup in Crosby’s final year and make a difference if everything breaks right.

12.) New York Rangers select Brady Martin, C, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)

This one is short and sweet: Brady Martin is big, has skill, is raw in a lot of areas, but hits people like a freight train. Feels like the perfect Rangers pick.

13.) Detroit Red Wings select Justin Carbonneau, RW, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)

The Red Wings will likely swing for an offensive weapon in this draft, and very few prospects are as skilled as Carbonneau. He can be a magician with the puck on his stick and attempts some of the more complex and creative plays with the puck on his stick in this draft class. However, Carbonneau has yet to show he can utilize his teammates for his benefit. He’s a one-man show on the ice, oftentimes skating himself into situations just to chuck a puck on net from a less-than-ideal area on the ice. If he’s able to play create for his teammates more often and play better off the puck for his offense, he could be a real weapon in the NHL.

14.) Columbus Blue Jackets select Carter Bear, LW, Everett (WHL)

They are loaded with young talent, so we take a swing on a player who was tracking to be a top 10 pick for me before his lacerated Achilles ended his season. Bear has great speed and skill and is one of the best two-way wingers in this entire draft. He was able to play as a passenger on a top line in the WHL, but also possesses the skill to play up in the lineup. The rich get richer with this pick.

15.) Vancouver Canucks select Radim Mrtka, RHD, Seattle (WHL)

Mrtka had a rough U18s, and he hasn’t shown the offensive upside since coming stateside for his draft-eligible season. He’s gargantuan at 6’6 and skates well for his size, but lacks the puck skill to dominate offensively and struggles to make exit passes at times this season. Mrtka is a bet on potential, and at 6’6, I doubt he lasts this long during the actual draft.

16.) Montreal Canadiens select Benjamin Kindel, C/RW, Calgary (WHL)

The Canadiens have been betting on skill in the draft, and no one possesses the upside as a dynamic offensive talent in the NHL than Kindel. He’s one of the best in my dataset when it comes to creating shots and passes to dangerous areas, and is a transition monster. He’s one of the most fun players to watch in this draft as he can find players without ever having to lay eyes on them and sees plays developing before the defense knows how to react. Kindel and Cullen Potter are two of my favorites in this draft, and his production to close out the year and his U18 performance justify the uptick into the lottery for the Canadiens.

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