Fresh NHL Mock Draft From The Athletic

[TBone]

It looks to be free. No paywall.

The three mock drafters alternated picks. Enjoy!

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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.

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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/

[billybaseball]

I like Hensler a lot but I still think the Blues should roll the dice on Ivan Ryabkin. He has best player in the draft potential but comes with more red flags than Tiananmen Square. The Blues have enough young talent in the organization to make a gamble with a 1st rnd pick. I also think that Ryabkin's issues stem from being mistreated in Russia. His time in the USHL was a positive from what I can tell.

[Old_Goat]

I like Hensler a lot but I still think the Blues should roll the dice on Ivan Ryabkin. He has best player in the draft potential but comes with more red flags than Tiananmen Square. The Blues have enough young talent in the organization to make a gamble with a 1st rnd pick. I also think that Ryabkin's issues stem from being mistreated in Russia. His time in the USHL was a positive from what I can tell.

Interesting. I don't think the Blues would use their First on Ryabkin though. Had they still had one of their Rounds 2-4 picks, then possibly. And he probably won't be there by the 5th Round.
I had never heard of him.

[kimzey59]

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.

[billybaseball]

I like Hensler a lot but I still think the Blues should roll the dice on Ivan Ryabkin. He has best player in the draft potential but comes with more red flags than Tiananmen Square. The Blues have enough young talent in the organization to make a gamble with a 1st rnd pick. I also think that Ryabkin's issues stem from being mistreated in Russia. His time in the USHL was a positive from what I can tell.

Interesting. I don't think the Blues would use their First on Ryabkin though. Had they still had one of their Rounds 2-4 picks, then possibly. And he probably won't be there by the 5th Round.
I had never heard of him.

For those who don't know. Ivan Ryabkin was considered one of the best center prospects to come out of Russia in recent memory prior to this season. Generally considered as good or better than Demidov. Last season was a disaster in Russia. Who knows what was really going on but could have been a Tarasenko or Kostin situation. After moving to the states mid season to play in the USHL he showed the offensive dominance even though it was his first time playing NA hockey. Scored 19 goals in 27 games and 7 in 14 playoff games.

I'm reading alot of scouts dinging him for what happened in Russia and not playing good defensively. Also some talk of effort lapses. But imo given the circumstances those flags should be overlooked

[John Cocktoastin]

Thanks, TBone. I've been slacking on looking at mocks, so appreciate the update.

Actually, I don't think you could go wrong with any of the following in that range:

Lakovic - master of the wrister, big, skates good enough. Lot of potential with the right centerman.

Cootes - high energy, great playmaking center, leader.

Hensler - stable, big defenseman.

Potter - fastest guy on skates, but small. Scores.

If it was me, I would go Cootes then Lakovic just because I place more value on centerman. But again, can't go wrong with any of above.

[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.

[BluesDom]

Thanks, TBone. I've been slacking on looking at mocks, so appreciate the update.

Actually, I don't think you could go wrong with any of the following in that range:

Lakovic - master of the wrister, big, skates good enough. Lot of potential with the right centerman.

Cootes - high energy, great playmaking center, leader.

Hensler - stable, big defenseman.

Potter - fastest guy on skates, but small. Scores.

If it was me, I would go Cootes then Lakovic just because I place more value on centerman. But again, can't go wrong with any of above.

"You’d be hard pressed to find a harder worker than Braeden Cootes. Whenever the Seattle Thunderbirds centre was on the ice, he made something happen, making him one of the most fun players to watch in the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season. But he’s more than just a highly competitive player, and his combination of a strong work ethic, high intelligence, and solid tools has made him a highly coveted prospect ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Cootes’ work ethic is infectious. He has an unrelenting motor and no matter the score, he never stops pursuing the puck and pushing the play. Few teams in the league have a counter to him simply because he’ll just outwork whoever he’s up against. For that reason, he’s often the first player into the corner or the front of the net and fearlessly challenges bigger players for positioning. Some more strength could help him win more of these battles, but already, he doesn’t lose many because he keeps coming back when he’s pushed away.

Braeden Cootes Seattle Thunderbirds
Braeden Cootes, Seattle Thunderbirds (Photo credit: Rick Elvin)
With an insatiable drive and never-say-die attitude, it stands to reason that Cootes might get into some penalty trouble, but he finished this season with just 18 penalty minutes. Only six Thunderbirds who played at least 30 games had fewer penalties than him. That’s because Cootes is a highly intelligent player who knows where to put himself to gain a clean advantage. He doesn’t get caught because he’s aware of all players on the ice, allowing him to put himself in the right place at the right time....Cootes is just as effective on defence, playing a strong, 200-foot game that has earned him the trust of his coaches, which has led to him being deployed in nearly every situation. He knows exactly how to apply pressure to best help his team, and while he sometimes doesn’t quite get where he needs to be, he will always fight to fix any mistake. It’s no wonder he was named the youngest captain in Thunderbirds’ history this season and was one of the youngest to be voted team MVP at the end of the season. He leads by example and asks everyone on his team to work as hard as he does.

The biggest thing holding Cootes back right now is his skating. While it is by no means a weakness, he has a heavier stride that limits his acceleration. When he gets up to top speed, he’s able to win most foot races, but those first few steps can leave him a step or two behind, forcing him to rely on intensity and positioning to slow down his opponent. If he were a bit more efficient on his skates, he could propel himself into the top tier of NHL prospects. (THE HOCKEY WRITERS)

[seattleblue]

Thanks, TBone. I've been slacking on looking at mocks, so appreciate the update.

