One of the most common questions as the NHL draft approaches is who the best prospect is at a certain skill or trait. 

Whether it’s the best shooter, passer, power forward or skater, NHL fans want to know who the best is at any given thing so they know how hyped up to get about whoever their team selects.

Let’s go through some of the main traits and categories that scouts evaluate, making a list of the top players in any given area, along with a player who is underrated in that category and a few honorable mentions. 

Best Shooter

1. Cameron Schmidt

2. Anton Frondell

3. Justin Carbonneau

4. Michael Misa

5. Porter Martone

Underrated: Victor Eklund

Honorable mentions: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Carter Bear, Daniil Prokhorov

Although Misa is probably the most complete goal-scorer, it’s the diminutive Schmidt that gets the top spot here. The puck pops off his stick whether he’s on the rush or set up at the faceoff dot. 

Frondell and Carbonneau look like they have pro-ready shots already. Martone is deservedly labelled as a playmaker, but his shot is no joke. Eklund has a sneaky good shot as well that doesn’t get spoken about enough because of his selling point often being his relentless motor. 

Best Passer

1. Porter Martone

2. Jake O’Brien

3. James Hagens

4. Matthew Schaefer

5. Ben Kindel

Underrated: Michael Misa

Honorable mentions: Caleb Desnoyers, LJ Mooney, Adam Benak, Cole Reschny 

Martone is the purest power playmaker in this draft class. While most power forwards are viewed as goal-scorers who go to the net, Martone uses his strength to protect the puck and hold off defenders before threading a pass. There’s much more finesse in his game than true power, but much like Matthew Tkachuk, he has that power element as a passer. 

O’Brien is one of the most impressive playmakers in the class with excellent vision and passing. Hagens is a finesse playmaker who gashes opposing defenses with his ability to thread the puck through traffic. 

Schaefer stands out among defenders with his passing and play-creation ability. Kindel is a sneaky add here as a player who is constantly just looking to hit teammates in a position to attack the net. 

Most Mobile

1. Matthew Schaefer 

2. Cullen Potter

3. Cameron Schmidt

4. Victor Eklund

5. James Hagens

Underrated: Max Westergard

Honorable mentions: Michael Misa, Adam Benak, Jackson Smith, Sascha Boumedienne, Arvid Drott

This draft has a number of really impressive skaters. Many of them are bigger defenders, but as usual, most mobile players are the smaller guys. 

Schaefer is a four-way monster who is so fluid and aggressive as a skater. The smaller guys are up next with Potter and Schmidt, who are constantly on the attack and have a shiftiness to them with and without the puck. 

Eklund hunts down pucks and then has the ability to alter his speeds and evade pressure with quick cuts. Hagens is the classic free-flowing smooth skater. Westergard is a player people aren’t talking about, but he’s among the best skaters in the class and could have found a spot in the top five with ease.

Most Physical

1. Brady Martin

2. Kashawn Aitcheson

3. Shane Vansaghi

4. David Bedkowski

5. Malte Vass

Underrated: Victor Eklund

Honorable mentions: Daniil Prokhorov, Carter Bear, Mace’o Phillips, Artyom Vilchinsky, Roger McQueen, Radim Mrtka

This is an interesting category because just being physical isn’t always a good thing. Functional physicality is always what I look for, but nonetheless, these are the players who look to impose their will physically during play and after the whistle. 

The top two players, Martin and Aitcheson, love to do exactly that. They can throw their body around during play, but they have no problem getting involved in the extracurriculars. Vansaghi is the most functional physically of the bunch, outside of Eklund, who doesn’t always get his credit. Both use their physicality to disrupt play. Bedkowski and Vass love to punish players along the boards and in open ice. 

Best Power Forward

1. Anton Frondell

2. Roger McQueen

3. Shane Vansaghi

4. Bill Zonnon

5. Brady Martin 

Underrated: Will Moore

Honorable mentions: Daniil Prokhorov, Jack Nesbitt, Bruno Osmanis

To be a power forward, you have to have functionality in your physicality. That’s where Frondell excels. He’s not throwing big hits, but he’s going to push you around when you try to defend him. He will lean in, take your contact and deliver some force back. 

McQueen brings a bit of both, but he shows the ability to use his frame to protect and maneuver the puck around the ice. Vansaghi and Zonnon are constantly running around to disrupt play, getting into defenders on the forecheck and looking to make plays out of that. 

Best Motor

1. Victor Eklund

2. Carter Bear

3. Brady Martin

4. Michael Misa

5. Bill Zonnon

Underrated: LJ Mooney 

Honorable mentions: Matthew Schaefer, Braeden Cootes, Cole Reschny, Shane Vansaghi, Kashawn Aitcheson

The try-hards of this year’s draft, Eklund and Bear personify motor for me. They almost never take a breath on the ice, constantly running around and impacting the play in any way they can. Martin looks to throw hits and thrives on running around like a crazy man at times. Misa works to get himself and his teammates into excellent positions. Zonnon outworks the imperfect skating stride to the point where his skating doesn’t really hurt his game at all. Mooney is one of the smallest players in the draft, but he works to get to the inside and always seems to be moving to get the puck onto his stick. 

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: Ferrari's Final Top 80 The 2025 NHL draft cycle nears the end, and it’s been a unique class.

