Maybe my expectations were too low, but the 2025 NHL Draft exceeded my expectations for local prospects.
I figured four New Englanders would be picked and no other prep players. Given the last two years and the lack of talent selected out of prep, I lowered my expectations.
I was happy to be wrong.
Carter Amico (Westbrook, Maine), Teddy Mutryn (Norwell Mass.), Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.), Everett Baldwin (Providence, R.I.) and Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) were all selected over seven rounds. As for that other prep prospect, that was Phillips Andover forward Grayden Robertson-Palmer.
Will the 2025 NHL Draft be remembered as the New Englander draft? No. But there were success stories.
Let's dive into the biggest takeaways.
1. Amico goes early to Philadelphia
There was a run on big defensemen right from the jump in the second round. Amico benefited from this, as the Philadelphia Flyers took the 6-foot-6, 232-pound defenseman with the 38th pick. He was the fourth defenseman 6-foot-5 or taller to go in the first six picks of the second round.
Entering last fall, Amico was in first-round pick territory but went down for the season with a knee injury, which made it more likely he would be a second-round pick. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to wait long on Day 2.
The Flyers picked players mostly 6-foot-3 and taller, so there's no doubt Amico should be a perfect fit on Philly's blue line in the coming years. He's slated to begin at Boston University this fall.
2. Mutryn continues the trend of Mass. players to San Jose
The range I kept hearing for Mutryn was sometime in Rounds 3-5, so I figured he'd be right in the middle with the fourth round. He almost got there, but with the second-to-last pick of the third round, the Sharks took him with the 95th selection.
General manager Mike Grier, who went to St. Sebastian's and played at Boston University, has Ryan Warsofsky (Marshfield, Mass.) as the team's head coach. The team's roster features Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), Cam Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.), Henry Thrun (Southboro, Mass.) and Macklin Celebrini, who played at Boston University. Collin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) has been between the Sharks and the Barracuda, their AHL affiliate.
READ MORE: Will men’s college hockey recruiting change due to a recent trend?Â
Needless to say, it wasn't all that shocking that Grier went back to the Massachusetts well for Mutryn.
3. Herrington proves NHL teams wrong who passed on him last year
I was surprised Herrington wasn't selected last season. The Vermont commit finished his senior year at Holderness with seven goals and 49 points in 29 games. NHL teams opted to see what he would do against better competition. Fair enough.
Herrington made teams pay, ranking second among USHL defensemen this past season in goals with 16, as he played a big role for the Lincoln Stars. The Los Angeles Kings snagged him in the fourth round (No. 120).
A team likely could've used a sixth- or seventh-round pick on Herrington last season, but the 6-foot-2 defenseman made those teams pay.
Herrington is slated to begin at Vermont this fall.
4. The steal of this bunch was Baldwin
Baldwin was ranked all over the place. Some outlets had him as a late second- or early third-round pick, while other outlets had him lower.
Ultimately, the Tampa Bay Lightning took him in the back half of the fifth round at No. 151. His reaction was gold.
When you hear your name called in the NHL Draft …
Congratulations, Everett Baldwin ’25! #AlwaysADragon #DragonPride #NHLDraft #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/CGx8otGTVQ
— St. George's School (@DragonsofSG) June 29, 2025
Baldwin was undoubtedly one of the best pure skaters in this draft. For the Lightning to get a truly elite skater in the middle of the fifth round is a steal. If Baldwin continues to develop properly, I will use the Brandon Montour or Connor Clifton comparison. Becoming those players isn't out of the question, especially because of the physical element he brings, too.
Because of this, I find him to be a fascinating prospect. It's entirely possible that as Baldwin develops, teams will regret not picking him higher.
5. The Sharks took a flyer on Gallant
Oh, yes — another Massachusetts native to San Jose.
With the 210th pick of the seventh round, the Sharks took the Concord, Mass., native. I've been saying all season that as a seventh-round pick, Gallant holds a lot of value. He led the U.S. National Team Development Program's U18 team in goals (29) this season and was tied for third in points with 53. At the U18 Worlds, he scored five times in seven games.
But he's 5-foot-8 and 166 pounds, so he wasn't thought of highly in draft circles.
AWARDS:Â Handing out the boys and girls prep awards from this past winter
Gallant has shown to have a relentless compete and an ability to play (and produce) anywhere in a lineup. Does that automatically mean he will be in the NHL someday? Of course not. But taking a swing on the rising Harvard freshmen was a good move by Grier and the Sharks.
It wouldn't surprise anyone if Gallant willed his way to carving out a role for himself with the Sharks or in their system someday.
6. It's still difficult to be picked out of prep school
Along with Baldwin, Robertson-Palmer made it two players picked from prep when the Detroit Red Wings snagged him at No. 204 in the seventh round.
The Kanata, Ontario native is under the coveted 6-foot mark, but his compete, skating and shot are all pro-ready. Rounding out other areas of his game will be paramount to him reaching his full potential, which will likely be that of a reliable, bottom-six center at the pro level.
What it also shows is it's still difficult to be picked from prep. Right or wrong, NHL teams are showing they want to see players take on junior hockey before selecting them in the fifth round or later. Baldwin was the first player since 2022 to be taken before the sixth round.
Even for someone like Alex Donovan. The Darien, Conn., went undrafted despite 91 points in 58 games with Shattuck St. Mary's 18U team this past winter. He was even one of Team USA's top players at last summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Still, no dice.
With the CHL ruling and more players potentially opting for the QMJHL, this trend could accelerate. But I actually think there will be some legitimate NHL Draft talent in prep next season who, if they stay, will challenge teams to draft them earlier.
7. The Bruins got the steal of the draft with BC center James Hagens
Allow me to be the 576th person to say that the Bruins getting Hagens at No. 7 was the steal of the draft.
The Mount St. Charles product was long thought to be the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, but fell a bit due to him only being a point-per-game player this season at Boston College. I say "only" (which sounds insane) because past high picks like Celebrini, Smith, Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Adam Fantilli have had more productive freshman seasons.
READ MORE:Â Our profile on James Hagens from February 2024
Two caveats to Hagens "only" putting up 37 points in 37 games — he began the NCAA season as a 17-year-old, and he was the first-line center. He got every hard matchup.
Hagens is likely to go back to BC for his sophomore year. Don't be surprised if he increases that point total quite a bit.
