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| 2025-2029 NHL Draft: Potential No.1 Picks |
Written by: Prospect-Central
If people say "The Draft" isn't an exact science, I wonder what they would say about trying to predict No.1 picks 5-years into the future. If that wasn't bad enough, we're gonna try and prognosticate the future No.1 picks for all five North American sports leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, WNBA). Better strap on your seatbelts, cuz this is about to be a bumpy ride. Lord help us! 🙏
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| James Hagens: 2025 NHL Draft |
Here are a few tidbits about the NHL Draft & No.1 picks:
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| Gavin McKenna: 2026 NHL Draft |
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| Landon DuPont: 2027 NHL Draft |
A plethora of resources were used in pooling together the top prospects from each sport that have a realistic chance of being the No.1 selection in their draft (sources will be listed at bottom of article). From there I did my due diligence and learned as much about these players as I could, including watching as much film & video on each player I could find. Once I felt comfortable on whom the best players were for each draft, I made my selection for a potential No.1 pick followed by a few players who should be in the mix. With that being said, Prospect-Central proudly presents 2025-29 NHL potential No.1 Draft picks!
2025 NHL Draft
One of the reasons hockey is probably the least popular sport in the United States, is because for the most part we have no idea who these players are until the day they're drafted into the NHL, hence we're not as invested in their careers. Baseball is similar to hockey in that respect, but for basketball & football; we watch them play in high school, we watch them play in college, and then we watch them in the pro's. It's a much easier & simpler process to follow the progression of these athletes than it is for hockey. Unless of course you're Canadian. 🍁
To say Junior Hockey and the pathway to the NHL Draft can be a bit confusing, would be a severe understatement to say the very least. Since the current potential No.1 pick for the 2025 NHL Draft, native New Yorker James Hagens, is not only American but also an NCAA freshman hockey player at Boston College, let's examine how many former No.1 draft picks have been in similar position's since the first NHL Draft 61-years ago. Since 1963, only 8 American's have been selected with the No.1 pick in the NHL Draft. FYI, I'd personally rank James Hagens 5th among those players behind only; (1) Mike Modano, (2) Auston Matthews, (3) Patrick Kane, (4) Jack Hughes. Playing college hockey before becoming the top pick of the NHL Draft is even more rare. There have only been 5 NCAA hockey players selected No.1 overall and the first American player ever selected with the top pick of the NHL Draft, Brian Lawton (1983), was actually drafted right out of high school in Rhode Island, becoming the only former No.1 NHL Draft pick ever to do so. Now that you know what the future has in store for James Hagens, time to examine his past and see how he became the current favorite for the No.1 pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Not every elite hockey player takes the same path on their way to the NHL Draft, but this is the yellow brick road James Hagens has followed during his journey thus far. Tier 1 AAA Hockey is the highest level of minor league ice hockey competition in the world. These rankings will focus on North American hockey leagues as opposed to European junior hockey, which is another can of worms all together. James Hagens only played 27 games during his 14U AAA career, accumulating 2.11 ppg which is good for top 40 all-time. Moving to his 15U AAA career, Hagen's amassed a total of 115 points which is good for top 20 all-time despite playing in 54 games, which was the 3rd fewest among all players ranked ahead of him. Then in 2022, 15-year old James Hagens was drafted 117th by the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) priority selection draft.
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| James Hagens: 2025 NHL Draft |
Hagens was obviously good enough to play with the prestigious National Team Development Program (NTDP) in the United States Hockey League (USHL) & he's currently ranked 5th all-time with 187 total points in 118 games. The U17 World Hockey Challenge (WHC) is considered the premiere event for male hockey players before they become legal adults. It's littered with former & future NHL Hall-of-Famer's, including the likes of former No.1 draft picks Alex Ovechkin (2004), Connor McDavid (2015), & Jack Hughes (2019) to name a few. In 7 games played at the U17 WHC, James Hagens recorded 21 TP, which is currently the most total points any player has ever produced in the history of that event!
