NHL Draft Grades: Central Division

The 2025 NHL Draft is complete, and we're handing out grades to each team for their prospect haul.

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Frondell looked like a slam-dunk top-three pick from mid-January through mid-March. The rest of his campaign left more to be desired. Frondell needs to improve his consistency to blossom into the elite goal-scoring center with two-way prowess that the Blackhawks are expecting by taking him at No. 3.

Nestrasil and West are fun projects given their size and skill. Sumpf had been passed over twice in the draft, but he's coming off a splendid campaign on the top team in the QMJHL, and he impressed at the world juniors for Germany.

Dell'Elce twice went undrafted before finally hearing his name called Saturday. He had an impressive freshman campaign at UMass, accumulating seven goals and 24 points and a plus-18 rating in 40 contests on a team that went to the national championship game. He's closer to cracking an NHL lineup than the 17- or 18-year-olds that comprise most of the draft.

Schmidt is a first-round talent. He has blazing speed and a legit shot, but he's very small at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. The Stars had success developing Logan Stankoven and hope to replicate it with Schmidt. It's easy to take this kind of chance on upside when Dallas' first pick is this late in the draft. Schmidt has top-six potential, which you just can't say for most prospects taken in the 90s. Oh, and the Stars snagged the best name in the draft, Mans Goos.

Hallquisth was Minnesota's first pick, but Benak is the draw here. The 5-foot-8 forward impressed on the international stage with Czechia and in the USHL. Benak is the all-time scoring leader at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he notched seven points in four games at the Under-18s this spring, and he scored over a point per game in the USHL. That's exactly the kind of swing you want your team to take in the middle parts of the draft.

Kipkie is the rare double draftee: He was first selected 160th in 2023 by the Arizona Coyotes but went unsigned in June. He's a tall defender with bottom-pairing potential.

The Predators once again did well to add upside throughout the draft, but their class will ultimately be defined by what Martin becomes. It's easy to fall in love with his hitting, forechecking, and underrated skill, especially after the playoff run Sam Bennett just had. But a talent-starved Nashville team also passed on more skilled and offense-oriented players to take Martin. If the farm boy from Elmira, Ontario, only becomes a bottom-six checker, that'll be detrimental for general manager Barry Trotz.

The speed, shooting ability, and puck-handling that Carbonneau possesses give him one of the best highlight reels in the draft and make him a very intriguing swing for the Blues at the end of the teens. Fyodorov is a slight forward who had a good scoring season in Russia.

Desnoyers is a perfect fit for the Mammoth. He adds size down the middle and plays a mature, two-way game, making him an ideal complement to Logan Cooley - think of the New Jersey Devils with Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. Psenicka didn't have flashy production but posted intriguing underlying metrics and has great defensive potential at 6-foot-5. Borikov tallied 25 points in the KHL at 19 years old.

Boumedienne played important minutes on a top Boston University team, then flourished at the Under-18s with Sweden. He's not flashy offensively, but his skating and defensive profile give him top-four potential. Martin was productive in a secondary role with Spokane and could flourish as he takes more responsibility. Klingsell has top-nine potential as an intelligent scorer.

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