As we enter the final stretch run towards the NHL draft, we’ve seen leagues around the world release all-star teams. It’s a way of giving the players recognition for the impressive season they put together.

Let’s make some all-star teams for this year’s NHL draft class.

We will assemble a first and second all-star squad with a player named for each position. There will be three forwards consisting of a center and two wingers, two defensemen and a goaltender.

Statistical excellence, accolades and accomplishments are all considered for these teams. Any NHL draft-eligible player is in consideration.

First Team

C: Michael Misa, Saginaw (OHL)

RW: Porter Martone, Brampton (OHL)

LW: Victor Eklund, Djurgarden (Swe.)

D: Logan Hensler, Univ. of Wisconsin (NCAA)

D: Jackson Smith, Tri City (WHL)

G: Pyotr Andreyanov, Krasnaya Armiya Moscow (Rus. Jr)

If you were to put this team out on the ice, you’d have a wicked squad. 

Up front, you have the OHL MVP, Michael Misa, down the middle. He’s a true do-it-all center who led the OHL in scoring and was second in goals. His intelligence and processing would pair perfectly with his linemates, elevating their games and allowing them to play to their strengths. 

Martone is a power playmaker with excellent vision and the ability to make plays with a defender on his back. He possesses a snap shot that simply jumps off his stick as well. He needs to improve his pace, but that’s where Eklund comes in. The relentless dog-on-a-bone winger plays bigger than his size, and he has plenty of offensive skill to complement his linemates. Eklund outworks everyone on the ice. 

On the back end, you would have had Matthew Schaefer had he not been injured for most of the season. His absence is the only reason he isn’t on here because he is the surefire top blueliner in the draft class. 

Instead, you lead with the ultra-toolsy Jackson Smith, which would be quite fun. Smith brings size and skating with high-end transition defense and a boatload of upside. 

Logan Hensler gets the bump up from the second team after a resurgent season. Hensler struggled to start his college career, but his bounceback in the second half really helped solidify himself as a top-end defender in the draft class. Hensler is a very solid puck-mover who can pinch in just about everywhere on the ice. 

In net, there is no consensus top netminder, but Andreyanov had a wildly strong season in the Russian junior league this year, posting a .942 save percentage over 37 games. He’s become a sneaky name rising up boards, and we could see his name called early on the second day of the draft.

Second Team

C: James Hagens, Boston College (NCAA)

RW: Carter Bear, Everett (WHL)

LW: Lynden Lakovic, Moose Jaw (WHL)

D: Blake Fiddler, Edmonton (WHL)

D: Sascha Boumedienne, Univ. of Boston (NCAA)

G: Jack Ivankovic, Brampton (OHL)

The second All-NHL draft squad is an interesting mix of players. 

Hagens came into the year as the presumptive No. 1, but as others excelled, Hagens' stock fell a bit, and he now seems to be locked into the Nos. 3 to 5 range. Even with that, the skilled, shifty playmaking center was very solid in college and more than deserves his spot at center. 

Carter Bear and Lynden Lakovic tore up the WHL in very different ways this season. 

Bear is a relentless, physical forward who forechecks hard and backchecks with purpose. His speed is a major strength on offense, ripping defenses apart. Lakovic, on the other hand, is a more skill-based player with the frame to be a more physical presence, but he’s still growing into that role. His speed and downhill tendencies with the puck on his stick, with true dual-threat ability, make him dangerous every shift. 

On the back end, Blake Fiddler may be the steadiest presence on the blueline in this draft class. He can kill transitions with his stick or thwart play with a bodycheck. The really impressive part about Fiddler is that he is a more than capable skater and puck-mover as well. He can alleviate the pressure from his partner and make plays when he is needed to. 

Sashca Boumedienne nabs the final spot when it realistically could have gone a number of directions. But Boumedienne showed incredible improvement throughout the year as he built on his incredible toolset and skating to become an absolute force at the U-18s for Sweden. His season at Boston University was impressive, and the team leaned on him more as the season progressed. 

In net, Jack Ivankovic has been the go-to goaltender for Hockey Canada in his age group for a couple of years now, and his play in Brampton, as the full-time starter, was impressive. He’s a bit undersized, but the way he can simply calm his team down by making every save that he’s expected to make is valuable in the crease. 

2025 NHL Draft: After Schaefer, Who Is The Next-Best Defenseman? The 2025 NHL draft’s top defenseman has long and undoubtedly been Matthew Schaefer. 

Just Missed The Cut

As this exercise focuses on 10 skaters and two netminders, there are inevitably a bunch of notable players left out. With a deep draft of centers, there were more than a few left off the all-draft team. 

Caleb Desnoyers, Jake O’Brien and Anton Frondell all could go in the top 10, but they either played most of the season at center or are likely to play center in the future, so they couldn’t slide into the winger slots. In many years, a player like Breaden Cootes may even be considered with true centers usually being sparse. 

On the back end, Radim Mrtka and Kashawn Aitcheson were the notable omissions. Mrtka is a big, defensive blueliner who flashes some offensive skill. Aitcheson is a physical presence who frequently looks to inflict pain. It’s not always constructive, but he’s a missile. Some impressive offensive stats to go with their tools and flashes of impressive play for both of them warranted mention.

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