After a busy month of scouting, my first set of rankings has been released and can be accessed via the 2025 OHL Draft Rankings page.
The underlying theme of this write-up is that it's early. Things will undoubtedly change over the year, and this list reflects my initial thoughts on the '09 class only a month into the season. The scouting calendar is just getting underway, and there is still so much hockey left for me to watch, so I fully expect tons of changes to my top 20 over the season. Despite it being early in the season, my initial impression is that the '09 Ontario crop is full of talent, and it should be yet another fun year of covering the OHL Draft.
After spending a solid chunk of time watching U15 last season, I entered the season with a preliminary understanding of the '09 Ontario landscape. While I didn't weigh those views super heavily to create this first list, it just helped me prioritize my time, knowing which players are potentially worthy of a first-round selection that I should pay a bit more attention to during my viewings of the Titans Tournament and league play. Throughout the first month, one of my primary focuses was nitpicking the play of this shortlist of 40 or so players and figuring out where I see their games headed over the next few years to help build out this first rankings. I don't need to divulge too much into my process, so if you're new to PuckPreps and my work and want to know more about how I go about things, this introduction article provides all the background information into what goes into everything I do.
1st Overall Candidates
Camryn Warren (#1) starts the year at the top of the list. Dating back to last season, Warren showed to be that do-it-all play driving & playmaking centerman on a high-end GTHL U16 program, which is no easy feat as an underaged player. This year, the story is the same as across every viewing of JRC this season, Camryn has been their primary engine and making everything happen when he's on the ice. There is an obvious comparison here to be made to the University of Michigan commit Adam Valentini. Two undersized centermen who were fantastic playing up in the GTHL U16 in their D-1 seasons and play a similar non-stop, rambunctious, involved all-over-the-ice playstyle. Given that comparison, it's easy to see why I gave Warren the edge in the early days of the season, as that playstyle is what landed Valentini as my #1 last season.
While Warren opens the year at #1, my confidence that he sticks there isn't all that high at this point of the season. Over the Toronto Titans Tournament and individual viewings of the other players at the top of the class, Charlie Murata (2nd) and Jaakko Wycisk (3rd) both made me question Warren's standing as the deserving candidate for the top spot. Each player brings something different to the table, and it will just be an interesting storyline to see how this top group shuffles around over the season. As it stands, I can build a case to put this trio in any order, but someone had to be awarded the top spot, and for now, Warren is that guy.
The Next Group of Forwards
After the top group of three, there's a long list of forwards I've really liked watching this season. Brock Chitaroni (#4), Cannon Thibodeau (#5), and Eamon Edgar (#6) are the three that stick out above the pack and ones that I could almost justify a spot in that top group of Warren, Murata, and Wycisk. They all share some common elements, all being that smart puck-managing play driver who makes everything tick when they are on the ice, and if you're new to me and my work, those are just the player types I tend to place a heavy premium on.
Beyond this trio is just a bulk of talented forwards that all bring different elements, and I can see many arguments for ordering them in many different ways depending on what you value. Ryerson Edgar (#8) and Max Delisle (#9) round out the forwards in the top ten, as they have both been the primary drivers on their respective teams across every viewing dating back to last season. Beyond that, from Keaton Ardagh (11th) all the way to Gensen Geldart (19th), it's just a broad group of forwards that I am still working through nitpicking to see how I feel about their games moving forward. Even beyond the players on this list, it's been a fun and exciting forward group to start getting to know, and it should make for an entertaining season tracking them.
The Defence Crop
One of my biggest hurdles in the early days of a scouting season is making sense of the defenders, especially in the first-round conversation. It typically takes me a little bit longer to fully warm up to a defender's game, and marking them as a first-round calibre player isn't something I take lightly, especially at this stage. Only four cracked this iteration of the list, but I am being cautious as I work through the defence class before stamping a player with a first-round grade. I'm sure there will be more than four by year-end, but for now, these are the ones that I feel comfortable enough to include.
Alex Forrest (#7) kicks off the year as the #1 defender. The Oakville Ranger blueliner brings that ambitious and confident offensively involved style with all the tools to back up his desire to play that game. His mobility is off the charts, as he has both the powerful straight-line skating and all the lateral maneuverability required to dominate with the puck on his stick. My initial impression from the Draft Day Showcase compared Forrest to Sudbury Wolves' first-rounder Luca Blonda, and while it isn't a perfect comparison, I still hold there are similarities there as they both are that uberly skilled offensive defender. Forrest was easily the defender that I was most impressed with at the Toronto Titans Tournament, and if that level of play continues, I'd expect him to climb up my list over the season.
David Buchman (#10), Matthew Henderson (#16), and Caden Bell (#20) are the other three defenders who crack the first list. While there are a few defenders left off that may be more projectable to the junior game, I am betting on this trio's upside to develop into a high-end player by year-end, making me optimistic about their upward trajectory a few years down the road. We will see how the year progresses, but in terms of potential, these three stood out as ones that could develop into that top-end OHLer in a few seasons, and if I'm using a first-round pick on a defender, that upside is what I am after.
Honourable Mentions
At this stage of the year, the gaps between players 15-20 vs. 21-25 are minuscule, and it will take time to untangle and increase the precision of how I feel about the ordering of those players. Therefore, I easily could have swapped a handful of names into one of those final spots, and I wanted to mention those players who landed just on the outside looking in. Kane Barch (HPL), Peter Green (DMF), Michael Tang (TT), Brayden Lappalainen (SCP), and Carter Kunopaski (OVT) make up the group that just missed the cut, who very well could have been included. While I could go on and list 10+ more names, those are the five that stand out and ones that I was debating including up until the very last minute and rightfully belong in this first-round conversation.
There it is, the first OHL Draft rankings of the 2025 scouting season. It's been a busy month grinding away to get this result, but the season is only beginning, and there is still so much hockey to watch. From now on, I will update my rankings at the start of every month and expand by 20 until we get to the final top 100 by season's end.
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