2025 NHL Draft: September Watch List

Hey, it's already time for me to be looking at prospects that catch my fancy for the 2025 NHL draft. At this point, the big summer tournament that kicks off the scouting season – the Hlinka Gretzky – has already happened back in August. Related to that, quite a few of the first draft rankings have come out, including Bob McKenzie's first ranking of the year. That's usually what I wait for, before publishing my initial watch list.

So without further ado...

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Is this the strongest draft class since [year]? That gets asked every season, but that usually is specifically asking about two different things. First, is the top 10 of the draft really strong? The truth is that the very top of the draft is usually very strong. The 2015 draft had McDavid, Eichel, Strome, Marner, Hanifin, Provorov, Werenski, Meier, and Rantanen. But there are some off years, like 2012 with Yakupov, Murray, Galchenyuk, Reinhart, Pouliot, and Koekkoek.

The second thing people often mean is, "is this a really deep draft where some guys ranked at the late first/into the second round would be considered borderline top 15 in other years?" or something to that effect. The answer to that every year is that anyone telling you with any certainty, even on draft day itself much less in September, is selling you snake oil. No one knows for sure now, and none of us will really know until a few years down the line when we see how everyone develops. This is because so many of the non-top 10 prospects are all at a stage where they look neat, but they need work. So until we see how much of that work they can do, it's all guessing.

That said, I like picking out common themes that stick out in a draft that have nothing to do with quality. Last year, for example, I said it seemed like the year of the defenseman – even if they didn't have a true star power defender. What they did seem to have is a more than usual amount of interesting projects and depth in the first two rounds.

So what are the themes I've already noticed? Well, I'd say there's four smaller ones, with the first two being something I'm already pretty firm on.

Let's start with one that's the most fun to me - the rise of the Short Kings. There's usually one or two prospects in each draft that are quite short, but very interesting. Logan Stankoven, Alex Debrincat, Cole Caufield, and even last year Teddy Stiga to some extent have all ticked those boxes. Most of them also usually drop to the second round, which is of interest to all of us because this year Toronto doesn't have a pick until that same second round. So who are some of the examples this year? There are three that are already in a lot of first round rankings: Adam Benak (5'7"), who had a great start to the year at the Hlinka Gretzky, and then Cameron Schmidt (5'8") who had a good but not as great Hlinka for Canada, and L.J. Mooney (5'7") on the US National Development team.

Second is the re-arrival of Sweden onto the draft map as a top nation for prospects. The past couple of years being relatively down for them, but this year they have both quality and quantity to fill the first few rounds. Anton Frondell is a top 5 prospect, Jakob Ihs-Wozniak is in most top 15s and some top 10s, and then they had a lot of guys who stood out at the Hlinka who may wind up as first rounders as well.

Finland, on the other hand, is in another down year. They have no players ranked in the first round, and may not even have any ranked in the second round if their Hlinka performance is any indication. Their best prospects this year may come all as goalies. It's honestly been a rough few years for them as a country in hockey.

Speaking of goalies, after a real down year for them last year (and I'd say the past 2-3 years), this year may see a bit of a return for them. Bob's rankings had one guy (Ravensbergen) squeak in his top 20 ranking right at 20th, but there are some others getting pretty strong consideration to start. There's Canada's starter from the Hlinka, Jack Ivankovic. There's a Russian guy fighting for starts with Toronto's own Timofei Obvintsev on Red Army, Pyotr Andreyanov. Then there's a mix of guys already getting some consideration as at least being interesting, though they'll likely wind up as mid round guys.

All that out of the way, here are some of the prospects NOT included in Bob's top 20 ranking who are very interesting to me.

FORWARDS

Adam Benak — A 5'7", 161 lbs forward from Czechia and playing in the USHL this year, Benak has been a minor phenom for his country. Last year he was at a point per game in their U20 junior league as a very short 16 year old, and got into 18 pro games. Internationally, he has played in two Hlinka Gretzky tournaments despite being underaged last year, and has had 10+ points in 5 games in each. He already has 17 points in 8 international games for Czechia in his age group this year. He has most of what you really want smaller guys to have to think they can succeed – he is a very good skater, very skilled with the puck, and smart. If he does well in the USHL this year, rather than in Czechia again, he could be a very interesting option that still falls into the second round.

Cameron Schmidt — A 5'8", 152 lbs forward from Canada and playing in the WHL for Vancouver, Schmidt is coming off a 31 goal, 58 points in 59 games season as a 16 year old last year. Like Benak, he is a very good skater, handles the puck well, and has a natural affinity for scoring goals – meaning he has a good shot but also good sense of timing, positioning, etc. He's a very hard worker on the ice and plays a style that could work as a pro with his level of skill.

L.J. Mooney — Actually the cousin of Logan Cooley, Mooney is another smaller (5'7", 146 lbs) American playing on their National Development team. A lot of scouts are calling him the most talented player for his age group in that program – which is high praise considering the quality of the team. Those same scouts do add the expected "but..." when it comes to his size though. He's a great skater, he has slick hands, a good shot, he works hard, he's smart, he does little things to help play on the ice without the puck to the point he's been used at center in spite of his size, but he's also the smallest of the three. He needs to grow a bit, and very needs to add more muscle/weight. But that will make him an interesting gamble come the second round. Take the talent, and bet that he can grow enough that it works out?

