Updated B/R 2025 NHL Draft Big Board Post-Trade Deadline

Welcome to our post-trade deadline top 10 Big Board for the 2025 NHL Draft, where we make some moves we've been musing on for a significant portion of the season.

Here's how I like to decide where prospects move to on my already-established draft board. I watch them play; I get a hunch about whether I want to move them up, down, or leave them be.

With prospects, you want to give yourself a good sample size of games watched to ensure that you're seeing what you think you're seeing. It's a good opportunity to confirm those gut feelings with data.

Something fun about the 2025 draft (your mileage may vary on what 'fun' means here—could be getting a shiny new toy, could be getting a tooth pulled) is that after the top four or so, no one knows where a given player is going to be selected. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling snake oil. With 2025 being the first decentralized draft, and with only the top 50 prospects being invited to attend, it's entirely possible that an NHL team goes way off the board and the player they select with their first-round pick simply isn't there.

But this is who makes up our top 10.

We'll be back with a full 32-player board in our next installment.

1. Michael Misa, LW, Saginaw Spirit

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Okay, I'm ready to say it: Michael Misa is my number one guy, and barring something major, he'll stay here.

Misa has been my gut-feeling top guy for most of the year—a significant change from the summer and last year when I was fairly certain I wouldn't be moved off of James Hagens—and I genuinely believe he's the best pure-skill guy in the class. There are no words for how Misa has been scoring this season.

At the time of writing, he's sitting at 128 points in 63 games and an incredible 60 goals. Misa hit the 50-goal mark in 50 games, making him the second-fastest draft eligible in the last 25 seasons in the OHL to reach that height. But the most impressive thing about Misa's scoring isn't the numbers themselves—it's how he's doing it.

Misa's vision and hockey sense allows him to play a detail-oriented game. He can see his options and make decisions in a way that most other players on the ice need an extra step to even conceive of. He can take over a game, and will definitely leave you asking "What on earth just happened?" at least once per period on average.

2. Matthew Schaefer, D, Erie Otters (OHL)

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Despite breaking his collarbone at the 2025 World Junior Championships, there is every chance Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer will be selected first overall this June.

It may come down to the team that wins the draft lottery. Do they want to fill a certain position, or do they want to go with the best player available? From there: what do they value most in a player? That'll tell us who they believe the best player available is.

If it's Schaefer, they'll be getting a game-breaking defenseman who will be a keystone player for their franchise—for a long time, if that relationship is handled well. He's an unreal skater and his elite vision allows him to process his options and make the correct decisions in play at the game's top speeds.

Schaefer could return as early as late March, which coincides with the beginning of the OHL playoffs. Given what we saw in his return from mononucleosis earlier in the season, which he made look exceedingly easy, we might see true form Schaefer before those playoffs end for Erie. And even if we don't, seeing him back on the ice will likely be enough to solidify the decision of any organization that has him on top of their board.

3. James Hagens, C, Boston College (NCAA)

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Please do not take James Hagens slipping down to third on our board as a slight on him. Take it as a high-level compliment to Michael Misa and Matthew Schaefer, and let me tell you why I think Hagens is still an excellent pick who should not slide out of the top three in 2025.

(It really is a 1A/1B/1C situation; there are teams out there who genuinely still could select Hagens first overall, and while we wouldn't necessarily agree, we would understand.)

Hagens is a point-per-game player for Boston College, with 35 in 35 including 10 goals. There may have been an expectation for him to blow NCAA hockey away like Macklin Celebrini did last year, but he isn't Celebrini, and he should be judged on his own merits. And on his own merits, he's having a solid freshman season.

He's an excellent playmaker and an elusive skater on his line with teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault. The trio has been quite effective even if it has a different identity than it did last year with former BC Eagle and current San Jose Shark Will Smith. And while we would've preferred to see him use that higher gear that we're almost certain he has, his elite hockey IQ, puck skills, and fantastic skating are all very projectable to the NHL level.

4. Porter Martone, RW, Brampton Steelheads

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After we put out our last board, Porter Martone had a dry spell—and then he went on a real heater. And that's exactly why we're so hard on him.

We firmly believe he belongs inside the top five In the right environment, he could be one of the most special players in the 2025 draft. 

Martone might have the best playmaking instincts of the entire draft class. He can already pinpoint very high-level plays and execute them. It is incredible to watch live as he pulls off plays that only he can manage.

The problem is that in addition to having you shaking your head at him in utter awe at least once per game, he'll also leave you shaking your head at him in utter disgust at least once per game.

Still, I firmly believe that boneheaded decision-making is something that a player can grow out of with time, maturity, and the right development. And if that hits for Martone—well, watch out. We'll probably see him winning NHL awards one day.

5. Jake O'Brien, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

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I've been contemplating pushing this guy way up our board for a while now, and I can't deny it any longer: Jake O'Brien belongs inside the top five of this year's draft.

Skating speed be damned—that's what skating coaches in the summer are for. His overall game has been improving consistently all season, particularly in the areas of defense and not overthinking his decision-making, though I would still prefer to see more in both of those areas. 

