As we approach the 2025 World Junior Championship this December, I thought it would be a perfect time to check in on my Top 64 Prospects from early in the season. This year’s class has found a distinct top four in the last few weeks of play, and while the middle of the first-round talent looks weaker than previous years, the depth from twenty onwards is still quite strong.
For a full look at my 2025 NHL Draft Rankings 2.0 check out my post here:
https://twitter.com/ryanmascouting/status/1857885698176487439?s=46
Today we’ll cover some of the biggest storylines on my Rankings 2.0!
2025 NHL Draft risers
#4 – Michael Misa – C – Saginaw Spirit – OHL (#8) +4
So… it turns out Michael Misa did have that next gear to hit. Just days after I released the second half of my preliminary top 10 rankings for 2025 where I challenged Misa to show me that he had that next gear offensively to dominate the league he went out there and… did.
He has 40 points in 20 games with 23 goals. As Shaquille O’Neal would say: I apologize, Michael, I wasn’t familiar with your game. To be fair, that assertion on my end would be a lie. Misa has shown an incredible ability to generate offence prior to this season on the puck.
What’s really impressed me is his off-the-puck play this year. He’s been able to find open areas of the ice to sneak into to receive the puck, and his skating has been such a strength for him both ways this year.
His ability to hit the seam on entries and his commitment to getting back to support his defencemen on breakouts have changed him into an elite player in all three zones. He’s smart, gets to the right spots, hustles on the backcheck and chews up the ice in a hurry when he gets going.
I’ve refrained from doing it now… but there’s a good chance he ends my next update in my top 2.
#6 – Victor Eklund – LW – Djurgårdens IF – HockeyAllsvenskan (#21) +15
So, Victor Eklund is pretty good at hockey. Despite only being my 13th-ranked forward to start the year, a combination of Eklund’s stellar play and the struggles of some of the forwards ranked ahead of him has leapfrogged him to my fifth-ranked forward.
There are few players as dangerous and deceptive on the puck in transition as Eklund who uses his skating ability to keep defenders off balance. Eklund has continued to flourish in a men’s league with Djurgårdens, putting up eight goals and 14 points in 17 games.
I was extremely high on his brother William Eklund of the San Jose Sharks (a member of my fantasy dynasty team here at The Win Column) in his draft year, and I think there are some similarities between the two siblings.
Fellow Swede Anton Frondell (#7) and a personal favourite of mine, Roger McQueen (#5) will jostle with Eklund for that final top 5 slot this year for me but with McQueen slowing down and recovering from injury and Frondell’s inconsistent start to the year, Eklund has the inside track heading into my post-WJC rankings.
#13 – Jackson Smith – LD – Tri-City Americans – WHL (#20) +7
Jackson Smith has solidified himself as my number-one defenceman in the WHL this year. I loved his performance in Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky this summer where I thought he showcased flashes that put him amongst some of the most dynamic players in the entire tournament from the back end.
I still think Smith has some inconsistencies that need ironing out from a decision-making perspective on the puck. We see some crazy decisions where his athletics and size can sometimes let him get away with things that I’m less optimistic about translating at the next level.
Sometimes he’s a little too “reachy” when defending, however, the skating at his size and the puck skills make him an extremely tantalizing upside pick. He’s a guy whose physicality ramps up throughout a game and that makes for an extremely projectible two-way defenceman at the pro level given he reigns in some of those crazy moments.
Tri-City sits third in the WHL this season and Smith has been sensational, putting up 19 points in 18 games for the Americans this year. His spot in the rankings above names like Hensler and Threthaway may seem absurd, but he’s a guy that despite his warts and my reservations to start the year, feels more and more like a potential slam dunk pick in a few years.
#17 – Cameron Reid – LD – Kitchener Rangers – OHL – (#17) +0
Reid hasn’t moved up my board, but I did think that there was a real chance that with some risers over the last few weeks, there was a pretty good chance he would fall. Instead, Reid has taken that next step offensively for Kitchener in his second full season with the team.
There’s a higher level of assertiveness and decisiveness with Reid this season, and Kitchener finds themselves surprisingly first place in the OHL through 20 games. Reid’s been a huge part of that early season success putting up a point a game and playing on both special teams units.
I wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up in the Top 15 by the end of the year. He’s been exceptional in all situations for Kitchener and logging tough minutes. All the facets of his game that made him good last year have been tuned up a notch this season which makes him one of the best defencemen in the OHL this year regardless of age.
I think this next wave of rankings when they come in will have Reid much higher than they are now. I haven’t seen anyone else rank Reid as high as me outside of Craig Button. Welcome to the team Craig, we’ve got lots of room!
#20 – Brady Martin – C – Soo Greyhounds – OHL (#32) +12
Brady Martin is chugging along at a point-per-game pace for the Greyhounds this year to follow up a strong Hlinka-Gretzky showing. The 6’0” centreman who plays a skilled power forward style of game notched a hat trick two days ago against Erie and leads the Soo with 19 points and 10 goals to start the year.
Martin’s been one of my favourite players to watch all year long, he plays with a ton of jam, has sick hands and has a heavy release. Despite the fact he’s not lighting the OHL on fire like Cam Schmidt is in the WHL, he’s one of my guys and I think his style of game is incredibly translatable at the pro level.
The Soo certainly have a worse team than last year, but Martin’s play is a key factor that will keep them in the playoff picture in the OHL this year.
