Welcome to a series at McKeen’s Hockey that aims to introduce you to some of the top prospects from each region for 2025. The disclaimer is that…it’s early. The names on these lists are not likely to be the exact same as the ones you see next June. However, we thought it was important for you to know some of the top players heading into the season.
Next up is the WHL, which has been well represented in the NHL Draft as of late. On average, six WHL players have been drafted in the first round of the last five NHL drafts, and that trend could continue next summer. At this early point, it feels a bit Forward heavy at the top of the draft eligible ranks for the WHL, but there are talented defensemen available for selection as well. There’s also the possibility of a goaltender being selected early.
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Roger McQueen - Forward - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
McQueen is a tall, right-handed Center playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings. Last season was his second in both the WHL and in Brandon, and as a result, he’s a late 2006 birthday in next summer’s NHL Draft. While being a late birthday in your draft year usually results in less progression runway, it probably won’t hurt McQueen’s case to be drafted early. Of all the WHL players eligible for next summer’s Draft, he probably has the best chance of being drafted in the Top Ten.
Listed at 6’5” 190-pounds McQueen plays a big, power forward type game, and is an equal opportunity shooter and passer in the offensive zone. He’s physical in all three zones and is not afraid to drop the gloves to stand up for his teammates or for himself. His skating is good for a player his size.
He approached a point per game last season and should eclipse that mark this coming year. He continued his excellent play in the WHL Playoffs, scoring four goals in four games. He also played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August and was more than a point per game on a stacked Team Canada squad. He would have played a large role for Canada at the year-end U18’s but ended up getting hurt in one of the opening games and missed the rest of the tournament.
As his game continues to improve, there are a couple of areas that he needs to work on this coming season. He needs to work on his puck possession, and not be too casual with the puck like he was at times last season. He also needs to work on not taking needless penalties that hurt his team. As a power forward, he crashes the net in the offensive zone often, but he took far too many goaltender interference penalties last season. He needs to be aggressive, but he needs to learn where the line is.
CLIP #1
This goal is a nice power forward drive to the net where McQueen is able to use his foot speed to turn an unprepared defender on his way to the net. From there it’s just a matter of puck handling and waiting for the goaltender to make the first move.
CLIP #2
This next goal is from last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Slovakia, McQueen shows that he’s got a strong, accurate wrist shot that he’ll be able to use to his advantage over the course of the WHL season.
CLIP #3
This clip is a good example of McQueen’s playmaking ability last season. Taking the puck across the offensive zone not only draws the attention of the three opposition players, but also gives his teammate the space he needs to drive the net for a possible pass. The puck handling turns the closest defender, which also opens up the passing lane to complete the play.
CLIP #4
This last clip demonstrates some of the carelessness with the puck that was mentioned earlier. McQueen brings the puck into the neutral zone and needs to make a better decision here. There are too many defenders strung out along the center red line to be able to puck handle through. A chip into an offensive zone corner or a regroup in the defensive zone would’ve been better here.
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Cole Reschny - Forward - Victoria Royals (WHL)
Last season’s top rookie for the Royals, Reschny enters this year looking to become Victoria’s top center and scorer. The Royals will have a different look in their top six forward group as many of the players around him have graduated or been traded. There will be some pressure on him to make the team around him better this upcoming season.
A natural playmaker, Reschny excels at finding open teammates for easy goals. That’s not to say that he can’t put the puck in the net himself, as he did 21 times last season, but he looks to pass more often than shoot. His 38 assists were second on last season’s Royals squad and his point total was close to a point per game. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him eclipse that ppg this upcoming season.
Reschny does have some areas to work on in his game. He’s a good two way forward, but he can get caught puck watching in his own zone, leaving his check open. He’s also not overly physical and is a bit undersized for the center position. He’ll need to get stronger if he wants to play that position at the pro level.
Reschny has been representing Canada at the international tournaments for his age group. He participated in the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and had a good tournament, scoring eight points in seven games. He’ll also represent Canada in this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he’ll be relied on to help provide offence while also being a solid two-way forward. It will be interesting to see if he can use the Hlinka Gretzky to springboard into a good start of his WHL season. If he can, it wouldn’t surprise to see Reschny selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft.
CLIP #1
This first clip shows Reschny (#7 in black) creating a goal with a nice pass to the back door for an easy tap in. His vision in the offensive zone on this play is quite good. It's a five-on-five play but Reschny is able to take advantage of the poor defensive coverage to get himself open and then find his unchecked teammate at the edge of the crease.
