Welcome to your 2025 NHL Entry Draft Headquarters right here at Last Word On Sports and Top Shelf Prospects. We have you covered with everything you will need to be ready for the big event. Today, we bring you Part One of our 2025 NHL Draft Grades.
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The big day has come and gone, and now we look back to see how each team did in the NHL Draft. We know it’s way too soon to evaluate the complete outcomes of this year’s draft. However, we don’t want to wait. Instead, we follow our yearly tradition and do our NHL Draft Grades now.
To be clear, our 2025 NHL Draft Grades are based on the quality and quantity of total talent added in the draft. It is not based on getting value for where you pick. For example, a team that lacks picks is likely to be given a very poor grade for this year’s draft, regardless of how they use them.
LWOS 2025 NHL Draft Evaluation and Grades
Note: VALUE PICK does NOT mean the best player drafted. It means the best value. For example, Matthew Schaefer was the first player taken in this draft. However, he is not our best-value pick for the New York Islanders. Why? Because anyone can take the best player with the first-overall pick. What we are looking for is value here, such as what steal did the team get in the draft that went later than we thought he would? If it were merely an exercise in naming the best player drafted, we might as well just name the team’s first pick, as that is who their own scouts felt was their best player.
Our grades are based on every player in the class, even where the later picks are not mentioned in the write-up. Of course, the higher the pick, the more he will affect the grade.
Anaheim: A
Best Value Pick: Anthony Allain Samake
The Anaheim Ducks had 10 picks in this year’s draft, and we think they did pretty well. The obvious top guys, being Roger McQueen and Eric Nilson. McQueen’s 10th overall selection was within the range we expected. However, having potentially the highest ceiling in the draft makes this a high-value pick. We also valued Eric Nilson slightly higher than where he was drafted, providing some surplus.
Their best value comes from USHL defenceman Anthony Allain Samake. After being ranked as high as 43rd overall by SMAHT Scouting, Allain Samake fell to the 6th round, going 168th overall. A big, left-shot defenceman, Anthony is young and raw with an intriguing offensive upside, showing flashes of creativity and deception at the blueline.
Boston: B+
Best Value Pick: William Moore
With seven picks in this year’s draft, the Boston Bruins did well enough to earn themselves a B+. Obviously, we start with James Hagens falling into the Bruins’ laps. Given that Hagens was ranked as high as second and was a consensus top-five pick, acquiring him at seven is amazing value.
Their best value pick was definitely William Moore. Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala had Moore ranked at #25, and yet, Boston was able to nab him with pick #51. A tall, mobile forward with solid puck touches, Moore excels at creating offence around the net and was trusted in multiple roles with the USNTDP. The remaining five selections saw some decent selections, but nothing we felt provided a surplus of value, hence the B+.
Buffalo: A
Best Value Pick: David Bedkowski
The Buffalo Sabres had nine picks in this year’s draft and did pretty well. Other than Radim Mrtka, who clearly provides value, Buffalo had two picks that we felt provided a surplus of value. The first is David Bedkowski, their third round pick. David was ranked as high as #47 by Elite Prospects, due to his highly physical plays, punishing edge, and momentum-shifting hits. He also shows offensive upside, confidently joining the rush, moving the puck quickly, and firing one-timers from the point. We also liked the game of Noah Laberge quite a bit and felt picking him up in the 5th round was tidy work.
Calgary: A
Best Value Pick: Ethan Wyttenbach
With our third A grade of the day, we have the Calgary Flames. After their stellar 2024 draft, the Flames picked up where they left off, making eight solid selections this year. Cullen Potter falling to 32nd was a dream come true for Calgary. With the best skating in the draft and one of the highest ceilings, Potter provides excellent value. Despite going in the range we expected, both Reschny and Stockselius are also good value picks.
Our best value pick for the Flames is Ethan Wyttenbach. He’s a detail-oriented forward who excels at supporting play, advancing pucks efficiently, and finding soft ice. Wyttenbach’s deceptive release and strong net-front timing give him pro-level scoring potential, backed by a sturdy frame and high compete level. Nick Iacoban of Watch The Stars had him ranked #41, which, after getting drafted at #144, provides over 100 spots of surplus.
