With the 2025 National Hockey League draft lottery completed, the partial order of the first round has been decided, so everyone is going to start with their mock drafts. Going to break the 2025 Entry Draft down into groups of five so we can dive a little deeper into why each pick works for that team.
One has to wonder what Lou Lamoriello is feeling, seeing the New York Islanders jump from the tenth pick to the first overall pick.
1-New York Islanders – So, which direction will this franchise go? Do they take the top-ranked prospect defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the top offensive producer in center Michael Misa of Saginaw (OHL), or the local prospect whose family are Islanders fans?
The best move would be to select Misa as this one-time “exceptional” player is the one player the Islanders can least afford to pass on. Misa is the best all-around prospect in my opinion, as he can score goals, he can create offense for himself and his teams, he is solid on the defensive side of the ice, and Misa’s biggest selling point is that he’s a natural leader.
Selecting Misa would also jumpstart their rebuild as well as allow the Islanders to shift to the right wing, an area where the Islanders lack depth among their prospects. They will anger their fans on draft day by selecting Misa over Hagens, but this is the right move.
2-San Jose Sharks – GM Mike Grier will not wait long to select defenseman Schaefer from the OHL Erie Otters, as tempting as it is to add another Boston area college player in James Hagens. But when healthy, Schaefer is a number one defenseman and is far above any of the prospect defensemen the Sharks already have in their system.
Schaefer is the total package when it comes to defensemen in their draft. He can skate extremely well, whether it is on the rush or being a disruptive force on defense. The Sharks will love that Schaefer is very mature for his age and that they can build their defense around him. On offense, he is your power-play QB who can score or set players up from the blueline. On defense, Schaefer is rarely ever caught out of position and, because of his skating ability, he can make up ground in a hurry.
One of the best hockey IQs in this draft, Schaefer is a threat to score or create from any spot on the ice.
3-Chicago Blackhawks – The Hawks are trying to find players to fit in with Connor Bedard, so they are going to bypass Hagens and get a big right wing for him in Porter Martone of Brampton (OHL). Martone is already 6’3″, 210 lbs, and he is exactly what the Blackhawks need to help Bedard get going. Here is a guy who already is playing a pro-style game as he battles in the corners, goes to the net and finishes plays, and if needed, he will drop the gloves to protect the smaller Bedard from those who try to run him.
This is a power forward who is also a playmaker in his own right. Martone is a smart player who plays with an edge along the lines of Matthew Tkachuk, but does not cross the line with dirty play.
And like Misa is a natural leader who was the captain of his Brampton team at just 18. A very high hockey IQ who works hard on every shift and is the guy who wants the puck on his stick when the game is on the line.
4-Utah Hockey Club – the second surprise winner of the draft lottery, having jumped from 14th to fourth, Utah has a deeper prospect pool than most of the other lottery teams, they can afford to select someone who does not have to have an immediate impact on the roster. So here is your first surprise selection as Utah goes for Anton Frondell, who is the top international prospect on the Central Scouting lists. Frondell plays for Djurgardens (Sweden 2) and is already playing against adults and doing more than holding his own.
There are some concerns about his conditioning, but that is nothing that can’t be addressed with a better diet and some exercise. A top puck handler who is going to be a top-notch playmaker at the NHL level, Frondell has a lethal one-timer. Unlike many Europeans, he doesn’t hesitate to use them as his shots tend to be accurate, and those that do not go in create rebounds for his teammates.
And the best part about Frondell is he is barely 18 and he is still growing. Utah can let him play in Sweden for a couple more seasons and then bring him over around when he turns 20.
5- Nashville Predators – Barry Trotz would normally go for a bigger forward, but when he looks up and sees Hagens has fallen this far, Trotz is going to grab him. Nobody is going to say this aloud, but the concerns others had about Hagens was his 5’11 size. Others whispered that Hagens was the product of his linemates Will Leonard and Gabe Perreault. I watched just about every Boston College game this season, along with Team USA in the World Under-20 Championships.
Those concerns are unfounded, as Hagens earned the right to play on Boston College’s first line as a freshman. Worried about his size? You can’t hit someone who has already skated past you. Hagens’ speed made defenders look bad as they went to stop him; only his first step and acceleration are the best in this draft.
A rock-solid playmaker who can finish plays just as well as set them up. Sure, he only had 11 goals this season in large part because he was playing with the top goal scorer in college hockey.
And Nashville fans are going to love that Hagens is always a team-first player. This is the guy who is going to run the Nashville power play sooner rather than later.
Schaefer is clearly the best player in the draft.