Brady Martin — He's got average size (6'0", 176 lbs) but plays as a complete two way center. He had 4 points in 5 games for Canada at the Hlinka despite being a depth guy, and was used by Canada's coaches in the dying minutes to preserve their lead in the gold medal game. He is coming off 30 points in 63 games for the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL last year. He plays at a high tempo and intense pace, with a Cowan-esque combination of a motor that never stops and an underrated level of physical aggression. He's just smart and plays the friggin game at a high level, but also has some legit skill. His tracking data from last season is very strong, too, suggesting his lack of points is likely down to a combination of low usage and poor luck. Skating may be a minor issue, and so far no one has him ranked as a first rounder despite him getting glowing reviews from the Hlinka. An average sized two-way center may not get a lot of love from scouts if he doesn't also show high end offense this year, but I already think he's my favourite prospect in this draft.

Melvin Novotny — He's the one Swede I picked to mention for now, because I've already seen half a dozen games of his this year between the Hlinka Gretzky tournament. He was a late addition to Sweden's Hlinka roster as an injury replacement, and had 3 points in 4 games as a depth player on their Bronze medal winning team. I've had a chance to see him more than other prospects early on because he was playing pre-season and regular season games on the same junior team as Toronto's Victor Johansson, who I was watching a lot early on. Novotny is the team's top center, and still is one of the top producing forwards on his team and the league despite only playing in five games. He's a 6'1" center who has slick hands, a good shot, and appears to have some two-way potential. He doesn't seem like a very high end guy, so I can see him settling into a second round range, but could push for the first round with a strong season if he earns some SHL minutes.

DEFENSE

Carlos Händel — If Brady Martin became my early favourite forward prospect from his play at the Hlinka, then Carlos Händel is my early favourite defenseman. Does it mean he's the best defenseman? No, he is imperfect but he could be available in the second round depending on how his season goes. Watching him at the Hlinka on a very overmatched German squad, he was pretty clearly their best overall player and had to do a lot on his own. He looked to be a very good skater, could transport the puck by carrying it and passing it, and had some useful offensive skills as well. Defensively he looked okay. I liked some of his plays and his skating can do a lot, but it is something he can work on. He has a bit of size at 6'1" as a right shot defenseman, but is pretty light at 168 lbs. If he adds an inch or two and gets closer to 200 lbs, I think he has the tools to be at least above average defensively but a lot of that is going to have to come through development – that's why he's not a potential first rounder. He's playing this year in the QMJHL for Halifax, so it will be interesting to be able to see more of him in a known competitive level than in Germany.

Sascha Boumedienne — Another more offensively minded defenseman, this one from Sweden, Boumedienne is a bit unique in that he's chosen to go the NCAA route. He's committed to join Boston University this year, which is a top program, and it's not that common for a draft year defenseman to be in the NCAA. He's a 6'2" left shot defenseman who skates well and has a good amount of offensive skill. He had 27 points in 49 games in the USHL last year as a 16 year old. Honestly going into this season I thought he already had enough hype to be someone in Bob's rankings, but he did not make the top 20. But he was held pointless on a pretty strong Swedish team at the Hlinka, and I know some were disappointed by him. I can see why he may wind up being a second rounder, but he does look to have some potential with the tools at his disposal. We'll see how he fares against NCAA competition, as that will determine a lot for his final ranking.

Blake Fiddler — Fiddler is an American/Canadian defenseman, and son of former NHLer Vernon Fiddler. He's a 6'4" right shot defenseman playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL, and was captain for Team USA at the Hlinka – which is usually America's best prospects outside of their NTDP squad. He had a good tournament, with 4 points in 5 games. He has a good mix of skating, size, defensive ability, offensive skill and physicality. He can move the puck well, both with his feet and by passing it – but I'd say he looks better as a puck carrier as of now. He's got a good pair of hands and a good shot, but he doesn't rely on it. He had 15 points in 63 games as a 16 year old defenseman in the WHL last year, which was 4th most among defenders in his age group. With his size and two-way potential, he could put himself into first round territory, but could also wind up as a second rounder with a just okay year.

GOALIES

lol as if

Thanks for reading!

I put a lot of work into my prospect articles here, both for the draft and Toronto's prospects. I do it as a fun hobby for me, and I'd probably do it in some capacity even if PPP completely ceased to exist. But if you like reading my work, some support would go a long way! I pay for a few streaming services (CHL, NCAA, USHL, the occasional TSN options for international tournaments that are broadcast) to be able to reliably watch these prospects in good quality streams. I also pay for some prospect-specific resources, such as tracking data and scouting reports from outlets like Elite Prospects, Future Considerations, McKeen's Hockey, The Athletic, and more.

Being able to get paid for this helps me dedicate more time and resources to it, rather than to second/third jobs. And whatever money I make here, a lot of I reinvest back into my prospect work through in those streaming and scouting services. Like I said, I'd be doing whatever I can afford for this anyway, so any financial help I get through this is greatly appreciated!