— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 28, 2025
Weiermair, 20, is a right-shot center known for his success in transition. He provides smooth delivery through the neutral zone with crossovers, drives to the net, and an ability to cut back when good defenders close in, yet cuts inside on poorly gapped ones.
He takes initiative to start give-and-gos and is not afraid to make contact with his opponents, enabling him to consistently find space across the ice.
With the 187th pick, Gustav Sjoqvist was selected from the AIK from the HockeyAllsvenskan League.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 28, 2025
Sjoqvist, 19, brings his strong defensive skills to the table. His 6-foot-3 frame and weight of over 200 pounds give him a distinct advantage, making him an aggressive and calculated heavy hitter.
Known to be a heavy shooter, Sjoqvist scored 11 goals in 31 games in his final AIK Jr. season. In his time with AIK he gained experience at the professional level in Sweden's second-tier league and contributed modestly while maintaining a positive plus/minus.
ST. LOUIS -- It was a very limited draft weekend for the St. Louis Blues, the fewest selections they've had in a draft since 1968 when they had two.
The Blues were without their second- and third-round picks this season following the compensation to the Edmonton Oilers for offer sheet signings of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway last year, a trade of their fourth-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Alexandre Texier and trade with the Detroit Red Wings in 2023 for the acquisition of Jakub Vrana.
The Blues concluded the 2025 NHL Draft with just three selections, finishing off the day on Saturday with picks in the fifth and sixth rounds in the draft in Los Angeles, selecting Russian right wing Mikhail Fyodorov with the 19th pick (147th overall) in the fifth round, and selecting a goalie for the first time since 2019, grabbing Love Harenstam with the 19th pick (179th overall) in the sixth round.
"Very excited, players that we've done the due diligence on them, had them placed on our list in an area that we were excited about," said Blues director of amateur scouting Tony Feltrin. "Obviously Justin Carbonneau at the position that we got him at 19. Very pleased with that selection, along with our fifth- and sixth-round selections, players that we coveted.
"[Carbonneau] was a player in the grouping that the excitement level was still going to be there if that transpired. The goal-scoring ability, the passion that he plays with, the will to score, he'll run over the top of players to take it to the net. He can score from distance with a tremendous shot, good hands, strong compete, lots of things to like."
Fyodorov, 18, is small in stature at 5-foot-11, 152 pounds but had 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) in 46 games last season for Magnitogorsk Stalnye Lisy of the Russian MHL League last season who will attend development camp starting Monday.
"Skilled player, very good edges, nifty, quick puck skills," Feltrin said. "There's some offensive ability there. He can really snap a puck. Not the biggest body. The physical maturity will come. We did lots of video on him. We have a Russian-based scout that saw him a number of times. We just saw him at a recent agency camp in Florida. Skilled player."
Harenstam, 18, is 6-2, 196 and toiled in the J20 Nationell for Skelleftea AIK J20s last season, along with Lulea J20 and was 10-9-0 with a 3.31 goals-against average and .895 save percentage for Skelleftea AIK J20s; he will not be here for the development camp.
He is the first goalie drafted since the Blues took Will Cranley in the sixth round in 2020.
With the help of former Blues goalie Brian Elliott, who's in the organization as the goaltending scout and development coach, this was a player the Blues felt was worth the selection.
"A player that warrants the selection where he was," Feltrin said of Harenstam. "Love was the No. 1 goaltender of the Swedish U18 team. He's got a bright future, he's got athleticism and has produced.
"That's a trait of the ultimate compete. Nobody's every going to score on the attitude for sure.
"Brian's in a league with (Blues goalie coach) David Alexander and the staff that have the greater knowledge on the goaltender front. We consider ourselves somewhat layman in our goaltender evaluations, especially when he hear the terminology that they utilize where we'll see. Love stops the puck and we recognize that."
Development camp begins Monday and runs through Thursday from noon-1:15 p.m. at Centene Community Ice Center and is free and open to the public.
After a victorious first round at the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders had six picks on Day 2.
It started off with a bang -- figuratively and literally -- with the Islanders selecting punishing forward Daniil Prokhorov with the 42nd overall pick.
With the 74th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Islanders selected center Luca Romano out of the OHL.
With the Kitchener Rangers, Romano tallied 25 goals with 26 assists for 51 points in 67 games.
Romano excels in transition and creates pace for his line. The center is on the smaller end at 5’11” and 176 pounds, but he makes up for his stature with a high compete level and strong skating.
