Detroit — The NHL Draft is in three weeks, and unlike previous years, there remain a lot of questions about who will go where.
Especially in the upper end of the first round, where there aren’t any genuine can’t-miss players such as Macklin Celebrini (to San Jose, 2024) or Connor Bedard (to Chicago, 2023), who topped everyone’s prospects lists the last two years.
This year there’s a lot more questions regarding the top players in the class. A few players had injuries, which shortened their seasons. A couple of curveballs in the NHL Draft Lottery (including the New York Islanders winning it) slightly upended things.
But it’s not like this NHL Draft is devoid of talent. If anything, a larger wave of teams are likely to get a player capable of contributing at the NHL level fairly soon.
And that includes the Red Wings, who dropped a spot to No. 13 after the chaos of the lottery concluded.
The Wings have been linked to several talented prospects, mainly wingers, and any of them would be another quality addition into general manager Steve Yzerman’s organizational depth chart.
What also makes this draft a bit more unstable with three weeks to go is the likelihood of trades. There have been plenty of rumors swirling during this week’s NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo, and several teams near the top of the first round seem motivated to either move down and gather more draft picks, or get NHL-ready young players.
With all that in mind, The Detroit News takes a swing at an early projection as to how the first round might look with our mock draft 1.0.
▶ 1. New York Islanders: Matthew Schaefer, D, 6-foot-1, 183 pounds, Erie (OHL) — The Islanders could use another forward prospect but they need help on defense too, and Schaefer is too good to pass on. He’s the type of defenseman a team can build around for many years. A broken clavicle on Dec. 30 ended his season but Schaefer had already displayed his ability.
▶ 2. San Jose Sharks: Michael Misa, C, 6-foot, 180 pounds, Saginaw (OHL) — The Sharks are slowly building a deep treasure-trove of forward talent and Misa would be another fantastic piece. Misa would give the Sharks plenty of flexibility down the line.
▶ 3. Chicago Blackhawks: Porter Marone, RW, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Brampton (OHL) — The Blackhawks have a deep prospect pool but not a lot of size or physicality. Marone would be a good fit here, complementing Connor Bedard.
▶ 4. Utah Mammoth: James Hagens, C, 5-foot-10, 177 pounds Boston College (NCAA) — Seeing Hagens go here would disappoint a few teams below, but Hagens has too much offensive potential for Utah to let him slip away.
▶ 5. Nashville Predators: Jake O’Brien, C, 6-foot-2, 172 pounds, Brantford (OHL) — Nashville needs help in a lot of areas on its organizational depth chart, and getting the creative, poised, and defensive-minded O’Brien is a good start for a rebuild on the fly.
▶ 6. Philadelphia Flyers: Kashawn Aitcheson, D, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Kelowna (WHL) — The Flyers could use a good defensive prospect and Aitcheson is a good one, with the physicality and bite to his game the organization loves.
▶ 7. Boston Bruins: Anton Frondell, C, 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, Djurgarden (Sweden) — Strange seeing the Bruins pick so high. They need help at center, and Frondell seems to have a little higher ceiling over a couple other possibilities here.
▶ 8. Seattle Kraken: Caleb Desnoyers, C, 6-foot-1, 178 pounds, Moncton (QMJHL) — A defenseman is certainly a possibility, but the Kraken can’t resist a prolific offensive player who is an excellent skater and enjoys the defensive part of the game.
▶ 9. Buffalo Sabres: Roger McQueen, C, 6-foot-5, 195 pounds Brandon (WHL) — The Sabres might be willing to gamble and select McQueen, who has the size and talent organizations love but is coming off a back injury that might scare teams away.
▶ 10. Anaheim Ducks: Radim Mrtka, D, 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, Seattle (WHL) — The Ducks have great depth organizationally up front, and getting a smooth, big skater like Mrtka would balance things out for an up-and-coming franchise.
▶ 11. Pittsburgh Penguins: Brady Martin, C, 6-foot, 180 pounds, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) — If Martin is available you’d have to think the Penguins would be pleased, having an opportunity to add an intense, two-way center with the ability to play a variety of roles.
▶ 12. New York Rangers: Jack Nesbitt, C, 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Windsor (OHL) — The Rangers badly need quality prospects, and particularly at center. Nesbitt has the size, edge and shut-down ability to be an important player in the future.
▶ 13. Detroit Red Wings: Justin Carbonneau, RW, 6-foot-1, 191 pounds Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL) — There are several quality possibilities here, but Carbonneau is tantalizing because of his power game, elite shot and defensive ability. He had 46 goals and 43 assists in 62 games this past season.
▶ 14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Lynden Lakovic, LW, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Moose Jaw (WHL) — Columbus has drafted some promising centers lately, and Lakovic would be a nice fit. Lakovic has length and a dangerous shot.
