Welcome to my 2025 NHL Draft scouts survey.
This year-end annual project polls NHL scouts with a different set of two or three questions each year, granting them anonymity to encourage honest — and hopefully candid — answers.
This year, 16 scouts (including multiple directors) were sent three questions on hot-button topics in the 2025 class. They were asked which of the seven consensus top defensemen after Matthew Schaefer they liked the best and least, for their comfort level with Roger McQueen as a top-10 pick and for their opinions on difficult and mercurial Russian prospect Ivan Ryabkin.
Here are the full results, plus some of the back-and-forths I had with them on their answers.
Who do you like best and least from this group of defensemen: Radim Mrtka, Kashawn Aitcheson, Jackson Smith, Cameron Reid, Logan Hensler, Blake Fiddler, Sascha Boumedienne
A year ago, I asked a version of this question about the top D grouping in the 2024 class, and I thought it really worked, allowing scouts to reveal something about the group without asking them to just give me their rankings. Because slotting the D behind Schaefer has been a major topic of conversation in this year’s draft, I decided to bring the question back. And the results were again really interesting.
Four different players received votes as the “best” of the bunch: Mrtka (8), Smith (5), Reid (3) and Aitcheson (2). Reid and Aitcheson were also mentioned in the “least” category. There was less of a consensus in the “least” category, with five of the seven players getting a vote or a mention at the bottom of the group. Fiddler was most often slotted at the back (6), followed by Boumedienne (4), but Hensler and even Reid and Aitcheson were mentioned there as well.
Scout 1: Best: Smith. Least: Boumedienne.
Is it the decision-making/reads for you with Boumedienne?
Yes, and the carelessness with which he makes the poor decisions.
Scout 2: Best: Reid. Least: Aitcheson.
Anything in particular you don’t like about Aitcheson?
Hockey sense.
Scout 3: Out of that D group, I like Mrtka best and Boumedienne least.
Scout 4: Best: Smith. Worst: Fiddler.
Scout 5: Unfortunately, I can’t answer based on a lack of information. The only opinion I can offer is I think Aitcheson will be overdrafted. Great kid who will end up playing in the league, but will always be fighting expectations early on, given how high he could end up going.
You would have seen Reid a lot in the OHL. You prefer him to Aitcheson?
I didn’t see him listed at first … Yeah, I prefer Reid over Aitcheson, but it’s close. Aitcheson had some big moments this year offensively; he had multiple OT winners this year, but outside of his shot, I don’t see him being as offensive at the next level. Aitcheson plays hard and likes the physical stuff, but he’s not a particularly strong defender. I see Reid as being a smarter player and a better skater than Aitcheson. But again, I didn’t do huge deep dives on these guys this year.
Scout 6: Every year, it seems we have a mushy group of first-round D. These guys are not as good as last year’s crop. Smith and Aitcheson are at the top for me. Their offensive skill and activity in transition, combined with the physical tools you want from a top-4 D, makes them hard to pass over. They both need to learn to defend, but I believe that is a matter of development time. All the others are very good players and would be strong picks. I don’t have much difference between them. Boumedienne is at the back of the pack, but not by much. There is a lot to like still; he moves pucks well and can skate. I just worry he is not dynamic enough offensively to be more than a bottom-pair puck mover.
Curious: What holds Mrtka back from being in the group with Smith/Aitcheson for you, as opposed to that next group? I have him with Smith/Aitcheson.
I have Mrtka third in that group after Smith and Aitcheson. I don’t think his production is a good indication of his impact on ice, and outside of size, he has no high-end attributes. He is too much of a project for me to want before either of the other two. Being well-rounded at his size should get him to the NHL, and his high-side could be the highest if he develops as one hopes, but there is more risk as well.
Scout 7: Best is Smith. Worst is Boumedienne.
Scout 8: Best: Mrtka. He’s a project, but his potential is worth it. Least: Fiddler. His puck game isn’t good.
Scout 9: Best: Mrtka.
Scout 10: I like Mrtka best (raw but in the very end, the best upside). I like Blake Fiddler least from this group (hockey sense is a bit questionable).
Scout 11: Best: Mrtka. Least: Fiddler. I’m not too much different than your order.
Scout 12: Can’t answer the second and third questions (but) I like Mrtka among the D, personally.
Scout 13: Top to bottom:
1. Aitcheson
2. Smith
3. Mrtka
4. Boumedienne
5. Hensler
6. Reid
7. Fiddler
My D take likely puts (me) on an island …
Sascha ahead of Reid is the only thing that jumps out versus the consensus there, really. Sascha has been the most common answer at the back of that group.
