The 2025 NHL Draft is just around the corner, and many pundits are starting to project what the first round will look like. Craig Buttons' recent mock draft projects the OHL to be well represented in the opening round of the 2025 NHL Draft. 

Historically, the OHL has always featured prominently in the opening round of NHL Drafts. Last season, nine of the players picked in round one played for OHL teams, meaning the league claimed 28 percent of the players picked. That was the highest percentage for any individual league.

Based on Buttons' projections, the OHL could receive an even larger share of this year's first-round picks. 

Picks 1-5 

1. New York Islanders - Matthew Schaefer
2. San Jose Sharks - Porter Martone 
3. Chicago Blackhawks - Michael Misa
4. Utah Mammoth - James Hagens 
5. Nashville Predators - Jake O'Brien 

According to this mock draft four of the opening five picks could be OHL players. While Schaefer going first feels like a no brainer based on every projection seen since January, some people are asking whether the Islanders might take James Hagens instead seeing as he is a Long Island native.

Porter Martone going second is a bit of a surprise given that he has slipped down prospect lists in the second half of the season. The Steelheads forward fell from fourth to sixth in NHL Central Scouting's latest rankings.

Jake O'Brien has risen up draft boards in the second half of the year. He jumped up from eighth to fourth on NHL Central Scouting's rankings. Seeing him go fifth to Nashville would round out a dominant showing for the OHL in the first five picks.

The London Knights Hang On To Win OHL ChampionshipFor the second time since 2010, the London Knights are the winners of back-to-back OHL Championships. The Knights took game five of the OHL Final to hoist the J. Ross Robertson Cup on home ice. 

Picks 6-10

6. Philadelphia Flyers - Brady Martin
7. Boston Bruins - Caleb Desnoyers
8. Seattle Kraken - Anton Frondell
9. Buffalo Sabres - Radim Mrtka
10. Anaheim Ducks - Lynden Lakovic

After dominating the top five picks, Button projects just Brady Martin being taken in this segment of the first round. Martin is a riser when it comes to prospect rankings having moved from 17th to 11th on NHL Central Scouting's rankings. His dominant performance at the U-18 Men's Championship will only have served to boost his stock higher. In seven games at the tournament he scored three goals and added eight assists while looking like a man playing amongst boys. 

As a side note, when it comes to recent history, the Flyers have tended towards OHL players when they have a first round pick. Since 2020, they've drafted an OHL player three times in the first round. In 2021 they did not have a first-round pick and in 2022 they selected Cutter Gauthier of the USNDTP.

2025 NHL Draft Profile: Jacob CloutierWith the OHL season finished, and the London Knights crowned champions for the second consecutive season, many OHL fans are turning their attention towards the NHL Draft in June. Questions abound about where certain players will be picked and who will rise or fall on draft boards. 

Picks 11-16

11. Pittsburgh Penguins - Roger McQueen
12. New York Rangers - Kashawn Aitcheson 
13. Detroit Red Wings - Victor Englund
14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Jackson Smith 
15. Vancouver Canucks - Cole Reschny
16. Montreal Canadiens - Justin Carbonneau

Again, the OHL becomes somewhat sparse in this segment of Buttons' mock draft, with just one pick predicted to come from the league. Kashawn Aitcheson is a hard-nosed defender who is gifted on both sides of the puck. He also rose up NHL Central Scouting's rankings, going from 15th to ninth. 

It is possible we could see players like Malcolm Spence, Henry Brzustewicz and Jack Nesbitt creep into these picks as well. There is a fair amount of disagreement between pundits on this segment of the draft. 

Based on Buttons' draft, six OHL players project to be picked in the first half of the draft. If the percentages pan out, that would mean a total of 12 OHL players get picked in the first round, which would be a 33 percent increase from last year. 

This does seem a bit far-fetched, though. It seems much more likely that by the end of round one, the OHL will have around 10 players taken. 

What is clear is that the OHL is very well represented at the top of this year's draft class, with pundits predicting a large number of OHL players being taken in the first 10 picks of the 2025 NHL Draft. 

As always, the draft is unpredictable, and while it is fun to look at mock drafts and projections, we will never know how the chips will fall until teams start making picks. 

The 2025 NHL Draft will take place on Friday, June 27th at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.