No. 1 player on his personal board<\/a>. Peters highlighted Reid\u2019s rise from playing in the NAHL as recently as 2024 to a top defenseman in the OHL in a short span, and said he thinks Reid could still be \u201con the front end of some of his best development years.\u201d Pronman agreed, comparing his trajectory to Cale Makar\u2019s.<\/p>\n\u201cHe kind of just exploded in his draft year,\u201d Pronman said. \u201cAnd then he goes to college, and he was really good, and had the great World Junior A Challenge. I think (Peters\u2019) point about how little high-level experience Reid had before the half year of the OHL (he entered the league midway through the 2024-25 season) is very relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wheeler had some minor hesitance with putting Reid into the top tier with McKenna and Stenberg, noting Reid\u2019s age as a late 2007 birthday and the fact that Reid\u2019s production, for an offensively inclined defenseman, wasn\u2019t jaw-dropping at just over a point per game compared to past OHL defenders like Brandt Clarke, Zayne Parekh or Ryan Ellis. Wheeler still ranked Reid third, but drew a distinction there compared to McKenna and Stenberg\u2019s historical context when it came to the tier grouping.<\/p>\n
Pronman acknowledged that Reid\u2019s offense may not be elite, but felt his skating and defending would make up for it compared to the more pure offensive defensemen Wheeler referenced.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, though, the group agreed to put Reid in the top tier, albeit behind McKenna and Stenberg.<\/p>\n
There were other players nominated for Tier 1, but none were able to get enough support from the rest of the panel for the final list.<\/p>\n
Bultman nominated Carson Carels, citing his well-rounded profile as a physical defenseman who actually outproduced the other top CHL defensemen in this class, comparing him to Jake Sanderson and Charlie McAvoy, but could not get any support. However, Wheeler and Pronman both noted that there is some sentiment among NHL evaluators for Carels near the top of the class.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sense is that it\u2019s very close between (Carels) and Reid in a consensus around the league, from those I\u2019ve talked to,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cI\u2019ve talked to, maybe not just as many people who have as the top defensemen, but a number of people who have him ahead of Reid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pronman suggested Latvian defenseman Albert \u0160mits for Tier 1, after a very impressive draft season that saw him play against men in Liiga, the DEL playoffs and even at the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think of some of the best European defensemen to come into the draft in the last decade, you think of (Miro) Heiskanen, you think of (Moritz) Seider, I think what he\u2019s accomplished in those leagues and against men is comparable,\u201d Pronman said. \u201cHe\u2019s not quite the skater Heiskanen is, he\u2019s not as physical as Seider, he\u2019s a different player. But I think to me he looks like a pretty good bet to become a top-pair defenseman in the NHL.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wheeler has \u0160mits as his No. 2 defenseman and loves the Latvian\u2019s physical tools, but noted some questions on \u0160mits\u2019 decision-making, and the panel overall decided to put him in Tier 2 instead.<\/p>\n
Tier 2<\/p>\n
RankPlayerPositionTeam<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
Alberts Smits<\/p>\n
LHD<\/p>\n
Jukurit<\/p>\n
5<\/p>\n
Caleb Malhotra<\/p>\n
C<\/p>\n
Brantford Bulldogs<\/p>\n
6<\/p>\n
Viggo Bj\u00f6rck<\/p>\n
C<\/p>\n
Djurg\u00e5rdens<\/p>\n
7<\/p>\n
Carson Carels<\/p>\n
LHD<\/p>\n
Prince George Cougars<\/p>\n
8<\/p>\n
Keaton Verhoeff<\/p>\n
RHD<\/p>\n
North Dakota<\/p>\n
9<\/p>\n
Daxon Rudolph<\/p>\n
RHD<\/p>\n
Prince Albert Raiders<\/p>\n
Pronman indicated one more player he would have liked to advocate for in Tier 1, and that was Keaton Verhoeff, the big-bodied right-shot defenseman playing for North Dakota. He even tried to strike a deal, offering to compromise on his ordering of \u0160mits and Carels to ensure Verhoeff ended up in the top seven.<\/p>\n
The panel did not make that deal, but Pronman still made his case for Verhoeff, noting his comparable college production to Zach Werenski and Noah Hanifin at 17, as well as his size, character and track record.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, he just checks so many boxes,\u201d Pronman said. \u201cThe body of work is so impressive, going back to his junior days. I don\u2019t see the issue here. I think people are overthinking this one a little bit. I think he\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peters, though, expressed a reservation on Verhoeff\u2019s hockey sense, and Wheeler echoed that while also questioning the defenseman\u2019s skating. That left Verhoeff behind both \u0160mits and Carels on the final list, despite Pronman\u2019s objections.<\/p>\n
