It’s never too early to start looking at the NHL Draft, and with still a month before the Western Hockey League (WHL) kicks off its 2024-25 season, it’s hard to get much earlier. The 2024 Draft saw 34 WHLers selected, including four within the top 10 and five in the top 20, both of which ranked first among any other development league in the world. The 2025 class will have a difficult time repeating that feat, with stars like James Hagens, Michael Misa, Porter Martone, Ivan Ryabkin, and Anton Frondell looking to fight for first overall. But it’s far from impossible. The WHL will once again bring a top-tier cohort to potentially the first decentralized draft since the pandemic. Much could change before then, but let’s look at where the best WHL prospects currently sit.
10. Vit Zahejsky, C, Kamloops Blazers
The second overall pick in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft, Vit Zahejsky will enter the WHL with some pretty high expectations after an incredible 2024 Hlinka Gretzky performance. His three goals and seven points ranked second among all Czech players and gave the team an excellent one-two punch alongside Adam Benak en route to a silver medal, the nation’s second in two years. Back home in Czechia’s U20 league, he was just as good, putting up 19 goals and 39 points in 42 games. The season before, he tied for first with 27 goals and 67 points in just 36 games at the U17 level.
Samuel Trpak, a scout with FC Hockey, saw his breakout coming at the tournament, saying, “Zahejsky is a smallish but smart and creative playmaker who shines on the offensive end of the ice. He is also kind of a walking highlight reel of a player as well. His hand-eye coordination is excellent and he uses it very well in game situations.” But Zahejsky isn’t just good at scoring goals. He’s a competent two-way threat who proved to be difficult to beat on both offence and defence, despite a slight size disadvantage at times. With him in their top six, the Kamloops Blazers will no longer have the worst offence in the WHL, giving the Czech center an excellent shot at taking home Rookie of the Year honours.
9. Lynden Lakovic, LW, Moose Jaw Warriors
On paper, Lynden Lakovic doesn’t look like a top 2025 prospect. The Moose Jaw Warriors’ sophomore had 39 points in 68 games, putting him eighth among 2025 draft-eligible players across the league and nearly 30 points behind the leader. He was also primarily a depth player for the Warriors, playing in the bottom six most nights. But, arguably more than anyone else on this list, there is much more than meets the eye with Lakovic.
The blossoming power forward uses his size incredibly well to post in front of the net, but Lakovic isn’t just a big body. He blends a high level of creativity and finesse whenever he gets the puck, and with a good skating stride, he can create plays out of very little. The one problem was that he didn’t have the opportunity to play bigger minutes with the Warriors last season after they acquired Matthew Savoie, Rilen Kovacevic, Ethan Semeniuk, and Brayden Schuurman to complement their core of Jagger Firkus, Denton Mateychuk, and Brayden Yager. That’s a lot of talent up front, which pushed a skilled youngster like Lakovic down to a depth role. However, he still scored 18 goals last season with limited minutes. As many of Moose Jaw’s veterans move on this season, he’ll be able to grab a more prominent position.
8. Ben Kindel, RW, Calgary Hitmen
It was easy to forget about the Calgary Hitmen last season. The team missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons and struggled with consistency, but were surprisingly adept at putting the puck in the net. Only eight teams scored more goals than the Hitmen, partly thanks to rookie Ben Kindel, who emerged as a premier playmaker for Calgary when they desperately needed one. Playing all 68 games, he put up a team-leading 45 assists and finished third with 60 points, giving him the second-most points among 2025 draft-eligible prospects in the WHL.
The one knock against Kindel right now is that it seems to take him a bit to get comfortable. He started 2023-24 fairly quietly, putting two to three shots on net per night on average, but by December, that average was up to three or four. By February, he was putting five or six shots on net and taking over a dozen faceoffs a night. Only twice in the last two months of the season did he go more than a game without registering a point. Oh, and only three of his 15 goals were scored on the powerplay. But then, at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, it once again took him a little bit to look comfortable. He still managed to score a goal and an assist with Canada, helping them win the gold medal for the third year, but he will need to add a bit more consistency this season to challenge for a first-round selection.
7. Reese Hamilton, LD, Calgary Hitmen
Another top-end Hitmen player, Reese Hamilton’s game is built on speed. Following his appearance at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Daily Faceoff’s Steve Ellis wrote, “Man, Hamilton can skate. He’s not big, but he makes up for that with pure mobility and two-way play. I thought he was one of Canada’s better defenders, playing with pace and smarts…I can’t wait to see him do even more.” There was a lot to love about his rookie season in the WHL. In just 42 games, he led all U17 defencemen with eight goals and 31 points, finishing his first season in the league with nine points in three games and earning Rookie of the Week honours.