He's sitting at 98 points in 66 games, including 32 goals (more than double his total from last season), which is pretty solid for someone whose bread and butter is his playmaking.

He's such a smart player. O'Brien can identify whether his typical tactics will work in a given situation or if he needs to adapt. He doesn't always make the right decision, but he does it often enough to show that he can be this player consistently. His vision, ability to deceive opponents, and skill at making difficult passes, are exciting to watch on any given night.

6. Victor Eklund, LW, Djurgårdens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)

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So Victor Eklund. Let's talk about him.

If he is selected in the top five, I won't surprised. Once again, it depends on which teams are picking where. We know that Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has been in Sweden scouting Eklund and teammate Anton Frondell (also in our first round, though not in this top 10), and he is likely one of quite a few. Eklund is up from 15 points in 26 games at our last board to 31 in 42, including 19 goals. 

Our favorite things about Eklund's game all season have been his tenacity and attention to detail—every move he makes on the ice is done purposefully. We mentioned last time that the best parts of Eklund's game are things that translate well to the professional level, including his relentless motor and willingness to drive into the dirty areas, and that's still true.

I'd add his playmaking ability to that list because the way he approaches making plays will serve him well at the NHL level. If your favorite team chooses this guy in June, get excited.

7. Roger McQueen, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

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No, I don't care that Roger McQueen missed most of the season with an injury.

What matters to me is that he got off to a hot start and returned still on a heater. McQueen is projected to get in 17 total WHL games this season for the Brandon Wheat Kings; he's at 16 right now, with eight of his 18 points coming in the eight games since his return to play.

He's a late birthday, which is always a bit of an uphill battle in my esteem; if you're older, you've had more development time, and I expect to see that when you step on the ice. I don't feel comfortable making a firm call on whether I truly saw that from McQueen this season with him missing so much time, but I do know that I have liked what I have seen.

And given that McQueen will likely be back in the WHL next season—even without his injury, he wouldn't have been NHL-ready yet—he has a good development runway. In terms of pure skill, he is worth taking a chance on, with his hockey IQ and puck skills, as well as his work ethic, convincing us that his potential is the real deal.

8. Jackson Smith, D, Tri-City Americans (WHL)

Smith moved down one from our last board, but that's entirely because O'Brien made such a big jump.

Consider our opinions on Smith and Carter Bear on the next slide (spoilers!) effectively the same as they have been—i.e., good. Smith, a defenseman for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, took our "has shown flashes of offensive skill" to heart and took it up a notch offensively this season.

He has 50 points, including eight goals, in 66 games. Whether that offensive skill continues to be a part of his game at the next level remains to be seen.

What's driving his offense—his high-end skating and puck-moving skills—are abilities that will serve him well throughout his career, and we think they will continue to improve. If they do, consider that a good sign that this aspect of his game projects to the next level.

Something we love about Smith's game is that he's just a real pain to play against; he loves getting in his opponents' faces, and if you're going up against him one-on-one, you may as well call it a day.

His decision-making is maturing as the season wears on, and he minimizes any risk-taking, which we love to see from defensemen at this level. His awareness is a big part of that. He's great in his own end and can use his stick well to break up opponents' chances and close gaps.

9. Carter Bear, LW, Everett Silvertips (WHL)

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Much like with Roger McQueen (though the situation is different) I'm not concerned about injury affecting Carter Bear's draft stock

Other scouting staffs may not agree—he may slip down the board for others after missing games and the playoffs—but Bear is an incredible player. And I've seen enough to unequivocally state that he will not drop out of my top 10.

He might slide up past Smith, depending on how my evaluation percolates when I go back and re-watch game footage.

As a quick summary: Bear is a real play-driving type with a relentless motor. He's always looking to get involved in the play, and he does it consistently, and his awareness and attention to detail drive that wow factor in his game. Eighty-two points in 56 games is nothing to sneeze at, particularly when 40 are goals.

He's got great speed off the rush, he knows precisely what buttons to push to frustrate opponents while still being productive (something some of our other top 10 players could stand to learn), and if I may be frank, he's just fun. There's always that one guy who has skill, sure, but you can't stop watching him because he's just a blast. Bear is that guy this year.

10. Caleb Desnoyers, C, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

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I really like Caleb Desnoyers.

I've been patient in moving him up because I want to be certain of how I feel about his skill. He still might slip back down a spot or two on a future board, because this mid-range of the first round is anyone's guess and comes down to style preference more than anything. He's got 84 points in 56 games (including 35 goals). 

High scoring in the QMJHL often makes me pause and take a deeper look at a player's skill set because the league isn't exactly known for its defense. Gaudy point totals can often mask deeper concerns about a player's game. I don't think that's the case with Desnoyers.

I do want to see him play with a higher pace, though. He's got the skating skills and the hockey IQ to support it; the way he reads the ice and his puck skills are both good enough that he can afford to put a little more oomph in his motor.

We'll see his game continue to mature with time, especially if he lands in the right development environment.