▶ 15. Vancouver Canucks: Victor Eklund, RW, 5-foot-11, 161 pounds, Djurgarden (Sweden) — The size is a mild concern, but Eklund never stops going on the ice and has shown a willingness to engage physically. He was impressive playing against older competition this season. Don’t be surprised if the Wings snap him up at No. 13, either.
▶ 16. Montreal Canadiens (from Calgary): Carter Bear, LW, 6-foot, 180 pounds, Everett (WHL) — Bear suffered an Achilles injury that shortened his season but not before scoring 40 goals in 56 games and getting rave reviews for his coachability and hockey instincts.
▶ 17. Montreal Canadiens: Jackson Smith, D, 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Tri-City (WHL) — Smith is projected to go a bit higher, so if he falls to the Canadiens, this would be a heck of an evening of adding more talent.
▶ 18. Calgary Flames (from New Jersey): Cole Reschny, C, 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Victoria (WHL) — The Flames wouldn’t mind adding more size but Reschny has too much offensive potential, especially at this point of the draft, to pass up.
▶ 19. St. Louis Blues: Cameron Reid, D, 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, Kitchener (OHL) — Reid has the skating and puck-moving ability that the Blues are largely missing in their organization.
▶ 20. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Minnesota): Will Horcoff, C, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Michigan (NCAA) — With his size and instincts, the Blue Jackets can’t resist adding the son of Red Wings assistant GM Shawn Horcoff. William has a ton of potential.
▶ 21. Ottawa Senators, Blake Fiddler, D, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Edmonton (WHL) — Fiddler has the size and grit to be a nice addition for Ottawa this late in the first round.
▶ 22. Philadelphia Flyers (from Colorado): Braeden Cootes, C, 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Seattle (WHL) — Cootes plays the agitating game the Flyers love, plus he has shown an ability to create offense.
▶ 23. Nashville Predators (from Tampa Bay): Milton Gastrin, C, 6-foot, 185 pounds, Modo (Sweden) — With Gastrin’s versatility and leadership qualities, he’s too good not to take a flyer on at this juncture.
▶ 24. Los Angeles Kings, Logan Hensler, D, 6-foot-2, 192 pounds, Wisconsin (NCAA) — Many mock drafts have this mobile defenseman higher, so if he falls here, it’s a coup for new GM Ken Holland.
▶ 25. Chicago Blackhawks (from Toronto): Cameron Schmidt, RW, 5-foot-7, 161 pounds, Vancouver (WHL) — Schmidt is small, but he knows how to score and at this part of the draft you look to add talent. This is a worthwhile gamble for an organization looking to rebuild.
▶ 26. Nashville Predators (from Vegas via San Jose): Henry Brzustewicz, D, 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, London (OHL) — Nashville adds a mobile, offensive-minded defenseman to a fruitful first-round haul.
▶ 27. Washington Capitals: Daniil Prokhorov, LW, 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Dynamo St. Petersburg (Russia) — The Capitals have had success with Russian players and this one would be the first off the board in the first round.
▶ 28. Winnipeg Jets: Sascha Boumedienne, D, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Boston University (NCAA) — He might go higher, as he’s gotten much attention lately, but Boumedienne is an elite offensive defenseman who’ll add depth to an organization.
▶ 29. Carolina Hurricanes: Malcolm Spence, LW, 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Erie (OHL) — Spence plays the hard-nose, in-your-face, type of game that would fit well with the Hurricanes.
▶ 30. San Jose Sharks (via Dallas): Benjamin Kindel, RW, 5-foot-10, 176 pounds, Calgary (WHL) — A great skater with great vision on the ice, Kindel would add to the Sharks’ stable of talented young forwards.
▶ 31. Philadelphia Flyers (via Edmonton) or Calgary (via Florida): Joshua Ravensbergen, 6-foot-5, 190 pounds, G, Prince George (WHL) — Either organization would be on the lookout for a prime goaltending prospect and Ravensbergen projects as the best.
▶ 32. Philadelphia (via Edmonton) or Calgary (via Florida): Bill Zonnon, LW, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) — A physical, tough-minded winger who would fit well with either organization.
NHL Draft
▶ When: 7 p.m. Friday, June 27 (Round 1) and noon Saturday, June 28 (Rounds 2-7)
▶ TV: Round 1 on ESPN, Rounds 2-7 on NHL Network
▶ Red Wings picks: The Red Wings have nine picks for the 2025 Entry Draft on June 27-28, including their own selections in the first (13th overall), second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds, as well as the New York Rangers’ third-round pick and St. Louis’ seventh-rounder.
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
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