News Blackhawks Team Notes

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks Offseason Road Map: Key Dates, Awards, Deadlines, More

The 2024-25 regular season came to a close last night for the Chicago Blackhawks, which means we’re on to the offseason. There might not be Blackhawks games for us to discuss, but the hockey world continues moving around us.

So let’s go ahead and move on to the offseason, before the Blackhawks players, coaches and general manager Kyle Davidson have their exit interviews internally and with the media. There’s a lot coming this summer for the Hawks, with signing a new head coach at the top of the list. The draft, free agency and some internal personnel decisions will all impact the short and long term of the Blackhawks’ rebuild.

Here’s a full checklist of the key dates to add to your calendars for the Blackhawks this summer.

• This week — NHL Central Scouting releases its final prospect rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft

• May 5-6* — 2025 NHL Draft Lottery (date to be finalized)

• May 18-25 — 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship

• June 1-7 — 2025 NHL Scouting Combine (LECOM Harborcenter, Buffalo, N.Y.)

• June 15** — Deadline for first club-elected salary arbitration notification (4 PM CT)
  ** — later of June 15 or 48 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final

• June 23 — last possible day of Stanley Cup Final

• TBA — 2025 NHL Awards

• June 27-18 — 2025 NHL Draft (Los Angeles)

• TBA — Blackhawks Development Camp (following draft)

• July 1 — Free agency begins (11 AM CT)

• July 5 — Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration notification (4 PM CT)

• July 6 — Deadline for second club-elected salary arbitration notification (4 PM CT)

For more information on the arbitration process, check out this page at PuckPedia.

• July 20 – Aug. 4 — Salary arbitration hearings held

• Aug. 6 — Deadline for salary arbitration decisions to be rendered

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...n-road-map-key-dates-awards-deadlines-more-2/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Let’s Break Down the Blackhawks Youth Movement From the 2024-25 Season

This morning I sat back and thought about the current state of the Chicago Blackhawks for a few minutes. The international media continues to say things like the Canadiens losing to the second-worst team in hockey is unacceptable and the Jets took their foot off the gas against a terrible Blackhawks team. There are still comments made and podcasts that will waste time telling us that the centerpiece of the rebuild is unhappy and there isn’t hope in Chicago.

If you watched the last few weeks of the Blackhawks’ regular season, you know that’s far from reality.

And I came to the conclusion that the last time I felt like this about the Blackhawks heading into an offseason was probably 2008.

For the last three years, Blackhawks fans have been sold on the idea of hope — that the organ-I-zation was stockpiling prospects and draft capital to overhaul the depth of the system and build a pipeline from scratch that was going to make the team successful again. I’ve been one of those that has begged for patience along the long, painful road of the rebuild.

That patience is now starting to pay dividends.

I’ve noted this before but it bears repeating: since becoming the permanent general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Kyle Davidson has made 30 picks in the NHL draft. He has now signed 15 of those players, and seven have appeared in an NHL game. Those are terrific ratios on the surface, but we’re still going to ask what those players are worth and how they look when they get to the NHL.

Well, now we have some results. There are performances and statistics for us to consider from those three draft classes (and a few before that). The youth movement has started to arrive in Chicago, and the hope that was focused on somewhere down the road is now tangible. We have seen a handful of young guys play in the league, and they’ve been good. Really good.

So let’s take a minute to take a step back now that the 2024-25 season is officially in the books and digest what the under-23 group of players have shown us at the NHL level thus far. I’m keeping this to under-23 so you won’t get anything on Alex Vlasic or Spencer Knight here. And I’m not going to include Ryan Greene yet because he only skated in two NHL games and I want to focus our discussion on what we saw at the NHL level this season.

#Blackhawks power play goal

Connor Bedard
Tyler Bertuzzi, Sam Rinzel

pic.twitter.com/0e6G2ljVpt

— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) April 16, 2025

Connor Bedard​

• 2024-25 Stats: 82 games played, 23 goals, 44 assists, 67 points

There will still be haters who will go out of their way to say Bedard isn’t living up to the hype. They might point to his 38.6 career faceoff percentage to date. They might want to continue to point to his plus-minus. That’s all fine. If you take a step back and wrap his two seasons in some context — especially considering the number of linemates with whom he’s skated in two years — there’s plenty to be excited about. When you’re reminded he’s still only 19, it’s pretty damn impressive.

