The 2025 OHL Draft is only mere days away, and the finish line is in sight. It's been a constant grind to get here, but we made it and my final list has been released and can be accessed via the 2025 OHL Draft Rankings page.
This post aims to provide some closing thoughts on the class, share where my head is at as we approach draft day, and add a few snippets rationalizing why my list looks the way it does. As always, I'm happy to chat or answer any questions, feel free to reach out @jordanmalette.
Entering the OHL Cup, I felt comfortable, but not super locked in, with Camryn Warren in the #1 spot, but after that, 2-5 was wide open for anyone's taking. Things were just really close and subjective, and I wanted to see who would make a final push over the OHL Cup to make their case to move up.
I alluded to this throughout my OHL Cup report, but unfortunately, a lot of these top players left me wanting more, making for a bit of a puzzle untangling how to translate that into my rankings. No one played poorly; it's just when a top-end player has a few 7/10 performances at the finish line, it allows for some doubts to creep in. The OHL Cup isn't everything in the evaluation process, but the stakes are incredibly high at the top of the draft, and when the talent level between players is minuscule, it forces you to watch players through a microscope to nitpick things and hope to add as much confidence as possible. I still see this group as relatively close, but some tiers started to form, splitting the group down the middle into two groups of three in my eyes.
The Top Trio
Of all the top players, I felt Camryn Warren was the closest to playing at his best, giving me no reason to displace him from my top spot. Since the get-go of seeing him last season at the U16 level, he's always been a player who checks so many boxes of what I'm looking for. His non-stop motor, always setting the tempo, and pushing defenders on their heels are things you notice in the very first shift of getting to know Warren. He's just always going, shift after shift, combining explosive skating and slick handling to challenge defenders 1-on-1, open up passing lanes for him to exploit, and attack to the middle of the ice. There's a really high-end set of tools in his game, and he uses them well to drive his line, elevate everyone he plays with, and to me he's the player I'd want to build around.
He's not the biggest guy on the ice, and he's not going to punish you physically, but he's always forechecking, hunting for pucks, and winning possession, stemming from this rambunctious go-go-go playstyle. With not being the most physically advanced player in the class, he may not hit the ground running in his 16-year-old season, but give him a year to get settled in, and I see no reason why he shouldn't thrive. At the end of the day, Warren just fits my stylistic preferences on how I'd build a team, but with how close things are, by no means do I see him as the only option at the 1.01 spot.
Despite Warren remaining at #1, I have Kaden McGregor and Jaakko Wycisk in the same tier, and these would be the three options I'd be contemplating if I had the first overall selection and the subsequent considerations for me at 1.02 and 1.03. Depending on the makeup of my team, I could see this group going in one direction or the other as they all bring something a little different to the table. McGregor has been on a tear in HEO action, and seeing him thrive against superior competition over the OHL Cup was what I needed to see to bump him up a few slots. He brings many different elements, but my favourite has been his ability to play down-low & off the cycle, creating chances even when faced with pressure and finding ways to spark chances when play has been established deep in the offensive zone. He can create off the rush and is a lethal powerplay shooting threat, but this cycle game is something I've always noted that should translate well to the junior ranks.
Jaakko Wycisk has been a constant for me at #3 all year long, and if it weren't for McGregor's stellar OHL Cup I expected him to land at the two spot. There's just such an exciting package with his fluid and effortless skating mechanics, high-end handling, strong puck protection game, and highly creative playmaking. His ability to combine slick handling in motion and smart body positioning to protect the puck from defenders is my favourite element of his game, as he's able to fend off pressure so well and win lanes to the net with ease. While he lands at 3 for me, at various parts of the year, a little voice crept into my head about placing him in the one spot, as I really can just see how things can keep getting better and better as Wycisk keeps developing and things keep falling into place for him.
The Second Trio
For me, Charlie Murata, Max Delisle, and Brock Chitaroni are just a smidge behind that first trio and form the second tier on my list. I could put this group in any order and be reasonably happy with how it looks, but it would be tough for me to cement one of these three above any in the first tier.
Like many of these top players, I had a few minor question marks around Charlie Murata entering the OHL Cup, and he fits into that category where he had some ~7/10 performances during the week. It was nothing major, but when push comes to shove at the finish line, I am really nitpicking this top group to be extra sure of how I have them ordered, and Murata came out the other side down a few spots. I still hold there is tremendous potential in his game; his explosive skating, puck control, high-end playmaking, and smart puck management are near the top of the class, and all of that is what makes me optimistic about him moving forward. Almost once a shift, Murata flies up the ice through the neutral zone, successfully transitioning the puck for this Don Mills squad and establishing play in the offensive zone, where he often controls play on the outside and creates chances with his passing game. For me, Charlie is a winger who can really help drive a line, providing a strong transition impact with his skating + puck management and bringing a playmaking punch within the offensive zone, but in a class dominated by some top-end centers, it was hard to keep him propped up in that top group.