Actually, I don't think you could go wrong with any of the following in that range:

Lakovic - master of the wrister, big, skates good enough. Lot of potential with the right centerman.

Cootes - high energy, great playmaking center, leader.

Hensler - stable, big defenseman.

Potter - fastest guy on skates, but small. Scores.

If it was me, I would go Cootes then Lakovic just because I place more value on centerman. But again, can't go wrong with any of above.

"You’d be hard pressed to find a harder worker than Braeden Cootes. Whenever the Seattle Thunderbirds centre was on the ice, he made something happen, making him one of the most fun players to watch in the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season. But he’s more than just a highly competitive player, and his combination of a strong work ethic, high intelligence, and solid tools has made him a highly coveted prospect ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Cootes’ work ethic is infectious. He has an unrelenting motor and no matter the score, he never stops pursuing the puck and pushing the play. Few teams in the league have a counter to him simply because he’ll just outwork whoever he’s up against. For that reason, he’s often the first player into the corner or the front of the net and fearlessly challenges bigger players for positioning. Some more strength could help him win more of these battles, but already, he doesn’t lose many because he keeps coming back when he’s pushed away.

Braeden Cootes Seattle Thunderbirds
Braeden Cootes, Seattle Thunderbirds (Photo credit: Rick Elvin)
With an insatiable drive and never-say-die attitude, it stands to reason that Cootes might get into some penalty trouble, but he finished this season with just 18 penalty minutes. Only six Thunderbirds who played at least 30 games had fewer penalties than him. That’s because Cootes is a highly intelligent player who knows where to put himself to gain a clean advantage. He doesn’t get caught because he’s aware of all players on the ice, allowing him to put himself in the right place at the right time....Cootes is just as effective on defence, playing a strong, 200-foot game that has earned him the trust of his coaches, which has led to him being deployed in nearly every situation. He knows exactly how to apply pressure to best help his team, and while he sometimes doesn’t quite get where he needs to be, he will always fight to fix any mistake. It’s no wonder he was named the youngest captain in Thunderbirds’ history this season and was one of the youngest to be voted team MVP at the end of the season. He leads by example and asks everyone on his team to work as hard as he does.

The biggest thing holding Cootes back right now is his skating. While it is by no means a weakness, he has a heavier stride that limits his acceleration. When he gets up to top speed, he’s able to win most foot races, but those first few steps can leave him a step or two behind, forcing him to rely on intensity and positioning to slow down his opponent. If he were a bit more efficient on his skates, he could propel himself into the top tier of NHL prospects. (THE HOCKEY WRITERS)

This kid is nowhere near this good and he projects as a winger IMO

I am highly self interested. I lived nowhere near hockey for years. I absorb Blues prospect games, and our first rounder could be a 20 min drive away. But I do not want him after dialing in on him and watching his game. The more I say this the more Blues fans here want this future winger to be the first round pick!

He's also small, so there's that.

[STL fan in MN]

I like Hensler a lot but I still think the Blues should roll the dice on Ivan Ryabkin. He has best player in the draft potential but comes with more red flags than Tiananmen Square. The Blues have enough young talent in the organization to make a gamble with a 1st rnd pick. I also think that Ryabkin's issues stem from being mistreated in Russia. His time in the USHL was a positive from what I can tell.

Interesting. I don't think the Blues would use their First on Ryabkin though. Had they still had one of their Rounds 2-4 picks, then possibly. And he probably won't be there by the 5th Round.
I had never heard of him.

Going into the season, he was considered a top 5-10 pick and was comparable to Michkov and Demidov. He had that sort of lofty potential because last season, he scored 58 pts in 44 games as a 16 year old in the MHL (their top Jr league over there). That’s the most ever by a 16 year old. More than Michkov, Demidov, Kucherov, Kaprisov, Buchnevich etc.

But then this season he absolutely fell flat on his face scoring 12 pts (1 goal) in 15 MHL games, 2 assists in 8 VHL games (their minor league) and 0 pts in 2 KHL games. He then left Russian to play for Muskegon of the USHL where he put up 27 pts in 30 games in the regular season and then 16 pts in 14 playoff games. Muskegon won the Clark Cup.

At this point, I’d expect Ryabkin to go somewhere in the 20-40 range. So no, he absolutely won’t be available in the 5th round. He has skill but I don’t see it as being quite at the level some where thinking it was at a year ago when he tore up Russian Jrs. And there’s legit questions on his effort level, consistency and two-way play. He’s a boom/bust pick. I personally don’t have a good explanation for why he struggled in Russia so much this season. He was then good but not amazing here. That said, the Blues will have more info on him than we do so if they end up picking him, I’d be enticed by the skill. But I personally wouldn’t take him at 19 and frankly, given his characteristics, I’d be surprised if he was the Blues pick.

[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.

[John Cocktoastin]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

[Pierre McGuire]

Cootes is a pretty good player but that feels like a safe pick that will play but likely won't produce much at the NHL level. He's very Logan Stankoven like in regards to his work ethic but he just doesn't have the skills that Stankoven has. Stank was the guy I coveted here his draft year...he should have never fallen to the 2nd round.
I'm still holding out for Lakovic....if he's there, he's the guy. He would fit in great here in a couple of years with the rest of our young guys.

[Pierre McGuire]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

I see Blake Fiddler getting praise for his hockey IQ there....hmmm

[BalotelliMassive]

Fresh ranking from Daily Faceoff as well...

Link

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

[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.