Jun. 27—GRAND FORKS — There will be 224 players selected in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Considering that, how many players do you think each NHL team has on their draft boards?
Hint: It’s not as many as you probably think.
Teams generally have around 120 players on their prepared sheets, and scouts say they rarely get past the mid-80s.
That’s how vastly different each team’s lists are.
While online draft rankings generally place names in the same spots down to the 100s, NHL teams’ boards start varying significantly around the start of the second round.
There will be players taken in the second round who are not on some teams’ lists.
That’s where UND’s potential Day 2 selections sit. They might go. They might not. They’re on some teams’ boards. They’re not on others.
The Herald spoke to NHL scouts to see how they view UND’s potential Day 2 picks.
Defenseman
Sam Laurila of Moorhead
is likely to go in the middle rounds.
Laurila is ranked No. 74 by FloHockey’s Chris Peters and No. 75 by TSN’s Craig Button.
Laurila will be at UND this fall.
“He’s an interesting one based on the fact that he played a completely different style than he did at the (National Team Development) Program,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “I think he’s going to have to find a balance between the two when he gets to North Dakota and when he turns pro. But I think you got to see what he’s got in his toolkit a little more this year.
“You got to see him use his legs, use his skill and some offensive things came out of him in doing that. He’s still learning the risk-reward side, but I think he was encouraged to take chances. I think it paid off in his growth and development. He’s still learning and developing, but his game grew a lot and there’s a nice player in there.”
Forward Cooper Simpson is likely to go in the middle rounds.
He’s ranked No. 94 by FloHockey.
The former Shakopee High School forward is polarizing for NHL scouts. His skill level is high, but his competitiveness level needs to rise.
One NHL scout told the Herald he’s reminiscent of Alex Bump in high school. Once Bump raised his competitiveness, he turned into a star at Western Michigan.
Simpson is expected to come to UND in 2026.
“He’s extremely skilled,” an NHL scout said. “He’s got an ability to fill the scoresheet, but at the same time, there’s low effort and a lack of second effort. He’s a frustrating player because the talent is evident, you just want so much more.”
Forward Andrew O’Neill of Fargo could get picked, but it’s not a sure thing.
He’ll either be a late-round selection or undrafted.
O’Neill is expected to play for Edmonton in the Western Hockey League this season, then come to UND in 2026.
“He’s probably a checker, which isn’t a knock on him,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “He’s got good speed, blocks shots, sacrifices his body, busts hard on back checks, breaks up plays, engages physically. I don’t know how much offense there’s going to be in the (pros), but he’s got good size, works hard and skates. He’s going to be a guy coaches are going to trust and play.”
Forward Ashton Schultz also is a potential mid-to-late pick.
Schultz played for the Chicago Steel last season. He’s expected to return to junior hockey for one more year before coming to UND.
“I like his slipperiness and agility and skating combined with his skill,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “He has a great one-timer, quick hands, good touch. I just worry that too much of his success came on the power play. I think he has a ways to go in terms of his ability to have a hard stick in the battles and play through contact. He’s going to have to find a little more backup game.
“Right now, he’s a bit of a guy who has success on the power play, success shooting from the top of the circles. But I need him to be a little more firm and sticking his nose in battles, winning battles. That’s not going to be his calling card, but he needs to be a little hard to play against. I really like his agility, cutbacks, touch and hands. You see the playmaking. I just need a little more if he’s going to make it in playoff hockey.”
Defenseman Garrett Lindberg’s smaller 5-foot-11 stature could keep him off NHL draft boards — scouts love size on defense.
But the Moorhead product could be an excellent college player.
Lindberg is expected to play next season with the USHL’s Fargo Force before coming to campus in 2026.
“I don’t think there’s enough high-end for his size (to get drafted), but speaking to players on his team and coaches on his team, he’s one of the better leaders,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “He’s very intense. Guys on his team call him Torts (after coach John Tortorella). He’s a guy who gets the most out of his body.”
Forward Jack Kernan has gone undrafted twice, but the third time could be the charm.
Kernan had an excellent season with the Des Moines Buccaneers and will be at UND this fall.
“He has a good work ethic,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “I don’t know if the scoring is going to be there as a pro, but he does have a good shot, has some offensive creativity moments, gets to the net. He’s a little bit methodical in terms of his engine. His motor needs to increase a little more. I don’t know if he has any high-end traits, but he does a lot of things well. If he has more points than I anticipate, he could be a free agent signing.”
Goaltender Caleb Heil was not picked in last year’s draft, but is coming off a strong season with Madison in the USHL.
A few NHL teams took long looks at Heil this season.
If he doesn’t get picked, he’ll likely get an NHL development camp invite. He could be in the mix for the 2025-26 U.S. World Junior Championship roster.
Heil will come to UND in 2026.
“I thought he took really good steps this year,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “I think (goalie coach) Shane Connelly did a really good job calming his game down and keeping him more composed. He’s not the biggest guy in the world. He needs to make more saves consistently. But I think he’s put himself on the right track. I think he’s going to be a solid goaltender.”
UND incoming freshman forward Josh Zakreski has been passed over in the last two NHL Drafts, but Zakreski is coming off of a strong season with Portland in the WHL.
Zakreski is a shoot-first player whose analytics could catch the eye of an NHL team.
Zakreski will be a winger for UND this season.