In this whole group, Max Delisle has been one of the most consistent performers game-in and game-out. Every viewing of Delisle, you more or less know what you're going to get, with him playing his detail-oriented game, always in the right spot supporting the play, winning battles, and doing all those little things right. I've found he's been the key to his line's success this year, doing so much of the heavy lifting to get play into the offensive zone for his two talented wingers to thrive and really makes things tick as a play driver. He's not the flashiest player in the class, but there's a really projectable player here to build around, as finding a dependable 200-foot centerman with his offensive tools can be challenging to find.
Brock Chitaroni started the year in this top group and, after bouncing down a few spots in the mid-season updates, worked his way back into it after a strong showing at the OMHA Championships. Regardless of where he's been on my list, I've always felt he has some of the highest set of technical abilities in the class, and it was all a matter of applying them correctly. His explosive skating allows him to gain separation so easily, and he can handle the puck so well in motion, making for some really impressive moments when both those elements are working in tandem. Down the stretch of the season, I've just seen him apply his tools more and more to drive a higher volume of high danger chances. He was attacking the middle more, beating defenders one-on-one, and things seemed to be clicking to drive in tight for quality chances. Deep down, I probably want Chitaroni at the #4 spot, but it's a close-knit group, and I'm being a bit cautious, differing to the whole body of work of the two names ahead of him vs. Chitaroni's more impressive final showings.
Rest of the First Round
I'll admit, after that, things get murky really quickly. I feel confident in my placement of Cannon Thibodeau and Kane Barch within my top 10, but with them both seemingly headed to the US National Development Program, it throws a wrench into what I would do if I had a pick in the back half of the top ten. There are so many players that I see as really close that no matter what order I put things in, it just doesn't look quite right, but I had to land things somewhere.
I've been hoping to gain confidence in this range of the draft all year, and as I watch more and more, it just becomes even more blurry. From Kieran Raynor at 10 to Caden Bell at 32, I could practically randomize things and be happy with whatever it spits out, which is an uncomfortable feeling as I try to put myself in a team's shoes and hypothesize over what I'd do if I had 8th, 10th, or 12 overall.
This group has many different profiles, from high-end playmaking in Jeremy Freeman to a well-rounded player like Noah Laus, the goal-scoring touch of Keaton Ardagh, and a more physical style in Brenner Lammens. Depending on what you're looking to add, you can find it in this group, but reconciling them all against one another to form my rankings has been a challenge, as there is no correct answer here. Seeing how this mid/late first group shakes out on draft day is one of the things I'm most looking forward to, as it will be fascinating to see how teams tackle this range.
The final thought in the back of my mind is the uncertainty of the American-born players looking to come north of the border with the NCAA rule changes and how that impacts this range of the draft. I've heard rumblings of certain players being interested in the OHL route, but really, that's not my prerogative to try to make heads or tails of rumours, and I'm simply curious to see how the rule changes impact things.
Top of the Defence Class
The defence class has been another big puzzle to work through this season. Ever since starting to get to know this '09 group, I never felt there was a stud defenceman, and that initial read has held true well over a year later. There are many defenders I like, but it's more the case that there are around 10 B/B+ options in this class that I see as being relatively interchangeable.
A few defenders have landed in my first round, but that's more due to some hesitancy around the forwards in that range than it is about feeling confident in the D as slam-dunk round 1 targets. It's highly dependent on what picks I would have, but in general, I would say my plan of attack would be to pick up whatever defender is still kicking around in the early stages of round two, as I see the top 8 or so defenders all in the same tier.
Despite this close group of relatively even defenders, someone has to be at the top, and David Buchman has won that honour. I've adored his game since the early days of the season, stapling him in my first round right from the outset. In parts of the year, I've felt I've possibly been irrationally too high on him, but every time I watch him, he confirms that he checks many boxes of what I'm looking for. Buchman is so fluid on his feet, using his mobility incredibly well to evade pressure and shut down plays. He's probably the best passer out of the defence group, and so many Titans' goals this season have been sparked by a clean stretch pass off the stick of Buchman, sending them the other way on a counterattack. He's not perfect and will need to bulk up to hang at the OHL level, but David's the defender I keep coming back to as having a ton of runway to develop into a high-end OHL defender who can contribute in many different ways.
After Buchman, Alexander Forrest and Peter Green are my next two defenders, and I wouldn't argue that hard for Buchman over them, and it's a really close trio in my eyes. Going further down the list, there is just a long list of solid options, from Carter Kunopaski and Matthew Perreault in my early 2nd round to Evan Pahanich and Dante D'Andrea in my more mid/late 2nd round range, there are a lot of defenders that I can see being solid OHL contributors down the road.
Final Thoughts
It was a lot of fun getting to know this '09 group, and I look forward to seeing how things keep developing for these players. I outlined some really high-end players in this write-up, but going down the list, there are players that will be selected in every stage of the draft that I have greatly enjoyed watching this season. Even the players on my HMs & Watchlist post who unfortunately may not hear their names called, I'll be keeping tabs on how the next few years go for them.
Finally, I appreciate everyone who's followed along this year, asked questions, and helped support my work, so thank you!