Two centers disrupted the group of six defensemen ranked between Nos. 3 and 10, though: Caleb Malhotra and Viggo Bj\u00f6rck ranked Nos. 5 and 6 for the group.<\/p>\n
Wheeler labeled Malhotra \u2014 the son of longtime NHLer and now Vancouver Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra \u2014 as the No. 1 center in the class, and emphasized Malhotra\u2019s skating, hockey sense, playmaking and two-way details. He acknowledged there was some question over whether Malhotra had enough offense to be a true No. 1 center, but even then, he felt Malhotra was a top-of-the-draft caliber prospect with future captain potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m big, big on Caleb,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cI think he\u2019s going to be an important, winning centerman in a top six in the NHL and potentially even on a first line.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pronman, meanwhile, made the case for Bj\u00f6rck as the draft\u2019s top center, citing his excellent play for Sweden at the World Championship plus his skill, sense and competitiveness despite a smaller frame at 5-foot-9.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, Viggo has the best hockey sense in the draft,\u201d Peters said. \u201cI think that he\u2019s one of the smartest overall players. He just knows how to play. \u2026 He plays at a level that is above most of his peers, in terms of how he processes, the decisions that he makes, and also just that competitive drive that he has is special.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final Tier 2 name was another defenseman, WHL righty Daxon Rudolph.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a really exciting prospect because of the tools,\u201d Pronman said. \u201cLike, he\u2019s 6-2.5, measured at the combine, he can skate, he\u2019s got legit skill, legit playmaking ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concerns around Rudolph, Pronman noted, were some tentativeness defensively and a lack of physicality. But he analogized Rudolph to Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley, and noted that Rudolph was right there with Reid as the best bets to run a No. 1 power play in the NHL. The group agreed he belonged in the second tier.<\/p>\n
Because the group set out to construct a top 10, there was only one more spot available after the end of Tier 2, and each panelist nominated one player for that spot.<\/p>\n
Peters suggested NTDP winger Wyatt Cullen, a major riser in this draft class who has had a significant growth spurt and now stands 6-1 and has maintained a high skill level and playmaking ability.<\/p>\n
Pronman offered up Swedish defenseman Malte Gustafsson, a smooth-skating 6-4.5 defenseman with physicality and first-pass ability befitting a potential top-four blueliner.<\/p>\n
Bultman nominated OHL power forward Ethan Belchetz, noting the scarcity of true power wingers with meaningful offensive ability at Belchetz\u2019s 6-5 stature.<\/p>\n
And Wheeler advocated for WHL defenseman Ryan Lin, a smaller puck-mover who he called the smartest defenseman in the class, while also praising his skating and competitiveness.<\/p>\n
There was significant debate between the four, and in the end, the group was deadlocked between Cullen and Gustafsson, before Gustafsson finally got the edge.<\/p>\n
The panel didn\u2019t rank the other three players in order because the exercise was to construct a top 10, but all four got at least one nomination for that spot.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the final top 10 the group agreed on.<\/p>\n
The Athletic Hockey Show top 10<\/p>\n
RankTierPlayerPositionTeam<\/p>\n
1<\/p>\n
1<\/p>\n
Gavin McKenna<\/p>\n
LW<\/p>\n
Penn State (NCAA)<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
1<\/p>\n
Ivar Stenberg<\/p>\n
LW<\/p>\n
Fr\u00f6lunda (SHL)<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
1<\/p>\n
Chase Reid<\/p>\n
RHD<\/p>\n
Soo (OHL)<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Alberts Smits<\/p>\n
LHD<\/p>\n
Jukurit (Liiga)<\/p>\n
5<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Caleb Malhotra<\/p>\n
C<\/p>\n
Brantford (OHL)<\/p>\n
6<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Viggo Bj\u00f6rck<\/p>\n
C<\/p>\n
Djurg\u00e5rdens (SHL)<\/p>\n
7<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Carson Carels<\/p>\n
LHD<\/p>\n
Prince George (WHL)<\/p>\n
8<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Keaton Verhoeff<\/p>\n
RHD<\/p>\n
North Dakota (NCAA)<\/p>\n
9<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Daxon Rudolph<\/p>\n
RHD<\/p>\n
Prince Albert (WHL)<\/p>\n
10<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Malte Gustafsson<\/p>\n
LHD<\/p>\n
HV71 (SHL)<\/p>\n
HM<\/p>\n
HM<\/p>\n
Wyatt Cullen<\/p>\n
LW<\/p>\n
U.S. NTDP<\/p>\n
HM<\/p>\n
HM<\/p>\n
Ethan Belchetz<\/p>\n
LW<\/p>\n
Windsor (OHL)<\/p>\n
HM<\/p>\n
HM<\/p>\n
Ryan Lin<\/p>\n
RHD<\/p>\n
Vancouver (WHL)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Building an NHL Draft list is easier said than done \u2014 especially with multiple voices and opinions conflicting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-729603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}