Let’s throw a little context on Bedard’s two seasons in the NHL. Since 2000-01, the players who have produced more than Bedard’s 128 points (in 150 games) as a teenager: Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos and Patrik Laine. That’s it. That’s the entire list. The players with a better point-per-game rate (Bedard: 0.85) as a teenager over the same time period (min. 20 games played): Crosby, Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini, Patrick Kane, Stamkos and Laine. And Celebini has only done it for the one season (63 games). The only teenager in Blackhawks history with more points before turning 20: Eddie Olczyk — who beat him by one (129).

Bedard is still getting better. He’s still physically growing. He’s still maturing. And he’s learning. Since March 4, Bedard has won 46.1 percent of his faceoffs. He’s 50 percent at the dot in the neutral zone over those 21 games. There are areas that he needs to work on. If you’ve paid attention at all, one thing we don’t have to worry about with Bedard is working on his game. And the reinforcements are no longer “coming soon.” Many of them are already here.

Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Frank Nazar​

• 2024-25 Stats: 53 games played, 12 goals, 14 assists, 26 points

Since Nazar made his initial NHL appearance this season on Dec. 14, only four rookies have more than Nazar’s 10 even-strength goals: Cutter Gauthier, Marco Kasper, Jiri Kulich and Matvei Michkov. Only Kasper and Jackson Blake have more than Nazar’s two game-winning goals. He leads all rookies with two short-handed points and only three rookies scored a short-handed goal this season.

NHL Edge tells us his speed is elite:

Nazar won 44.6 percent of his faceoffs for the season. That goes up to 45.6 since March 1. And only three rookies have scored more than Nazar’s six even-strength goals since March 1. He’s contributing now on both special teams and generating chances. He was was credited with 35 blocked shots and 30 hits this season as well. According to Natural Stat Trick, Nazar generated 43 individual High Danger Chances at 5-on-5 in his 53 appearances. The four Blackhawks who generated more for the entire season all played in at least 78 games. Tyler Bertuzzi had seven more in almost 400 more minutes of ice time at 5-on-5.

Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Sam Rinzel​

• 2024-25 Stats: 9 games played, 5 assists, 5 points

The sample size isn’t enormous, but Rinzel averaged 23:22 per game in his nine appearances — the highest average on the roster (excluding the defenseman traded to Florida). He put 22 shots on net and picked up three power play assists in his limited run in the NHL after a stellar season at Minnesota.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blackhawks’ expected Goals For with Rinzel on the ice at 5-on-5 was 7.6 — in only 165:46 of ice time. He had the second-best Corsi For percentage on the roster (behind Ethan Del Mastro).

Rinzel came in right out of college and assumed the top spot on the right side of the blue line on the depth chart and didn’t blink. He’s now running the top power play unit as well. His skating is terrific. His puck moving skills are NHL caliber. There are still going to be growing pain moments, but he’s an NHL player.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Oliver Moore​

• 2024-25 Stats: 9 games played, 4 assists, 4 points

The Blackhawks didn’t push Moore into the same level of role they did with Rinzel as quickly; Moore averaged only 13:35 per game in his NHL appearance this season. In that role, we didn’t get many chances to see his all-world speed, but we did get to see him play a smart, 200-foot game and he was able to generate some offense as well.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the only forwards with a better Corsi For percentage at 5-on-5 than Moore (46.32) — other than Ryan Greene (in two games) — were Ilya Mikheyev and Teuvo Teräväinen. The Blackhawks gave him a little run on the power play and penalty kill, but identifying his style of play and speed led to him seeing over three minutes of overtime ice time. The package of speed and defensive awareness in Moore, Nazar and Mikheyev could give the Blackhawks an absolutely lethal set of options on the PK and in overtime next year.

Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Ethan Del Mastro​

• 2024-25 Stats: 24 games played, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points

I’ve been higher on Del Mastro than lots of folks since he was drafted; there were questions about how high I had him in my prospect rankings over the past couple years. He’s been a captain in junior, wore an A for Canada at the World Juniors and was an AHL All-Star in his first professional season for Rockford last year.

This season, Del Mastro came up and played well in the NHL. He averaged 18:19 per game and showed the physical elements of his game that he was known for when the Blackhawks drafted him in the fourth round (No. 105 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft.