CLIP #2
Not just a playmaker, Reschny can score some pretty goals as well. He waits out both the defenseman and goaltender, taking advantage of each in turn to score, while making it look easy.
CLIP #3
Another nice pass from Reschny in this clip, this time on a 5 on 3 power play. Reschny is able to use the time and space to thread a perfectly placed pass to the back door of the net, making another easy tap in goal for his teammate.
CLIP #4
This last clip is a good example of Reschny puck watching in his own zone, leading to an opposing player getting open for a goal. He starts the clip moving in the direction of the puck carrier who is already pretty well covered. Instead of watching the puck at this point, he needs to be shoulder checking to make sure no opposition player is crashing down towards the net looking for a pass.
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Jordan Gavin - Forward - Tri-City Americans (WHL)
Entering his third season in the WHL, Jordan Gavin is another late 2006 birthday finally eligible for the NHL Draft. Gavin has been a mainstay in the Americans’ top six since his first full season with the team and has quietly become a good two-way player despite the team’s meager success.
He’s a more gifted playmaker than goal scorer and can play left wing or center as needed. He’s effective in all three zones and plays on all of Tri-City’s special teams. He’s basically a Swiss army knife whose offence has grown steadily over the last couple of seasons. Last year he was a point a game player, scoring 23 goals and 45 assists in 68 games. He’s expected to take another step offensively this coming season.
Tri-City hasn’t seen much success as a team in the last couple of seasons, and Gavin will need to continue to refine his defensive zone work in order to help the team push back into the playoffs. He seems to know what to do in the zone, to the point of calling out coverage switches to his teammates during play, but his effort level isn’t always where it needs to be. It’s something NHL teams will be keeping an eye on.
CLIP #1
This first clip shows Gavin (#13 in blue) scoring a nice goal on the power play. He reads the PK coverage and takes the space given to him, putting himself in a better position to score. He uses the defender as a screen and snaps a very accurate wrister into the top corner.
CLIP #2
This next clip is a nice passing play by Gavin and is a good example of his awareness in the offensive zone. As he skates in with the puck, he correctly reads that he can’t get to the net nor will a shot do much good. As he takes the puck below the net and turns, you can see that he’s looking for a passing option. He spots the trailing player and puts the puck right onto the trailer’s stick for a one time shot.
CLIP #3
This play is a result of Gavin reading bad coverage by Seattle. They’ve left him all alone at the blue line and if he gets the puck, he’ll be in behind the defense. As the play evolves, Gavin sees that the goaltender has overcommitted to his side as the puck is passed over. With no one covering the passer, Gavin slides it back over for an easy goal.
CLIP #4
This clip is an example of Gavin’s defensive issues in his own zone. He doesn’t look like he’s sure about his positioning. He shoulder checks the defenseman at the blue line, which is good, but then he doesn’t commit to the puck carrier until it’s too late.
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Benjamin Kindel - Forward - Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Kindel is a playmaking dynamo for the Calgary Hitmen. As a rookie in the WHL last season, he tallied 45 assists in 68 games, on a Hitmen team that just missed the playoffs. His assist total was Calgary’s best. It was also good for third amongst all rookies, ahead of Cole Reschny. Kindel’s point totals were also good for third on the Hitmen squad, behind only Oliver Tulk and 2024 1st round selection, Carter Yakemchuk.
Kindel uses his vision to create scoring chances all over the offensive zone and has a knack for finding the open man. He’s a key piece of Calgary’s power play, positioned on the wall where he can stretch passes across the offensive zone or send the puck back up to Yakemchuk for point shots. Kindel also possesses a good shot and should look to use it more this coming season.
One of the areas that Kindel needs to improve upon is his strength and balance. He’s a good skater, but last season he was easily knocked off his feet. He has good footspeed but there were times where his first steps seemed to lack power, especially towards the end of his shifts. It looks like he’s added about 10 pounds to his frame over the summer, and that should help.
Kindel will have the opportunity to represent his country for the first time as he has been named to Team Canada for this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. It will be interesting to see where the coaching staff slots him into the lineup, and that will show how much trust they have in his even strength game.
CLIP #1
This pass by Kindel (#23 in black) is one of the reasons why he led the Hitmen in assists last season. Finding the open man and being able to pass through three opposition players are skills that will help Kindel make a name for himself.
CLIP #2
This clip demonstrates Kindel’s passing ability on the power play. Being able to load up a pass to get it through the PK box, and have the pass be accurate, will keep Kindel on the power play for years to come.
