Prospects with the biggest ‘boom’ potential in the 2025 NHL Draft
The 2025 NHL Draft class is full of talented prospects with high upside.
There’s no such thing as a sure thing, however. Risk can come with reward, but there aren’t any guarantees on that front.
Given the many variables involved as players take a significant step forward in their careers, projecting a prospect’s future remains an inexact science. Each draft class inevitably includes a handful of players whose inconsistent production or untapped potential makes them particularly polarizing among evaluators. In these cases, it falls to team decision-makers to assess their risk tolerance and determine whether the possible reward outweighs the uncertainty. These are the selections that can define a draft — where a player may eventually vindicate or expose the judgment of those who chose to either invest in their upside or look the other way.
Here are the most hotly-debated members of the 2025 draft class to FCHockey evaluators:
Adam Benak | C | Youngstown (USHL)
FCHockey Rank: 40
Adam Benak is a highly skilled, high-motor center whose elite skating, advanced puck skills, and strong hockey sense drive consistent offensive impact. He thrives in motion, using quick hands, deceptive fakes, and vision to create space and deliver precise passes, particularly in transition. His ability to manipulate defenders and exploit soft spots makes him a creative, playmaking force. Benak is also a tenacious forechecker and committed backchecker, showing strong positional awareness and puck pursuit.
His undersized frame and short reach, however, can limit his effectiveness in net-front battles and along the boards. He often plays on the perimeter and has yet to prove he can consistently drive to the interior at higher levels. His shot lacks power, too, diminishing his dual-threat value — especially on the power play. He struggles to win physical battles, too. Still, with elite edgework, playmaking flair, and competitiveness, Benak offers legitimate top-six upside if he continues to add strength and improve decision-making.
“Benak’s biggest issue is size,” FCHockey chief European scout Samuel Tirpak said. “He is an incredible playmaker, as was presented throughout the season, that plays with a chip on his shoulder. The combination of skill and chippiness is good, however size and off-puck play are two big limiting factors. If he can prove people wrong like he did all his life, there could be a nice playmaking second-line player there.”
Lev Katzin | C | Guelph (OHL)
FCHockey Rank: 193
Lev Katzin is a skilled, playmaking winger whose offensive game is driven by high-end vision, sharp passing touch, and intelligent off-puck movement. He excels at creating from the perimeter, threading passes through traffic and finding teammates in high-danger areas. His agility and edgework help him evade pressure, while his patience and composure allow him to dictate pace and maintain possession. Though not an elite skater, his purposeful stride supports transition play, and he consistently positions himself to stay involved offensively.
However, Katzin relies heavily on a perimeter-based style, which may limit his effectiveness against stronger, more physical opponents. He has yet to establish himself as a primary transition driver and can fade into a complementary role during breakouts. Still, with strong hockey sense, competitiveness, and refined puck skills, Katzin offers intriguing upside as a cerebral, possession-focused winger.
“Katzin has a strong pedigree and history of production, scoring at a point-per-game clip in the OHL this season and playing well in a big role for Canada at the U18s,” FCHockey regional scout Joseph Aleong said. “He has the tenacity and instincts to overcome his small frame at the junior level, but his strength and size aren’t really suited to an NHL checking line role and his skating must improve to reach his potential as a top-six NHL forward.”
LJ Mooney | C | USA U18 (NTDP)
FCHockey Rank: 85
LJ Mooney is a dynamic, high-compete winger whose game revolves around elite edgework, quick hands, and sharp offensive instincts. He thrives with the puck, leveraging his agility, deceptive movement, and high-end vision to manipulate defenders and generate scoring chances. His passing touch and creativity shine in sustained offensive zone play, where he excels at finding seams and maintaining pressure with intelligent puck movement.
However, Mooney’s goal-scoring ceiling is limited by inconsistent finishing and a tendency to remain on the perimeter. While his shot shows occasional pop, it lacks reliability, particularly from distance. Defensively, his effort is evident—he forechecks hard, supports down low, and isn’t shy about engaging physically despite a smaller frame. Yet, lapses in decision-making, positioning, and transitional play suggest room for refinement. He can become overly reliant on skating and disappear when not in control of possession. Still, his motor, playmaking, and offensive creativity offer compelling upside if development continues.
“Mooney, when he’s at his best, is an uber-skilled forward who can be a threat every single time he touches the puck. However, the consistency just is not there,” FCHockey regional scout Kyle Pereira said. “He’s also very small, as has been talked about plenty, and dealt with injuries already because of that lack of size.”
Ivan Ryabkin | C | Muskegon (USHL)
FCHockey Rank: 49
Ivan Ryabkin is a poised, playmaking forward whose offensive value stems from elite vision, mature decision-making, and strong puck distribution skills. He excels in structured settings — especially on the power play — where his calm puck control and ability to read pressure allow him to dictate pace and exploit seams with precision. His one-timer is an underrated tool, though he favors passing and tends to remain on the perimeter. Off the puck, he consistently finds soft areas to make himself a dangerous support option.
