With the NHL Draft tonight, we now re-post our pieces on top NHL Draft prospects James Hagens, Porter Martone and Anton Frondell. This piece originally ran in August.
It’s never too early to start sizing up the next NHL Draft, which takes place in the summer of 2025. As of now, it is looking like James Hagens is the consensus favorite to be the number one overall pick. However, Porter Martone and Anton Frondell are not right up there with him.
We’ll take a closer look at some of the top prospects, but first we need to clarify the eligibility requirements of the prospects.
According to a report in RG.org, the NCAA loophole in the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement means that NCAA-based players can become free agents if they are unsigned from August 15th from when they graduate college.
All hockey players born between January 1, 2005, and September 15, 2007, are eligible to be selected in the next NHL Draft. Also eligible are any undrafted 2004 born non-North American, and 2023 drafted but not signed players, who were born after June 30, 2005.
So with that in mind let’s take a look at who The Next Big Thing on frozen pond is likely to be.
James Hagens, C, Boston College
Centers are like shortstops in baseball, they often have the most draft stock, because these kids have typically been the best athlete on their respective fields since they first started playing their game. If you can hold down these positions, then you’re good enough to handle the other positions that you might be moved around to play later.
Hagens is 5’10” and 172 pounds, so he’s a bit diminutive, but he’s a prolific scorer. The 17-year-old was the United States National Developmental Team U18’s leading scorer with 102 points.
Anton Frondell, C, Djurgårdens IF J20
At 6 feet and close to 200 pounds, Frondell is a much bigger center, who shoots from left. He was a huge star n Sweden’s J20 Nationell League.
He’s arguably the most versatile prospect in this class, as he brings a very strong all-around game.
Porter Martone, RW, Mississauga
A solid skater with good size, Martone improved considerably with the Brampton Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s probably the strongest
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.