Here are my biggest steals from the 2025 Draft based on where I had them ranked and where they were selected.
I had Cameron Schmidt as a safe 1st rounder, Dallas getting him as a late 3rd is insane value.
There were also some steals in the 7th as teams were comfortable taking… pic.twitter.com/2XTKWKgdOu
— Nick (@nickiacoban) July 3, 2025
Carolina: A-
Best Value Pick: Filip Ekberg
The Carolina Hurricanes had an excellent draft. This is a recording…
Every year, it seems that no matter how many selections the Hurricanes make, they get excellent value. With the 62nd and 67th picks, the Canes selected Russians Ivan Ryabkin and Kurban Limatov. We feel both provide exceptional value. Limatov can be found as high as #25 in various draft rankings, and Ryabkin was our 27th-ranked prospect. Their ceilings are much higher than their draft position, which seems to be a trend amongst Hurricanes draftees.
Their best value is easily Filip Ekberg. After being named the U18 World Junior Championship MVP and being ranked as high as 46th by The Hockey News/Ferrari, Ekberg fell all the way to 221st, right into the laps of the Canes. Limited ice time and an underwhelming OHL transition tanked his draft stock, but the potential is still off the charts for Ekberg.
Chicago: B-
Best Value Pick: Julius Sumpf
When it comes to Chicago, their ranking is a product of quantity over quality. Of their eight selections, we weren’t overly impressed with any of them. Don’t get us wrong, Anton Frondell at three is an excellent selection and will add an amazing prospect to their pool, but past that, there were a lot of reaches. Of their remaining picks, all of them were selected higher than we were projecting.
We like the potential that Mason West brings. However, it is a hazardous selection to make. West is returning to high school next year to play football, and he’s one solid season away from an NFL draft selection as well.
The pick that we felt provided the best value was Julius Sumpf. Even though, like the other, Sumpf was drafted ahead of his ranking, he was excellent for the Moncton Wildcats in the playoffs and Memorial Cup. He was underrated in our opinion, and we feel he could turn into a sneaky good pick as the years go on.
Colorado: C
Best Value Pick: Francesco Dell’Elce
There’s not much to go on when it comes to the Avalanche. They made only three selections in this year’s draft, and even though we like all three picks, that quantity was severely lacking here. Of their selections, Francesco Dell’Elce stood out as a sneaky good one in the third round. Dell’Elce is an offensive-minded defenseman with NHL-caliber mobility and a projectable shot. His elite vision under pressure allows him to bait forecheckers and make precise breakout passes, often turning pressure into instant offence. The Hockey News/Kennedy had him ranked as his #63 prospect, so getting him at 77 is valuable. Other than that, both Linus Funck and Nolan Roed were drafted later than expected, providing value, but with only three selections total, the grade is a C.
Columbus: B+
Best Value Pick: Owen Griffin
Our final team for the day is the Columbus Blue Jackets. After making six selections, we can comfortably give them a B+. Starting with Jackson Smith, the Blue Jackets got themselves one of the best skating defencemen in the draft class. Smith possesses such a dynamic skill set, and snagging him at 14 is excellent value.
They then followed that up with their second first-round pick, selecting Pyotr Andreyanov. Unfortunately, this selection is the main factor holding them back from an A. Could Andreyanov turn into a starting goalie? Yes. Was it a significant reach to pick him 20th overall? Also yes. It worked out for Columbus in 2020 when they reached on Yegor Chinakov, a forward that most had out of the first two rounds, but that said, it’s still a risky bet to make, and the reason for their grade.
The best value pick they made was Owen Griffin. He is a smart, two-way center who thrives off the puck, thanks to strong defensive awareness and relentless forechecking. Griffin plays a hard, physical style, utilizing his motor and strength to win battles and extend possession in the low post. The 160th overall pick, Owen, was ranked as high as 49th by Sportsnet’s Bukala. That ends up giving the Jackets 111 spots of value on that selection.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our draft recap coming soon.
Main Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The post The 2025 NHL Entry Draft Grades: Part One appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.