7 NHL Prospects to Watch at the 2025 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship

It's NCAA men's hockey championship time, one of the most fun experiences of the year. Seeing the giants of college hockey clash is an absolute blast (though I rank the Beanpot up there with it, because I have been Boston College hockey-pilled for essentially my entire prospect-watching career). 

James Hagens, one of the top talents available for the 2025 NHL Draft, will be playing in this tournament for BC. I didn't include him here because, frankly, I've talked about James Hagens a good amount already this season and if you've been following our draft coverage, you know what I think of him. Scouts will be watching him at this tournament, and so will I, but one college championship tournament isn't going to make or break an opinion of Hagens. That said, if he kicks it into that next gear that I still believe he has—well, for any scouts splitting hairs over whether to choose Hagens over another top prospect, especially ones who were already leaning Hagens, that might make a difference.

You're going to hear a lot of familiar names on this list, because many of these guys are on the cusp of turning pro. If you think we've left anyone off, let us know—I'd love to hear who you're watching and what your argument for them is.

Ryan Leonard (WSH) — C, Boston College

Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

If Ryan Leonard doesn't sign with the Washington Capitals immediately after his college season ends, I will eat my hat. Captain of this year's gold-medal winning Team USA at the World Junior Championships (he has an A at Boston College), Leonard continues to look more and more pro-ready. He's determined to make another run at the national championship that eluded him last season first, though.

Leonard is a Hobey Baker Award finalist and leads NCAA players with 29 regular-season goals. He's tied with teammate (and linemate) Gabe Perreault with 47 points in 35 games. And generally looks like he's already an NHL-ready player each time he steps on the ice.

He's so dangerous with the puck on his stick, and he plays with a lot of snarl—he'll score a goal on one shift and then immediately be yapping in his opponent's face the next (or sometimes on the same shift, let's be honest). He's exactly the kind of player that Washington Capitals fans are going to love, and I see a long future for him with that team. He's also just a lot of fun to watch.

Something to keep an eye on: he has shifts and sometimes even full games that make me wonder if he's going to shift into star mode in the pros. With the end of Ovechkin's career coming into view (though not arriving any time soon), what better time for Leonard to come in and learn the ropes?

Gabe Perreault (NYR) — RW, Boston College

Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

If you're not including Gabe Perreault in your 'players to watch' list for this tournament, what are you doing?

While Ryan Leonard is the more attention-grabbing of the two and, I would argue, the one who is more pro-ready, Perreault is my personal favorite. He's such a creative playmaker, and it's always fun to zero in on him on any given shift just to see what he's going to come up with next.

He finished the regular season tied with Leonard in points with 47 in 35 games, but he has 15 goals to Leonard's 29. This is no surprise, given that Perreault's game is more playmaking-focused.

Part of me thinks that Perreault should stay in college, because I'm not certain he would get the support that he needs from the New York Rangers at the pro level right now (he'll start in the AHL, and he should). However, I do think he needs the challenge of making the jump to the next level.

At this point, he seems to be overthinking his playmaking at times—that creativity that elevates his game so much is natural, and sometimes his plays this season have felt forced. He needs to work on trusting his instincts and taking the simpler solution rather than always trying to do something complex.

Teddy Stiga (NSH) — LW, Boston College

Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

In their write-up of Teddy Stiga for the 2024 NHL Draft, EliteProspects said, "Stiga moves on the ice like he got the game’s script ahead of time". That's one of my favorite descriptors I've ever heard of him, and it is completely accurate.

Stiga sees and processes the game at such a high level that, even if his tools don't necessarily allow him to execute the kind of plays teammates like Ryan Leonard or Gabe Perreault can, he's able to support those players, get involved all over the ice, and consistently have himself in the right position. That's the kind of player that you need at the top of his game in a championship tournament setting.

That's one reason he was so beneficial to Team USA at the World Juniors this year, where he scored the gold medal-winning goal—on what was, hilariously, his first recorded shot on net of the tournament. He'd been getting involved and making an impact in other ways, okay?

I'm looking forward to seeing what Stiga does during this tournament. He's looked good in his transition to college hockey, finishing the regular season with 29 points in 34 games, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see him bring more of those highly effective Stiga moments to the postseason.

