The 2025 NHL Entry Draft has finally concluded, bringing an end to what felt like an unnecessarily drawn-out process thanks to the decentralized format. Frankly, any organizational body that voted for this setup deserves a unique `Z` grade for administrative execution. Let us collectively agree that a return to centralization would be a significant upgrade for all involved.
Beyond the logistical peculiarities, the real story of the draft lies in how teams managed their assets and selected the next generation of talent. Evaluating draft performance isn`t merely about who picked first, but the value extracted from each selection relative to its position, how well organizational needs were addressed, and the strategic use of draft capital in trades.
A team with fewer picks might earn a higher grade than one with many if they consistently selected players projected to outperform their draft slot, effectively adding more talent or future value to their organization. Conversely, reaching for a specific player to fill a need, while leaving higher-ranked prospects on the board, could lower a team`s overall score. Trades are also factored in; accumulating value by moving down, or strategically using picks to acquire immediate assets aligned with the team`s timeline, are considered key components of a successful draft weekend.
Here`s an analysis of the teams that appear to have navigated the 2025 draft most effectively based on these criteria.
The Pinnacle: `A` Grades
New York Islanders
Grade: A+
For their Day 1 performance alone, the Islanders warrant the highest possible mark. Securing **Matthew Schaefer** with the first overall pick brings a potential franchise defenseman into the fold – a player whose impact will likely extend beyond the ice into future leadership roles. What truly elevated their grade, however, was the astute handling of the **Noah Dobson** situation; recognizing he wasn`t re-signing, they leveraged the associated assets brilliantly. This allowed them to land the unexpectedly available **Victor Eklund** at pick 16 and a solid, tough-to-play-against defender with offensive upside in **Kashawn Aitcheson** at pick 17. They demonstrated a remarkable ability to not overthink selections, consistently taking high-quality players projected for significant impact.
Day 2 saw General Manager Mathieu Darche continue this trend, adding projectable NHL talent like power forward hopeful **Daniil Prokhorov** (42nd overall) and potential middle-six center **Luca Romano** (74th overall). Late-round picks like **Tomas Poletin** (106th overall) and goaltender **Burke Hood** (170th overall) represent excellent value swings. This draft genuinely has the potential to be a franchise-altering event for the Islanders.
Boston Bruins
Grade: A
The Bruins benefited significantly from how the early picks unfolded, allowing them to snag **James Hagens** at seventh overall. Widely considered a top-three talent in the draft and a future top-line center, Hagens perfectly addresses the Bruins` long-standing need up the middle. Landing a player of his caliber at pick seven represents immense value.
They continued their strong showing on Day 2 with value selections like **William Moore** (51st overall) and **Cooper Simpson** (79th overall), both possessing legitimate NHL upside, albeit requiring further development time. Adding defenseman **Liam Pettersson** (61st overall) further bolstered their prospect pool. It`s a strong possibility that Boston emerges from this draft with four NHL-caliber players, including a potential star centerpiece.
Carolina Hurricanes
Grade: A
Remarkably, the Carolina Hurricanes appear to have done it again, expertly navigating the draft to maximize value. Their trade back with Montreal proved tremendously beneficial, yielding picks used to select promising goaltender **Semyon Frolov** (41st overall) and center **Charlie Cerrato** (49th overall). Frolov`s stock rose throughout the season, and he has the potential to be a key piece in a goaltending tandem. **Ivan Ryabkin** (62nd overall) and **Kurban Limatov** (67th overall) also provided significant value, offering legitimate paths to the NHL, particularly Ryabkin if he finds greater consistency.
Their late-round selections like **Filip Ekberg** (221st overall) and **Viggo Nordlund** (183rd overall) exemplify effective swinging for the fences on smaller, highly skilled wingers with potential scoring upside. While patience is required, the Hurricanes are likely to gain two or three NHL players from this class.
San Jose Sharks
Grade: A
Any draft where a team secures both the consensus best forward, **Michael Misa** (2nd overall), and the consensus best goaltender, **Joshua Ravensbergen** (30th overall), is inherently successful. The potential alone for landing an elite, point-per-game forward and a starting NHL goaltender warrants a high grade. The Sharks didn`t stop there, bolstering their prospect pool across positions. **Simon Wang** (33rd overall), the highest-drafted Chinese-born player, offers intriguing raw ability and size (6-foot-6) with elite skating, representing a high-upside bet.
Selecting **Cole McKinney** (53rd overall) was also excellent value; he projects as a reliable defensive forward with more offensive potential to unlock. San Jose has a real chance to develop four NHL players from this group, headlined by Misa, a two-way center who could become a long-term matchup problem for opponents.