As the engine of Kitchener’s offense, Romano is a workhorse who eats minutes and produces at a decent clip. The Toronto native still needs to develop his faceoff ability to stick as a center in the NHL, but his game is relatively well-rounded.
Tomas Poletin, LW
The Islanders followed their Romano pick by selecting Czech winger Tomas Poletin 106th overall out of the Finnish Liiga.
Poletin scored a combined 13 goals with 10 assists for 23 points in 26 games with the Pelicans U18 and U20 teams. The left winger also appeared in 15 games with the Pelicans’ Liiga team, but he received limited ice time and didn’t appear on the scoresheet.
Poletin is a rugged power forward who puts in “extreme effort” for every shift, according to EliteProspects. Making his living off puck battles and the forecheck, Poletin utilizes his heavy 6’1” and 205-pound frame to dominate defenders.
Poletin was also Czechia’s captain at the U18 World Championships, chipping in 15 goals in 29 games across two tournaments.
Sam Laurilia, LHD
With their 5th round pick at 138th overall, the Islanders then selected defenseman Sam Laurila out of the USHL.
Laurila tallied 8 goals with 33 assists for 41 points in 57 games with the Fargo Force. The Minnesota native’s point total was tied for 4th in the USHL among defensemen.
Laurila is an opportunistic two-way player whose offense took a big step once leaving the U.S. NTDP. The left-shot defenseman shines in transition, creates dangerous give-and-gos, and doesn’t shy away from contact.
As a slight overager, Laurila was passed on at last year’s draft.
Burke Hood, G
At 170th overall, the Islanders added goaltender Burke Hood of the WHL.
Hood posted a 3.13 GAA and a .910 SV% in 42 games with the Vancouver Giants. In his first WHL season, the goalie earned a respectable 19-13-6 record.
Standing at 6’3” and 192 pounds, Hood controls the crease with his size and athleticism. Hood tracks the puck well through traffic and isn’t afraid of contact with opposing forwards.
Hood also has above-average lateral agility, positioning, and composure—his game contains few holes.
Jacob Kvasnicka, RW
To finalize their 2025 NHL Draft, New York selected winger Jacob Kvasnicka from the U.S. NTDP with the 202nd overall pick.
Kvasnicka scored 18 goals with 21 assists for 39 points in 66 games with the NTDP, as well as 5 goals with 9 assists for 14 points in 27 games within the USHL.
Kvasnicka’s greatest strength is arguably his speed, which he utilizes to make zone entries and provide offense. The right-shot forward isn’t an elite creator, but he also kills penalties and forechecks well.
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The New Jersey Devils entered the National Hockey League (NHL) Draft with seven picks. They opted to hold on to all seven, drafting players that they hope will become difference…
The Vancouver Canucks have selected right winger Gabriel Chiarot with the 175th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Vancouver has already selected center Braeden Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds, goaltender Alexei Medvedev of the London Knights, center Kieren Dervin of the Kingston Frontenacs and center Wilson Björck of Djurgårdens IF J20, making the Canadian winger their fifth selection of the draft. Chiarot has spent his entire career in the OHL, playing last season with the Brampton Steelheads.
Chiarot had a productive season in 2024-25. He scored 21 goals while adding 35 points in 66 games. Chiarot also has experience playing with another Canucks prospect as he was teammates with Vilmer Alriksson this season.
Listed at 5'11", 191 lbs, Chiarot is a scrappy player who loves to throw hits. He thrives in front of the net and is not afraid to battle defenders who are bigger than him. Chiarot is projected to return to the OHL next season.
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ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild could be without its top defenseman for the start of the 2025-26 season.
Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin announced on Saturday that defenseman Jonas Brodin received surgery on an upper-body injury a few weeks ago.
Brodin, 31, finished the season healthy and competed in the IIHF Men's World Championships with Team Sweden. After that, along with some offseason training, Brodin had to get a surgery done on his upper-body.
Guerin said he thinks that Brodin could miss some time to start the season. Whether that be training camp or games will be unseen.
The Wild traded defenseman Declan Chisholm on Saturday to the Washington Capitals to move up in the Draft. This, along with Brodin's injury, now opens a spot for Carson Lambos to make a push for the team.
Lambos, 22, was the Wild's 26th overall pick from the 2021 NHL Draft. He has spent the last two years in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Wild.
In 68 games during the 2024-25 season, Lambos recorded five goals and 19 points. He took on a huge role for Iowa and received a lot of ice time. He even earned an NHL call-up but did not play.
