Since my last update, I've been working to get my list as in order as possible in preparation for the year's final event, the OHL Cup. From playoff action and individual views of players, I've been watching as much as I can to fine-tune my list, and the refreshed rankings have been released. With every passing update, my list is getting more and more concrete, but as always, the OHL Cup is the ultimate final evaluation point when the competition is fierce, game in and game out, providing a great opportunity to assess these players one last time in a best-on-best situation.
I try not to let the OHL Cup totally derail things and weigh the entire body of work this season more heavily, so we may not see a ton of changes, but it's always possible someone has a fantastic tournament and jumps up considerably. Pierce Mbuyi was one of those players last year who I didn't have in my top ten all year until he greatly exceeded my expectations at the year's final event and skyrocketed up my list, jumping from the late first round to one of my best players available in the class.
Trending Upwards
If you had told me at the start of the year that Jack Johnson (20th to 10th) would be pushing into my top 10, I would have never believed you, but here we are. Reviewing my notes from last year when I first started to get to know the 2009s and, it all spoke to a really raw player who you could see the potential, but things just weren't clicking at times. Fast forward to now, and there still is the occasional hiccup, but the improvement and refinement in his skating have been remarkable, making me way more optimistic about him. Jack is one of the most aggressive defenders in the class, bringing a smothering presence with his reach and shutting down play after play, showcasing that desirable high-end defensive ability. He's still not a finished product, and there are areas I'd like to see him improve, but seeing how far he's come over the past year makes me think things are trending in the right direction, and he's well on his way toward becoming a more than solid OHL level defender.
From my first views early in the year, this mid-second round range was about where I had Cooper McAslan (47th to 27th) penciled in, but with him missing a good chunk of the first half of the year, I've been easing him into the rankings as my sample size catches up. He was the player I was most impressed with over the OMHA Championship, the blend of physical tools, skating, and confidence just really hammered home that he belonged quite a bit higher on my list, as he's someone I could really see developing into a quality OHLer. It's an interesting defence class this year with a bunch of B/B+ options at the top and some solid bets in the mid-rounds, and having Cooper somewhere in between those two groups makes sense to me at this stage.
I spent a good chunk of time since my last update watching isolated tape and nitpicking my 25-45 range, and Myles Dunn (39th to 30th) came out with a sizeable bump following that exercise. That group was a mix of different types of complementary scoring wingers, and as I've watched Myles more, he's become one of my favourites of that bunch. My initial read on him was an explosive skater with a high-end shot, who would rip up and down the ice and was highly dangerous on rush sequences. While I would still categorize him as predominantly a shooting threat, I've seen more and more playmaking come out, some relentless forechecking pressure, and, all in all, just showcasing a few more elements of what he brings to the table making me more optimistic about his game.
I've written a few really glowing reviews of Aleks Kulemin's (60th to 42nd) game lately, and as such, he jumps up my list quite a bit from those views. He isn't the flashiest player in the class, but in terms of smart positionally, winning pucks, managing the puck well, and doing the little things to link plays together and drive play, Aleks is right up there. It's taken me some time to untangle him fully, but I've started to see the pathway for him to becoming a competent depth OHL centerman who is defensively responsible and can drive a line. It may not be the highest-upside pick in the draft, but a highly projectable centerman is desirable to add on draft day.
New Additions
Untangling the many players I had flagged as potential round 3-5 targets has been one of the main objectives in the second half of the year. At various points, I've had upwards of 100 names flagged as inclusions in this range, and I've just been working through them all to make sense of this mushy group. As such, the fifteen new additions don't have any particular rhyme or reason for being added at this stage, as they have been on my radar for quite some time, and I've just expanded far enough to be confident in their inclusion.
From Colton D'Amico (54th) as the highest debut to Noah Krula (76th) somewhere in the middle of the new adds and all the way down to Nathan Miller (89th) as the final new player ranked, they all fit this theme of players who have been long on my radar. The gaps between talent levels in this range are minuscule, and the players added are the ones I've liked a touch more than the many other names I debated including. At this point, it just becomes personal preference more than anything, as what makes someone a 4th vs. 6th-round pick can be quite subjective.
The Finish Line
The finish line is fast approaching, with only three weeks left until the 2025 OHL Draft. With little time between the OHL Cup and draft day, it's always a tad hectic to fit in the final rankings and a few articles leading up to the draft, but the game plan is to have everything wrapped up for the week of April 7th. The two remaining items on my plate are a final top 100 OHL Draft Rankings and an extended list of honourable mentions/watchlist that highlights players I see as targets in the mid/late rounds of the draft.
As always, I'm happy to chat or answer questions, feel free to contact me on Twitter @jordanmalette.