Related: Top 10 Draft-Eligible OHL Players for 2024-25: Preseason Edition
Hamilton wasn’t able to score nearly as much at the Hlinka Gretzky, going pointless in five games, nor was he a big producer at the U17s, recording just two assists in seven games. But he’s clearly on Hockey Canada’s radar; despite not playing, he was also invited to the U18 World Junior Championship last season which won gold. There are also some promising two-way abilities in his game, and although they need some development, he’ll have plenty of chances to refine his game while playing alongside Carter Yakemchuk on Calgary’s blue line this season.
6. Jackson Smith, LD, Tri-City Americans
Jackson Smith wasn’t the most productive defenceman in the WHL in 2024-25, putting up a respectable eight goals and 29 points in 62 games, which ranked fourth among U18 defenders and 44th overall. However, the second-overall pick at the 2022 Bantam Draft after Gavin McKenna still earned an invite to Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup squad thanks to his strong all-around presence on the Tri-City Americans’ blue line. Despite starting as the seventh defenceman, he emerged as one of Canada’s best players when they faced off against Sweden in the final round-robin game. He finished the tournament with three assists in five games and a well-deserved gold medal.
Like Hamilton, Smith has some high-end mobility and speed in his game, which makes him a good bet to end up in the first round of the 2025 Draft, but what puts him slightly higher here for me is his penchant for making bold plays and trying to impact the game in any way he can. He doesn’t always succeed, but confidence is a valuable skill as a defender, and Smith certainly has plenty ahead of his second full season in the WHL. With his big shot and good transitional skills, he’s one to watch as a potential riser.
5. Cameron Schmidt, RW, Vancouver Giants
There is arguably no better goal scorer from the WHL heading to the 2025 Draft than Cameron Schmidt. The Vancouver Giants’ winger scored an impressive 31 times last season in just 59 games, adding two more in five playoff games and three more at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August. At the U17s, his five goals ranked second on the team, which included the golden goal for Canada White. His intuition and positioning are top-notch and he’s seemingly always in the right spot at the right time to fire the puck home.
The one problem is that Schmidt stands just 5-foot-8 and weighs 152 pounds heading into the 2024-25 season, but that shouldn’t be a major issue. Despite his lack of size, he doesn’t get pushed around thanks to his high-end skating and never-quit work ethic and displays some sneaky strength when fighting for the puck against the boards. He’s fast, smart, and has a neverending motor, setting him up for a strong 2024-25. I see a combination of Berkly Catton and Tij Iginla when I watch clips of Schmidt, and while I doubt he eclipses either player in overall skill, there’s little he can’t already do very well and I wouldn’t be surprised if he followed a similar path to Iginla, who went from a fringe first-round pick to going sixth overall.
4. Jordan Gavin, C, Tri-City Americans
Jordan Gavin was the most productive 2025 draft-eligible prospect out of the WHL last season. In 68 games, he scored 68 points, while his 23 goals put him third in his draft class, leading The Hockey Writers’ Peter Baracchini to rank him 22nd on his Way-Too-Early Top 32 in July. He also comes with a lot of hype, having been selected in the WHL Bantam Draft second overall in 2021, just after Catton, who just went eighth overall to the Seattle Kraken. Gavin was also nominated for the Brad Hornung Sportsmanlike Player of the Year after going the entire 2023-24 season without taking a single penalty.
There are a lot of things Gavin does really well already. He has a strong, accurate shot, moves well in transition and with the puck, and demonstrates good patience when looking for open passing or shooting lanes. He’s also quite an intelligent player, reading the play well and anticipating the developments, and can already log heavy minutes as a top-line center; last season, he regularly played over 20 minutes a night. While he might need to up his engagement just a tad to be a devastatingly effective forward, he is a strong candidate to be a first-round pick in 2025.
3. Josh Ravensbergen, G, Prince George Cougars
There hasn’t been a high-end goalie up for the NHL Draft since 2021 when Sebastian Cossa and Jesper Wallstedt were selected in the first round. Since then, no goalie has gone in the first 32 picks, but 2025 could change that with Joshua Ravensbergen, who will be competing against the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Jack Ivankovic to be the first goaltender off the board. Although he didn’t get a single invite to an international tournament, the 6-foot-4 starter for the Prince George Cougars has already drawn comparisons to Yaroslav Askarov in the way he dominates the crease.