The International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) World Junior Championship's (WJC) is where all future NHL Draft picks earn their keep though, and this is why James Hagens is on top of most 2025 NHL Draft boards. He won a gold medal for U.S.A. at the 2023 U18 WJC, was named MVP of the 2024 U18 WJC while winning a silver medal in the process, and literally as I'm writing this he just won another gold medal at the 2025 U20 WJC. For his U18 WJC career, James Hagens ranks 4th all-time with 27 total points in 14 games played and despite being one of the younger players in the U20 WJC, he still finished 2nd in points-per-game for draft eligible players during the tournament with 1.29 ppg in 7 games played. Now before the 2025 U20 WJC started, there were not only a few players nipping at Hagens heels for the potential top pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, but a lot of hockey pundits even had a few players ahead of him.
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| James Hagens: 2025 NHL Draft |
Almost forgot to mention on how James Hagens is playing for Boston College during his first & only year of NCAA hockey. He's currently leading all freshman in points-per-game & he's skating just outside the top 10 nationally with 1.25 ppg in 16 games played for the Eagles. He's an elite play maker, who's naturally gifted with high-end hockey sense, speed, puck skills, & unlimited upside due to his creativity & vision. James Hagens might not be the greatest American hockey prospect of all-time, but he's a damn sure good one and at the moment the odds on favorite for the No.1 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft. And finally, drawing some similarities to my sport of basketball, just like the potential 2025 No.1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg has a brother (Ace Flagg) who will never sniff the NBA, James Hagens 19-year old brother & Boston College teammate, Michael Hagens, is in the same predicament. If that proves anything at all, it just goes to show you genes aren't everything. 🧬
2026 NHL Draft
He's not even playing in the NHL yet, but it's nice to see Canadian Gavin McKenna's flow already in playoff form. That's some killer lettuce eh?! 👩🏼🦰 Born December 20th, 2007, the newly turned 17-year old is the current pride & joy of youth Canadian hockey, which essentially means he's caring the entire weight of a nation on his back. Pressure makes diamonds though, and the hockey prodigy has been shining bright as he continues living up to lofty expectations. I'm sure if you ask him however, the pressure's nothing compared to what others endure. Wise beyond his years, Gavin McKenna's indigenous & a member of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation.
Born in Whitehorse Yukon, Canada, he's extremely proud of his heritage and has seen first hand what REAL pressure is. He knows it takes a whole village to raise a child and by all indications appears ready to help his people one slap shot at a time. Even though Native American's invented lacrosse, they've been known to shoot a lil puck from time to time. Since the inception of the NHL in 1917, there've been about 100 players of indigenous heritage to make the league. I personally think 5-time Stanley Cup champion & Hockey Hall-of-Fame inductee Grant Fuhr is the greatest Native American player of all-time, but he was a goalie so others might feel differently. What no one can debate however, Gavin McKenna will more than likely become the highest NHL Draft pick of a player with indigenous heritage, when he tries to become the No.1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Before he tries to become the greatest Native American NHL player of all-time though, Gavin McKenna's first trying to make that claim in one of the top junior ice hockey leagues in the world, the Western Hockey League (WHL) which is part of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). I told you there's a lot of f%$@!#g hockey leagues! 🏒 Because there are so many youth hockey leagues in Canada with so much talent disparity, one way to keep the playing field even is drafting players, just like they do in professional sports. Mock Draft's are probably one of the most popular forms of sports entertainment outside of actually watching the games, but as Mock Draft's move further & further into the future, players become younger & younger.
This can make some people angry because all these potential top draft picks are still just kids. If they're so easily offended by Mock Draft's that feature 14 & 15-year old's though, I wonder how they feel about youth hockey because there's no "Mock" in these draft's; these kids are being drafted for real! So while some people may go their entire lives without ever becoming a No.1 draft pick in anything, Gavin McKenna has a chance to not only become a No.1 draft pick once, but twice! Three-years ago, 14-year old Gavin McKenna was the No.1 pick in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft when the Medicine Hat Tigers made him their top overall selection. Before he would go on to shatter a number of WHL records, becoming a legend in the process, McKenna first started to make a name for himself by slowly progressing up the youth hockey league ladder.