Strong Efforts: `A-` Grades
Anaheim Ducks
Grade: A-
Securing **Roger McQueen** at 10th overall, a player widely seen as having top-five talent, is a significant win for the Ducks. Adding a large, skilled, powerful forward like McQueen further enhances their burgeoning group of young players. If he reaches his ceiling, McQueen could become a unique, dominant force on both ends of the ice.
Their Day 2 selections included valuable picks like **Eric Nilson** (45th overall), a likely reliable bottom-six forward, and **Elijah Neuenschwander** (104th overall), a goaltender who represents a more-than-reasonable late-round gamble. The Ducks effectively added at least two quality NHL prospects and wisely moved **John Gibson**, finally ending the persistent trade speculation. As a small bonus, drafting McQueen and sending him to Disneyland for a photo op with Lightning McQueen showcased a delightful bit of marketing synergy.
Calgary Flames
Grade: A-
The Flames successfully addressed organizational needs, particularly at center, while securing significant value. They drafted **Cole Reschny** (18th overall) and **Theo Stockselius** (54th overall) within their appropriate range, but the value picks of **Cullen Potter** (32nd overall) and **Aiden Lane** (176th overall) significantly boosted their grade. While all require development time, they are reasonable bets to play in the NHL.
Reschny and Potter offer high upside as potential middle-six forwards, with Potter potentially flourishing on the wing. Lane represents a good late-round swing on a late bloomer with bottom-six potential. Calgary`s weekend was marked by extracting considerable value and adding promising young talent across multiple positions.
Detroit Red Wings
Grade: A-
There`s much to appreciate about Detroit`s draft strategy. They likely landed at least two long-term NHL players in **Carter Bear** (13th overall) and **Eddie Genborg** (44th overall). Bear, a projectable two-way winger with high-end playmaking and coveted “hard skill,” was good value in the teens and has top-six potential in a few years. Genborg projects as a complementary middle-six forward who excels with skilled linemates.
Taking a swing on goaltender **Michal Pradel** (75th overall) was a smart move given their prospect depth in net, adding another player with a chance to make it. **Michal Svrcek** (119th overall) in the fourth round is a fan favorite pick due to his speed and competitive nature, offering notable upside. Coupled with the acquisition of **John Gibson** for immediate help, the Red Wings had a productive weekend.
Nashville Predators
Grade: A-
The Predators` draft was something of a mixed bag. While they secured high-end talent, there`s an argument they left even higher-end talent on the board. Betting on **Brady Martin** (5th overall) is understandable given his projected value as a valuable playoff player, but passing on players like James Hagens or Porter Martone, who possess higher offensive ceilings, raises questions about prioritizing elite talent. However, there`s no scenario where Martin isn`t a valuable asset.
Their subsequent picks were strong: **Ryker Lee** (26th overall) offers an elite offensive toolkit and could become a top-six forward if his skating improves. **Cameron Reid** (21st overall) is a solid value pick projected as a quality middle-pairing defenseman. The selections of **Jacob Rombach** (35th overall) and goaltender **Jack Ivankovic** (58th overall) were also commendable, with Ivankovic having the foundation to potentially be the best goalie from this class. The Predators added quality players, even if the top pick decision was debatable.
Philadelphia Flyers
Grade: A-
This draft for the Flyers was certainly… eventful. Needing a center, they opted for **Porter Martone** (6th overall) over James Hagens. While Martone is excellent value at pick six and possesses star potential if his skating improves, the decision felt driven by prioritizing size. Their move to trade up to 12th overall for **Jack Nesbitt** felt like a significant reach, losing pick value to their state rival for a player who projects more as a solid third-line center than a high-impact forward. This decision highlighted a potential overemphasis on size with a lower ceiling.
However, their subsequent Day 2 picks were impressive. Selections like **Carter Amico** (38th overall), **Jack Murtagh** (40th overall), **Shane Vansaghi** (48th overall), and **Matthew Gard** (57th overall) clearly demonstrated a mission to acquire bigger, meaner players – a philosophy that Rick Tocchet will undoubtedly appreciate. The Flyers significantly improved their organizational size and competitive identity, though one can`t help but feel some high-end skill was overlooked.
Seattle Kraken
Grade: A-
The Kraken enjoyed another strong draft weekend, particularly with their initial selections. **Jake O`Brien** (8th overall) is an offensively gifted, playmaking center who projects comfortably into a top-six role. Seattle`s strength down the middle gives them flexibility, whether by moving players to the wing or leveraging this depth in future trades. Their philosophy of consistently drafting the best available player paid off again with **Blake Fiddler** (36th overall), securing a player with first-round talent who projects as a shutdown middle-pairing defenseman early in the second round – excellent value that addresses an organizational need.
