2025 Draft: Schaefer tops Central Scouting midterm rankings

Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings of the top North American skaters eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Central Scouting revealed its midterm ranking of the top North American skaters and goalies, along with the top International skaters and goalies, on Tuesday. Right wing Victor Eklund of Djurgarden in Sweden's second division is No. 1 among International skaters.

Rounding out the top five North American skaters are center James Hagens of Boston College (NCAA), center Michael Misa of Saginaw (OHL), right wing Porter Martone of Brampton (OHL) and center Roger McQueen of Brandon (Western Hockey League).

"The 2025 draft class is top heavy with talent and there was no clear No. 1 consensus with our group but at this point we have positioned Schaefer in the top spot over Hagens and Misa," said Dan Marr, NHL director of Central Scouting. "He is the best available prospect at his position and the results he achieves with his combination of speed, skills and size give him the edge for the No. 1 spot. While his game is still maturing, he's playing a style that will transition well once he gets his NHL opportunity."

PDFs: North American skaters | North American goalies | International skaters | International goalies

Schaefer (6-foot-2, 183 pounds), Canada's second-youngest player at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, earned the top ranking despite a broken clavicle sustained in the first period of the country's second game of the tournament Dec. 27. He will be out three months.

"This is a deep draft class in the top three rounds and it's great for the NHL to have such a solid crop of top-end prospects," Marr said. "The top three or four will likely be interchangeable depending on one's definition of 'best available' and the rest of the top 10 will be hard to displace. The next line likely comes around the 24-25 position and after that almost to the end of the second round, where there are still players with the requisite skills and attributes to be good NHL players."

The 2025 draft is scheduled for June. The NHL Draft Lottery to determine the first 16 will be announced at a later date.

Schaefer missed the opening nine games of the season because of mononucleosis. He lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer in February 2024, which happened three months after his billet mother, Emily Matson, died by suicide.

He is one of three players in Erie history to be selected No. 1 by the franchise in the OHL draft (2023) after Ryan O'Reilly (2007) and Connor McDavid (2012). Schaefer had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and was plus-21 in 17 games with Erie prior to leaving for World Juniors.

Hagens (5-10, 177) is one of five NCAA players among the top 32 skaters on Central Scouting's midterm rankings.

"Hagens plays a pro-style game right now and has been impressive at every level displaying NHL skills and attributes with his hockey IQ being front and center," Marr said. "His vision, reads and skills are elite, and he executes plays with the composure of an NHL veteran and deserves to be in the conversation as the top pick."

Hagens is tied for second on Boston College with 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 18 games working as the No. 1 center between Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals). The 18-year-old left-handed shot had nine points (five goals, four assists) in seven games to help the United States win its second straight gold medal at World Juniors.

Misa (6-1, 184) is tied for first in the OHL with 72 points (35 goals, 37 assists) and ranks fifth in face-off wins (445-for-823; 54.1 percent) in 37 games. He was named the 26th captain in Saginaw history Jan. 8.

"Misa is highly skilled, smart Memorial Cup champion and doing everything you could ask or expect from him, and he does it all while playing the game the right way," Marr said. "He is No. 1 on many lists and could be in a select group, including Eric Lindros and Patrick Kane, if he continues at his goals-per game pace during his draft year."

Misa, who turns 18 on Feb. 16, is one of eight players to have been granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada to play in the OHL as a 15-year-old. The left-shot center in 2022 joined McDavid, John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Shane Wright, Connor Bedard, Joe Veleno and Sean Day.

Martone (6-3, 208), the captain for Brampton, is sixth in the OHL with 62 points (22 goals, 40 assists) in 30 games. He represented fifth-place Canada at World Juniors, scoring a power-play goal in three games and averaging 11:17 of ice time.

McQueen (6-5, 197) has a lower-body injury and isn't expected to return until February. The 18-year-old right-handed shot has 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in eight games for the Wheat Kings this season. He missed 15 games with a back injury in 2023-24.

"McQueen is the unknown commodity at this point, who when healthy possesses all the attributes and intangibles to be a first overall candidate," Marr said. "He is a highly skilled and intelligent center who can make a difference and leaves his mark on almost every shift."

Eklund (5-11, 161) had six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games playing a top six role for fourth-place Sweden at the 2025 WJC. The 18-year-old has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 24 games with Djurgarden.

"Eklund had a good autumn in Allsvenskan, and played well and effectively at World Juniors," said Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen, NHL Director of European Scouting. "He's an active and alert player who plays confidently and is intense. He's a robust checker who uses his exceptional acceleration and speed on every shift."

Rounding out the top five International skaters are center Anton Frondell (6-1, 198) of Djurgarden; center Ivan Ryabkin (5-11, 201) of Muskegon in the United States Hockey League; center Milton Gastrin (6-0, 185) of Modo Jr. in Sweden's junior division; and left wing Vojtech Cihar (6-0, 175) of Karlovy Vary in Czechia's top professional men's league.

Frondell has six points (three goals, three assists) in 13 games with Djurgarden in Allsvenskan.

Ryabkin joined Muskegon on Dec. 31 after terminating his contract with Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League. He isn't the first notable Russia-born forward to play for the Lumberjacks. Andrei Svechnikov, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft playing his seventh season for the Carolina Hurricanes, and Matvei Gridin, selected No. 28 by the Calgary Flames in the 2024 NHL Draft, also starred.

The 17-year-old had three goals and 17 shots on goal in his first two USHL games. He received a three-game suspension for a slew-foot Jan. 4 and won't be eligible to return until Jan. 18.

The No. 1 North American goalie is Joshua Ravensbergen (6-5, 190) of Prince George (WHL). He's 20-6-4 with a 3.01 goals-against average, and .901 save percentage in 30 games.

The No. 1 International goalie is Pyotr Andreyanov (6-0, 207) of CSKA in Russia's minor hockey league. The 17-year-old is 16-3-0 with a 1.70 GAA, .943 save percentage and two shutouts in 23 games. Of note is No. 4 Petteri Rimpinen (6-0, 176) of K-Espoo in Liiga, the top professional men's league in Finland. The 18-year-old, who was passed over in the 2024 draft, earned best goaltender of the World Juniors after helping Finland to a silver medal after finishing 5-2 with a 2.34 GAA and .933 save percentage. He is 11-5-7 with a 2.25 GAA, one shutout and .916 save percentage in 24 games in Liiga.

"We all saw how great Rimpinen was at World Juniors and has been on his club team the entire season, but we decided to take 2007-born goalies (Andreyanov, Love Harenstam, Semyon Frolov) as the top three at the midterm," Vuorinen said.