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| Gavin McKenna: 2026 NHL Draft |
The West Edmonton Mall is the largest shopping mall in North America, but clearly Canadian's do not f*** around when it comes to hockey. If you're looking for "Ground Zero" of where to find future elite hockey players, the Brick Invitational is a good place to start. Nine-year old Gavin McKenna made his junior hockey debut at the Brick Invitational during the 2016-17 season and finished with 11 total points in 6 games played, which is tied with a bunch of players for top 3 in the tournament. When it comes to all-time totals of the Brick Invitational, the 9-year old McKenna is ranked one spot ahead of 2019 No.1 NHL Draft pick Jack Hughes. Believe it or not, statistics even at this age are important.
During the 2018-19 hockey season, 11-year old Gavin McKenna competed in the prestigious U12 World Select Invitational (WSI) and despite being a year younger than most of his competition, he finished the tournament with 12 TP in 8 games, which was good for cracking the top 10 of total points scored. The 2019-20 season once again saw McKenna playing up in competition, as the 12-year old competed in the U15 BC Zone AA hockey league. Despite being three-years younger than the majority of his competition, he's still ranked top 10 all-time in points-per-game with 1.95 ppg in 20 games played.
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| Gavin McKenna: 2026 NHL Draft |
He also started his Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) career during the 2021-22 season. The CSSHL is one of the top youth hockey leagues in North America and has produced over 130 NHL Draft picks, including the No.1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft Connor Bedard, who just happens to be McKenna's cousin (by marriage). Despite being only 14-years old, McKenna played in CSSHL's U18 league & annihilated it, finishing as the top scorer with 65 total points in 35 games played.
McKenna won MVP of the CSSHL U18 league during the 2022-23 season, finishing his career with 140 total points in 61 games played, which is good for top 3 all-time. McKenna also played in two highly publicized tournaments that year; the Circle K Classic and the Commonwealth Games (CWG). The Circle K Classic is a prestigious annual U18 AAA ice hockey tournament featuring teams from across Canada, the U.S., & Europe.
He finished the tournament with 14 total points in 6 games played, which is currently the most points any player has ever produced in the history of that event. 😎 There have been a number of NHL players to compete in the Commonwealth Games over the years, including former No.1 draft picks Sidney Crosby (2005) & Steven Stamkos (2008) to name a few. In 7 games played, Gavin McKenna scored 31 TP, which once again is the most total points any player has ever produced in the history of that event. After over half-a-decade of being one of the top prospects in junior hockey for his age, 14-year old Gavin McKenna became the No.1 pick of the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft.
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| Gavin McKenna: 2026 NHL Draft |
Once the 2023-24 WHL season rolled around however, 15-year old Gavin McKenna absolutely destroyed all records for 2nd year players, on his way to having the 2nd most accomplished season by a player in Canadian Hockey League (CHL) history. He ended his historic season by capturing not only WHL's Rookie of the Year, but CHL's Rookie of the Year as well. As of right now, Gavin McKenna has 177 total points in 108 games played in his WHL career. He was also named an All-Star at the 2023 U17 World Hockey Challenge (WHC) and he won a gold medal at the 2024 U18 Hilinka Gretzky Cup.