There were questions about his ability to move the puck and skate when he was drafted. He’s answered those, working hard to be better in every aspect of his game. He showed an ability to stay calm under pressure and move the puck up the ice this season, even with the constantly evolving roster around him.

I’m confident now that he can be a top-four player on the left side of the Blackhawks’ blue line for years to come. It will be interesting to see how the Blackhawks set up their blue line to open training camp next year with Del Mastro and the younger guys on the blue line. Which feels crazy to write because Del Mastro won’t turn 23 until the middle of January.

Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Artyom Levshunov​

• 2024-25 Stats: 18 games played, 6 assists, 6 points

Again, a reminder: Levshunov won’t turn 20 until we’re three weeks into the 2025-26 season (Oct. 28). He came into the NHL this season and skated an average of 20:19 per game as a teenager. He was initially handed the keys to the top power play unit, and there were growing pains — there are going to be tough moments for a teenager on the blue line. But he showed well.

We also need to keep in mind that this was not only Levshunov’s first professional season, but his path to the NHL has been so fast. He played 46 games for a U18 team in Belarus three years ago, 62 games for Green Bay in the USHL and then 38 games for Michigan State before he was drafted. This year he spent 50 games with Rockford before coming up to the NHL.

The Blackhawks love how quickly he adapts and how much he learns and implements things into his game, as evidenced by the trajectory of his career path. And, with Rinzel now in the NHL with him, the pressure is off him to be a savoir on the blue line.

Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Kevin Korchinski​

• 2024-25 Stats: 16 games played, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points

Korchinski spent most of this season in the AHL, where he not only represented the IceHogs in the AHL All-Star Classic but was named the MVP of the event. He averaged just 17:05 on the ice in the NHL this season, down almost three minutes per night from his workload as a 19-year-old in 76 games last year.

Defensemen take time to develop, and he was rushed into the NHL last year because there was nothing left for him to prove in junior. The best thing for Korchinski at this stage in the rebuild: he is no longer being asked to come up and save the blue line. He doesn’t need to “save the power play” and he doesn’t have to skate heavy minutes. The Blackhawks’ depth on the back end is going to benefit Korchinski in the coming years.

His skating is still exceptional and his puck moving has improved. He knows he needs to get stronger, but let’s all keep in mind that he doesn’t turn 21 until June 21. There are still plenty of reasons to be excited about the ceiling for Korchinski. And now there shouldn’t be as much pressure for him to reach that potential faster.

John Jones-Imagn Images

Nolan Allan​

• 2024-25 Stats: 43 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points

Let’s not sleep on the role Allan could play for the Blackhawks in the coming years. He’s played both sides of the blue line well at both the NHL and AHL levels. And it’s kinda wild that only eight rookie defensemen have more points than Allan still today even though he didn’t appear in an NHL game after Feb. 25.

Allan piled up 48 blocked shots and 61 hits while averaging 15:08 on the ice in the NHL this season. Like Del Mastro, he was a captain in junior and won gold with Canada at the World Juniors. He’s a classic shut-down defenseman who rarely looked rushed while he was in the NHL this season — and he doesn’t turn 22 until April 28.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Landon Slaggert​

• 2024-25 Stats: 33 games played, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points

Slaggert’s the “old man” here because he turns 23 on June 25. After making a strong first impression in the NHL at the end of last season, he began the year in Rockford and earned the call-up in the middle of the season. He slotted into a bottom-six role and averaged only 12:18 per game. But he was one of two rookies (with Nazar) to score a game-winning goal for the Blackhawks this season.

Slaggert is yet another player who was a leader before moving to the pro ranks; he was the captain at Notre Dame last year. His skating is NHL caliber and his shot is actually better than I think many expected; NHL Edge has his hardest shot at 89.53 mph, which ranked in the 75th percentile in the league. Slaggert was also credited with 25 hits and 13 blocked shots this season and averaged 46 seconds per game of penalty kill time.

There might not be as much flash in his game as some of the other forwards in the system, but he goes to the dirty areas and grinds.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Wyatt Kaiser​

• 2024-25 Stats: 57 games played, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points

Kaiser’s season got off to a delayed start because of a health scare at the start of training camp but he settled in and showed that he’s an NHL defender. He skated 18:07 per game of which he averaged 1:34 per game on the penalty kill. He finished the season third on the roster with 93 blocked shots and was also credited with 54 hits.

