We’ve reached Draft Week, and the Detroit Crimson Wings have yet one more alternative to bolster their prospect pipeline and construct for the longer term. All of it begins Friday evening in Los Angeles.
With the draft across the nook, we’ll do yet one more mock draft and canopy all seven rounds utilizing FCHockey’s simulator. Trades have been thought-about, however, in the end, the Crimson Wings opted to make use of all of their picks on this mock draft. Let’s dive in.
13. LW Carter Bear – Everett (WHL)
Thought-about: Jackson Smith, Cole Reschny, Justin Carbonneau, Lyndon Lakovic.
Unavailable: Radim Mrtka, Jake O’Brien, Roger McQueen, Victor Eklund.
I’m sticking with Carter Bear after deciding on him in Mock Draft 1.0 final month:
“General, his compete degree and excessive hockey IQ match inside Detroit’s draft M.O. It additionally helps that he persistently good points coaches’ belief, drives play from the wing, and might play on the facility play and penalty kill.
Personally, I like the way in which Bear assaults the offensive zone. He’s not a shoot-first man. He’s not a pass-first man, both. He simply creates. Bear processes the play nicely and finds high quality alternatives for both himself or a teammate. It’s not laborious to think about Bear, Nate Danielson, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard creating scoring probabilities shifting round and thru defenders.”
Bear’s excessive ceiling and built-in Crimson Wings DNA make him a slam dunk selection for the group.
44. C Cole McKinney – U.S. NTDP (U18)
Thought-about: RW Vaclav Nestrasil, C Adam Benak, RW Alexander Zharovsky, RD Linus Funck.
Unavailable: C Milton Gastrin, C Will Horcoff, LW Jack Murtagh, RD Henry Brzustewicz.
I watched Milton Gastrin fall significantly, and was prepared to pick him with Detroit’s second-round choose. He was lastly taken forty second, although. So as a substitute, it’s Cole McKinney out of the U.S. Nationwide Staff Improvement Program.
Excessive motor, excessive IQ. Rinse and repeat. McKinney’s work ethic and a spotlight to element align nicely with Kris Draper’s imaginative and prescient. He’s off to the College of Michigan within the fall, as nicely.
“He doesn’t generate a ton of spotlight performs, however he has a whole lot of substance in his recreation and does a whole lot of issues nicely. He’s a hardworking middle who wins a whole lot of battles and might play in visitors successfully regardless of being average-sized. McKinney has stable velocity, palms and imaginative and prescient, and a good shot from vary. He doesn’t challenge as a serious scorer on the prime degree, however he may chip in offense.”
–Corey Pronman (from ‘NHL Draft 2025 rating: Matthew Schaefer leads Corey Pronman’s prime 125 prospects checklist – The Athletic – 6/10/25)
75. RD Peyton Kettles – Swift Present (WHL)
Thought-about: C Gustav Hillstrom, C Michal Svrcek, C Theo Stockselius, LW Tomas Poletin.
Unavailable: C Matthew Gard, LW David Lewandowski, LD Kurban Limatov, C Tyler Hopkins.
The Thought-about and Unavailable gamers famous above apply to each No. 75 and No. 76.
A giant, imply defender, Peyton Kettles provides depth to Detroit’s proper aspect. He skates fairly nicely at 6-foot-5 and performs a bodily recreation.
Kettles solely registered 14 factors in 53 video games this 12 months for Swift Present, however that’s OK. Not everybody must be an offensive dynamo. As an alternative, his calling is extra of a shut-down defenseman – maybe paired with somebody like Albert Johansson.
76. LD Malte Vass – Farjestad (J20 Nationell)
One other bodily defenseman, Malte Vass has a bit extra offensive upside than Kettles, however can be barely smaller and could be inconsistent. Nonetheless, at 6-foot-2, he’s an even bigger defenseman who’s robust to play towards and could be trusted to kill penalties. Vass has nice consciousness with and with out the puck, and was rated as certainly one of this 12 months’s hardest hitters.
119. C Jimmy Lombardi – Flint (OHL)
Very similar to his brother Amadeus Lombardi, Jimmy Lombardi performs a high-octane recreation that ought to translate nicely as he advances up the ranks. The ahead has a lot of the identical traits as his brother – high-motor, nice skating, and two-way consciousness. The youthful Lombardi is a piece in progress offensively, although. Nonetheless, a bit consistency will go a great distance in that regard, and with him, the Crimson Wings may discover themselves with one other mid-round gem.
140. RD Carlos Händel – Halifax (QMJHL)
A stable, all-around blueliner, Carlos Handel isn’t spectacular in any side of the sport. He strikes the puck nicely, can run an influence play, and makes sensible selections. Nothing is elite, although. As an alternative, he’s a low-maintenance depth piece and robust chief with potential to work his approach by way of Detroit’s system.
172. C Mikkel Eriksen – Farjestad (J20 Nationell)
A bit underrated, Mikkel Eriksen may observe fellow Norwegian Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to the Crimson Wings group. The 2 have been teammates on the 2025 World Junior Championship (D1A degree), the place Eriksen outproduced Brandsegg-Nygard 4 factors to at least one.
Eriksen is on the smaller aspect at 5-foot-11, however competes laborious and is yet one more high-IQ participant the Crimson Wings may goal. He’s a balanced offensive participant and put up 43 factors in 40 J20 Nationell video games this 12 months. Actually value taking a flier on.
Associated: THW’s Free 2025 NHL Draft Information
204. RD Carson Cameron – Peterborough (OHL)
As an excellent participant on a poor workforce, there’s an opportunity that Carson Cameron may fall within the draft. He has sufficient upside to make use of a late-round choose on.
“Cameron performed a ton for the Petes, that includes prominently on each their PP and PK and logging 24-25 minutes per recreation in his draft 12 months. Due to that, he was additionally on for lots of minuses and errors. However he’s a late June birthday who was requested to do an excessive amount of for his age and has some professional qualities as a 6-foot-2 righty who performs laborious, competes and has some firmness to his recreation on either side of the puck. He’s robust, and I’ve seen him assault in possession along with his toes into his shot.” –Scott Wheeler (from ‘2025 NHL Draft rating: Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa lead Scott Wheeler’s ultimate prime 100 checklist’ – The Athletic – 6/2/25)
211. G Jack Parsons – Chicago (USHL)
One other lengthy goalie that might be a little bit of a challenge to develop. Parsons landed tenth on Central Scouting’s ultimate rankings for North American goalies. From my viewings, he tracks the puck nicely and has nice edgework across the crease, however must be extra constant so as to flip professional someday. He’ll get the prospect to take action at Windfall Faculty within the fall.
Last Phrase
In all, the Crimson Wings come away from this mock draft with 4 forwards, 4 defensemen, and a goalie. Carter Bear on the prime represents one other gifted creator that may play in Detroit’s prime six of the longer term. McKinney ought to be capable to attain the NHL as a flexible, bottom-six ahead, too. General, every place group added depth and every participant has traits that would cause them to the NHL someday.
