The final NHL Central Scouting rankings came out for the 2025 NHL Draft, and it was a rough one for New England.
Only seven locals made the list, which is down from the 13 who were ranked last season. It's even down from 2023, when only nine New Englanders' names were on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking.
The scouting service released its final rankings for 2025, separating players into four categories: North American skaters, North American goalies, International skaters and International goalies.
NHL Central Scouting offers a strong service to NHL teams, giving them players to track through the season. One thing to remember is that just because a player is labeled a first- or second-round candidate doesn't mean they will be. That's only among North American skaters — there are still several other international skaters.
The big question coming from these rankings: Is this season an anomaly for New England or signs of a growing trend?
Let's dive into the takeaways.
1. So is this a problem? Yes and no. There are always down years, and this is certainly one of them. Carter Amico (Westbrook, Maine) likely would've been a first-round pick had he not been shut down early due to a knee injury. Even after him, there isn't as much as there usually is. But again, that can happen. Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, there should be at least one New Englander picked in those first rounds and a fair amount of talent behind them.
Still, there is a feeling that the development model around the region can stifle players before their draft year.
"Too much focus on making money and not developing kids," one NHL scout who was granted anonymity said. "Having a thousand club teams and each with three levels of teams in the same age group waters it down and hurts the kids."
2. Amico being an upper-tier second-round candidate makes sense. At 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds, the Boston University commit projects as a steady, shutdown defenseman at the NHL level. The big question mark will be his knees. An injury shut him down for the season in November and last March, he broke his patella. There will be teams that pass because of those things.
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What I'm interested to see is if a team at the end of the first round takes a chance on him. If he fully recovers and stays healthy, he should be a force in the NHL. Defensemen with size are all the rage, and he's a phenomenal skater, too, which makes him even more desirable.
3. While Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) is ranked as a late second-round pick, I'd expect him to go somewhere in the third. The Boston College commit is another player who projects well to college and the NHL. At 6-foot-1 and 204 pounds, he plays a power forward game but is also a terrific skater with a quick stride to reach top speed quickly. He can be physical, but he can also produce points. He scored 17 goals and tallied 30 points in 47 games for the USHL's Chicago Steel this season and spent some time with the U.S. National Team Development Program's U18 team. He's a good bet to play anywhere in a lineup.
4. In the midterm rankings, Everett Baldwin (Providence, R.I.) was above Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt). They flipped for the final rankings, with Herrington labeled as a mid-third-round pick, while Baldwin was placed later in the fourth round. So, what changed? Baldwin is definitely the better skater and is arguably one of the top skaters in the draft class. But Herrington, who is in his second year of draft eligibility, produced at the higher level, scoring 16 goals and finishing with 34 points in 56 games for the USHL's Lincoln Stars.
Both produce high rates of offense, but in different ways. I'd expect both to be drafted.
5. I thought Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt) had a compelling case to be picked last season. The Cornell commit tore it up at Kent with 25 goals and 49 points, leading the Lions to a Large School Tournament championship. He went undrafted and proved scouts wrong by putting up 22 goals and 51 points with the USHL's Lincoln Stars this season. NHL Central Scouting labeled him a high fifth-round pick, meaning he could be drafted. But even if he isn't, DiGiulian, who is 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds, has always struck me as someone who will be a sought-after college free agent when he's done at Cornell.
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6. Alex Donovan (Darien, Conn.) is an interesting case. He's produced at every level, including this season as a standout for Shattuck-St. Mary's 18U team with 38 goals and 77 points in 51 games. Last summer, he was one of the best players at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp and earned a spot on the Hlinka Gretzky team, potting a goal and adding four helpers in five games. He's just under the desirable 6-foot mark (he's 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds), but he plays so much bigger than he is. Like DiGiulian, he's someone I see potentially going undrafted and having NHL teams all over him as a free agent when he's at Denver.
7. Gavin Cornforth (Milton, Mass.) wasn't ranked in January. But he made his way onto the final list, finishing as the last player ranked in the seventh round. Outside of his skating and sheer skill, there's value in Cornforth that many players don't have. He was a first-round pick by the Fighting Saints in the 2022 Phase 1 Draft, and after just one season at Thayer, challenged himself by going to Dubuque. He stuck it out and has been rewarded with a fantastic final year, scoring 27 goals and finishing with 54 points in 62 games. He's Boston College-bound next season. While he's just a hair short of 5-foot-10, he knows how to go against older and tougher competition.
8. Where is Richard Gallant? I know he's 5-foot-8, was on a weaker NTDP U18 team and cooled off a bit down the stretch. But he was tied for second on the team in goals (23) and fourth in points (45) — and that's against USHL and college teams. The Harvard commit was a primary producer all season against top competition. Does this mean he should 100 percent be drafted? No, but the Concord, Mass., native should at least be worth considering.
9. Outside of Baldwin, the only other three current New England prep players listed were Phillips Andover forward Grayden Robertson-Palmer, Salisbury forward Connor Davis and Brunswick goalie Dylan Lee-Stack. Robertson-Palmer and Davis were both listed as sixth-round candidates and Lee-Stack was ranked No. 30 of 32 among North American goalies. Given that Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) was the only player plucked straight from prep, my guess is that Robertson-Palmer and Davis don't get selected. But hey — all it takes is one team. It wouldn't shock me.
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10. So, how many of these players will actually be drafted? Of the 13 ranked after last season, only five (Cole Eiserman, Teddy Stiga, Elliott Groenewold, Joe Connor and Merrill) were picked. Merrill was the lowest ranked at No. 127 in the fourth round, while Herrington and DiGiulian were ranked higher in the same round. As of now, my bet would be Amico, Mutryn, Baldwin and Herrington are picked, but DiGiulian wouldn't surprise me at all.