He can skate and move the puck but is also willing to give up his body to keep the puck away from the net. But Kaiser is the biggest unknown on this list heading into the summer because he’s a restricted free agent. He’ll turn 23 on the last day of July and has taken big steps forward with every aspect of his game.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...hawks-youth-movement-from-the-2024-25-season/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson Talks Coaching Search

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson spoke with the media to close the books on the 2024-25 NHL season on Thursday. He spoke about a number of topics for a long time on Thursday, but there were a few core areas that were discussed. Rather than try to unpack the entire conversation in a single post, I decided to break things up a bit and focus on a few areas of interest.

Let’s start with Davidson’s comments about the Blackhawks summer search for a new permanent head coach. After relieving Luke Richardson of his job on Dec. 5, Anders Sorensen led the Blackhawks to a 15-20-9 record (.361 point percentage).

Here’s what we learned from GMKD about the Blackhawks’ search today:

• Have the Blackhawks interviewed anyone formally already?

No. “That’s something we’re going to do moving forward but we wanted to get through the season, so nothing that we’ve been sitting down with people formally or anything like that.”

• When will the Blackhawks have their new head coach in place?

Davidson said ideally the Blackhawks would like to have that person installed before the draft and free agency. While he wouldn’t put a timeline on the process, he did say he wants to get after it much sooner than they did last time they went through an offseason coach search.

“I was calling around for permissions on candidates at the [NHL Draft] Combine,” Davidson said. “That’s too far down the road for me. I’d like to get a much quicker start than I did last time around.”

• Will the next Blackhawks head coach have NHL experience?

“That’s something we’ve discussed a lot and the value of that — and I believe there is value in that,” Davidson said. “But what we’ve probably come to the conclusion on is it’s not the end all, be all. It is certainly a feather in a candidate’s cap and you can’t deny that, that type of experience and they’ve traveled that road before and there’s something of value there. But it’s not necessarily something that we would consider mandatory if another candidate didn’t have that but felt like a good fit for us. So, again, it’s something that is certainly of value. … It’s not something that we’re going to use as a filter to rule people in or out with.”

• And… what about Anders Sorensen?

Davidson said they’ve had the longest, extended look at any candidate thus far in the process with Sorensen (obviously). Whether he gets the permanent head coach job in Chicago or not, Davidson said they want to find a place for him in the organization moving forward.

“I don’t know what the future’s going to hold, I don’t know where it’s going to go and I don’t want to disqualify him in talking about any other roles. The one thing I will say is, we hold great value in Anders,” Davidson said. “If the coaching search doesn’t go in his favor, he’s going to be part of our organization. We want him as part of the organization, no matter what. So right now, that’s under consideration as the head coach and anything after that we’ll figure out until then. But right now he’s a candidate for our head coaching position. We love Anders. He’s been part of the organization for some time, he’s a great hockey mind, he’s a great person and those are the type of people we want in our organization.”

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...hawks-gm-kyle-davidson-talks-coaching-search/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

Blackhawks Prospect Sacha Boisvert Makes Transfer to Boston University Official

It was surprising when Blackhawks prospect Sacha Boisvert, the 18th overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, entered the transfer portal after being named the NCHC Freshman of the Year. Leaving North Dakota, even with a coaching change, was big news in the college hockey world.

There was wide speculation that he was going to transfer to Boston University, which has an opening for a center on their top line with Ryan Greene going pro and joining the Blackhawks for the final two games of the 2024-25 regular season after three straight trips to the Frozen Four.

On Thursday night, Boisvert made it official with a video on his Instagram account. BU it is!

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by Sacha Boisvert (@sachaboisvert_)​

Boisvert led North Dakota with 18 goals and added 14 assists in 37 games as a freshman this past season.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...makes-transfer-to-boston-university-official/

 

[Chicago Blackhawks]

2025 NHL Mock Draft: Two-Round, Playoffs Begin Projections

The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin today! Which, as Blackhawks fans, means it’s the perfect time to… think about the future with an updated mock draft! Hopefully we’ll be able to swap draft conversations with playoff previews sooner than later, but at this point it’s still lottery time for Chicago.

Earlier this week, NHL Central Scouting released their final prospect rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft. There was a lot of movement, which I considered when putting together this mock draft. There are a lot of analysts and scouts who have varying grades on prospects and NHL Central Scouting isn’t the final list any team will use, but it is a good indicator of how players’ values are climbing or sliding.

