Fresh NHL Mock Draft From The Athletic

[billybaseball]

Daily faceoff's write up on Ryabkin


"Ryabkin is one of the most divisive players in this draft because he started out as a potential top-five pick but looked distant back in Russia and needed a change of scenery. He’s been productive since his move to Muskegon, though, playing at a 40-goal pace in a full season. We’ve also seen him flesh out his physical and playmaking games, with his passing and hockey sense being two of his best traits. A boost of confidence in the USHL seems to have really helped Ryabkin’s stock after falling out of the first round in the eyes of many at the halfway point of the season."

[BalotelliMassive]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

Lankovic and Hagens to the Hawks - I'll but that for a dollar.

I don't see how the Hawks pass on Desnoyers.

It's a good problem to have -

[STL fan in MN]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

Lankovic and Hagens to the Hawks - I'll but that for a dollar.

I don't see how the Hawks pass on Desnoyers.

It's a good problem to have -

I could see any of Desnoyers, Hagens or Frondell going 3rd. I’d go with Desnoyers. I hope the Hawks go with Frondell. Top notch skill but he’s the most likely to bust or at least somewhat disappoint based on his draft position IMO. So…no offense but I’m always for Hawks picks not turning out well.

[kimzey59]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

Lankovic and Hagens to the Hawks - I'll but that for a dollar.

I don't see how the Hawks pass on Desnoyers.

It's a good problem to have -

I could see any of Desnoyers, Hagens or Frondell going 3rd. I’d go with Desnoyers. I hope the Hawks go with Frondell. Top notch skill but he’s the most likely to bust or at least somewhat disappoint based on his draft position IMO. So…no offense but I’m always for Hawks picks not turning out well.

I see them going for Martone.
Give Bedard a legitimate winger and a bodyguard.

[STL fan in MN]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

Lankovic and Hagens to the Hawks - I'll but that for a dollar.

I don't see how the Hawks pass on Desnoyers.

It's a good problem to have -

I could see any of Desnoyers, Hagens or Frondell going 3rd. I’d go with Desnoyers. I hope the Hawks go with Frondell. Top notch skill but he’s the most likely to bust or at least somewhat disappoint based on his draft position IMO. So…no offense but I’m always for Hawks picks not turning out well.

I see them going for Martone.
Give Bedard a legitimate winger and a bodyguard.

If there’s one characteristic I’ve noticed the Hawks prioritize in their draftees the last few years it’d be skating/speed. That’d probably be Martone’s main weakness. So for that reason, I didn’t include him with the other 3.

That said, not every player needs to be a speedster so who knows. But the Hawks certainly have a type…and Martone doesn’t really fit it IMO.

[seattleblue]

I would be ecstatic if we actually landed Hensler. Pretty much the perfect player to complement Broberg.

Side note: the writers must really not like Ben Kindel to drop him to 29th. And they can’t be too high on Bryustewicz either to have him at 32. I think both of them should go much higher than these guys are projecting.

Having seen three London games in quick succession which were championship round games, I would be very very very happy with Brzustewicz, whose pronunciation rhymes with Buchnevich. Oozes two way hockey sense and size, physical. I cannot imagine he is there at 19 after the showing he is putting up right now.

If the 18 players taken in this mock are off the board before the Blues pick then I definitely think Hensler or Brzustewicz should be the pick.

I’d be fine with Hensler as if the first 18 picks went like this mock does, he’d be 2nd on my list. 1st would be Brzustewicz.

That said, pretty much all the rankings has Brzustewicz as a late 1st/early 2nd so at this point, I don’t expect him to be the pick. I think he’s underrated and perhaps as you suggest, he’ll have a late surge up the rankings with this Memorial Cup run but for now, most scouts, at least the public ones anyway, seem to consistently rank him below the other d-men.

That said, would be totally on board with picking him. Besides him being a quality two-way d-man and a righty, I'd be for it just to see if “Bruh-stev-itch passes it up to Buch-nev-itch” would trip up any PbP guys.

I do like Cootes though. What makes you think he won’t be able to stick at C? And I don’t really see him as small. He’s 6’0” which is NHL average for a forward these days. Same height as Thomas. You clearly watched more of Cootes than I did, and live I’d assume, but to me, he really popped at the U18s. Tells me there’s a good chance he looked just ok in Seattle because of the team around him. That he has more there.