I’m somewhat surprised at that. Sascha has a lot of work to do to complete his game — no question there. Just think the upside is pretty interesting if it comes together for him.
Scout 14: Best would be Mrtka and Reid. These guys have an edge for me, IQ-wise. Like least would be Fiddler and Hensler. More questions on sense with these two at this stage. All nice players, but bring different assets.
Scout 15: Best: Really close between Smith, Mrtka, Aitcheson. Smith in the lead. Least: Reid.
The Reid part is interesting. You’re the first to slot him at the back of that group.
If I’m being honest, I probably answered that from a team perspective. Myself, I may have Hensler lower.
Scout 16: I’ve only seen the west kids. Same order as you put them in (Mrtka, Smith, Fiddler).
Based on what you know about Roger McQueen’s back, would you personally feel comfortable taking him in the top 10?
There were more yes (8) answers than no (4) answers to this one, but it wasn’t a clear consensus, other than that it’s close. If the results here are an indication of the way it’ll go for McQueen, it looks more likely that he goes top 10 than not, however. That he participated in the combine and did well in interviews seems to have helped move some from apprehension to willingness, even if it didn’t get everyone to outright confidence.
Scout 1: No.
Scout 2: Yes.
Scout 3: I would be OK taking a chance late top 10 on McQueen.
Scout 4: Yes, but it’s close.
Scout 5: Loved McQueen the first time I saw him back at the U17 camp in Calgary. Looked like he was going to be a star. But back injuries are a black hole, so it’s a bit of a shame.
Scout 6: He is saying/doing all the right things to assure teams that his back is not an issue. Draft-year injuries should not be deciding factors if you can get a sense of a player’s value. In this case, there are enough games over the last two years to make an assessment of the player. His profile: a big, productive center that has underlying skill, usually goes in the top 10. I don’t feel he is out of place there.
Scout 7: I have no problem with McQueen in the top 10.
Scout 8: Yes, it’s not like there are 10 elite talents in this draft, so might as well.
Scout 10: I wouldn’t take Roger McQueen in the top 10. He is a mid-first-rounder in my books.
Scout 11: No (but I didn’t see enough of McQueen).
Scout 13: Yes.
Scout 14: I’d be comfortable taking him. While it’s not ideal and there would be a level of risk, his talent and potential to be a star are higher than most.
Scout 15: No, worried about trouble there.
Where would you rank Ivan Ryabkin on talent, and where would you consider actually taking him?
One of the most common things I heard coming out of the NHL Combine was that Ryabkin — whose attitude, maturity, discipline and even fitness had already been talked about for more than a year as an issue — was that his interviews went really poorly (even more poorly than expected in some cases). He also looked like he was in horrible shape. And so this question felt like it could be revealing of the gap between the player’s perceived talent level and the actual range that teams might consider taking him.
Predictably, the answers were all over the place. Some teams don’t even have him on their lists, and one director told me his team didn’t interview him because it was a “waste of time.” Others view him as a first-round talent and would consider even taking him as early as the late-first or second round. But the consensus seemed to be that he was a late-first/second-round talent and a Round 3-5 pick.
Scout 1: Second round. Fifth round. Not a fan of the person or the player.
Scout 2: Haven’t seen him.
Scout 3: Ryabkin is a first-round talent that you maybe take a chance on on Day 2, like (Igor) Chernyshov last year.
Scout 4: Round 2 on talent (though that definition is tough). Probably consider Round 3-4. Seems like a big faller, but we’ll see.
Scout 5: Don’t know much about Ryabkin other than a lot of the chatter I’ve heard from scouts is that he is a major red flag.
Scout 6: Does a player have talent if he never shows it? His impact on games this year was very muted. If he were more impactful given the talent his underage play showed, he would be in the mid-to-late first alongside the other slightly undersized incomplete but dynamic forwards. Given how far his game has gotten off the rails, I would be willing to take the calculated risk on his talent after making a couple other selections — third round.
Scout 7: Ryabkin’s not on our list.
Scout 8: On talent, probably first round. With all the big red flags on him, third round at the earliest.
Scout 10: On talent alone, Ryabkin’s top six in the draft. Personally, I would draft him late first round. I have some personality doubts.
Scout 11: Mid-first talent. Second round.
Scout 13: First round/third round, but that’s because I have a lot of seconds I like.
Scout 14: I can only speak to what I saw this season, so talent would be mid-first. His stats from the past indicate he’s got more skill, though. I just haven’t seen that this season.
Scout 15: Early Round 2 on talent, Round 4 earliest with all the stuff that comes with it.
(Photos of Jackson Smith and Radim Mrtka: Dennis Pajot and Leila Devlin / Getty Images)
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