Erie defenseman, Djurgarden center, Boston College center among 90 prospects showcasing for 2025 Draft
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Matthew Schaefer, the projected top pick in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft, is one of 90 prospects invited to participate in the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics at KeyBank Center and LECOM HarborCenter in Buffalo beginning Monday.
“The NHL Combine is a rite of passage on a player’s path to the NHL and is an event that NHL clubs and prospects look forward to participating in,” NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said.
The combine, which will run June 2-7, gives the 32 NHL teams physical and medical assessments of the top prospects ahead of the 2025 draft at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 27-28.
“The NHL combine is the final showcase event before the NHL Draft,” Marr said, “and it’s a week full of interviews, medicals, and fitness testing where the players get to interact with NHL personnel and the NHL clubs get to learn as much as possible about the future stars of our game.”
There will be 58 forwards, 27 defensemen and five goalies attending the combine. All are listed in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American and International skaters and goaltenders.
NHL Central Scouting will again provide an app for all attending prospects to download to their mobile devices, containing all the information they need to navigate the gamut of interviews with NHL teams and medical and fitness testing.
Teams can conduct 1-on-1 interviews with prospects at KeyBank Center from June 2-6. The medical examinations will take place June 4, the Maximal VO2 test on June 6, and the remaining seven of the 11 fitness tests will be at HarborCenter on June 7 (standing height/wingspan, horizontal jump, force plate vertical jumps, bench press, pro agility test, pull-ups, Wingate Cycle Ergometer test).
2025 NHL Draft
No player can test until clearing the medical screening.
Schaefer (6-foot-2, 183 pounds), a defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, is No. 1 on Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters. He was cleared for contact by doctors on May 1 after missing the last 46 games, including nine OHL playoff games, while recovering from a broken clavicle.
He anticipates taking part in most of the testing, including the Maximal VO2 test on June 6, and the Wingate Cycle Ergometer test on June 7. He will not participate in pull-ups or bench press.
The 17-year-old had surgery Dec. 30, three days after sustaining his injury playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.
The No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft belongs to the New York Islanders, who won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5. The San Jose Sharks have the No. 2 selection and the Chicago Blackhawks the No. 3 pick.
Schaefer had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and was plus-21 in 17 games this season, missing the opening nine games because of mononucleosis. He worked his way back into shape with plenty of biking and physiotherapy.
He had an opportunity to speak with Edmonton Oilers captain and former Erie center Connor McDavid about his injury when the latter had his No. 97 retired by the OHL team at Erie Insurance Arena on Jan. 10. McDavid sustained a broken collarbone 13 games into his NHL rookie season in 2015-16.
“On McDavid’s jersey retirement night, which wasn’t too long after I broke my collarbone, I got to talk to him about everything because I knew he broke his collarbone his rookie season,” Schaefer said. “He filled me in and told me to take my time and make sure it heals fully first and just do lots of physio.”
Also attending the Combine is Saginaw center Michael Misa (6-1, 184), No. 2 on Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters. The 18-year-old is the first player in team history to win the Eddie Powers Trophy as the top scorer in the OHL, finishing the regular season with 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games.
James Hagens (5-10, 177), No. 3 among North American skaters, finished with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games with Boston College in Hockey East this season. The 18-year-old center is one of six NCAA players attending the Combine.
Roger McQueen of Brandon of the Western Hockey League is expected to garner much attention at the Combine after missing 51 games due to a back injury. The 18-year-old right-shot center (6-5, 197), No. 8 on Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 17 games this season.
“You feel for the player in his draft year and what he’s going through,” Marr said. “He was cleared to come back to play and when he came back, he wanted to do well and as with everybody, you do too much, too soon. He had to take a couple steps back, just do some more maintenance, rest in between. We think where we [ranked] him is a very respectful spot for him to be recognized and seen for what his potential could be down the road.”
Anton Frondell (6-1, 198), No. 1 on Central Scouting’s final ranking of International skaters, is the highest-rated skater among 20 international invites. The 18-year-old center of Djurgarden in Sweden’s second division had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 29 games. Victor Eklund, an 18-year-old forward with Djurgarden, is No. 2 on Central Scouting’s list of International skaters. He had 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 42 games.
Joshua Ravensbergen (6-5, 190), No. 1 on the final ranking of North American goalies, is among five goalies attending the Combine. The 18-year-old was 33-13-4 with a 3.00 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in 51 games with Prince George of the Western Hockey League this season.