Let me put it this way, if Hensler is the superior pick to Brzustewicz (and I see highlights of Hensler but not full games which as you know gives the fuller picture) then either one of those guys should be the pick over the forwards who will be available. I really like the way he thinks the game, excellent breakout pass, strong o-zone instincts, good skater, big, at a coveted position within the game. We're going to get to see 1 maybe 2 more of his games Fri/Sun.

I am assuming that there is zero chance of Carbonneau making it past two Habs picks.

Cootes just ... underwhelmed me. Now, he was definitely their best player this year. I felt like unless he was making a nifty pass twice a game he was invisible and I don't see him defending as a center I guess that's why I think winger. He didn't seem to play big. I like my buzzsaw players to actually make me notice them more so that I think "hey, look at that buzzsaw" which is not how I felt when I saw Cootes. BUT obviously smaller sample size than seeing all of his games. And Seattle will be a better team this upcoming year and he will put up bigger numbers.

[Pierre McGuire]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

Lankovic and Hagens to the Hawks - I'll but that for a dollar.

I don't see how the Hawks pass on Desnoyers.

It's a good problem to have -

I could see any of Desnoyers, Hagens or Frondell going 3rd. I’d go with Desnoyers. I hope the Hawks go with Frondell. Top notch skill but he’s the most likely to bust or at least somewhat disappoint based on his draft position IMO. So…no offense but I’m always for Hawks picks not turning out well.

I see them going for Martone.
Give Bedard a legitimate winger and a bodyguard.

Not if they want the BPA they won't. I will laugh all day if they take Martone. I still wonder if they might make San Jose a solid offer to move up one spot to grab Misa.

[seattleblue]

I too would like it if the Hawks took Martone at 3 because he's a good player just not BPA there. The bottom line is Desnoyers is going to be in our division unless someone trades into a spot with CHI, UTAH or NSH and takes him.

[STL fan in MN]

I would be ecstatic if we actually landed Hensler. Pretty much the perfect player to complement Broberg.

Side note: the writers must really not like Ben Kindel to drop him to 29th. And they can’t be too high on Bryustewicz either to have him at 32. I think both of them should go much higher than these guys are projecting.

Having seen three London games in quick succession which were championship round games, I would be very very very happy with Brzustewicz, whose pronunciation rhymes with Buchnevich. Oozes two way hockey sense and size, physical. I cannot imagine he is there at 19 after the showing he is putting up right now.

If the 18 players taken in this mock are off the board before the Blues pick then I definitely think Hensler or Brzustewicz should be the pick.

I’d be fine with Hensler as if the first 18 picks went like this mock does, he’d be 2nd on my list. 1st would be Brzustewicz.

That said, pretty much all the rankings has Brzustewicz as a late 1st/early 2nd so at this point, I don’t expect him to be the pick. I think he’s underrated and perhaps as you suggest, he’ll have a late surge up the rankings with this Memorial Cup run but for now, most scouts, at least the public ones anyway, seem to consistently rank him below the other d-men.

That said, would be totally on board with picking him. Besides him being a quality two-way d-man and a righty, I'd be for it just to see if “Bruh-stev-itch passes it up to Buch-nev-itch” would trip up any PbP guys.

I do like Cootes though. What makes you think he won’t be able to stick at C? And I don’t really see him as small. He’s 6’0” which is NHL average for a forward these days. Same height as Thomas. You clearly watched more of Cootes than I did, and live I’d assume, but to me, he really popped at the U18s. Tells me there’s a good chance he looked just ok in Seattle because of the team around him. That he has more there.

Let me put it this way, if Hensler is the superior pick to Brzustewicz (and I see highlights of Hensler but not full games which as you know gives the fuller picture) then either one of those guys should be the pick over the forwards who will be available. I really like the way he thinks the game, excellent breakout pass, strong o-zone instincts, good skater, big, at a coveted position within the game. We're going to get to see 1 maybe 2 more of his games Fri/Sun.

I am assuming that there is zero chance of Carbonneau making it past two Habs picks.