As with all elite hockey players, the World Junior Championship's (WJC) is where all future NHL Draft picks make their hay. Not only did 16-year old Gavin McKenna win a gold medal at the U18 WJC, he's currently 2nd all-time in points-per-game in that event with 2.86 ppg in 7 games played. A few weeks ago 17-year old Gavin McKenna competed in the U20 WJC and despite only scoring 1 goal in 5 games played, he was the youngest player on team Canada and showed enough flashes to keep scouts salivating over his future potential. Finally, in the words of the famous Native American proverb; "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave", Gavin McKenna will continue on his spiritual journey to try and become the No.1 pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. 🙏
2027 NHL Draft
One common theme in all sports; "Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships!" The greatest defenseman to ever dawn an NHL sweater is unequivocally, without a doubt, Boston Bruins legend and 2-time Stanley Cup champion Bobby Orr. The greatest defenseman (and my personal favorite player) currently in the NHL today is unequivocally, without a doubt, Colorado Avalanche and 1-time Stanley Cup champion Cale Makar. And the greatest defensive prospect (possibly of all-time), who's yet to suit up for an NHL team is; yup...you guessed it, unequivocally, without a doubt, Everett Silvertips and 1-time CSSHL U18 champion Landon DuPont! 👀
Born May 29th, 2009, the 15-year old, 5-foot-11, 180-pound Landon DuPont is not only the best player featured in this article, he's a generational talent and very well could end up becoming one of the greatest defensemen the game of hockey has ever seen. Considered by many to be the next great "Offensive Defenseman", Landon DuPont is truly a human oxymoron when it comes to playing hockey. When it comes to the NHL Draft, there have only been 16 defensemen selected No.1 overall (and 3 goalies) over these last 61-years, so clearly you have to be really, really, really good at hockey if you play defense and have aspirations of becoming the top overall draft pick. It's ironic that the company DuPont (no relation) invented Kevlar, because just as the high-strength material stops bullets from penetrating bodies, Landon "Kevlar" DuPont stops pucks from penetrating nets! 🏒
With so many different youth hockey leagues & tournaments around the world, there really is no sport like hockey where a player can build their résumé with such high profiled events years before they're draft eligible. Landon DuPont is no different when it comes to stacking accolades, regardless if he's not even old enough to drive to hockey practice yet. That's okay though, because I'm sure his father, former NHL defenseman Miki DuPont, doesn't mind giving his son a lift. Drafted 270th in the 2000 NHL Draft, Miki DuPont played the majority of his pro career overseas in Germany & Switzerland, and that's where Landon grew up learning the game before heading back to Canada to embark on his own hockey career. Before Miki DuPont would venture to Europe for a very respectable 15-year career, he played 23 games in the NHL, scoring 1 goal & 3 assists.
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| Landon DuPont: 2027 NHL Draft |
Like so many former NHL Draft picks before him, Landon DuPont made his official youth hockey debut at the Brick Invitational back in 2018. The 4-foot-11, 85-pound, 9-year old DuPont put the hockey world on notice, scoring 10 total points in 6 games, which was tied with a few other players for top 3 in the event that year. As his body continued to grow, so would his game and during the 2022-23 season, 13-year old Landon DuPont made his highly anticipated debut for Edge School Prep in the U15 Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL). Despite being a few years younger than the majority of his competition, DuPont finished the season with 47 total points in 27 games played, which was the second most of any defenseman in the league.
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| Landon DuPont: 2027 NHL Draft |
Landon DuPont also participated in the Circle K Classic that year with his Edge School U18 Prep squad, finishing the tournament with 9 TP in 5 games played, which was the most by any defenseman and good for top 5 in total points produced for that event regardless of position. DuPont's point production at the U18 level as a 14-year old is among the highest of all-time, surpassed only by current NHL stars Connor Bedard & Matthew Savoie, as well as potential No.1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft Gavin McKenna. DuPont's rate of scoring, even as a defenseman, places him in elite company, suggesting a high ceiling for his future development.
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which oversees the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), apparently felt the same way, because on April 8th, 2024, 14-year old Landon DuPont was granted "Exceptional Player Status" by Hockey Canada, becoming only the 9th player all-time to receive such an honor. Established by the CHL 20-years ago in 2005, exceptional player status in Canadian hockey is a unique designation granted to exceptionally talented 15-year old players, allowing them to enter the CHL one year earlier than the standard draft age. This status is administered by Hockey Canada and is a testament to both the skill and maturity of the individual player. The player must demonstrate elite hockey skills, significantly above their peers. This includes exceptional skating, puck handling, shooting, and hockey IQ. Alongside their hockey prowess, the player must maintain high academic standards, indicating they can handle the increased demands of playing in major junior hockey while still managing their studies.
