Lakovic uses size, mobility to stand out ahead of 2025 NHL Draft

The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 27-28 at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will be held June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), with Rounds 2-7 on June 28 (Noon ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at left wing Lynden Lakovic of Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League. Full draft coverage can be found here.

Lynden Lakovic with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League is a gifted left wing possessing the mind of a skilled center.

"I think my skating for a player my size (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) is my biggest asset," Lakovic said. "I think I got the skill set of a player like [Buffalo Sabres center] Tage Thompson. His creativity with the puck is what kind of drives me to watch him more. We have similar frames, similar skill sets, and I think that I can take bits and parts of his game and add to mine."

Lakovic, No.14 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters and a projected first-round pick at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft, really came into his own during his third WHL season.

"There's lots of guys that have high-end hockey sense and the ability to make plays, and he's got equal ability to pass and shoot, but to do it the way that he does it, I think, is rare," Moose Jaw coach Mark O'Leary said. "As a winger he drives play so much, a lot like a centerman.

"A big part of that is his ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone. I think he skates faster with the puck than he does without it."

Lakovic said he learned a lot from former Moose Jaw captain Brayden Yager his past three seasons before the latter was traded to Lethbridge on Dec. 2.

"Yager is someone I leaned on; he helped me a lot with my 200-foot game," Lakovic said. "I think you come to a point and realize that not everyone's going to be Auston Matthews and score 70 goals, so adding different elements into your game is going to help you. 'Yags' has also helped me in dealing with the pressure of the draft.

"One night I called him because I didn't have a good road trip and was stressing about my play. We talked it out for a little while and ended up having a laugh after."

Yager, selected in the first round (No. 14) by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2023 NHL Draft and traded to the Winnipeg Jets for forward prospect Rutger McGroarty on Aug. 28, 2024, said he enjoyed his time with Lakovic.

"The first thing you notice with 'Lak' is how big he is, but also how well he skates for a big guy," Yager said. "He's got great hands to keep up with his skating and is a great passer. As a teammate, you can see the drive and love he has for the game. He comes to the rink every day to get better."

Lakovic missed nearly seven weeks because of a lower-body injury but still led Moose Jaw with career highs in goals (27), assists (31), points (58), power-play goals (seven) and game-winning goals (three) in 47 games.

In his first game back from the injury, on Feb. 14, Lakovic was named Moose Jaw captain.

O'Leary was asked if NHL teams might expect more from Lakovic from a physical standpoint because of his stature and long reach. He doesn't think so.

"When you have guys with his skill set, you're not necessarily looking for him to run guys over on the forecheck or rack up penalty minutes by slashing guys and having his elbows up," O'Leary said. "It's just getting there in a hurry and finishing on top of a guy, staying in puck battles, and I think he made huge improvements in showing his ability to do that more consistently.

"He can play with an edge and with that competitive snarl around the puck."

Lakovic said, "I've been hearing [the need to be more physical] for a little while now, and it's something I'm definitely trying to work on. I watched a lot of [Toronto Maple Leafs forward] Matthew Knies during the Stanley Cup Playoffs; he's a similar frame to me and the way he battles in net-front situations, his body positioning and overall compete is something I'm looking to add to my game."

Lakovic had a 13-game point streak (19 points; 10 goals, nine assists) from Nov. 8-Dec. 27, and scored the first goal for the Canadian Hockey League in a win against USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team in the inaugural CHL/USA Prospects Challenge on Nov. 26.

"He skates very well ... [he] has the speed to separate himself from defenders when he's attacking the offensive zone," Central Scouting senior western scout John Williams said. "He's a very good playmaker, quite good at pulling up and hitting the late guy, finding somebody off the far post. He's a hard guy to handle at that size so I think he's a very interesting player for a lot of teams."

Lakovic earned the Moose Jaw Three Stars Award, Top Scorer, and Player of the Year honors at the Yara Awards Night.

"He was always laughing in the room, chirping guys, having a great time and that's a big compliment because you need those guys in your room to make it fun to come to the rink every day but also lead the way on the ice," Yager said.

Brandon general manager/coach Marty Murray said Lakovic has become a threat since entering the WHL three seasons ago.

"He's a factor and it started last year, I think, as a 17-year-old," Murray said. "He kind of had a breakout, maybe in the playoffs (when Lakovic had five goals and eight points in 20 games). He helped lead them to a WHL championship. He was hurt a few games this year when we played against them, but [he] was certainly a force in the games he did play. He's a big guy with good hands, skates well and has the ability to score and make plays."

Most importantly, O'Leary said Lakovic improved his 200-foot game.

"That's a testament to him; he's coachable and has been working with us since he was 15 years old," O'Leary said. "He doesn't run or shy away from being coached. There were times as a 16-year-old where he'd find himself on the bench because he had the roller blades on, not staying around pucks and circling. But he's fixed a lot of that because of his hockey sense. We even had him killing penalties this year because he can anticipate so well in terms of where that next pass is going."