While Ivankovic was incredible at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, I believe Ravensbergen has the edge right now over his OHL counterpart. He posted a 26-4-1 record over 38 games, earning him a spot on the B.C. Division’s Second All-Star Team, and topped the league with six shutouts, all of which were recorded before January, making him an easy choice for Rookie of the Week on Dec. 4. But he wasn’t just good by rookie standards; his .907 save percentage (SV%) was the seventh-best in the WHL while his 2.46 goals-against average (GAA) sat fourth, landing him two Goalie of the Week nods. Then, to finish it all off, he was easily the most dominant goalie in the WHL Playoffs, posting a .931 SV%, a 1.98 GAA, and three shutouts over 12 appearances. That level of consistency is difficult to maintain, but Ravensbergen is set up well to take over the WHL in 2024-25.
2. Cole Reschny, C, Victoria Royals
There were few more impressive rookies last season than Cole Reschny, who put up 21 goals, 38 assists, and 59 points in 61 games, finishing second on the Victoria Royals and fourth among all rookies. He was just as good for Canada White at the U17 World Hockey Challenge, where he tied Gavin McKenna with eight points in seven games. However, while McKenna finished with five goals, Reschny proved to be a superb tactician, putting up a team-leading five assists. He was just as effective at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he once again led the team in assists while playing alongside McKenna on the top line, putting up four in five games while his seven points tied Émile Guité for first for the Canadians.
There’s little that Reschny can’t do; he’s quick and slippery, moving around players like they aren’t even there, and he possesses some of the softest hands of any 2025 prospect, controlling the puck as though it’s on a string. But he’s also fearless and is willing to go up against much bigger players in front of the net. The one issue is that, at 5-foot-10, a lot of players are bigger than him. But that shouldn’t hold him back; according to FC Hockey’s Aaron Vickers, “Reschny profiles similarly to a lot of other high-end players out of the WHL in recent years. He’s not the most physically imposing player, but his combination of speed and heady play certainly puts him on the radar as a top-end eligible to keep an eye on.”
1. Roger McQueen, C, Brandon Wheat Kings
Roger McQueen is not only one of the most interesting prospects coming out of the WHL this season but also in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-5 center capped off his second season with the Brandon Wheat Kings with 21 goals and 51 points in 53 games, then scored a team-leading four goals in five games in the playoffs. He also made two international appearances, suiting up for Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August, where he finished third on the team with four goals in five games, and the U18 World Championship in April, where he had just one assist and a game misconduct penalty for kneeing before an injury took him out after just two games.
While he wasn’t the most productive 2025-eligible prospect out of the WHL, he brings a combination of size and skill that is reminiscent of Cayden Lindstrom or Kirby Dach. He has a powerful slapshot that he can let loose from practically anywhere on the ice, but he’s also surprisingly shifty for a player of his size. He ducks and weaves through traffic to always make sure he’s in the best place to bat the puck in and he’s not afraid to use any part of his stick to do it. His hand-eye coordination is very strong as is his awareness of the play around him, making him a potential top-10 selection at the 2025 Draft.
Honourable mentions: Blake Fiddler, RD (Edmonton Oil Kings); Will Sharpe, LD (Lethbridge Hurricanes); Cole Temple, F (Regina Pats); Carter Bear, C (Everett Silvertips); Payton Kettles, RD (Swift Current Broncos); Braeden Cootes, C (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Comparing the WHL’s 2025 Class to 2024
It always was going to be tough to follow up the 2024 WHL draft class after Lindstrom, Iginla, Yakemchuk, and Catton all went in the top 10, and at this point, it looks like McQueen is the only lock to go that high. But, whereas only five WHLers went in the first round, this season could see a much deeper group. Most on this list have received some first-round consideration already, and those that haven’t have a good chance to jump up into the top group following a big season.
For dark horses, I like Lakovic and Zahejsky’s potential to jump up the 2025 Draft charts, as they play a style that is sure to catch scout’s eyes. Hamilton and Schmidt are also good bets to rise but will have some added challenges due to their size. Outside of the top 10, watch out for big right-shot defenceman Blade Fiddler, who was right on the cusp for me and could easily emerge as a top pick after a fantastic performance at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky tournament in August.
While this group currently doesn’t show the same high-end potential as last year’s class, the WHL is on the up-swing in producing NHL-calibre talent. 2025 won’t be any different, and several more top-tier prospects will hear their names called early.
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