2025 NHL Draft prospects talk comparable players in League

The 2025 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics is taking place this week at KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo. The combine will allow NHL teams an opportunity to conduct interviews and provide physical and medical assessments of the top prospects eligible for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft. NHL.com will bring you all the sights and stories.

BUFFALO -- The reality is setting in for Matthew Schaefer.

In less than three weeks, the defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League will learn his fate in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater.

"Everything goes by super fast and I feel as you get more and more close, it feels more real," Schaefer said during an NHL Scouting Combine prospect media availability at LECOM Harborcenter on Friday. "You’ve got to take it one step at a time, day by day, and just enjoy the process."

The first round of the draft will be June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), and Rounds 2-7 are June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1). The New York Islanders have the No. 1 pick, the San Jose Sharks own the No. 2 choice, and the Chicago Blackhawks have the No. 3 selection.

Schaefer, the projected No. 1 pick, was one of six prospects made available to provide insight on their season and offer up their best NHL-comparable players. He was joined by center Michael Misa of Saginaw (OHL), center James Hagens of Boston College (NCAA), center Jake O'Brien of Brantford (OHL), and center Anton Frondell and right wing Victor Eklund of Djurgarden (Sweden).

Schaefer (6-foot-2, 183 pounds), No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, certainly opened some eyes despite playing just 17 regular-season games with Erie this season. He likens his style to a pair of exceptionally skilled NHL defensemen: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) and Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars).

"I love watching Makar and Heiskanen, both smooth-skating defensemen," Schaefer said. "I don't think there's a guy I really model my game after. I also love watching Chris Tanev (Toronto Maple Leafs) on the penalty kill, block shots, kill penalties. I want to be that defenseman that can play all over the ice, wherever the coach needs me. If it's penalty kill, power play ... I just want to be that guy that goes out there and works as hard as I can."

The 17-year-old had surgery Dec. 30 after sustaining a broken clavicle three days earlier while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. He has been cleared for contact by doctors since May 1 and will perform all the testing at the combine with the exception of pullups and the bench press. He had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 17 OHL games.

Misa (6-1, 184) is the first player in Saginaw history to win the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding player and the Eddie Powers Trophy as the league’s points leader, finishing the regular season with 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games.

"For me it's Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild) and Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)," said Misa, who is No. 2 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. "I do know they're both wingers but for what they do on the ice, I can relate to in a lot of ways. The way they drive themselves offensively, their playmaking ability. When I watch them, I can hopefully see myself like them in the future."

Hagens (5-10, 177) was third for Boston College with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games skating as the No. 1 center between Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals). He is No. 3 in Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters.

"I've heard a lot of [comparisons to] Jack Hughes, just kind of the way he skates, the way he plays, the way he handles the puck," Hagens said of the New Jersey Devils center. "I think there's a lot of pieces of his game that I can kind of see in mine."

O'Brien (6-2, 172) had 98 points (32 goals, 66 assists) in 66 regular-season games with Brantford, finishing seventh in assists and tied for seventh in points in the OHL. Possessing great hockey sense and a natural ability to see the ice and quickly read situations, the right-handed center led the OHL with 41 power-play assists.

"I like to compare myself to Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars), just the way he kind of knows the game with his smarts, his hockey IQ," said O'Brien, who is No. 4 in Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters. "The way he's deceptive around the net and the way he's able to score goals."

Frondell (6-1, 198) started the season with Djurgarden's junior team and had seven points (five goals, two assists) in 10 games, but was quickly promoted to its men's club in Sweden's second division, where he had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 29 games. He is No. 1 in Central Scouting’s final ranking of International skaters.

"My player comparable is a player I will see with the Florida Panthers, captain Aleksander Barkov," Frondell said. "He's got good size (6-3, 214), is strong, good hockey sense, smart player that likes to compete. I play like him."

Eklund (5-11, 161), who is No. 2 in Central Scouting’s final ranking of International skaters, had 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 42 games with Djurgarden in Sweden's second division, ranking sixth in a single season among players under age 19 in Allsvenskan history. He trails Patrik Berglund, William Karlsson, Elias Pettersson, Filip Forsberg and Alexander Wennberg.

Eklund said he may play a game that's a bit more physical than that of his brother, Sharks forward William Eklund, who was chosen No. 7 in the 2021 NHL Draft.

"I'll probably say Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers) ... definitely," Eklund said when asked for his NHL-comparable player. "He plays with a lot of energy, trying to get under the skin of the opponent, and he just plays pretty physical, like I do."