The NHL Draft order (1-24) is officially set after the conclusion of the NHL Draft Lottery.
Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Flyers, Gary Bettman hates them and rigged the draft lottery for yet another New York Metro Area team after the New York Islanders jumped 10 spots in the lottery. I’m sure, however, this jump was completely unrelated to the scathing letter NY Governor Kathy Hochul wrote to Gary Bettman earlier that same day about taking away 2026 All-Star events from UBS Arena.
Also, unfortunately for the Flyers, Bettman needs the Utah market to work, and after their captain Clayton Keller was snubbed from the Four Nations team (Really? Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck over him?), the NHL needed to make sure Utah had a chance to get another star to boost that market.
Now obviously the draft lottery isn’t rigged (allegedly), but the unfortunate luck for the Flyers means they drop from pick four to pick six in what seems to be considered a five or six guy draft.
Now the Flyers do have two other first round picks thanks to the Sean Walker trade and the first-round trade with Edmonton last draft, but what’s truly important is what they do with their top six pick.
To get a better look at the teams in the top 10, what they need, and what the Flyers can do with their draft position and capital, Flyers Nation will be releasing a Top 10 Mock Draft three times before the 2025 Draft.
Here is Mock Draft 1.0
1) NYI: Matthew Schaefer (D)
Schaefer seems to be the consensus first overall pick. This season he really didn’t play much early due to having Mono (horndog), and then he broke his collarbone at World Juniors. Seeing him still be the first ranked prospect on almost every single big board is a sign that teams are still probably circling him as the consensus 1OA.
The Islanders could use a defenseman to pair with Noah Dobson for the long-term future. Ryan Pulock is only getting older, and the forward core will turn over in a couple years. Build the blue line now and your forward group rebuild will be easier to fix in the upcoming years.
2) PHI*: Michael Misa (C/LW)
*TRADE: PHI gets #2 – SJS gets #6, #22, #40
Flyers GM Danny Brière has built up his draft arsenal specifically for this draft. The Flyers have seven (7!) picks in the first two rounds of the draft this year. Now, picking seven guys would feel like it would be a bit of an overkill, so what’s the plan?
Sharks GM Mike Grier has openly stated that they are taking calls on their pick this year. With the Flyers desperate for a franchise center, and the Sharks looking to gain more ammo to build around Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Sam Dickinson, a trade here makes the most sense for both sides.
Now onto Misa. Misa is the clear cut best forward in this draft. He was the first player since Shane Wright to earn OHL exceptional status (and only the eighth player EVER to earn exceptional status). Last season he broke Connor McDavid’s OHL Cup scoring record with 20 points in seven games while playing up a year. This season he’s exploded, scoring almost a goal per game (62 goals in 65 games) while also tallying 72 assists, scoring at a rate that we have only seen from some of the greats. Paired up with Michkov, their collective Hockey IQ, playmaking ability, and scoring knack make it very easy to believe that these two could be one of the best duos in the NHL in the years to come.
Danny built up the ammo to make this deal possible, the question is will he pull the trigger. I think he does.
3) CHI: Porter Martone (RW)
After drafting their franchise center in Connor Bedard two years ago and their franchise defenseman in Artyom Levshunov last year, the Blackhawks are going to look for a running mate for Bedard for the future, and Martone fits the mold perfectly.
Martone is a beast. He is big, he is strong, he has great puck skills, and he can score on his own or be a set-up man. He’s not the best skater, but not a lot of players would be able to keep up with Bedard anyways. He is honestly the perfect linemate for Bedard for the years to come. Only a couple years after Toews/Kane/Keith, the Blackhawks will have Bedard/Martone/Levshunov.
Awesome.
4) UTA: Caleb Desnoyers (C)
The first major “woah” moment in this draft, as Caleb Desnoyers jumps a couple centers a lot of big boards have over him in James Hagens and Anton Frondell. Desnoyers stock has been skyrocketing this year after being considered a late top 10/early teens pick most of last year going into this year.
Desnoyers is the guy you hear scouts talk about when you hear “200-foot-game.” His offensive ability has gotten better too to the point that he is now considered to be in that second tier of players in this draft (Martone, Hagens, Frondell, Desnoyers). I do think this is where Utah will go too. Hagens doesn’t really fit their team to me, they already have a couple top line, younger, smaller sized, puck moving forwards in Keller, and Logan Cooley, so adding Hagens would feel redundant. Some size and defense at 2C is where I think they go here.
5) NSH: James Hagens (C)
Nashville is the exact opposite of Utah in the sense that they have a lot of older, bigger, slower, two-way forwards with scoring ability but no set up help. Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, and Steven Stamkos all come to mind. Having Hagens be the guy who is the Robin to Batman will be perfect for them.