Cootes just ... underwhelmed me. Now, he was definitely their best player this year. I felt like unless he was making a nifty pass twice a game he was invisible and I don't see him defending as a center I guess that's why I think winger. He didn't seem to play big. I like my buzzsaw players to actually make me notice them more so that I think "hey, look at that buzzsaw" which is not how I felt when I saw Cootes. BUT obviously smaller sample size than seeing all of his games. And Seattle will be a better team this upcoming year and he will put up bigger numbers.

That’s fair. I personally prefer Brzustewicz as I see more offensive potential in him. I see Hensler as a safe, jack of all trades, master of none type.

Cootes I have ranked just before both but I’ve put the guys from 10-20 in countless orders the more I watch. Wouldn’t be surprised if I still move some guys around although tbh is is the time of year my list starts to solidify. You bring up good points though. I’d say he projects as a middle-6 guy. I thought he defended fine but he’s also not one of the prospects I’ve seen a ton of some have much firmer opinions on some of the other kids than Cootes.

[BalotelliMassive]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

Lankovic and Hagens to the Hawks - I'll but that for a dollar.

I don't see how the Hawks pass on Desnoyers.

It's a good problem to have -

I could see any of Desnoyers, Hagens or Frondell going 3rd. I’d go with Desnoyers. I hope the Hawks go with Frondell. Top notch skill but he’s the most likely to bust or at least somewhat disappoint based on his draft position IMO. So…no offense but I’m always for Hawks picks not turning out well.

I see them going for Martone.
Give Bedard a legitimate winger and a bodyguard.

They have a couple of beasts in the system a year or so away...Spellacy who had D1 football offers and Boisvert who happens to have a boxing background.

[82birds]

It looks to be free. No paywall.

The three mock drafters alternated picks. Enjoy!

-----------------------------------

NHL Mock Draft 2025: Pronman, Wheeler and Bultman play GM and pick Round 1

May 28, 2025

By Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman

Two years ago, we tested out a new idea and called it our “if I were GM” mock draft. The idea was simple: In place of the mock drafts our prospects writers Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler do individually where they predict what will happen on draft day, we wanted to give them a chance to draft the first round making their own selections for each team.

- clip -

19. Logan Hensler
Position RHD
Height 6' 2.25"
Team Wisconsin
Weight 192 Ibs

Commentary

Wingers Jimmy Snuggerud and Zach Bolduc have arrived, center Dalibor Dvorsky will follow them, and there's a case to be made that the two top prospects available are defensemen Logan Hensler and Cameron Reid, which suits us well. We've taken four defensemen in the first two rounds of the last two drafts but only one of them (Adam Jiricek) is a righty and none of them are true top-end prospects (though Jiricek and Theo Lindstein are legit prospects). We're happy to get Hensler — a 6-foot-2 righty who can skate, has two-way potential and is a comparable prospect to Jiricek and Lindstein. — Wheeler

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/637378 ... ound-1-gm/

sounds intriguing

[SameOldBlues]

Im enamored with Hensler cause of his size and potential, so id be extremely happy if we landed him, but Im really warming up to Brzustewicz based off Seattleblue & Stl fan in Mn’s opinions on him. Sounds like he has more high end potential than Hensler.

[seattleblue]

Im enamored with Hensler cause of his size and potential, so id be extremely happy if we landed him, but Im really warming up to Brzustewicz based off Seattleblue & Stl fan in Mn’s opinions on him. Sounds like he has more high end potential than Hensler.

He is playing against Pekarcik tomorrow in the Memorial Cup. All three of Moncton, London and Medicine Hat stomped their way to league championships. Now it's Moncton/London (London won a great first game between them) to play Medicine Hat for the Cup Sunday. These situations are awesome in terms of watching prospects. Elite competitive showcases allow observers to imagine the player in the same situation in NHL playoffs. Watching Brzustevich, he looks completely comfortable in all situations out there. He is making plays, defending very well against players like McKenna, really good physical box out, first pass, joins the rush, knows how to pinch and attack creatively, strong skater. I never saw any of this from Fiddler, by comparison. (Maybe he saved it for when I wasn't looking, it's possible. But I watched a lot of Jecho's games and saw Fiddler plenty and remember, I am someone who thinks the Blues need a significant RHD so I really wanted to like him.) Fiddler is just bigger but Brzustevich is 6'2", he is a couple inches taller than Faulk.

