Scout’s Analysis: Top prospects impress with NHL Combine interviews

The interview process of the 2025 NHL Draft Combine is in the books. By the end of Saturday, most of the prospects in attendance will have completed the fitness testing and hope they have left a positive impression on all the clubs in attendance. 

With some insight from my colleague, Sam Cosentino, here are some of the takeaways from the 30 interviews Sam, Ailish Forfar, Michelle Methot, Scott Lennox and I conducted this week in Buffalo:

• Top prospect Matthew Schaefer was interviewed by 16 teams, which is a high number for a prospect who is projected to be selected first overall. 

• Schaefer knocked our interview out of the park. He’s mature beyond his years. He spoke openly about his mother’s passing last year due to cancer, his injury setbacks this season and the fact he can’t wait to make the team that selects him, and make his parents proud at the draft in Los Angeles. He’s one of my favourite interviews of my career. He lights up a room with his personality and will, no doubt, be an NHL captain someday. 

• Schaefer is a complete player who is deployed in all situations. He logs well over 25 minutes per game, matches up against top opponents defensively and quarterbacks the power play. 

• Assuming the Islanders select Schaefer, this draft has potential to become unpredictable starting at the second pick. Michael Misa, James Hagens and Anton Frondell have been consistent placeholders of draft slots in the top five down the stretch of the season. But I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Moncton Wildcats centre Caleb Desnoyers and Brampton Steelheads winger Porter Martone are being considered in the top three after interviewing very strongly this week. 

• I plan on releasing my final draft ranking next week. I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag quite yet, but I will say Desnoyers is going to land in my top four. His personality matches the way he plays the game on the ice. Desnoyers has loads of room to add more weight to his six-foot-two frame. In time he will eclipse 200 pounds. His combination of size, skill, competitiveness and reliable detail in all three zones is too good to ignore. Desnoyers leads by example on the ice and confidently said the team that selects him should do so “because I’m a winner and want to win a Stanley Cup”. 

• Hagens is highly motivated heading into the draft. He was pretty open about the fact he feels like he deserved more respect for what he accomplished this year (37 points in 37 games at Boston College and nine points in seven games at the world juniors representing gold medal-winning Team USA) and that people are underestimating how good he is. 

• Hagens is a fantastic player who drives the play offensively. He’s a future top-line centre in the NHL who, in my estimation, will have the same kind of trajectory as Utah Mammoth centre Logan Cooley. 

• Teams looking to add the kind of prospect(s) who provide the skillset and mental makeup to be difference makers in playoffs should look no further than Soo Greyhounds centre Brady Martin, Barrie Colts defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson and Seattle Thunderbirds centre Braeden Cootes.

With more on these players I now pass the baton to Sam:

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Cosentino’s analysis

I’ve never been more impressed in the interview process by a group of players than I have with this year’s group of 30. Every single one of them left our room with something for our group to discuss.

The CHL/NCAA battle for players is real. A number of CHL players we spoke to are very interested at the prospect of NCAA hockey. Some CHL players have already committed to college programs, while others are undecided about where to play next year. We didn’t get a lot of NCAA players talking much about moving to the CHL. 

Projected first-rounder Cole Reschny is one of those players. Last week he committed to North Dakota after a 92-point season with WHL Victoria. Reschny plans to be closer to family. He left his Macklin, Sask., home at 13 years old to pursue hockey in Edmonton with the Northern Alberta Extreme program.  

This is the 50th anniversary of NHL Central Scouting. Dan Marr and his group never stop trying to refine their processes to make the combine better. This event is run like a well-oiled machine.  

Brady Martin will not attend the draft in L.A. The Martin family farm will be in the middle of seeding season and Brady feels if they all can’t go, then none of them will go. They will invite friends and family to the farm and will be available via conference call technology.  

Every Swedish-born player we spoke to is a fan of The Weeknd. The Toronto-born musician just happens to be in L.A. for shows at the same time the draft will take place. 

Hagens can’t help but think about what it would be like to be selected by his hometown team. Hauppauge, N.Y., is a town of just over 20,000 people on Long Island. With the Islanders picking first overall, “Bring Hagens Home” bumper stickers can be seen on cars around town. 

Jake O’Brien is 12 pounds heavier than he was in-season. He will work with Paul McFarland this summer on his faceoffs. O’Brien won just 45.2 per cent of his playoff draws, while winning 44.7 per cent of his 1,120 regular-season faceoffs. 

After spending last summer in Oakville, Ont., in order to train, a busy Jack Nesbitt will spend this shortened summer training at home in Sarnia, Ont. Nesbitt’s uncle is former OHLer Brandon Biggers.  

WHL Everett’s Carter Bear is obsessed with the movie Sidney Crosby: On The Ice and Beyond. The movie chronicles Pittsburgh’s run to the Stanley Cup Final against the New Jersey Devils in the 2007-08 season.  

Desnoyers comes by his competitiveness honestly. As a young boy playing road or pond hockey, he would choose to be Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins just to oppose his older brother Eliot, a huge Montreal Canadiens fan.  

Nathan Behm won a long drive competition last summer with a 340-yard bomb. He’s looking for another competition this summer, with a goal of hitting one 360 yards. He uses the same Krank driver as Bryson DeChambeau.  

Schaefer’s brother Jonny is ten years older, and has been a great mentor. Jonny spent over three years playing for OHL Niagara before making his way to Brock University, including one University Cup appearance in 2022.  

Custom suits with custom linings are all the rage. Just about every player we spoke to will have something special on the lining of their suits. Style master of the week has to go to Aitcheson.  

Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman Radim Mrtka didn’t watch much hockey as a kid growing up in Czechia. His parents encouraged him to be outside with friends and not in front of the television. 

Eddie Genborg played goalie until the age of 12. He idolized Henrik Lundqvist before realizing he’d rather score goals than get scored upon. He now patterns his game after Matthew Tkachuk.  

Expected to be a first-round QMJHL pick, Justin Carbonneau went to Rouyn-Noranda in the second round of the 2022 Q draft. When asked where he’s expected to go in the NHL draft, he said, “I did that once already, I won’t do that again.” He will be a mid first-round pick in the NHL Draft. 

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