CLIP #3
Not just a playmaker, Kindel has a bit of scoring touch as well. This goal comes on the penalty kill for Calgary. Kindel reads the play well and shows a bit of flashy scoring ability on the shorthanded breakaway.
CLIP #4
This clip highlights Kindel’s lack of skating power and balance. There are a couple of opportunities during this clip to be stronger on his skates and he just doesn’t have the strength to do that here. It needs improvement if he’s to take the next step.
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Jackson Smith - Defense - Tri-City Americans (WHL)
The first defenseman on our list, Smith is a strong and capable two-way defender who will look to improve upon a good rookie season for the Americans. He’s a bit of a do everything defenseman who can skate and create offence as well as take care of the defensive zone. He’s one of the later birthdays (May 5th, 2007) on this list, which means more time for progression than some of his counterparts. He also has the opportunity to become Tri-City’s top defender this upcoming season, with some graduations and the trade of Lukas Dragicevic to Prince Albert.
Smith has a number of standout traits, not the least of which is his size. Listed at 6’3” / 190 lbs, he already has great size and has the frame to add more muscle. Despite already being a bigger man, his skating is a plus and he’s able to generate good footspeed. He uses these traits to make his way up and down the ice to be involved in the play in all three zones. He’s a good passer and shooter, and tallied 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists) in 62 games last season.
One of the main areas that Smith will need to work on this season is his defensive reads and awareness. The Tri-City team in general struggled on the defensive side of the puck and that needs improvement across the board. Smith’s reads were spotty at times, reading the play perfectly on one shift, and then missing an assignment on the next.
Smith’s overall play has been good enough that he’s representing Canada internationally for the second time. He’s on the roster for this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup and was on last year’s World U-17 Hockey Challenge team.
CLIP #1
This first clip show’s Smith at his defensive best, using his skating to gap up properly to the attacking forward, then keeping him wide along the boards. Good stick placement prevents the forward from passing the puck and then Smith finishes him off with a heavy body check.
CLIP #2
This play demonstrates more of Smith’s skating ability while also showing his skills as a passer. Creating zone exits and entries with his skating are great to see, even with pressure from the opposition. The passing play at the end is pretty high level as he hides his intentions until the last minute, keeping the defenders and the goaltender guessing until it’s too late.
CLIP #3
Smith also possesses a good accurate wrist shot and is able to use it often due to his skating. In this clip, he creates another zone exit and entry using his skating footspeed and agility. Once he’s turned the defender and is past him, he quickly takes a shot before the goaltender is ready, placing his wrist shot perfectly into the top corner.
CLIP #4
This clip is an example of Jackson’s spotty defensive reads. He sees that the puck carrier is about to beat and turn his defensive partner but reacts too late to get into better position to help eliminate the threat. Jackson is also a better skater than he shows in this clip and needs to use his speed to get into better position.
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Joshua Ravensbergen - Goaltender - Prince George Cougars (WHL)
The only goaltender on our early list this year, Joshua Ravensbergen was a revelation in the WHL last season. In his rookie year he was in the top ten of the WHL for wins, save percentage, goals against average, and led the league with six shutouts. He shared the Cougar net with Ty Young during the regular season before taking over in the playoffs. He’s another late 2006 birthday, so he was ineligible for this past NHL Draft, but is up for selection in 2025. Ravensbergen is also representing his country for the first time, playing for Team Canada in this year’s Summer Showcase.
Ravensbergen has prototypical NHL goaltender height with his measurements listed as 6’4” / 180 lbs. He’s a right-handed catching goaltender, which has become more common. He’s a very athletic player and is in and out of his crouch quickly. His lateral movement is good and he’s able to cover the net well moving side to side.
Like all young goaltenders, there are holes in Ravensbergen’s game currently. The biggest issue is his puck tracking. He doesn’t always track the puck well and it has cost him goals. There’s also a tendency to overcommit to shooters which causes him to lose his net and get scored on once in a while. He tries to rely on his athleticism to overcome these issues, but they should be correctable with coaching and drill work.
Barring a total collapse of his game, Ravensbergen should be the first WHL goaltender drafted next summer and could be one of the first goaltenders drafted overall.
CLIP #1
This first clip demonstrates Ravensbergen’s issues with tracking the puck. Puck play behind the net can be an issue for goaltenders in general, but Ravensbergen’s tracking is well behind the play here. It would also be good to see more lateral push when he moves right to left to help cover/seal the side of the net where the puck goes in.
CLIP #2
This is another play where Ravensbergen doesn’t track the puck as well as he needs to. He doesn’t see that the puck is no longer in the middle of the ice until it’s too late.