Now Hagens is an interesting prospect. For multiple years he was considered “the guy” in this draft. This year, after his season at Boston College, his NHL ready-ness was questioned. He’s turning out to be more of a project than originally thought, which I think the Predators are ok with. I think Barry Trotz and co. are assuming last season was an anomaly, a blip in the radar that wasn’t actually real. There’s a chance that their team will mold better and play better this season, so waiting for Hagens won’t be the end of the world for the Predators.
6) SJS*: Victor Eklund (LW)
*TRADE: PHI gets #2 – SJS gets #6, #22, #40
Now I know we talked about why the Flyers will trade, but why will the Sharks trade? As stated before, Sharks GM Mike Grier has openly stated that they are taking calls on their pick this year. With the Sharks already having a center group that includes Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and with Sam Dickinson headlining their blueline, a trade back to get arguably the best wing in the draft makes the most sense for San Jose.
Honestly, Celebrini is so good that almost anyone who has the ability to play first line minutes can get plugged in and play there — think Bryan Rust or Chris Kunitz on the Penguins with Sidney Crosby. However, Victor Eklund is not just a plug-in guy. He’s a guy who is really really good at pretty much everything, while not being an incredible standout at anything. Eklund would fit right in on that line with Celebrini. He would make sure to do all the little things to help make Celebrini’s job easier. On top of that his brother William is already in the Sharks’ system. Sounds like it’s time for the new version of the Sedin brothers!
7) BOS: Anton Frondell (C)
Bruins fans will be jumping for joy when they see that one of the big four centers somehow falls into their lap here at pick seven. Yes he is coming off a major injury this season, which is why his draft stock didn’t tank too much this year as he progressively got back to the type of player he was expected to be.
Then he stepped onto the ice at the U18 worlds this year and struggled. It raised a couple red flags about his game but is that enough to tank his stock lower than a center in the next tier? No. Injuries are annoying and difficult to come back from but since he’s young he should be able to heal and still develop.
The Bruins have needed center help since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí both retired, and they finally get it here with Frondell.
8) SEA: Jake O’Brien (C)
Seattle is in a spot where I don’t know exactly what they’re doing. Yes, they traded away Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde, but they sort of seem to be stuck in neutral right now. They do have two solid center prospects in Matty Beniers and Shane Wright and they traded for Kappo Kakko and Michael Eyssimont, but their goaltending is a mess and they still have a lot of bigger contracts on the team.
This just seems to be a spot where you take the best player available and let them develop and see where your team is and what holes you have in two years.
Jake O’Brien is a guy who is interesting too. He’s an incredible playmaker who’s hockey IQ is impeccable. He is a bit on the softer side as he doesn’t get into the dirty areas or physically check that much, but on a Kraken team with a bunch of players who already play that style of hockey, he can be the guy who generates offense for you.
9) BUF: Roger McQueen (F)
Like Seattle, Buffalo seems to be caught in neutral. They have some good pieces in Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Zach Benson, Owen Power, and Rasmus Dahlin, but they just are “meh” overall.
Now with the most Buffalo pick of all time, Roger McQueen heads to the Sabres.
If this was NHL 25 Franchise Mode, and I could turn injuries off, McQueen might be a top 3-5 pick. However, in the real world injuries are a thing, and McQueen being 6’5” with back problems already is not something I would want to touch with a 49 ½ foot pole.
His skillset is what every NHL team should want — big, strong, improved skating, puck skills, and a rocket of a shot. He’s just a very scary prospect because of injuries, but I see Buffalo being desperate enough for a chance at another star that they swing big on him.
10) ANA: Jackson Smith (D)
After trading Jamie Drysdale two seasons ago and Cam Fowler this past season, the Ducks’ defensive group is thinner than it should be. Having Jackson LaCombe and Owen Zellweger is a great start, but that’s about it for them. Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba are fine, but they’re both over the hill in their respective careers. Already having a deep forward pool, the Ducks adding Jackson Smith will help the blue line.
I’m going to be honest, choosing between Smith and Radim Mrtka was tough. I just think Smith playing more games and scoring more tipped it over the edge for me. Yes I know Mrtka is bigger and a RHD, but the Ducks feel like a team that would take Smith. I do think he’s more naturally gifted than Mrtka but Mrtka absolutely has a higher Hockey IQ and higher ceiling if he taps into his potential.
Who knows, in a month my opinion could be different and Mrtka could be here and Smith could fall.
Watch the first round of the NHL Draft on June 27th at 7 pm EST on ESPN
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