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| Landon DuPont: 2027 NHL Draft |
Being granted exceptional player status as a youth Canadian hockey player just might be the single greatest accomplishment a teenage hockey player can achieve. It's the equivalent to becoming a prince of a country, with the hopes you can become a king one day and claim your rightful place upon the throne of greatest hockey players in the world. I'm not going to lie though, exceptional player status seems a little weird to me. I get the fact that there are certain players who's skill level is so superior to that of their peers, playing in an advanced age group is not only warranted, but it's probably the best for their overall development. Where I have a problem is when these adults who make these decisions on who's granted exceptional player status and who isn't, play "God" if you will and start to judge these kid's overall character as well as mental, social, and emotional maturity. Like gimme a f****** break! These higher ups who make these decisions aren't psychologists, they're hockey fans first & foremost. So the fact that they have the audacity to judge a 14-year old's character & maturity to deem it worthy enough to play a year early in their cherished hockey leagues is quite frankly, bull 💩 in my opinion!
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| Landon DuPont: 2027 NHL Draft |
Seventeen year-old Michael Misa was granted exceptional player status back in 2022 and he's currently in contention for the No.1 pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, so his future is obviously yet to be determined. As far as Landon DuPont is concerned, he became the 3rd defenseman in CHL history to receive the honor and only the 2nd player regardless of position in the Western Hockey League (WHL), behind previously mentioned Connor Bedard. Speaking of the WHL, Landon DuPont obviously became the No.1 pick in the 2024 WHL Bantam Draft, when the Everett Silvertips selected the defenseman a few weeks before his 15th birthday. 🎂
Since he's eligible to compete in the WHL on a full-time basis during the 2024-25 season, the 15-year old is having a fabulous rookie campaign for the Everett Silvertips. DuPont was named rookie of the month during September, October, & December, and currently leads all WHL rookies in scoring with 42 total points & plus-minus +23, in only 35 games played. Amongst all WHL defensemen, Dupont is 2nd in points & 5th in plus-minus.
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| Landon DuPont: 2027 NHL Draft |
Back in November, DuPont was also named captain for Canada's U17 World Hockey Championship (WHC) team, helping the Canadian's win a silver medal while taking home All-Star honors in the process. While he hasn't played in any IIHF U18 or U20 World Junior Championships (WJC) for team Canada just yet, no doubt that will be in his future. Considering the WJC is the most important event when it comes to scouting for the NHL Draft, I look forward to seeing if the young prodigy can continue living up to the hype.
Scouts have drawn parallels between DuPont and players like Connor Bedard and Cale Makar, particularly noting his offensive flair and defensive reliability for his age. His creativity, powerful skating, high hockey IQ, and leadership qualities have been praised, positioning him as a potential generational talent on defense. DuPont's offensive abilities combined with a responsible defensive game, is truly what sets him apart from other prospects in his draft class. His ability to handle the puck, read plays, and contribute on both ends of the ice, has drawn comparisons to some of the NHL's elite defensemen. In conclusion, this is what it essentially comes down to; American's spell the word defense like this; "DEFENSE." Canadian's spell the word defense like this; "DEFENCE." And in about two and a half years when the 2027 NHL Entry Draft comes to fruition, the entire hockey world will be spelling the word defense like this; "LANDON DuPONT!" 💪🏼
2028 NHL Draft
The only thing Canadian's love more than finding the next great Canadian hockey star, is finding the next, next, NEXT, great Canadian hockey star. If 14-year old Maddox Schultz is considered not only the best 2010 born hockey player in Canada, but the entire world as a whole, then it appears Prospect-Central has just found its potential No.1 pick for the 2028 NHL Entry Draft. 🙌 If you're American and reading this, you're probably rolling your eyes, but if you're Canadian and reading this, you already know Maddox Schultz ain't no duster & has been lighting the lamp 🚨 at a ridiculously fast pace, sniping his way through his youth Canadian hockey career. If anyone feels differently, they belong in the sin-bin, because Maddox Schultz will certainly play in The Show one day, pummeling his NHL opponents with top-shelf wrister's and Gordie Howe hat-trick's! 🥊 Okay, now that we got all that hockey lingo out of the way, time to focus on the business at hand; Canadian hockey prodigy Maddox Schultz.
