2025 NHL DRAFT: TOP 32 – MARCH EDITION

It’s time to update our 2025 NHL Draft rankings. In December, ahead of the World Junior Championships, we released our top 64. Now, we are not only updating, but also expanding our rankings to a Top 100 (plus honorable mentions). This will be our final version of the ranking before the publication of our Top 300 (with our draft annual guide).

Erie Otters Defenseman Matthew Schaefer remains at the top, even though he hasn’t played since our last release due to a collarbone injury suffered at the World Juniors. However, we are confident that Schaefer will come back stronger than ever. He has been skating recently and is preparing to make his return for the OHL playoffs. At this point, Schaefer is clearly our number one and we don’t expect that to change.

The rest of the players in our top ten are all the same, with a few minor shakeups. Michael Misa advance ahead James Hagens based on his strong production with Saginaw, mixed with Hagen’s drop in production with Boston College after the World Juniors. We think both players have similar projections as top-six centers, but we think Misa’s frame gives him a greater opportunity to become a more well-rounded pro. Caleb Desnoyers is the other big increase. While we admittedly have some minimal concerns about his offensive potential, we like his professional playing style and sure-footedness, combined with the improvement he has shown offensively over the course of this season. Roger McQueen is the big “fallen” in our top ten due to injuries and durability issues. He recently returned to action and we can’t wait to see how he performs down the stretch.

Among the biggest increases, Bill Zonnon, Cole McKinney, And Jake O’Brien come out. O’Brien is knocking on the door of the top ten, moving from 23rd to 13th thanks to his elite playmaking ability and knowledge of all three zones. McKinney improved his play in the second half to become the top center in the US NTDP, giving our scouts a better indication of his offensive potential. Zonnon is an energetic forward with a professional frame who has been a favorite of our Eastern scouts thanks to consistent production.

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

You may have seen our recent annual Second Chances series which features the best “re-entries” available for 2025. Christian Epperson (49), Francesco Dell’Elce (82), Petteri Rimpinen (84), and Sam Laurila (98) reached our Top 100. Additionally, Jamiro Reber is listed as an honorable mention.

Overall, the picture is becoming clearer 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 regional recruiters all fighting to get their personal regional favorites included in the top 32,” said Director of Recruiting Brock Otten. “But this year, the debate was more about who actually deserved to be seeded in the first round… there was a lot less table thumping.”

“In my opinion,” Otten continues, “there’s a clear drop-off after around 20th. There are definitely some solid players available outside of that range, but few players with high upside. Prospects are the name of the game this year. As a team, we’re really hoping that some players step up during their respective league playoffs and at the U18s to help bring a little more excitement to this draft class.

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