{"id":2037,"date":"2025-04-27T04:12:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T04:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/2037\/"},"modified":"2025-04-27T04:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T04:12:09","slug":"u18-worlds-could-define-next-best-blueliner-for-2025-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/2037\/","title":{"rendered":"U18 Worlds could define next-best blueliner for 2025 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship could go a long way to determining the most coveted blueliner at the 2025 NHL Draft\u2014after Matthew Schaefer<\/a>, of course.<\/p>\n

Despite not playing any hockey since breaking his clavicle while playing for Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, Schaefer topped the FCHockey Spring ranking for the 2025 draft<\/a>\u00a0released near the start of March.<\/p>\n

The likely battle for the right to be the second defender to hear their name called will take center stage from April 23 to May 3 in Texas, with the two likely candidates \u2014 Jackson Smith<\/a> of Canada and Radim Mrtka<\/a> of Czechia \u2014 set to compete for their countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are close in terms of general range for the 2025 draft, for sure,\u201d FCHockey chief scout Donesh Mazloum<\/a> said. \u201cI expect both Smith and Mrtka to be taken within 10 picks of each other in the early-to-mid first round.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breaking Down Radim Mrtka\u2019s Game<\/p>\n

Mrtka,\u00a0no. 9 and no. 2 defenseman in the FCHockey Spring ranking, has the kind of size that NHL teams drool over at 6-foot-6 and 207 pounds.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also got an arsenal of skills that make him an incredibly intriguing prospect for any team needing to add to their defensive prospect pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe uniqueness of Mrtka is the thing that stands out,\u201d FCHockey regional scout Kareem Elshafey<\/a> said. \u201cGiant right-handed defenders who can skate and are able to defend the rush just as well as in-zone coverage aren\u2019t common. Add in some offensive instincts, and he\u2019s an exciting prospect, even though he has more development than the average lottery pick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 17-year-old, who has three points (one goal, two assists) in three games for Czechia at the U18 Worlds, had a productive first season as he transitioned to North American hockey. Making the move from playing at the junior level in Czechia in 2023-24 to Seattle in the Western Hockey League in 2024-25, after a brief pro tour back home, didn\u2019t seem to faze the blueliner.<\/p>\n

Mrtka registered 35 points (three goals, 32 assists)\u00a0 in 43 regular-season games in the WHL to finish fourth among draft-eligible defenders in league scoring, behind Smith, Will Sharpe<\/a>, and Jonas Woo<\/a>. He added another three points, all assists, in six playoff games while taking 12 shots on goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really value Mrtka\u2019s level of involvement in all areas of the ice,\u201d Mazloum said. \u201cIt speaks to the intelligence he brings to the game to best maximize his impressive physical tools. He is always impactful with his ability to read the play and get involved. He has true shutdown potential without the puck-moving limitations of a pure defensive defenseman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breaking Down Jackson Smith\u2019s Game<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s production\u00a0 jumps off the page more than Mrtka\u2019s. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound defender potted 54 points (11 goals, 43 assists) in 68 regular-season games with Tri-City. He added another three points (one goal, two assists) in five postseason appearances.<\/p>\n

Smith, no. 15 in FCHockey\u2019s Spring rankings, finished behind Schaefer, Mrtka, and the University of Wisconsin\u2019s Logan Hensler<\/a> as the fourth-ranked defender in the draft class.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor better and sometimes for worse, Smith plays a high-event game,\u201d Elshafey said. \u201cHe\u2019s a flawless skater who can carry the puck and jump into the play when presented the opportunity. Defensively, he\u2019s a much more polished rush defender currently with better decision making needed in his own zone along with being harder to play against more consistently. I have an easy time seeing Smith being a top-four, all-situations blueliner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where Smith, who has two goals in two games for Canada, really makes his mark is with his skating ability, which is near the top of this year\u2019s draft group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe easy answer is his skating stride, as I think it\u2019s the best in the region and one of the best in the entire draft class,\u201d Mazloum said about what he appreciates in Smith\u2019s game. \u201cAt his best, he patrols the back end with effortless mobility, showing agility and power in all directions. I sometimes question his decision-making, but he has the explosiveness and pace to make up for mistakes, whether his own or a teammate\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressure is on at the U18 Worlds<\/p>\n

Playing for Canada will always increase the eyeballs on a player, and with it come bigger expectations.<\/p>\n

As the highest-ranked draft-eligible defender on the roster, Smith will have a chance to prove his status with a big tournament in a potential last showing in Texas before the draft in June.<\/p>\n

As such, there\u2019s more pressure on Smith than Mrtka to push his draft stock as high as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think purely from a role perspective, Smith\u2019s performance will be more illuminating for scouts, and therefore he will have more to lose \u2014 but I also think more to gain,\u201d Mazloum said. \u201cHis ability to rise to the occasion and lead the Canadian defense corps will dictate whether NHL teams see him as potentially the second-best defenseman available in this draft.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship could go a long way to determining the most coveted blueliner at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[462],"tags":[1257,5,471,686,374,4,465,466,672],"class_list":{"0":"post-2037","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl-draft","8":"tag-donesh-mazloum","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-jackson-smith","11":"tag-kareem-elshafey","12":"tag-matthew-schaefer","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-nhl-draft","15":"tag-nhl-entry-draft","16":"tag-radim-mrtka"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/114407980645874385","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}