CLIP #3
This clip shows Ravensbergen’s athleticism and read and react ability. The lateral movement here is good as is his recovery and correction on a bit of an overslide on the initial save. He’s able to get in and out of his crouch quickly in order to be ready for his next save.
CLIP #4
This is a good series of saves by Ravensbergen after a couple of turnovers right in front of his net. He’s in and out of his butterfly quickly so he doesn’t leave the top of the net more open than it needs to be. He also does a good job of sealing the short side post after the initial save and rebound.
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Reese Hamilton - Defense - Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Reese Hamilton is a mobile, two-way defenceman entering his second year with the Calgary Hitmen. His first season was a success despite missing all of December with a lower body injury. He was a better player after the injury, scoring most of his points upon his return to the lineup. He ended his season with 8 goals and 23 assists in 42 games, good for third amongst WHL rookie defencemen and second amongst Hitmen defenders.
Hamilton’s game is based upon his skating and his ability to get up and down the ice quickly and efficiently. His offensive skills work well with his skating as he’s often seen slashing into the offensive zone to make a play or score a goal. He’s also used on Calgary’s power play as a puck distributor, along with Benjamin Kindel. Defensively, Hamilton relies on positioning and stick work to contain opposing players. He’s not very big, nor very physical, so that part of his game is lacking. He also needs to work on his defensive awareness and not get caught out of position as much.
Hamilton has represented Canada at last year’s World U-17 Hockey Challenge and was a member of the U-18 World Championship team. He’ll play for Canada at this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup as well. He’ll be in the mix for a middle pair role on the Hitmen this coming season.
CLIP #1
This first play shows Hamilton (#9 in black) using his skating to slash into the offensive zone to get to a free puck. Once he has possession, he uses his skating and puck handling to protect the puck until he’s ready for a last second pass into the slot for a goal.
CLIP #2
In this clip, Hamilton is able to take advantage of a coverage mistake by the opposition. Getting that open in the slot isn’t the easiest task, but Hamilton makes it look easy with his glide speed and mobility. Once he has the puck, he has the skills to beat the goaltender one on one.
CLIP #3
Zone exits and entries with the puck are common for Hamilton. He’s able to use his skating to create time and space for himself in order to bring the puck up through all three zones.
CLIP #4
Hamilton will rely on his skating to make up for bad defensive reads, but it doesn’t always work. It seems that he is out of position outside of the camera view at the beginning of this play and has to work just to get close to the open man skating down the middle of the ice. Hamilton doesn’t have time to get in front of the attacker, and the result is a goal against.
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Peyton Kettles - Defense - Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Not all of the defensemen coming out of the WHL are the smaller, offensive type. Peyton Kettles is a prototypical, modern day, defensive defenseman. He has great size and has a desire to punish opposing forwards, but he’s also a very good skater and doesn’t get caught out of position often. His birthday comes very late in this draft cycle (September 1st, 2007) so he’s got a longer path of development available than most of the other players eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Listed at 6’5” / 190 pounds Kettles is a big man. He has the frame to continue to add muscle, so he’s only going to get stronger. With his height comes a long reach and he’s able to use his stick effectively to disrupt puck possession by opposition players. His skating allows him to be in good position in terms of gapping up on attacking forwards and he doesn’t get turned often. His reach and physicality make life difficult for opposing players when playing in his zone. He compares well to Charlie Elick, the 36th overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Offensively, Kettles doesn’t offer much. He’s got some offensive awareness but is a bit limited skill-wise. He’ll flash occasionally in the offensive zone but to expect regular point contribution is likely an overestimation. He makes good zone exit stretch passes and isn’t a minus player with the puck on his stick.
Kettles could always work on adding more offence to his game, but the area in need of biggest improvement is keeping his emotions in check on the ice. He takes unnecessary penalties, usually far away from the puck. If he can stay out of the box more, he’ll be an even more effective player.
Kettles was a member of Team Canada’s World U-17 Hockey Challenge Team Red and will be playing for Canada at this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
CLIP #1
This first clip shows Kettles (#4 in white) going up against the leading scorer in the WHL last season, Jagger Firkus. He handles the assignment well, using his feet and an active stick to stay close and disruptive. He gives Firkus no room and is able to poke the puck away when Firkus tries to create space for himself.
CLIP #2
This next clip shows Kettles ability to stretch the ice with an accurate outlet pass. His ability to move the puck out of his zone with his passing or his skating is definitely an asset.
