Michigan hockey poised for banner 2025 NHL draft

The 2025 NHL draft could be a banner one for Michigan’s hockey program.

The Wolverines’ record for most players selected in a single draft is seven, and there is a chance they could tie or break it this year. The draft begins with the first round Friday in Los Angeles, with rounds 2-7 taking place Saturday.

The ban on Canadian Hockey League players competing at the NCAA level has been lifted beginning this season, creating a larger pool of prospects for schools to recruit. Michigan has been among the most active pursuing CHL players, who had previously been barred because of the NCAA’s amateurism rules.

The three incoming Wolverines who played in the Ontario Hockey League last season – forward Malcolm Spence, goalie Jack Ivankovic and defenseman Henry Mews – are all considered NHL prospects. Mews was a third-round pick of the Calgary Flames last year, but Spence and Ivankovic are projected to be early-round picks this year.

The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Spence, who totaled 32 goals and 73 points in 65 games last season for the Erie Otters, is the best bet to extend the Wolverines’ streak of producing a first-round pick to nine straight years.

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler projected Spence to the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 25 in his latest mock draft released Tuesday. ESPN’s Rachel Doerrie ranks him as the 23rd overall prospect in the draft, while TSN’s Bob Mckenzie has him No. 25. Chris Peters of FloHockey also has him 23rd.

“I think adding Malcolm Spence was a very important addition for the staff because you’ve got a lot of guys with a lot of skill on the roster, but you need to get some guys that have some of that grind to their game,” Peters told MLive. “That’s what Malcolm Spence brings in addition to having the skill and scoring ability with his size and the pace that he plays with. I think he’s gonna make an impact on the physical side of things, which is really helpful.”

There’s a chance rising sophomore Will Horcoff joins Spence in the first round. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound forward joined the Wolverines halfway through last season and immediately jumped into the team’s top nine as a 17-year-old. He registered four goals and six assists in 18 games and is expected to play a larger role this season.

Horcoff, the son of former longtime NHL forward Shawn Horcoff, is a below-average skater but has a high hockey IQ and the tools to become an impactful power forward, Peters said.

Peters has him ranked 30th on his board, while Wheeler mocked him to the Flyers at No. 31.

“I think his size is the biggest factor, but it’s what he does with it too,” Peters said. “The physicality he’s able to play with, the fact that he transitioned to college hockey, and the first few games there were a couple instances where college athletes are bouncing off of him and you’re just like, ‘Well, this is different. He’s built a little different.’

“I think the NHL pedigree absolutely helps. I think teams like his character. They like the athleticism that he displays and the strength he has. I think the offensive upside and the offensive ceiling is a bit lower, but at the same time, at the end of the first round, especially in this draft class, you’re just trying to find NHL players. I think that his physical profile and how he’s progressed so far over the last couple of years does suggest high NHL potential.”

Michigan has had more than two players taken in the first round once in program history – 2021 when it set a NCAA record with five, including four in the first five picks. Although unlikely, incoming freshman center Cole McKinney could sneak into the first round.

Peters projects he will go early in the second and ranks him No. 32 overall. Doerrie and McKenzie rank him No. 36 and No. 37, respectively, while Wheeler has him going No. 40 overall to Philadelphia.

Peters compared McKinney’s game to former Wolverines and current NHLers Dylan Larkin and Matty Beniers while noting his ceiling isn’t as high as the two top-15 picks in their respective drafts.

“I really like the way that he plays,” Peters said of McKinney, who had 61 points in 60 games last season for the U.S. National Team Development Program. “I think that he has real good two-way sense. He’s a hard-worker, does have skill. I thought he was one of the NTDP’s best players this year down the stretch.”

In net, Ivankovic is expected to be one of the first goalies selected after going 25-12-5 with a 3.05 goals-against average and .903 save percentage for the Brampton Steelheads last season. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11 but is expected to be off the board during the first three rounds because of his other traits.

On the high end, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranks him as the 36th-best prospect in the draft, while Wheeler has him mocked to the Sharks at 53rd overall. Doerrie, McKenzie and Peters all have him ranked between 36 and 53.

“There’s a bit of a quietness to his game,” Peters said. “He’s not all over the map. He doesn’t go too far one way or the other in terms of his emotions and he stays pretty composed. I like what he brings to the table. I think he’s been a winner. Is he going to be the kind of goalie that can steal you games? I think yeah, in some cases he probably will be. For him, the argument for scouts is going to be, ‘What is the overall probability of a player his size playing in the NHL?’ There are so few goalies that are sub-6-foot in the NHL. That’s why he’ll probably go second round at the absolute earliest, but we’ll see ultimately where he ends up.”

In Pronman’s seven-round mock draft, he has three other Wolverines getting selected: incoming freshman forward Drew Schock (No. 67 overall), rising sophomore defenseman Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen (No. 106) and freshman defenseman Asher Barnett (No. 119).

If all seven Wolverines get drafted, it would mark the fourth time in program history – and first since 2015 – that the program has reached this milestone.

Freshman forward Aidan Park wasn’t included in the seven-round mock, but Peters said there is a chance he gets drafted late.

“I think Park is really intriguing with the high skill level that he has,” Peters said of the 6-foot-1 right-handed shot who had 33 goals and 33 assists in 55 games in the United State Hockey League last season. “It’s not a guarantee that he’s going to get drafted, but I do think that there are going to be teams that should be taking a long look at him.”