Ivankovic stands out as top goalie prospect for 2025 NHL Draft despite height

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 June 27 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and Rounds 2-7 are 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 profile on Brampton goalie Jack Ivankovic. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Jack Ivankovic stands out among the other top goalies for the 2025 NHL Draft for several reasons. One of them is his height.

At 5-foot-11, Ivankovic is the only goalie among the top 25 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of the top North American goalies to measure in at under 6-feet tall.

But Ivankovic is proving that size isn't everything at the position.

"My athletic ability and my competitiveness [are strengths]," Ivankovic said. "I think no matter how big you are, you've got to stop the puck. The big thing for me is if I can see it, I can stop it. So it's just making sure I'm in the right spot at all times and making saves look easy."

Ivankovic did that a lot this season, going 25-12-5 with a 3.05 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and two shutouts in 43 Ontario Hockey League games with Brampton. The 18-year-old is No. 4 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies.

One of the players Ivankovic draws inspiration from is another 5-11 goalie, Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators.

"Juuse Saros is one of the guys I like to take pieces from for my game, how athletic he is and he wins games for his teams and makes saves look easy," Ivankovic said.

But that's not the only goaltender that he watches closely.

"Also [Dallas Stars goaltender] Jake Oettinger, he's one of the guys I like to watch with how calm and athletic he makes every save look," Ivankovic said. "He's always in the right spot."

Al Jensen of Central Scouting does not see size as a deterrent for Ivankovic's draft prospects either.

"He's got an impressive resume and [NHL teams] are going to see that," Jensen said. "Yes, he's under the 6-foot mark but I really like this kid, the way he plays. Probably the most skilled goalie in this draft. Competes really super hard, never gives up. He challenges well, he's strong in the crease despite his size."

And Ivankovic's resume has quite a few accolades in it.

Last season he had a 2.72 GAA in 25 games with Brampton and was named the winner of the F.W. Dinty Moore Trophy, awarded to the first-year goalie with the best regular-season goals-against average in the OHL.

He followed that by winning a gold medal with Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship as the third goalie.

He began this season by winning a gold medal with Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, with a 0.75 GAA, .967 save percentage and one shutout in four games in August.

Then he became the first 17-year-old goalie (he turned 18 on May 22) to start a game for Canada at the World Junior Championship when he made 24 saves through overtime and stopped seven of eight shootout attempts in Canada's 3-2 loss to Latvia on Dec. 27.

He capped his season with another gold medal, at the 2025 World Under-18s in April. He was named the tournament's best goalie after going 6-0-0 with a 1.05 GAA, .961 save percentage and two shutouts in six games.

"He [is] very quick to get down and up, quick lateral ability, he reads one-time plays exceptionally well, he gets there ahead of the play. There's a lot to like," Jensen said. "Yes, he's not above 6-foot but he plays bigger than some of the 6-foot-2 goalies because of the way he plays. He's smart in his positional play and that's what it's all about because sometimes the big goalies, they sag deep in the crease and they open up when they move laterally. He's pretty compact and with his smarts, with his quickness and athleticism, his compete level [is] second to none. He'll have a chance someday."

That chance starts with the 2025 draft that. While Ivankovic worked on his on-ice performance throughout the season, he also worked on the mental side of the game. Goaltending, maybe more than any other position, relies on strong mental fortitude.

"I've been doing yoga the past two years," he said. "I think that's helped a bunch, just kind of staying flexible, but also just kind of takes my mind away from hockey. I think if you get too kind of dialed at one thing, you're going to kind of maybe not perform the best. So kind of just taking time away, not always talking [about] hockey. I have buddies at home that don't play hockey at all, so kind of just hanging out with them, and again, being a normal kid."

Ivankovic's father, Frank, was a goalie selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the ninth round (No. 232) of the 1995 NHL Draft. He never played in the NHL, but his experience has been invaluable for Jack as he prepares to hear his name called at the draft.

"He's been great for me," Jack said. "I mean, not just the hockey part, but just kind of being there if I ever really needed him to kind of just talk to him about something. If I had a bad game, talk to him. Have a good game, I even talk to him. When I was younger he always kind of pushed me to be the hardest worker. And I think I take pride in working hard in practice and games. I mean, I don't like to let in goals, so kind of just being there and him kind of telling me to work hard, that's something you need at the next level."