Click here to see the final standings for the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery — the top 16 picks in this mock draft are locked until the lottery takes place (either May 5 or 6).

Before the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, here’s our latest run at how the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft might play out this summer.

2025 NHL Mock Draft — First Round​

1. San Jose Sharks — Matthew Schaefer, LHD
6-2, 183
Shoots: Left

Schaefer is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class, and he would be a great addition to the Sharks’ pipeline. If their top four includes Schaefer and Sam Dickinson, San Jose’s second pick in the first round last year, they’re in great shape on the back end. The Sharks are one of the teams that owns multiple picks in the first round this year.

2. Chicago Blackhawks — Michael Misa, C/LW
6-1, 184
Shoots: Left

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson reaffirmed this week at his end-of-season media availability that Chicago will pick the best player available on their board with each pick in this year’s draft. Which means, if they win the lottery, they won’t shy away from taking a defenseman if that’s their top-rated player. If the Blackhawks don’t win the lottery and stick at No. 2, this should be an easy call. Misa is a potential 100-point center at the NHL level.

3. Nashville Predators — Anton Frondell, C
6-0, 196
Shoots: Right

Nashville’s Barry Trotz loves him some centers, and there’s now a lot of smoke that Frondell is the top center in this year’s draft after Misa. He had a pro-ready body and plays a strong all-around game. Nashville is loaded with picks this year, so they’ll be back on the clock a few more times in our mock draft.

4. Philadelphia Flyers — Caleb Desnoyers, C
6-1, 178
Shoots: Left

Desnoyers has been climbing rankings over the past couple months and feels like he’s establishing himself as the top prospect whose name could be called in the top five overall. The Flyers have 11 picks in this draft, including a handful in the first two rounds.

5. Boston Bruins — James Hagens, C
5-11, 170
Shoots: Left

This would probably be a dream scenario for Boston: take the two-way center from nearby Boston College or the big, Tkachuk-like winger Porter Martone. I’m going with them staying close to home with Hagens in this mock draft. They won with strength down the middle and desperately need to build there moving forward.

6. Seattle Kraken — Porter Martone, RW
6-3, 208
Shoots: Right

Seattle would undoubtedly be thrilled to be able to pick a player like Martone at No. 6 overall. He’s a big, physical winger who plays with an edge. They’re still trying to build something in Seattle and he would be a nice piece to add to their top six long term.

7. Buffalo Sabres — Radim Mrtka, RHD
6-6, 207
Shoots: Right

I’ve been on Mrtka to Anaheim since I started doing mock drafts this season, but I think his stock has risen enough that he’ll be off the board before the Ducks are on the clock now. Buffalo has a nice collection of young defensemen, but most of them are left-handed. They like size on their back end, too.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins — Jake O’Brien, C
6-2, 172
Shoots: Right

O’Brien is one of the helium prospects in this draft who has really elevated his stock with a strong performance on a stacked Brantford team (including a couple Blackhawks prospects). He has ideal size for an Eastern Conference team looking to add down the middle, and the Penguins need all the offensive help they can get.

9. Anaheim Ducks — Roger McQueen, C
6-5, 197
Shoots: Right

The Ducks picking here without Mrtka on the board complicates their board in my mock draft. McQueen is a fascinating prospect to project because he missed this season because of injury. The old saying is you can’t teach size, and he has that as a center. I think he’ll slide out of the top five now, but how far is the big question.

10. New York Islanders — Carter Bear, LW
6-0, 179
Shoots: Left

Bear has been a hot name in draft rankings since the start of the calendar year. He has decent size and has a game that scouts love. The Islanders just need to start finding better/more frequent ways to put the puck in the net and Bear would help them accomplish that goal (pun intended).

11. New York Rangers — Jackson Smith, LHD
6-3, 195
Shoots: Left

By virtue of ending up 11th in the lottery standings, the Rangers will retain their first-round pick in 2025 and send their first in 2026 to the Penguins. Smith is a really good blue line prospect who might be viewed as an eventual replacement for K’Andre Miller for the Rangers.

12. Detroit Red Wings — Victor Eklund, RW
5-11, 161
Shoots: Right

Eklund is a solid all-around forward who could go anywhere between 7-14. We’ll see what Steve Yzerman has up his sleeve this summer after missing the playoffs again, but this feels like a Detroit-type pick and player.

