General | 6/26/2025 9:50:39 AM


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As the 2025 NHL Draft approaches, we’re taking a look at some of the league’s top prospects at each position. Having looked at the top forwards and top defensemen, we turn to the goal crease for the top picks. 
 

Bjorn Bronas – Sioux City Musketeers

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Shoots: Left

HT: 6’1

WT: 192

College Commitment: Minnesota State

NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 23

Year-In-Review

Bronas was one of the USHL’s youngest goaltenders as the Chicago Mission product turned 18 in late February. However, that age never served as a deterrent, and Bronas helped the Musketeers finish fourth in the Western Conference.

Bronas made 25 regular-season appearances and earned an invite to the Chipotle All-American Game. The Minnesota State commit went 9-7-2-5 with a .894 save percentage and 3.12 GAA during the regular season, and he’ll look to take another step for the Musketeers in 2025-26.

“To come in here as an 07 goalie and not only handle himself as well as he did but perform how he did too, I think that’s impressive,” said head coach Jason Kersner. “I thought as the season progressed he just continued to get better and better, and he looked more comfortable and confident. And he’s so good structurally and he’s such a competitive kid. So we’ve got the utmost confidence knowing we’ve got Bjorn to build around back there next year and we’re obviously excited for him heading into (the draft).”

Kam Hendrickson – Waterloo Black Hawks

Hometown: Chanhassen, Minnesota

Catches: Right

HT: 6’0

WT: 175

College Commitment: UConn

NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 21

Year-In-Review

Hendrickson burst onto the USHL scene at the end of the 2023-24 season, going 4-1-0 and making 194 of 210 possible saves. He returned to Omaha last fall for his first full USHL campaign. However, the UConn commit found himself playing for an Omaha club that struggled mightily. Despite the lack of help in front of him, Hendrickson posted a .918 save percentage and 2.58 GAA for the Lancers. He went 3-6-2 with two of those wins coming in shutout fashion.

Hendrickson was traded to Waterloo on Dec. 31 and debuted on Jan. 4. He won six of his first seven starts, ultimately going 10-6-1 with an .881 save percentage and 2.66 GAA. Hendrickson had his season cut short in early April and did not appear in the playoffs.

“The biggest thing with Kam is he’s such a competitor, and he finds ways to make saves that other people wouldn’t,” said head coach Matt Smaby, who was recently named associate head coach at North Dakota. “So when you mix that compete level with his athleticism and natural ability, I think he’s got a pretty exciting future ahead of him, and he’s only going to continue developing. But I think the other thing with Kam is his character, and he’s such a great kid. He handled the trade really well when he first got here and then he was hurt heading into the playoffs, but he showed up to the rink every day with a smile on his face and found ways to contribute even when he wasn’t in the lineup. So I’m just really proud of the way he handled himself and I can’t speak highly enough about him as both a goalie and a person.”

Jack Parsons – Chicago Steel

Hometown: Cortland, New York

Catches: Left

HT: 6’3

WT: 194

College Commitment: Providence

NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 10

Year-In-Review

Parsons came to Chicago after two years at the NTDP. He played in 23 USHL games during the 2022-23 season with the U17 club and 14 in 2023-24 (U18s). Parsons went 18-11-2-1 over those two seasons and made 848 of 966 possible saves in USHL play, yet he returned for another year of junior hockey.

Parsons won his first two games with the Steel and made 83 of 87 possible saves. However, Parsons won just one of his next 13 and the Steel entered a funk. He got back on track in late January and put together a solid second half. Parsons went 7-3-1-1 from Jan. 31-March 23 and finished the year with a 3.49 GAA and .903 save percentage.

“I think Jack has good size for a goalie and he moves well, and I was so impressed with his consistency and approach,” said head coach Mike Garman, who was recently named associate head coach at Notre Dame. “I think he’d be the first one to tell you he wasn’t really happy with how his second year at (the NTDP) went and honestly, I wasn’t really sure what we were going to get. But in my opinion, he had a fantastic year. For the most part, he gave us a chance to win every night and I know there were some ups and downs, but I thought Jack did a great job and relied on his great habits. He’s someone that works really hard, both on the technical side of his game and just in general at practice and in the weight room, and I thought he prepared the right way every day.”

Michal Pradel – Tri-City Storm

Hometown: Dolny Kubin, Slovakia

Catches: Left

HT: 6’4

WT: 195

College Commitment: N/A

NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 3

Year-In-Review

The Slovakian goaltender gave Tri-City a mid-February boost in the crease. Pradel made his USHL debut on Feb. 14 and went 9-4-0 for the Storm, which included a five-game win streak (Feb. 15-March 2). He finished the regular season with a 2.41 GAA and .899 save percentage, stopping 294 of the 327 shots he saw.

Pradel made one more start in the playoffs and made 34 saves in a 2-1 loss at Waterloo (April 14). At 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, Pradel offers teams good size. He skates well too and just turned 18 in March.

“He’s a relentless worker, a tireless worker and someone who always wants to get better,” said head coach Marco Trevino. “He’s always in the gym, he’s always on the ice and he does every goalie session he can, and he’s just eager to learn. So whoever takes Michal is getting a really good prospect. He’s a good kid and obviously a big, athletic and talented goaltender, and we’re really excited for him.”

About the USHL
 
The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 member clubs are committed to being the world’s leading 16–20-year-old junior hockey league. During the 2024-25 season, USHL alumni held over 50% of NCAA Division I roster spots, and over 25% of NHL players had USHL experience. With 10 first-round selections and 49 total picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, the USHL has developed the most draft choices of any junior hockey league since 2012.
 
Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league’s player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 92% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel), Matthew Knies (Tri-City Storm), Adam Fantilli (Chicago Steel) and Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede). More.