Peddle, 18, just completed his first season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Waterloo Black Hawks. In 62 regular-season games with the USHL club, he posted three goals, seven assists, 10 points, and a plus-12 rating.
However, what's very encouraging about Peddle is that his play improved big time during the playoffs with Waterloo. In 15 playoff games this year with the USHL squad, he posted one goal, nine assists, and 10 points.
With the Penguins needing help on the left side of their defense, it is understandable that they are taking a chance on Peddle. The 6-foot-3 blueliner is not afraid of the physical side of the game and is also smart with the puck. Thus, this has the potential to be a solid pick for the Penguins.
The Nashville Predators wrapped up the 2025 NHL Draft with the 163rd pick in the sixth round, selecting Finnish defenseman Daniel Nieminen.
Nieminen scored 11 points with the Pelicans in his first season in the Finnish Elite League. He also played in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring two points in seven games.
The 6-foot, 187-pound defenseman, with a left shot, is expected to play with the Pelicans next season and will stay there for a few years before coming to North America.
The next season in the Finnish Elite League will be crucial for the Predators to gauge how good Nieminen can be.
The Predators had the 182nd overall pick as their final pick of the draft, but traded it to the Utah Mammoth for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
On Saturday, Lincoln Stars defenseman Jacob Rombach was selected with the 35th pick, and Brampton Steelheads goalie Jack Ivankovic was picked with the 58th overall pick.
A trade with the Vegas Golden Knights has given the Nashville Predators an extra pick in the NHL Draft, coming in the fourth round at 122nd overall.
They traded the 55th overall pick to the Golden Knights for the 58th and 122nd overall picks.
With the 111th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Rangers selected forward Mikkel Eriksen.
Eriksen grew up in Norway and played the majority of his youth hockey years there.
The 17-year-old center spent most of last season playing in Sweden for Färjestad BK J20 where he recorded 22 goals, 21 assists, and 43 points.
“Mikkel Eriksen is a highly productive two-way forward who plays a heavy, detailed game and projects as a bottom-six NHL player with middle-six upside,” via Neutral Zone. “He is a reliable, versatile center with translatable habits, including a strong motor, high-end puck anticipation, above-average passing touch, and a shoot-first mentality…
“While Eriksen is not overly dynamic or explosive, he is well-rounded and competes in all three zones, making him a safe bet to earn trust at higher levels.”
The NHL and the NHLPA held a press conference on Friday afternoon, highlighting the key points of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which has been agreed in principle. Amongst the numerous modifications, one stuck with me: the new 84-game calendar.
With 82 games per season, for some, the season is already long enough, but this change will have two consequences: a shorter preseason and the possibility for each team to play four games per season against each team in its division.
Preseason games are a necessary evil, not so much for the regulars to get back into the swing of things, as it once was. Nowadays, the players show up to camp already in shape; they don’t need two weeks to work out and eliminate the weight of the Summer’s excesses. If you’re not ready for the start of camp, you get left behind. The Montreal Canadiens had two perfect examples in Kirby Dach last season; he played catch-up all year before finally being injured, and in Joshua Roy, who couldn’t make the team and was sent down to Laval.
Rookies and fringe players do need those games to show what they can do and sway the brass’ collective mind in their favour, and the bottom line is, they need some NHL caliber competition in those games so that it’s possible to see how they will cope with opponents of that caliber. However, there’s no need to have as many games as have taken place, especially since players risk injuries when they play in these meaningless games that have no impact on the standings. Need I remind you of Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher’s knee injuries last season?
As for the possibility of playing four games per season against each divisional rival, it just makes sense, and it’s fairer that way. The team that didn’t get to play the top team in its division as many times as the others had an unfair advantage; this will level the playing field.
The new calendar will also allow each team to play three games against each of the other teams in their division and two games against each team in the opposing conference, resulting in one home game and one away game. The time when fans would go without having a visit from some of the top players in a season is over. The Bell Center fans will get to see the likes of the Colorado Avalanche' Nathan MacKinnon, and the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl every year, and I don’t think anyone will be complaining. Canadiens fans like to see their team win, but they know their hockey and enjoy seeing the best of the best.
Also, the extra two games when the 84-game season kicks in for the 2026-2027 campaign would allow Brendan Gallagher to play exactly 1,000 games as a Montreal Canadiens in his current contract, providing he plays all the game of course. After Andrei Markov was robbed of the achievement, it would be great to see the alternate captain make it.
Photo credit: Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
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