13. Utah Hockey Club — Kashawn Aitcheson, LHD
6-1, 196
Shoots: Left

The Utes have a nice collection of young forwards they’re building around. They made some strides to bolster their back end with veterans last summer, but injuries are a big reason they’re in the lottery this year. This is a solid prospect to help build their pipeline on the blue line in our mock draft.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets — Justin Carbonneau, RW
6-1, 191
Shoots: Right

The Blue Jackets overcame so much this season to get close to the playoffs that it stinks they’re in the lottery again this year. But the benefit of that is being able to pick another good forward to help them build a playoff team into the future.

15. Vancouver Canucks — Brady Martin, C
6-0, 178
Shoots: Right

The Canucks are a hot mess right now. They have holes to fill, the potential of moving forward without free agent Brock Boeser and they need to add center depth after trading JT Miller this season. Martin is the best player on my board to help them here.

16. Montreal Canadiens (from CGY) — Lynden Lakovic, LW
6-4 , 190
Shoots: Left

The Habs have consecutive picks in this mock draft and I have them using the first on a big winger who can skate.

17. Montreal Canadiens — Logan Hensler, RHD
6-2, 192
Shoots: Right

With consecutive picks, the Habs can get creative. Hensler is the second right-handed defenseman on most boards and has solid size to help their blue line eventually. Splitting their picks between a forward and defense makes sense.

18. Calgary Flames (from NJ) — Malcolm Spence, LW
6-1, 203
Shoots: Left

The Flames kinda lose twice in the draft this year. They didn’t make the playoffs, so they’re in the lottery. But they traded their own first-round pick to the Canadiens, so they’re two spots lower in the draft (for now). Spence would be a nice addition to their pipeline if New Jersey’s pick stays here.

19. St. Louis Blues — Sascha Boumedienne, LHD
6-1, 175
Shoots: Left

St. Louis flew up the standings after making their coaching change in the middle of the season and will now get a taste of playoff hockey. They still have holes to fill, however. And they need help on the back end. Like the Blues in the standings, Boumedienne is flying up draft boards after a strong freshman season at Boston University. This could be a strong fit.

20. Columbus Blue Jackets (from MIN) — Blake Fiddler, RHD
6-4, 207
Shoots: Right

The son of Vernon Fiddler is a big right-shot defenseman who would be a nice addition to the the Blue Jackets’ pipeline. I have Columbus going with a forward earlier in the first round of this mock draft, so taking a defenseman with good size and strong bloodlines is a good pick here for their future.

21. Ottawa Senators — Joshua Ravensbergen, G
6-5, 195

Ottawa is back in the playoffs, which is exciting. They have a nice NHL roster and good depth in a number of places. With a couple intriguing but somewhat older netminder prospects in their system now, Ravensbergen could be the heir-in-waiting as he develops. He’s the only goaltender with a first-round grade and who expects to be called in the first 32 picks this summer.

22. Calgary Flames (from FLA) — Cameron Reid, LHD
6-0, 175
Shoots: Left

The Flames’ second pick in the first round brings them a potential long-term power play quarterback in Reid, who’s a good skater who has a lethal shot from the point.

23. Carolina Hurricanes — Milton Gästrin, C
6-1, 185
Shoots: Left

Carolina has tried to add size up front via trade the last two years, but both Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen haven’t wanted to sign there. Gästrin can fly and has a strong frame at center. This is a prospect I think the Blackhawks might have circled on their board and might try to move up to get if they feel he might be off the board before their next selection.

24. Philadelphia Flyers (from EDM) — Jack Nesbitt, C
6-4, 185
Shoots: Left

Nesbitt is another prospect whose stock is moving way up the board after a really good season with Windsor in the OHL. And, again, the Flyers have a ton of draft capital this year; they have back-to-back picks in this mock draft so they can take the big center here and look elsewhere with the next pick on the board.

25. Philadelphia Flyers (from COL) — Henry Brzustewicz, RHD
6-1, 194
Shoots: Right

The Flyers’ third pick in the first round adds a dynamic right-handed defenseman in Brzustewicz. They’re still building in Philly and this first round brings them a lot to like moving forward.

26. Nashville Predators (from TB) — Cole Reschny, C
5-10, 187
Shoots: Left

Nashville’s load of picks will add a lot of talent to their pipeline. Reschny has been a polarizing prospect over the past few months; he had a first-round grade earlier from NHL Central Scouting but his stock is all over the board with scouts and analysts. This is a good spot for him to come off the board in our mock draft.