Born March 15th, 2010, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Schultz actually began ice skating at 2-years old before he started playing hockey at the ripe old-age of 4. Initially a figure skater, Shultz gave up his dreams of becoming the next Chazz Michael Michaels ⛸, instead transitioning to hockey full-time by the age of eight to pursue his Blades of Glory. OMG! I just realized Will Ferrell's comedy, "Blades of Glory", is 3-years OLDER than Maddox Schultz! Like most of Canada, hockey is not just a sport in Regina, Saskatchewan, but a cultural fixture. Showcasing an early affinity for the game, Maddox Schultz's journey from Canadian peewee hockey, to playing against much older competition in Canada's U18 AAA leagues, is truly a testament to his talent, dedication, & overall star potential.
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| Maddox Schutz: 2028 NHL Draft |
The reason why I bring this up of course, is because as previously mentioned with the other potential No.1 NHL Draft picks, the Brick Invitational hockey tournament is "Ground Zero" for future elite hockey players, even though they're only 9 & 10 years-old at the time. Unlike the other top NHL Draft prospects featured in this article, if you were to judge Maddox Schultz by his Brick Invitational debut, then he wouldn't even be a blip on the radar. In his 6 games played at the 2019 Brick Invitational, 9-year old Maddox Schultz failed to record 1-pt. Oh well, I guess he should go back to figure skating then! 🤷♂️ Luckily for Maddox Schultz, he literally still had his whole hockey career in front of him, so there was more than enough time to start recording youth hockey statistics that would compare quite favorably with current & former youth Canadian hockey stars.
The Saskatchewan AA Hockey League (SAAHL) is considered a pretty solid level of competitive hockey, placing it as the second-highest level of minor league hockey in Saskatchewan below the AAA level, and providing a strong developmental path for players with a high level of skill, but not necessarily the absolute top talent in their age group; unless of course you're playing 3-years up in competition. During the 2022-23 season, 12-year old Maddox Schultz would make his debut in the U15 SAAHL, ironically finishing top 12 in total points with 63 TP in 28 games played. The following season, Shultz torched the U15 SAAHL, finishing the year with 134 TP in 27 games played, which was the 2nd most total points in the entire league. 🔥 He added 32 total points in 9 playoff games, on his way to winning the U15 SAAHL Championship. Clearly 13-year old Maddox Schultz was too good for this league, thus Exceptional Player Status (ECP) comes into play.
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| Maddox Schultz: 2028 NHL Draft |
Like a lot of elite youth hockey players, Maddox Schultz was selected to compete in the prestigious U15 World Select Invitational (WSI). While he didn't destroy the tournament like potential No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft Gavin McKenna did a few years prior, he performed very well none the less, recording 9 total points in 6 games played. It was at the 2024 Circle K Classic however, where 14-year old Maddox Schultz really had his coming out party. Just as both potential No.1 NHL Draft picks Gavin McKenna & Landon DuPont were named MVP of the U18 Circle K Classic, Maddox Schultz was no different, taking home the honors while notching 13 TP in 5 games played. Not only were his 13 total points good for top 3 all-time in that event, he had one game where he scored 4 goals, had 2 assists, and sniped the overtime game winner in the process. To put that into perspective; considering how important the Circle K Classic is within the hockey community, that single game alone will be talked about for decades, thus helping Maddox Schultz continue on his path to potentially becoming an NHL top draft pick. 🏒
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| Maddox Schultz: 2028 NHL Draft |
The one player at the moment who could possibly overtake Schultz for not only the No.1 pick of the WHL Draft, but the top pick of the 2028 NHL Draft as well, is without question 6-foot-1, 14-year old, Liam Pue. Whether that happens or not is obviously yet to be determined, but the 2-players will more than likely be linked together one way or another throughout their entire hockey career's.