[SameOldBlues]

Im enamored with Hensler cause of his size and potential, so id be extremely happy if we landed him, but Im really warming up to Brzustewicz based off Seattleblue & Stl fan in Mn’s opinions on him. Sounds like he has more high end potential than Hensler.

He is playing against Pekarcik tomorrow in the Memorial Cup. All three of Moncton, London and Medicine Hat stomped their way to league championships. Now it's Moncton/London (London won a great first game between them) to play Medicine Hat for the Cup Sunday. These situations are awesome in terms of watching prospects. Elite competitive showcases allow observers to imagine the player in the same situation in NHL playoffs. Watching Brzustevich, he looks completely comfortable in all situations out there. He is making plays, defending very well against players like McKenna, really good physical box out, first pass, joins the rush, knows how to pinch and attack creatively, strong skater. I never saw any of this from Fiddler, by comparison. (Maybe he saved it for when I wasn't looking, it's possible. But I watched a lot of Jecho's games and saw Fiddler plenty and remember, I am someone who thinks the Blues need a significant RHD so I really wanted to like him.) Fiddler is just bigger but Brzustevich is 6'2", he is a couple inches taller than Faulk.

Niceeee, is that game tomorrow a day or night game? I have a Superbox and can literally watch every single game in any league on any continent, if it’s televised. I just have to do a little searching.

[Pierre McGuire]

Im enamored with Hensler cause of his size and potential, so id be extremely happy if we landed him, but Im really warming up to Brzustewicz based off Seattleblue & Stl fan in Mn’s opinions on him. Sounds like he has more high end potential than Hensler.

He is playing against Pekarcik tomorrow in the Memorial Cup. All three of Moncton, London and Medicine Hat stomped their way to league championships. Now it's Moncton/London (London won a great first game between them) to play Medicine Hat for the Cup Sunday. These situations are awesome in terms of watching prospects. Elite competitive showcases allow observers to imagine the player in the same situation in NHL playoffs. Watching Brzustevich, he looks completely comfortable in all situations out there. He is making plays, defending very well against players like McKenna, really good physical box out, first pass, joins the rush, knows how to pinch and attack creatively, strong skater. I never saw any of this from Fiddler, by comparison. (Maybe he saved it for when I wasn't looking, it's possible. But I watched a lot of Jecho's games and saw Fiddler plenty and remember, I am someone who thinks the Blues need a significant RHD so I really wanted to like him.) Fiddler is just bigger but Brzustevich is 6'2", he is a couple inches taller than Faulk.

Fiddler is a much better player than Brzustevich....c'mon now, thats some hate you got going on!

[seattleblue]

Im enamored with Hensler cause of his size and potential, so id be extremely happy if we landed him, but Im really warming up to Brzustewicz based off Seattleblue & Stl fan in Mn’s opinions on him. Sounds like he has more high end potential than Hensler.

He is playing against Pekarcik tomorrow in the Memorial Cup. All three of Moncton, London and Medicine Hat stomped their way to league championships. Now it's Moncton/London (London won a great first game between them) to play Medicine Hat for the Cup Sunday. These situations are awesome in terms of watching prospects. Elite competitive showcases allow observers to imagine the player in the same situation in NHL playoffs. Watching Brzustevich, he looks completely comfortable in all situations out there. He is making plays, defending very well against players like McKenna, really good physical box out, first pass, joins the rush, knows how to pinch and attack creatively, strong skater. I never saw any of this from Fiddler, by comparison. (Maybe he saved it for when I wasn't looking, it's possible. But I watched a lot of Jecho's games and saw Fiddler plenty and remember, I am someone who thinks the Blues need a significant RHD so I really wanted to like him.) Fiddler is just bigger but Brzustevich is 6'2", he is a couple inches taller than Faulk.

Fiddler is a much better player than Brzustevich....c'mon now, thats some hate you got going on!

I think you are more the outlier, there are a few others here who would take Brzustevich over Fiddler. I would love the Hawks to draft Fiddler, or the Sharks.