27. Los Angeles Kings — William Moore, C
6-2, 161
Shoots: Left

The Kings will eventually need to find another center for their top six and Moore could be that guy. He has the size the Kings like down the middle and plays a good all-around game.

28. San Jose Sharks (from DAL) — Cullen Potter, C
5-9, 168
Shoots: Left

Potter is arguably the best skater in this draft, but his size makes projecting him as a center in the NHL a tricky proposition. If the Sharks go defense with the first overall pick, taking a forward who can fly would be a nice add here.

29. Chicago Blackhawks (from TOR) — Ryker Lee, RW
6-0, 181
Shoots: Right

The Blackhawks have gone with guys who might have been a little off the board with picks later in the first round in drafts under the current front office, and Lee would fit the profile of players they’ve liked in this range. He’s from Wilmette and played for the Junior Blackhawks ten years ago before attending Shattuck St. Mary’s. Lee scored 31 goals in 58 games for Madison in the USHL this season. He’s committed to Michigan State; the Hawks have liked college players as well.

30. Nashville Predators (from VGK) — Cameron Schmidt, RW
5-8, 152
Shoots: Right

Schmidt is small but he can score, which is why his name comes up in the middle of the first round in some mock drafts. With their third pick in the first round of our mock draft, the Preds can gamble a little on the wing with an undersize guy who knows how to let it rip.

31. Washington Capitals — Ben Kindel, C
5-10, 176
Shoots: Left

Kindel is a better prospect than coming off the board at 31, but his size might be a reason for him to slide. Washington doesn’t have the youngest NHL roster and could look in a number of directions if they’re drafting this late. But the value in Kindel here is too strong to pass for them in our mock draft.

32. Winnipeg Jets — Braeden Cootes, C
6-0, 183
Shoots: Right

Another player who could/should be off the board earlier than this point of the draft, Cootes is a great value play here for the Jets (who might lose Nikolaj Ehlers to free agency). Again, the value is too good to pass at this point in our mock draft.

2025 NHL Mock Draft — Second Round​

33. San Jose Sharks — Carter Amico, RHD
34. Chicago Blackhawks — Mason West, C
35. Nashville Predators — Charlie Trethewey, RHD
36. Philadelphia Flyers — Simon Wang, LHD
37. Washington Capitals (from BOS) — Bill Zonnon, LW
38. Seattle Kraken — Jack Murtagh, C
39. Buffalo Sabres — Nathan Behm, RW
40. Philadelphia Flyers (from ANA) — Ivan Ryabkin, C
41. Montreal Canadiens (from PIT) — Shane Vansaghi, RW
42. New York Islanders — Matthew Gard, C
43. New York Rangers — Jakob Ihs Wozniak, RW
44. Detroit Red Wings — Theo Stockselius, C
45. Philadelphia Flyers (from CBJ) — Alexander Zharovsky, RW
46. Utah Hockey Club — Jack Ivankovic, G
47. Vancouver Canucks — Eddie Genborg, F
48. Philadelphia Flyers (from CGY) — Peyton Kettles, RHD
49. Montreal Canadiens — Luca Romano, C
50. New Jersey Devils — Max Psenicka, RHD
51. Boston Bruins (from STL) — Vaclav Nestrasil, RW
52. Minnesota Wild — Cole McKinney, C
53. San Jose Sharks (from OTT) — Vojtech Cihar, LW
54. Toronto Maple Leafs (from FLA) — Kurban Limatov, LHD
55. Boston Bruins (from CAR) — Conrad Fondrk, LW
56. Anaheim Ducks (from EDM) — Eric Nilson, C
57. Philadelphia Flyers (from COL) — Jacob Rombach, LHD
58. Nashville Predators (from TB) — Ben Kevan, F
59. Tampa Bay Lightning (from LAK) — Ethan Czata, C
60. Chicago Blackhawks (from DAL) — William Horcoff, C
61. Seattle Kraken (from TOR) — Daniil Prokhorov, RW
62. Vegas Golden Knights — Adam Benak, C
63. Pittsburgh Penguins (from WSH) — Heyden Paupanekis, F
64. New Jersey Devils (from WPG) — Kristian Epperson, LW

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blac...k-draft-two-round-playoffs-begin-projections/