Best Offensive Defenseman

1. Matthew Schaefer

2. Cameron Reid

3. Jackson Smith

4. Luka Radivojevic

5. Radim Mrtka

Underrated: Sascha Boumedienne

Honorable mentions: Tomas Galvas, Logan Hensler, Kashawn Aitcheson

Schaefer is head and shoulders the best offensive blueliner in the class, especially among the top names. 

Reid is a dynamic skater and playmaker who can make things happen. Smith and Mrtka each bring some interesting passing and mobility along the blueline, which puts them up there as well. Radivojevic is a shifty, skilled blueliner who is one of the better creators from the back end, but the rest of his game may hold him back. Boumedienne has more to give and showed a glimpse of that at the U-18s. 

Best Defensive Defenseman

1. Radim Mrtka

2. Blake Fiddler

3. Sascha Boumedienne

4. Matthew Schaefer

5. Jackson Smith

Underrated: Sean Barnhill

Honorable mentions: Jacob Rombach, Logan Hensler, Haoxi Wang, Malte Vass, Quinn Beauchesne

Mrtka is at his best when he uses his length and mobility to kill plays in his own zone. His size and physicality are advantages most players just don’t have. 

Fiddler is a steady, stout defender who plays an understated game. Boumedienne grew as a defender so much this season, taking on a major defensive role for Boston University this year, leaning to the defensive side of the puck much more this year. 

Schaefer’s defensive game is built on skating, shadowing and using his intellect to cut play off when the puck is in jeopardy because of a bobble on the stick or a pass that he can cut off. Rombach and Barnhill were two of the more impressive defenders in the United States League, killing play with very well-rounded defensive games. 

Best Rush Defender

1. Jackson Smith

2. Matthew Schaefer

3. Logan Hensler

4. Blake Fiddler

5. Sascha Boumedienne

Underrated: Sean Barnhill 

Honorable mentions: David Bedkowski, Malte Vass, Jacob Rombach

Defending the rush is becoming more important every year in the NHL, so these players will be more effective as the league continues to speed up and play faster hockey. 

Smith was a monster at times, thwarting opposing players as they entered the neutral zone or attacking the defensive blueline. His length and mobility killed chances regularly. Schaefer is a much better all-around defender than he gets credit for, and defending the rush is an area in which he really excels. 

Hensler and Boumedienne both leverage their high-end skating and defensive IQ to read plays and strike at the precise moment to disrupt possession. Fiddler is just as steady on the rush as he is defending in zone as well, using his IQ to kill chances. 

Best Two-Way Forward

1. Braeden Cootes

2. Michael Misa

3. Carter Bear

4. Milton Gastrin

5. Eric Nilson

Underrated: Victor Eklund

Honorable mentions: Eddie Genborg, Anton Frondell, Jan Chovan

Every team needs a matchup center or a defensive forward they can rely on to help shut down the opposing team’s best offensive players. 

Cootes is a tactician who reads play at both ends of the ice so effectively that he could easily be envisioned as a matchup center against tough competition. Misa is a steady, solid presence in just about every aspect of the game, and the defensive side of the puck isn’t exempt from that. Bear and Eklund use their motor and pace to pressure and get after opposing players in their own end as well. Gastrin and Nilson are intelligent, purposeful forwards who have shown excellent habits in Sweden to ensure they are helping their teams get the puck back.

Final 2025 NHL Draft Rankings: Ryan Kennedy's Top 100 The 2025 NHL draft is fast approaching, and with that, it's time to drop some final rankings.

Biggest Boom or Bust Prospect

1. Roger McQueen

2. Cullen Potter

3. Cameron Schmidt

4. LJ Mooney

5. Alexander Zharovsky

Underrated: Justin Carbonneau 

Honorable mentions: Ben Kindel, Ryker Lee, Cameron Reid, Theo Stockselius, Luka Radivojevic, Mason West, Jack Nesbitt, Leo Sundqvist

Every NHL draft has players who are high risk and high reward. This year has more than a few. 

McQueen is an interesting bet because of his back injury this season, as well as his lower pace game. His offensive skill is top-notch, but he has some work to do to get faster and play with more pace. 

Potter is a skilled, swift skater who constantly created plays at the college level, but size and decision-making have come into question at times. Schmidt and Mooney are highly skilled offensive wizards who have major questions about size, as both are under 5-foot-8. Zharovsky is all skill and could be a major win if he can refine some other parts of his game. 

Safest Floor

1. Michael Misa

2. Matthew Schaefer

3. Anton Frondell

4. Braeden Cootes

5. Jackson Smith

Underrated: Shane Vansaghi

Honorable mentions: Caleb Desnoyers, Blake Fiddler, Radim Mrtka, Porter Martone, Malcolm Spence

Betting on players always comes with risk, but these players have the highest likelihood of at least playing in the NHL and becoming an effective player on some level. 

Misa and Schaefer bring their multifaceted games to the table, and both should be middle-of-the-lineup talents in the worst-case scenario. 

Frondell should be a very solid middle-of-the-lineup scorer who can help add some scoring from a third line if things don’t go well developmentally. Cootes (and Vansaghi to a lesser extent) may not have the highest ceiling, but it’s hard not to see him making the NHL because of how structured and steady his game is. Smith has too many physical tools not to at least find his way onto an NHL bottom pairing.

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