CLIP #3
As mentioned, Kettles (#4 in red) does flash offensive ability on occasion. This rush to the net and follow up pass show some good offensive instincts. The shot on net is not quite as strong.
CLIP #4
Kettles likes to be physical, but he needs to control himself better than he does in this clip. Even though the referee immediately in front of Kettles doesn’t call a penalty, the one at center ice does, and rightly so.
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Blake Fiddler - Defense - Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Right-handed defensemen with skating ability and size are always in demand in the NHL. Add in the possibility of some two-way offensive pop, and you’ve got a player that teams will look to draft in the early rounds of the NHL Draft. Blake Fiddler, the son of former NHL’er Vern Fiddler, could be that kind of player, if things go his way this upcoming season in the WHL.
Fiddler possesses some offensive skills at the WHL level but it’s unclear if they will translate to the pro level currently. He will need to improve that part of his game this upcoming season to make up for the departed Marc Lajoie and give scouts reason to believe he can be an offensive contributor at the next level. His skating is good, and he is a mobile, two-way defender. His gap play while defending is a work in progress but showed improvement towards the end of last season. His play in his own zone is also a work in progress and he gets caught out of position trying to do too much at times. He’s a willing hitter and brings a bit of aggression in own zone.
Fiddler possesses good size with a measured listing of 6’4” / 207 lbs on USA Hockey’s Hlinka Gretzky roster for this summer’s tournament. It would seem that he added an inch or two and almost 15 pounds from the end of last season with the Oil Kings. It will be interesting to see if the growth has affected his skating at all.
CLIP #1
This clip shows Fiddler’s offensive awareness and ability to create on the power play. It’s not a perfect play, but it is effective in creating a goal.
CLIP #2
Fiddler likes to carry the puck out of his own zone to create zone exits and offensive zone entries. He’s a good passer as well, and looks to pass before skating the puck out in this clip. Seeing no good passing options, he decides to skate the puck out himself and is able to use his puck handling to get by the two defenders at center ice.
CLIP #3
Fiddler’s gap play is on display in this clip. His initial decision to funnel the puck carrier to the wall is good, but he doesn’t use his stick well enough to break up the play, instead laying the body to separate the puck carrier from the puck. It would be good to see him use his stick better before attempting a body check in this instance.
CLIP #4
This last clip for Fiddler shows him trying to do too much in the defensive zone, likely looking to force a turnover to take the other way up the ice. What results is Fiddler struggling to maintain position and relying on his stick too much. He’ll need to work on his effort level defensively before trying to create offense as his career moves forward.
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Cameron Schmidt - Forward - Vancouver Giants (WHL)
With the biggest boom or bust potential of this initial list, Cameron Schmidt is a confident and supremely talented offensive player whose size and defence will determine what round of the Draft he gets drafted in.
Schmidt burst onto the scene with 31 goals in 59 games and was just under a point a game player in his first season in the WHL. He brought speed, offensive flair, and the ability to stretch teams defensively along with his goal scoring prowess. He ended up in the top ten of WHL rookie scoring despite missing almost 10 games. He represented Canada at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and will be on Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky team this summer.
Now comes the challenging part. Schmidt is listed at 5’7” / 153 lbs on Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky roster. He’s currently very small for the NHL and there will be questions about how much growth is left for him as the Draft gets closer. He also needs to dramatically improve his defensive game in order to play at the pro level. Zach Benson is a small player in the NHL from the WHL, but he plays the game a lot stronger and more defensively than Schmidt does. These issues will follow Schmidt all year unless he proves that he can be more of a responsible two way player and not just a sniper.
CLIP #1
This first clip is Cameron Schimdt (#19 in black) in a nutshell. He’s very fast and is able to get his shot off while moving at speed. His goal scoring ability is high level.
CLIP #2
Another goal scoring clip for Schmidt here. His puck handling in the slot on this play is quite good, and he’s able to place his shot into the top corner of the net quite easily.
CLIP #3
This clip shows Schmidt’s offensive awareness and counter attacking ability. His read on the play is good and where he brings the puck is smart. He positions the defender to screen the goaltender and uses an excellent puck release to put the puck in the net.
CLIP #4
As mentioned, Schmidt needs to work on his defensive game. Everything about his decision making and effort level is questionable here, from the initial read at center ice to the slow coast into his own zone as the opposition is scoring.
CLIP #5
Schmidt gets caught puck watching in his own zone in this clip. As the player closest to the goal scorer, there has to be a much better effort made to try and stop him from getting that shot off. This would drive NHL coaches crazy.