Even though he's barely a teenager, there really is a lot to like about the future potential of the Canadian sensation Maddox Schultz. Besides being extremely polished off the ice with terrific leadership qualities, Shultz is a dominant two-way force with a clapper of a shot, a dual threat playmaker & scorer, displaying exceptional skating, puck handling, and passing capabilities, but above all he seems tougher than a coffin nail and doesn't back down from physical battles along the boards. 💪 To sum it up, this is basically a long-winded way of saying, that at this current moment in time 14-year old Maddox Schultz is Prospect-Central's extremely early favorite for the potential No.1 pick of the 2028 NHL Entry Draft.
2029 NHL Draft
Let's get this out of the way right now. There's a better chance I become the No.1 overall pick of the 2029 NHL Draft, than there is correctly predicting which 13 or 14-year old youth hockey player will take home the honor almost 5-years from now. Basically, we're gonna throw some 💩 on the wall and see what sticks. Finding elite youth hockey players for the next level usually isn't too hard. You look for young players that are playing in older leagues, and then compare how they perform against their peers, as well as other youth hockey stars from the past who were in the same position. This is why statistics in youth hockey are useful.
The problem is, unless the player is Canadian or American, it's much more difficult to track a players development in European youth hockey leagues, just for the simple fact there's so many leagues with so many different age groups intertwined within the leagues, it can be hard at times to figure out just how good the level of competition really is. That being said, when discussing potential top prospects for the 2029 NHL Entry Draft, Slovakia's 6-foot-1, 175-pound, 14-year old Max Melicherík, is considered by many within the hockey community as one of the elite talents for that draft class.
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| Max Melicherík: 2029 NHL Draft |
Slovakian hockey obviously has a much more rich tradition, with a few players eventually being inducted into the Hockey Hall-of-Fame. As of right now, Montreal Canadians, Juraj Slafkovský (2022), is the only Slovakian hockey player to become the No.1 pick of the NHL Entry Draft. Both players actually competed in the same U16 & U18 Slovakian hockey leagues, and just like Max Melicherík moved to Finland to pursue his young hockey career, Juraj Slafkovský did the same before eventually becoming the top pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. As crazy as this may sound, some hockey pundits believe Max Melicherík might even be a better prospect than Juraj Slafkovský was at the same age. 🤯
For those true hockey nerds out there, I'm sure you're well aware that Max Melicherík is the son of Miloš Melicherík, who of course had a very solid 21-year pro hockey career overseas in Europe, before eventually becoming an assistant coach for the Guildford Flames of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom. Okay, I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again; There are too many f%$@!#g hockey leagues in the world! 😠 Be that as it may, genes obviously play a predominant role in all sports, so the fact Max Melicherík has hockey DNA flowing through his veins, certainly never hurts.
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| Max Melicherík: 2029 NHL Draft |
Clearly he was too good for that league, so he moved to Slovakia's more advanced U16 league, which was the same league fellow Slovakian and former No.1 NHL Draft pick, Juraj Slafkovský, competed in nearly a decade ago. Max Melicherík finished his Slovakian U16 career with 96 TP and a plus-minus of +83, in only 38 games played. Juraj Slafkovský on the other hand, finished his Slovakian U16 career with 54 total points and a plus-minus of +36, in his 23 games played. Once again Max Melicherík would move up in competition, this time playing in Slovakia's U18 league during the 2024-25 season. Even though he was only 13-years old at the time, he finished his Slovakian U18 career with 27 TP in 24 games played. Juraj Slafkovský played in the same league of course, ending his Slovakian U18 career with 14 total points in 18 games.