#23 – Cameron Schmidt – RW – Vancouver Giants – WHL (#34) +11
Cameron Schmidt is electric. At the start of the year, Adam Benak was my sure-fire top “short king” and the gap between him and the rest of the group was distinct. Cullen Potter was actually my second-ranked sub 5’10” player.
Between Benak’s confusing deployment this year with Youngstown and Schmidt’s ridiculous play as a chance generator and finisher for Vancouver this season, that gap has closed significantly.
Schmidt’s been on a tear this season putting up 30 points in 18 games and excelling at all the things that made him such a useful and versatile player for Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky.
An insane release, coupled with a game that involves a fast-paced style of play and effortlessly smooth skating, despite Schmidt’s size, I’m hard-pressed to keep him out of my first round with the impact he’s having every time he hits the ice.
#29 – Carter Bear – C/RW – Everett Silvertips – WHL (UNR) +36
Carter Bear makes a huge splash going from my “Need to watch” list at the end of the last rankings and jumping up to 29th in this new edition. The Everett Silvertip has taken his game to another level after putting up 57 points in 67 games in his D-1 in a primarily middle-six role.
With an increased role on a Silvertips team that added rookie phenom Landon Dupont this season, Bear is off to a blistering start putting up 32 points in 19 games in a top-six role alongside Miettinen and Heslop.
Bear has pro size with an extremely high compete level to pair with great attention to detail. He plays the bumper role very effectively on the power play for Everett, despite the overall unit grading out around league average.
His shot is deceptively dangerous, he wins puck battles extremely well and is capable of making passes quickly and decisively. His three-zone game will make him an extremely attractive potential riser throughout the season.
#36 – Nathan Behm – LW – WHL – Kamloops Blazers (#51) +15
Behm’s been a catalyst for Kamloops all season and I even mentioned that as I went back and checked into more of his games, there was a good chance that he would shoot up my board.
Needless to say, I’ve been impressed with the 6’2” playmaking winger. Behm uses smooth skating and vision to generate controlled zone entries for his team and his pacey style of play to catch opponents off guard and fit dangerous passes through traffic to teammates.
He continues to feature prominently as one of the focal points of the Kamloops power play which is clicking at 24.3% rate on the year and while I’m looking for more from him on the forecheck, I think the creative skillset and offensive creation are extremely tantalizing and worth a look in the early second round.
#59 – Owen Martin – F – Spokane Chiefs – WHL (UNR) +6
Spokane’s off to a much better season this year and a huge part of that has been the emergence of the duo of Owen Martin and Chase Harrington. A quiet season last year on a young and frankly lacklustre Spokane Chiefs team led to his exclusion from my first set of rankings this year.
This year, however, without Berkly Catton, the 6’0” centreman is plotting at a near-point-per-game clip with 13 points in 17 games. He’s got the benefit of playing alongside Harrington, who’s eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, and is an extremely skilled player and creative playmaker.
I think Martin, like Bear, is going to rise up boards as well if he continues his strong play, but I’ve liked his skating and shooting mechanics from my limited viewings so far regardless. I think if Martin was playing in a larger role, he’d likely be getting more love in draft rankings. For now, he’s at 58 but there’s a lot to work with in his skillset as he plays a key role in a blazing-hot Spokane offence.
NHL Draft Fallers
#21 – Jacob Ihs Wozniak – F – Luleå HF J20 – J20 Nationell (#9) -12
The biggest fall in these rankings is easily Jacob Ihs Wozniak. While JIW has rebounded from a particularly rough start to the year to get back up to 21 points in 18 games and a call-up to the SHL, I think some players have passed him up throughout the process during his slow start to the year.
A strong or prolonged stint in the SHL could rebound his stock but in the meantime, JIW remains my third-ranked Swedish forward with a decent margin separating him from number two.
#26 – Luka Radivojevic – RD – Muskegon Lumberjacks – USHL (#15) -11
Radivojevic leaving for the USHL after not being able to secure a role in the SHL was curious, to say the least. Radivojevic has a lot of qualities I like, I think he’s got some great ability to drive the net with the puck, an exceptional hockey IQ and some great breakout passing ability but his skating remains just average and that poses translatability questions for him at the pro-level.
He’s had a strong start offensively with Muskegon with five points in eight games, but he’ll need to have a very strong rest of the season to see himself rise back up my rankings.
#30 – Kashawn Aitcheson – LD – Barrie Colts – OHL (#16) -14
Aitcheson is a good player, but unfortunately, he’s not spectacular and as I mentioned in my last ranking I don’t see a ton of offence coming from him at the pro level. The Barrie Colt has 11 points in 16 games this season, but I think he’s much closer to a Ben Danford tier of player than Stian Solberg, who to be fair, I was also not that high on last year.
I like Aitcheson as a minute-munching, physical, nasty player who offers great penalty kill value and a stabilizer on a blueliner but I don’t see the long-term projection into a two-way contributor like Matthias Ekholm or Jake Muzzin. He’s a nice player, and his skillset and refinement defensively at his size mean an NHL team may take a chance on him before my current ranking.
Conclusion
There’s a lot more fluidity to this year’s draft class with players moving up and down the board especially outside of the top 10 or so picks. A reminder to check out my twitter @ryanmascouting if you want to see the full Top 64! My next update will likely be after the World Junior Championship and I expect my board to change once again depending on how some draft eligibles perform.
