With their third and final pick of the first round of the NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators selected Madison Capitols forward Ryker Lee with the 26th overall pick. 

A 6-foot, 170-pound winger, he scored 68 points in 58 games with Madison in the United States Hockey League, which was ranked fourth in the league and was USHL Rookie of the Year. He is from Wilmette, Illinois. 

Lee is committed to play for Michigan State in the fall. 

A college season will for sure help Lee in his development as a productive winger. Considering the success he had in the USHL, the NCAA is the next step and that will give Nashville a better gage as to where Lee's development is. 

While Brady Martin, the fifth overall pick, is a strong center, Lee gives a scoring edge that shows promise for Nashville's future. 

You probably shouldn't leave Ryker Lee alone with the puck 🤷#GoCapsGohttps://t.co/rr3GJeJDIxpic.twitter.com/LiRC5t9Hgq

— Madison Capitols (@MadCapsHockey) February 9, 2025

The Predators traded the 23rd overall pick and the 67th overall pick to the Ottawa Senators for the 21st overall pick. They used the move-up the board to select defenseman Cameron Reid from the Kitchener Rangers (OHL). 

He led OHL defenseman under the age of 17 in points per game, scoring 54 points in 67 games and 40 penalty minutes. Reid has a 6-foot, 193-pound build, really fitting into Nashville's traditional defenseman image. 

He is from Aylmer, Ontario. 

In his highlights, Reid is a player who is not easily pushed off the puck and is a playmaker. Forty of his 54 points this past season came off assists. This is a strong pick, aligning with Nashville's team identity and laying the groundwork for the future. 

The Predators had the fifth overall pick in the draft, selecting center Brady Martin from the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds. 

In his second season with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, Martin scored 72 points in 57 games and had a plus/minus of 25. He also logged 68 penalty minutes. 

The Elmira, Ontario, native also represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Championship, scoring 11 points in seven games and winning a gold medal.

Martin was not in attendance at the NHL Draft as he was working on his family's farm. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially made their second of three first-round selections in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. 

With the 22nd overall selection, the Penguins selected forward Bill Zonnon out of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL. 

At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Zonnon has some qualities of a future power forward, as his strong puck skills, versatility, speed, and hockey sense, and physicality are all trademarks of his game. He registered 28 goals and 83 points in 64 games with the Huskies last season, and his production - as well as his offensive game as a whole - keeps getting better and better.

Next up, the Penguins will select 24th overall, as they traded the 31st and 59th overall picks acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the draft to the Los Angeles Kings.

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Feature image credit: Michael Augello-The Hockey News

Bill Zito did not win the 2025 Jim Gregory NHL General Manager of the Year Award.

For the second year in a row, the Zito-constructed Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup.

And for the third year in a row, Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill won the Jim Gregory NHL GM of the Year Award.

Now, Zito will be the first person to tell you that the only thing that matters is winning the Stanley Cup.

He’ll now have his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s Cup a second time, and looking at the team he’s built, there’s no reason to think it won’t continue to happen.

The way that Zito has constructed the Panthers has been amazing to witness.

It hasn’t just been about adding the most talented players.

Sure, many the guys he’s acquired and signed have blossomed into the best versions of themselves while playing in South Florida, but that has had as much to do with their skills as it does their willingness to put in the work.

Character and skill hold equal value when it comes to playing for Zito’s Panthers, and the results speak for themselves.

Not only that, but Zito has also taken those players and signed many of them to long-term, team-friendly deals.

They want to play for the Panthers, and they’re willing to take less money in order for the team to be better.

It’s an incredible situation that has been cultivated in South Florida, and Zito is at the head of it.

So yeah, it’s a little annoying that while Zito has been a finalist for the Jim Gregory GM of the Year award in three straight years and in four of his five at the helm of the Panthers, he’s still yet to win one.

To be fair, the frustration is dulled a bit by those aforementioned Stanley Cups.

It’s still bothersome. Exasperating. Aggravating.

Build the statue already.

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Photo caption: Panthers General Manager Bill Zito places the Stanley Cup on a table on Wednesday August 14, 2024 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. (© Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The Nashville Predators make a slight jump up the board, trading their 23rd overall pick and 67th overall pick to the Ottawa Senators for the 21st overall pick.

Moving up the board, the Predators selected defenseman Cameron Reid from the Kitchener Rangers (OHL). 

He led OHL defenseman under the age of 17 in points per game, scoring 54 points in 67 games and 40 penalty minutes. Reid has a 6-foot, 193-pound build, really fitting into Nashville's traditional defenseman image. 

He is from Aylmer, Ontario. 

In his highlights, Reid is a player who is not easily pushed off the puck and is a playmaker. Forty of his 54 points this past season came off assists. This is a strong pick, aligning with Nashville's team identity and laying the groundwork for the future. 

A responsible two-way defender who is already demonstrating tremendous poise as an #NHLDraft prospect for the @OHLRangers, Cameron Reid has a high ceiling on the blueline 🎥 pic.twitter.com/g1kUkaF5HX

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) June 16, 2025

The Predators had the fifth overall pick in the draft, selecting center Brady Martin from the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds. 

In his second season with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, Martin scored 72 points in 57 games and had a plus/minus of 25. He also logged 68 penalty minutes. 

The Elmira, Ontario, native also represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Championship, scoring 11 points in seven games and winning a gold medal.

Martin was not in attendance at the NHL Draft as he was working on his family's farm. 

Nashville will select 26th overall to close out the first round of the NHL Draft. 

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Anton Frondell with the third overall pick. The Swedish forward was the highest-rated international prospect coming in. 

Part of his media tour following his selection was a Zoom with the media in Chicago. He immediately made it known that he was ecstatic to join an organization like the Blackhawks at this time.  

"It's an amazing feeling," Frondell said. "I'm still shocked. It was a blackout when I heard my name."

He had to know that his name was going to be called relatively early in the draft, but it never seems to be real until you hear it out loud. Frondell appears to be incredibly grateful to be in the position that he's in. 

The 2025 NHL Draft is not seen as one that is producing a day one NHL star, as we've seen in previous years, but a handful of guys may make a push during training camp and the preseason. 

"That's my dream," Frondell said of playing for the Blackhawks in 2025-26. "That's what I'm doing this every day for." He admitted that if he's not good enough, he will go back to Djurgarden. 

Frondell would have to dominate to make the team out of camp, but we've seen it done before. It isn't like the Blackhawks don't have spots to compete for at this stage of the rebuild. 

The hype around Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar as offensive leaders going forward is well documented. However, they are both smaller, shifty players who are solely focused on creating offense. Frondell, according to himself (and the eye test), is a bit different. 

“I compare myself to [Aleksander] Barkov in Florida,” Frondell said when asked about his game.

That's a lofty expectation to place on yourself, but it's a good attitude to have. That is certainly a good player to model your game after, as Barkov plays the game the right way in all three zones. He is one of the greatest two-way players in the history of the sport. 

Is Frondell going to win the Selke Trophy three times? Is he going to win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years with a Final runner-up appearance before that? That is unlikely.

However, building a reputation as a high-end two-way center is possible. If he's in the conversation for the Selke Trophy and helps the Blackhawks make deep playoff runs by being a perfect fit with the other young players, it will be a home run pick. Even if he's just a solid forward for the Blackhawks during a winning stretch, it will still go down as a solid selection. 

Frondell is a highly motivated kid with a high-effort motor, offensive skills, and a winning attitude. He will work well with all of the youth that the Blackhawks have been putting together throughout their rebuild. 

Whether this Barkov expectation is realistic or not, it is good to know that he has confidence in his game as he attempts to become an NHL star. 

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