Zeev Buium (MIN) — D, University of Denver

Zac BonDurant/Getty Images

I'm pretty sure I say this every time I write about Zeev Buium, but it's just because he keeps underlining it and emphasizing it in bold font, et cetera—he is going to make every team that left him on the board until 12th overall look utterly foolish with his NHL career.

Buium is an absurdly good defenseman who will find himself playing an important role at the pro level relatively soon, I imagine—but first, he's going after another NCAA championship.

I genuinely cannot say enough good things about how Buium plays the game. He's a Hobey Baker finalist, National Collegiate Hockey Conference Player of the Year, and his conference's Offensive Defenseman of the Year for the second season in a row. He was also a key part of that gold medal-winning USA World Juniors roster. Every team he steps onto the ice for relies on him in key moments, and he makes it worth their while every single time. He's a dynamic player offensively and a heavy force defensively.

His regular-season points total of 43 in 38 games might be less than last season's 50 points in 42, but his game did not take any steps backward. He's incredibly smart, he reads the ice better than almost anyone out there each game—all his tools are projectable at the NHL level. His skating could use some work, but that's what skating coaches are for.

Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) — RW, University of Minnesota

Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Minnesota Golden Gophers captain, St. Louis Blues prospect, and Hobey Baker Award candidate Jimmy Snuggerud's pro future is just around the corner. Expect to see him with the Blues sooner than later, per this January report from Matthew DeFranks of the Post-Dispatch.

We saw Snuggerud's production take a slight dive during the 23-24 season (down to 34 points in 39 games), but that wasn't an enormous concern because Snuggerud was improving aspects of play, including his transition game and his ability to manipulate the opponent's defense.

His offense bounced back, as expected, this year and he finished the regular season with 49 points in 39 regular-season games. A fun note here: in all three of his seasons with Minnesota, he's been very consistent with his goals scored—21, 21, and 22. It's a nice microcosm of what we expect from him in the NHL: not a flashy playmaking superstar, but a reliable, consistent top-six producer. His vision, passing, and work ethic are among his strongest traits and things he will be able to translate to the next level.

Oliver Moore (CHI) — C, University of Minnesota

Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore recently had a four-point game against Penn State that earned him B1G First Star of the Week honors, his first of the season and second of his career, when he assisted on the tying goal that sent the game to overtime. Moore ended the regular season with 32 points in 37 games, about the same production we saw from him last season when he had 33 in 39 games, though his goal total rose slightly from 9 to 12.

I've been watching Moore closely this season, because his production last year wasn't quite what I would've preferred, but I'm not as concerned as I was a year ago because of other things I've seen improve. Moore is a great example of a guy who looks like he's going to be one kind of player in junior—in his case, a flashy, offense-first, high point totals kind of guy—and who rounds out his game at a higher level and finds that his strengths may lie in being a different kind of player altogether.

At the World Junior Championships this year, he took on a checking and pace style role rather than trying to be flashy, which turned out to be what the USA needed in a tournament where their flash often got shut down. It's Moore's defensive pressure (suffocation is more accurate in some instances) and positioning, his awareness and ability to choose the correct routes on the rush, and the way he plays with great pace that are going to serve him greatly at the pro level.

I'd like to see another college season from him, because there are still flashes of playmaking brilliance, and while he's never going to be a fancy dynamic scorer at the NHL level, if he can add consistent playmaking to his skill set, so much the better.

Cole Hutson (WSH) — D, Boston University

Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

Here's another prospect for Washington Capitals fans to get excited about. Cole Hutson was also on this year's USA World Juniors roster, and looked unreal in several of the tournament's more crucial games.

The true freshman was voted Hockey East Rookie of the Year, and he was also named a Hockey East First-Team All-Star as well as to the conference's All-Rookie Team. Just racking up accolades as he goes along. 

He's a second-round pick, but you'd never know it to watch him play. I'm not going to crash the internet and say he's a better player than Lane (Montreal Canadiens defenseman) because he isn't—but watching him stresses me out less than watching Lane does, even though he's a more aggressive player. I think it's because Cole is a better skater (not by a significant amount. Cole is a special player, able to make something happen every time he steps onto the ice, and he's a threat in every area. He can score—he finished the regular season with 40 points in 35 games—but he's also a positive force defensively, able to deny opponents' rushes and use his stick to disrupt plays.

Something I'd really like to see him improve next season is reducing his turnovers and generally making tighter decisions. Sometimes you just have to choose the simple play.