It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! Earlier this year, we released the TWC consolidated 2025 NHL Draft rankings. The 2025 NHL Draft will take place on June 27th and 28th in Los Angeles. Next up is forward Cole Reschny from Macklin, Saskatchewan. He is coming off his best season with the Victoria Royals, leading them to Game 6 of the second round in the WHL Playoffs. Let’s take a look at what Reschny has to offer.
Who is Cole Reschny?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Reschny | F | Left | 5’10” | 187 lbs |
Reschny’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | D-4 | CSSHL U15 | Northern Alberta U15 Prep | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2021-2022 | D-3 | CSSHL U15 | Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep | 25 | 40 | 52 | 92 |
| CSSHL U16 | Northern Alberta Xtreme U16 Prep | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2022-2023 | D-2 | SMAAAHL | Saskatoon Blazers U18 AAA | 34 | 23 | 42 | 65 |
| WHL | Victoria Royals | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2023-2024 | D-1 | WHL | Victoria Royals | 61 | 21 | 38 | 59 |
| WHC-17 | Canada Red U17 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2024-2025 | D+0 | WHL | Victoria Royals | 62 | 26 | 66 | 92 |
| WJC-18 | Canada U18 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
Reschny has the potential to become a strong playmaker at the NHL level. His performance over the past year have boosted his draft stock, making him a strong first-round selection. He broke out at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he led Team Canada to a gold medal with seven points in five games.
Reschny gained confidence over the offseason and took that momentum into his second full WHL season. He was spectacular with the Victoria Royals, posting 92 points in 62 games. Then, in the playoffs, he had 25 points in just 11 games. The 18-year-old carried the Royals on his back, but was unable to sustain the star power of the Spokane Chiefs.
Reschny’s strengths
Playmaking
One of Reschny’s biggest strengths is playmaking. His full-ice vision and passing abilities make it easy for him to set up his teammates. His previous season with the Victoria Royals showcased this ability throughout the year, as he recorded 66 assists in 62 games. He finished the year ranking sixth in the WHL for most assists, following stars such as Gavin McKenna and Andrew Cristall.
Reschny recently stood out at the U18 World Junior Championship. He finished the tournament with five goals in five games and was a key reason why Canada won gold. The Saskatchewanian scored the overtime-winning goal in the quarterfinals against Czechia to keep Canada’s tournament alive. Without him, Canada may have been upset at yet another international hockey tournament.
200-foot game
Another great strength of Reschny is his 200-foot game. He is the type of player who can play at both ends of the ice, being a valued asset for his team. A young two-way centreman can be an extremely valuable asset to an NHL franchise. We see them in a lot of Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Reschny can be used throughout the lineup, too. He can play on both the power play and penalty kill, embracing both important special teams roles. It will be interesting to see where Reschny will land in the upcoming draft. His highest ranking is from TSN’s Craig Button, who has him listed at 13th overall in his May rankings. The majority of his other rankings have him in the 20–40 range, though he has been rising in draft boards recently. This is the type of young player the Calgary Flames desperately need.
Areas of improvement
Shooting mindset
There is no specific area of Reschny’s game that is a weakness, but something he could work on is having more of a shoot-first mentality. He is the type of player who is always thinking pass first, hence why he is such a great playmaker. To make himself more of an offensive threat, he could be a bit more selfish and shoot the puck more often. This would make the defending team question what he is going to do rather than knowing that a pass is coming.
NHL comparables
A couple of NHL players that Reschny compares to include Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers. Both of these guys are solid two-way forwards who have exceptional playmaking abilities. Reschny will not be drafted quite as high as Beniers (second overall in 2021) or Nugent-Hopkins (first overall in 2011), but he still has a similar projection.
Fit with the Flames
Reschny is a player the Flames should highly consider drafting. The one position this team lacks is at centre. Reschny would become the best young centre in the franchise with no one in his way. He would get an amazing opportunity to learn from the other centremen, such as Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund. With two picks in the first round, the Flames should have an opportunity to draft him.
Do you think the Flames should consider Reschny at the NHL Draft?
Summary
Overall, Reschny seems like he is going to become a solid playmaker at the NHL level. His stats in junior have been nothing less than impressive, and he will only get better as he matures. Looking at some current draft rankings, it can be expected for Reschny to get drafted in the mid first round.
Be sure to tune into the 2025 NHL Draft on June 27th and 28th in Los Angeles.
Risk: 2/5
Reward: 4/5
Projection: Top-six forward
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:
Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau | Malcolm Spence | Cameron Reid | Logan Hensler | Cameron Schmidt | Ben Kindel | Kashawn Aitcheson | Cullen Potter | Braeden Cootes | Ivan Ryabkin | Blake Fiddler | Cole Reschny | Joshua Ravensbergen | Bill Zonnon | William Moore | Jack Nesbitt | Jack Murtagh | Milton Gastrin | Sascha Boumedienne | Henry Brzustewicz | Adam Benak | Shane Vansaghi | Cole McKinney | Jakob Ihs-Wozniak | Ryker Lee | Ben Kevan | Michal Svrcek | Arvid Drott | Conrad Fondrk | Charlie Trethewey | Luca Romano
