Top 10 ‘small guy’ prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft

[TBone]

Top 10 ‘small guy’ prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft

Steven Ellis
May 28, 2025

The Montreal Canadiens star showed that being a small blueliner wasn’t going to stop him from being an elite talent. But when he was drafted as a 5-foot-8 defender, many wondered if his skill would be enough to carry him to the big leagues. He’s a bit bigger now at 5-foot-10. He’s still not big, but he has added some muscle along the way to help make him more dangerous.

And then there’s Logan Stankoven, a big part of the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s in a rare spot where he has played in both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals while still having a rookie status. The 5-foot-8 winger isn’t going to win the Calder Trophy this year, but he showed in both Dallas and Carolina that he can be an absolute force with and without the puck. He seems built for big-game moments, and the Hurricanes are hoping there are more to come.

Those are just two recent examples of smaller players who weren’t drafted high but managed to make it despite the obstacles in their way. Today, we’re looking at 10 of the best “small” players ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft. The concept is simple: the player must be 5-foot-9 or smaller. There isn’t a huge contingent of them this year, but we’re still looking at the possibility of two or three getting selected in the first two rounds at the very least.

Here’s a look at 10 of the better small players at this year’s draft. All heights are taken from NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings before their updated measurements at the draft combine.

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/top-1 ... oney-benak

[MandatoryDenial]

I honestly hope we learn our lesson from Perunovich and Krug. That lesson is don't draft small guys to play D especially. I in fact wouldn't draft them at all. If we are in that position, I hope that we would look to make a trade instead.

[seattleblue]

List's #1 guy is a talented player (Schmidt) who I would simply not draft. I'd pass him over.
Let other teams marvel at how a 5'7' or 5'8" hunt could pay off one day!

Cullen Potter is 5'10" and he is a very talented center, makes high skill plays at speed as well as any player in the draft class, that is the 1st round talent risk I'd be willing for the Blues to take. Cole Reschny is 5'11. Cootes is sometimes listed as 5'11" and looks on the shorter side of the 6' he is sometimes listed at. I would take these first two before Cootes certainly,

[HighStick]

I'd draft a smaller guy in a forward spot but I would never draft a Dman smaller than 6 foot. Hell even 6' tall guy is small for an NHL Dman.

[STL fan in MN]

Essentially a Do Not Draft list from my perspective.

5’10” is fine. For a winger. 5’10” can work for a d-man if they’re Hutson level of elite. But 5’7”-5’8”? That’s just pretty much a no IMO.

There’s all sorts of shorter guys that have NHL caliber skill but just not enough of it to overcome the huge size disadvantage. There’s a few that come to mind that went undrafted last year.

Tomas Galvas - 5’10” Czech d-man. Brings offense but not enough to overcome the small size IMO.

Alexander Zetterberg - 5’8” Swedish offensive dynamo. Was probably Sweden’s best U18 forward last season but was then a healthy scratch half the time for BU this season.

Tuomos Suoniemi - 5’10” Finnish forward. This guy I would actually maybe throw a late round draft pick at. Good skill. Worth a late round stab.

[Army's Mom]

I'd draft a smaller guy in a forward spot but I would never draft a Dman smaller than 6 foot. Hell even 6' tall guy is small for an NHL Dman.

This. With a caveat that these kids are still growing, and that growth is pretty easily predictable based on genetics. So long as their projected playing height is above 6'1", I couldn't care less if they were 5' 8" when drafted (although five inches of growth in 2 years is a) crazy, and b) i would think likely to cause complications with their coordination and maybe even health).

But guys projected to play at 5'10" have to have all world skill to make up for the physical battles they will invariably lose. Stankoven and Hutson showed elite level skills, and the gamble paid off.

The Perunovich gamble has yet to, and I'm sure the second tier pro leagues across the pond are littered with similar failed gambles.

[SameOldBlues]

I honestly hope we learn our lesson from Perunovich and Krug. That lesson is don't draft small guys to play D especially. I in fact wouldn't draft them at all. If we are in that position, I hope that we would look to make a trade instead.

Couldnt agree more. I wouldnt draft any player at any position who’s under 6 foot, period. Until there’s a very noticeable and transparent shift in the style team’s play, Id draft as many strapping young lads over 6 foot as possible, and it’s a very welcome bonus if they’re Aholes who are extremely hard to play against as well. That is what currently wins more often than not in the playoffs. If future rule changes make it more viable for midgets and those who are vertically challenged to have more room on the ice to make up for lack of reach etc., or if the mob refs consistently call penalties favoring smaller players to be able to compete as easily with the big boys, then my strategy would change of course, but I dont see that happening anytime soon.