Later picks like **Will Reynolds** (68th overall) and **Maxim Agafonov** (134th overall) also possess NHL-caliber traits and were worthwhile swings at their respective positions. Overall, it was another solid draft performance for Seattle, effectively adding talent and addressing needs by sticking to their board.
Winnipeg Jets
Grade: A-
The Jets executed a tidy draft, effectively using their capital to address organizational needs, particularly on a defense prospect pool that was somewhat thin. Adding **Sascha Boumedienne** (28th overall), a mobile defenseman whose defensive game developed significantly, is a smart move; he projects as a quality middle-pairing defender with power play potential if his decision-making improves. **Viktor Klingsell** (156th overall) was a high-value addition in the fifth round, one of the more skilled players available late, with potential middle-six upside if he adds strength.
Selections like **Owen Martin** (92nd overall), a depth center who plays a pro-style game, and **Jacob Cloutier** (220th overall), a competitive smaller winger, represent good value swings late in the draft. The Jets successfully extracted good value from all their picks and improved their prospect pipeline.
Solid Returns: `B+` Grades
Chicago Blackhawks
Grade: B+
The Blackhawks clearly arrived with a specific mandate: acquire big players who can skate. While selecting **Anton Frondell** (3rd overall) is understandable for his size and potential as a top-line forward, they arguably left James Hagens, a higher-ranked talent, on the board by prioritizing their physical criteria. However, you can`t be overly critical of landing a potential top-line player.
Their selections of **Vaclav Nestrasil** (25th overall) and **Mason West** (29th overall) felt a bit high based on rankings, but both are raw, long-term projects with high upside due to their size and intriguing skills. They are high-risk, high-reward picks that could become incredibly difficult middle-six players if developed correctly – a significant test for the development staff. The Blackhawks definitely committed to their strategy, betting on size with skill, which should yield two or three NHL players from this class.
Montreal Canadiens
Grade: B+
The Canadiens certainly had an active weekend. Trading assets that resulted in picks used for Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson to acquire **Noah Dobson** aligns with their organizational timeline but represents a substantial price. They also gave up notable pick value to move up for **Alexander Zharovsky** (34th overall), a player they highly regard and who projects as a quality complementary middle-six forward.
Despite the cost of these moves, their middle-round selections were excellent. Landing **Hayden Paupanekis** (69th overall), **Bryce Pickford** (81st overall), and the highly competitive, offensively skilled **L.J. Mooney** (113th overall) provided significant value. While Mooney is small, his compete level offers outstanding potential. Paupanekis should become a bottom-six forward, and Pickford is a great overage defenseman bet. Overall, the Canadiens should be pleased with the talent acquired, even considering the high price paid in assets.
Ottawa Senators
Grade: B+
Friday night was a masterclass in asset management for the Senators. By trading back two spots, they acquired the pick necessary to facilitate a trade for **Jordan Spence** (providing immediate defensive help) while still selecting defenseman **Logan Hensler** (23rd overall), a player offering tremendous value. Hensler`s combination of a right shot, mobility, NHL frame, and potential as a solid second or third pairing defender makes him a valuable piece who could complement Jake Sanderson effectively.
Addressing their thin goaltending prospect pool with a swing on **Lucas Beckman** (97th overall) made sense. **Bruno Idzan** (181st overall) in the sixth round is a high-upside bet based on his USHL production, representing a worthwhile gamble for a potential late-blooming depth contributor. The Senators leveraged their draft capital effectively to add both immediate help and valuable future assets.
Washington Capitals
Grade: B+
The Capitals extracted excellent value from their early picks, securing players who are solid bets to become middle-six contributors. **Lynden Lakovic** (27th overall) possesses the potential to be a big, dual-threat producer with a high ceiling, particularly if he learns to physically impose himself more consistently using his 6-foot-4 frame. Getting a player with his top-15 talent potential at pick 27 is strong work. **Milton Gastrin** (37th overall) is one of the draft`s more complete players and appears relatively close to being NHL-ready, projecting as a reliable third-line center who might offer more offense than anticipated.
Their selection of **Maxim Schaefer** (96th overall) added skill in the fourth round. Given their draft capital, the Capitals did well to secure at least two players who should earn impactful roles in their lineup down the line, complementing their existing young talent.
Based on the provided information, the analysis covers teams receiving `A` and `B+` grades, highlighting the strategies and key prospects that defined their performance in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth