Well, it was climactic, but not for Seattle.
In a broadcast that felt like Eric Andre had his fingerprints on it entirely by accident, the NHL did a live drawing of their NHL Draft lottery, and came away with the New York Islanders getting the 1st overall pick; and the Utah Hockey Club jumping all the way to 4th overall; leaving Seattle with the 8th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, having dropped two spots altogether.
Players that could be available at this point are, according to NHL Draft prognosticators:
- EliteProspects.com – Carter Bear – Center/Winger
- This feels like a Francis/Botterill pick already; what with his close proximity to the team and complete overtaking of a Washington-based WHL club in terms of points and goals. Also very fortuitous of him to play for the Silvertips with a name like “Bear”!
- TSN’s Bob McKenzie – Viktor Eklund – Winger
- A stored player from the storied Djurgardens IF club in Sweden; he’s one of the top european talents in this draft; being in the top 5 of scoring for the top club at the tender age of 18.
- The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari – Jackson Smith – Defenseman
- Smith was a top 5 scorer on the Tri-City Americans as a defender, which has already been a major strength for one prospect previously (until he was moved to Port Albert in a trade), and stands out for his incredible athleticism.
- McKeen’s Hockey – Anton Frondell – Center
- A Teammate of Eklund’s who distinguished himself as a difficult guy to knock off the puck as well as a player for whom injury cannot actively impede skill-wise; as he was nearly a point per game in limited action with Djurgardens. Which, as I must keep reminding people, is a league of grown men.
- DailyFaceoff.com’s Steven Ellis – Jake O’Brien – Center
- O’Brien’s season started slow, but as the young man kept playing, he quickly showed that there was nothing slumping about his sophomore season, as he managed to finish the year with 98 points on a great Brantford roster; making his name through a sensible but creative 200 foot game.
Not a bad list of guys, if I do say so myself, but that will mean at this point in the draft they are not sure things and will require a year or two of development in junior or the AHL in order to bring them up to speed, which was looking like the case for the entire first round on account of some of it’s best players spent almost the entire year on the Injured Reserve list. There’s even one listed expert who has the semi-consensus number 1 in Matthew Schaefer all the way down where the Bruins could take him. That would be funny!
It is a little discouraging however, that all that losing only ended up with a pick outside of the top 5; which could’ve been weaponized as not just draft capital, but also as a potential trade chip if the team really wanted to put it’s money where it’s mouth is on being aggressive this offseason. I wouldn’t necessarily use it, but it would’ve been an option if they found an enticing trade partner and target.
Nevertheless, that means we’ve moved on from wondering where they might pick, to who and why. Which means we are moving into Draft Profile season! Please keep checking Davy Jones’ Locker Room for more information as we gear up to bring you through many of these prospects and why they should be chosen!