His skating is the main concern. While balanced and controlled, he lacks explosiveness and top-end speed, often trailing in footraces. Defensively, his play fluctuates — strong support in some shifts, passive or late on others — raising questions about his ability to stick at center. Despite limited dynamic traits, his intelligence, vision, and competitiveness offer strong middle-six potential.
“Ryabkin is a classic boom-or-bust prospect,” FCHockey crossover scout Jonathan Cottone said. “He has the shot, the vision, and the hands to be a scoring threat every time he touches the puck. There’s lots of skill in his play but is not a typical Russian with his creativity. There are times where he looks like he lacks fluidity and often looks disengaged… more of a passenger who pops up in the right areas rather than a driver of play. Without better skating, pace, or compete, there’s serious risk to me he won’t translate to the NHL level.”
Luka Radivojevic | D | Muskegon (USHL)
FCHockey Rank: 33
Luca Radivojevic is a poised, offensively-inclined defenseman whose standout edgework, vision, and mobility make him a constant threat in transition and from the offensive blue line. He escapes pressure with deceptive cutbacks and smart puck protection, using strong lateral skating to create space and manipulate defensive coverages. His passing is crisp and confident, and while his shot is still developing, it’s accurate and effective, especially on the power play. Radivojevic shows strong spatial awareness, often timing his offensive activations well and maintaining structure when needed.
Defensively, he reads plays well, maintains solid gap control, and uses an active stick to break up entries. However, his aggressive tendencies sometimes lead to positional lapses, particularly against faster or more physical competition. His smaller frame limits his impact in board battles and net-front coverage, though he competes hard. With added strength and refined discipline, Radivojevic has top-four upside as a modern, puck-moving blueliner capable of driving possession and generating offense.
“Radivojevic is smaller in size and that’s the beginning and the end of why he is boom or bust,” Tirpak said. “He dominates his five-on-five minutes and is excellent power-play quarterback. There are not many players in the NHL that do that at his size, so projectability is really rather low. However, he might be another Lane Hutson and he has the upside and tools to maybe be that down the line if he hits.”
Cameron Schmidt | RW | Vancouver (WHL)
FCHockey Rank: 38
Cameron Schmidt is an undersized yet explosive offensive winger whose elite speed, dynamic edgework, and lethal shot make him one of the most exciting attackers in the 2025 draft class. He generates separation with quick acceleration and deceptive puck movement, excelling in transition and creating chances off the rush. His wrist shot is a legitimate weapon — fast, accurate, and effective in tight spaces — and he scores in multiple ways, including from distance and in traffic. Though primarily a shoot-first player, Schmidt flashes high-end playmaking instincts when he slows the game down.
However, his decision-making and vision can be inconsistent, often forcing plays or displaying tunnel vision. Away from the puck, he finds space well but can drift to the perimeter or stagnate when not directly involved. Defensively, his positioning wavers, and physical engagement is minimal despite good tracking habits. Schmidt’s high-end offensive tools give him top-six upside, but he’ll need to improve his consistency, strength, and off-puck impact to reach his potential.
“Schmidt has electric puck skills, especially in one-on-one situations and odd-man rushes, but in my viewings he struggled to consistently drive offense,” FCHockey crossover scout Greysen Goudy said. “At 5-foot-7 and without a high motor or elite trait to fall back on, there’s real risk. The natural talent is obvious, but he’s not a creator, he’s an opportunist, and a lot will need to go right for him to fully boom.”
Haoxi Wang | D | Oshawa (OHL)
FCHockey Rank: 109
Haoxi Wang is a tall, athletic defenseman whose skating ability relative to his size is a clear standout. His long, powerful stride and smooth edgework make him mobile and balanced in all three zones, allowing him to excel in transition defense and rush support. Defensively, his reach and strong gap control help him steer attackers wide, disrupt passing lanes, and maintain sound positioning. He handles pressure well on zone exits, showing poise and making smart, simple passes that facilitate clean breakouts. Offensively, Wang isn’t dynamic but supports plays effectively and possesses a heavy point shot, though his release is slow and struggles to find space. His pass selection is conservative but reliable.
The major concern is his inconsistent physicality — he flashes strength in board battles but often avoids contact, limiting his impact given his frame. His intensity and engagement also wavers. Continued development in this area, along with growing confidence and decision-making, could allow Wang to become a dependable, minutes-eating NHL blueliner with penalty-killing value.
“Wang is a late bloomer, bursting onto the scene with a dynamic performance in the OJHL this year before struggling at times in a limited role after a move to OHL Oshawa,” Aleong said. “His speed and agility are high-end for a player with his frame and he flashed great physicality and offensive instincts at times, but his intensity and puck decisions were inconsistent and he has a long way to go before reaching his sky-high potential.”
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