The WHL is set to play a big role in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Leading up to the draft, we at The Hockey News will be profiling some of the players who are projected to hear their names called at the end of June. Today's prospect is David Lewandowski, who plays for the Saskatoon Blades.
Lewandowski came over from Germany in time for the 2024-25 season, and while there were a few kinks to work out, he fit right in with the Blades system. As he's gotten more comfortable with North American hockey, the young forward has increased his physicality and carved out a role in Saskatoon's middle six with a few extended stints on the top line.
While his shot may not be on the level of a Cameron Schmidt or Lynden Lakovic, Lewandowski still managed to rack up 15 goals in his rookie WHL campaign. When put in the right position, he doesn't tend to miss terribly often.
Where the German shines, however, has been the playmaker and physical side of the game. In the offensive zone, he's always looking for a teammate and has become quite proficient at cycling the puck; throwing reverse hits, going into corners to retrieve pucks, and generally being a thorn in the side of opposing players.
On the other hand, an area that could use a little work is the defensive zone. Early in the season, Lewandowski would often be seen hovering around the top of the faceoff circles; while not necessarily a negative, he did tend to look more on the pedestrian side when defending his territory. As the campaign wore on, this has been cleaned up in bits and pieces and the Blades import is a much more two-way player.
Not projected to go in the top 50 of the NHL draft, but Lewandowski could be quite a fun project for a team that needs a grinding playmaker and will be selecting somewhere in the 60-100 range.
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