Before moving to Finland, Max Melicherík competed in the highly acclaimed King of the Spring U14 tournament, finishing with 13 TP in 6 games played, which is good for top 10 all-time in total points produced in the history of that event. Now that the 14-year old is playing in Finland's U16 SM-sarja league, it should be interesting to see how he continues his progression, because it's certainly a level up in competition from the Slovakian hockey leagues he was participating in. It's super early, but as of right now Max Melicherík has 2 total points in 2 games played thus far. Another player who could potentially be a top 2029 NHL Draft pick one day, 13-year old, 5-foot-4, Juho Nyberg, is also playing in Finland's U16 SM-sarja league and is performing extremely well. As of right now, Nyberg has 42 total points in 26 games played, which is good for top 10 in the league so far.
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| Max Melicherík: 2029 NHL Draft |
He also competed in Slovakian's U16 league, and his numbers compare quite favorably to both Melicherík & Juraj Slafkovský. He finished his U16 Slovakian career with 39 total points and a plus-minus of +38, in only 14 games played. Where Oliver Tomastik really shined however, was at the prestigious U13 WSI, where his 36 TP in 8 games played not only ranks first all-time, but he's one spot ahead of former NHL No.1 Draft pick Connor Bedard. Once again though, Tomastik's size could be an issue moving forward in his career.
Speaking of size, since Prospect-Central mainly focuses on basketball 🏀, it's interesting to see the height disparity between elite players in both sports who are the same age. For instance, the top 8th grade American basketball recruits from Class of 2029, who will be eligible for the 2030 NBA Draft, are not only all well over 6-feet tall, the current No.1 player in the class, Alex Alexander, is already 6-foot-9! And the youngest player featured in all of Prospect-Central's articles about potential No.1 Draft picks in all 5 of the North American sports leagues, potential NBA top draft pick 13-year old Mohamed Dabone, was born October 21, 2011 and already stands 6-foot-10. ⛹🏽
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| Max Melicherík: 2029 NHL Draft |
Age & height work in mysterious ways as we all know, but becoming tall is the equivalent to hitting the genetic lottery. It can change the trajectory of an athletes' life from being a potential good player who might play pro sports one day, to an all-time great, who's a lock to become a multi-millionaire pro. I mean, 14-year old Michael Jordan was 5-foot-8 when he entered high school, and if he never grew to become 6'6'', we wouldn't even know who he was. 😢
Since the cutoff date for the NHL Entry Draft is September 15th of the year in which the draft is held, players who are 18-years old on or before September 15th are eligible for the draft. This is important because even though hockey players might be in the same draft class, players with later birthdays, such as Max Melicherík, have a huge advantage over their peers, since they have significantly more time to mature & develop, especially at the youth level. This is why athletes' birthdays affect who goes pro & who becomes a star, not just in hockey but all sports. 💯
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| Max Melicherík: 2029 NHL Draft |
Melicherík represents the new wave of Slovak hockey talent, bringing excitement with his early achievements. His journey from the U16 leagues in Slovakia & Finland provides a narrative of a young athlete with immense potential. As he progresses, his development will be closely watched by those in the hockey community eager to see if he can translate his junior success into professional accolades. Outside of being able to grow an immaculate playoff beard, 🧔 Melicherík has all the attributes of an elite hockey player, so regardless if he becomes the No.1 pick of the 2029 NHL Entry Draft or not, his future in the game of hockey is extremely bright. 💡
So there you go. Now you know the potential No.1 NHL Draft picks for the next 5-years! 👌 If you're Canadian and happened to stumble upon this article, I apologize for wasting your time, because you obviously know these players like the back of your hand. But if your American and reading this, I'm sure it was quite informative, unless of course you didn't give a 💩 because it was hockey (lol). I personally love hockey and very much look forward to watching all of the future talent progress through the years, on their way to eventually playing in The Show. Until then, Prospect-Central will be deking & dangling its way to the 2030 NHL Entry Draft, so until further notice; Au revoir mes amis hockeyeurs! ✌
NHL Draft Resources
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