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Future Watch 2025
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
B | RANK: 16TH PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CAN PLAY a major role in the future of an NHL team, and that’s readily apparent in Philadelphia. The Flyers not only have a couple prospects with brief big-league experience, but they can also boast about having three first-round picks in 2025. GM Daniel Briere, two years into an organizational rebuild, has stuck to his guns when it comes to restructuring the team with homegrown talent. Assistant GM Brent Flahr, who oversees the development system, agrees with this approach. “We’re certainly going in the right direction,” Flahr said. “It’s a process, and we have to be patient.” 1 JETT LUCHANKO C, 18, 5-11, 191 Guelph (OHL) 29–15–24–39–27 2024 draft, 13th overall OVERALL 16 Luchanko was the biggest surprise of the 2024 training camp, making the final roster cut and playing four NHL…
FLORIDA PANTHERS
D+| RANK: 32ND THE PANTHERS HAVEN’T SELECTED in the first round since 2021, and they don’t have a 2025 first-rounder, either, as they’ve traded away many picks in pursuit of the Stanley Cup – which they captured in 2024. With picks being moved to acquire the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Vladimir Tarasenko and Claude Giroux, Florida has had to look deeper in the draft to fill its prospect pool. The Panthers have seen a few late-round selections and undrafted free agents play in NHL games already, and they hope to see more of them take on impactful roles as they look to pull out all the stops to win a second Cup. 1 LINUS ERIKSSON C, 18, 6-0, 183 Timra (Swe.) 9–0–0–0–2 2024 draft, 58th overall OVERALL 83 After standout performances at the U-18 worlds and…
PUCK CULTURE
FIVE NHLERS IN NON-HOCKEY ACTING ROLES PLAYING A HOCKEY PLAYER in a movie or TV show isn’t much of a stretch for an NHLer. Just start rolling the camera and let him do his thing. But to play a non-hockey character – especially one with lines of dialogue – is something special. 1 CAM NEELY Dumb and Dumber (1994) Bruins legend and current team president Cam Neely had cameo roles as himself in the film D2: The Mighty Ducks and the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210. He’s also appeared in the series Rescue Me. But Neely’s most memorable part was in the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber, where he played a truck driver nicknamed ‘Sea Bass.’ Midway through the film, protagonists/idiots Harry and Lloyd are eating lunch at a diner when Harry tosses a…
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
B+ | RANK: 9TH THE CAPITALS ARE CONTENDERS again, and it didn’t come at the expense of their prospect pool. Rather, they’ve been able to retool on the fly. Since March 2023, Washington has acquired 11 draft picks via trade, some of which were later flipped for young NHLers or prospects. Last year’s draft was the Caps’ first in 16 years with five picks in the top 100. A younger roster now surrounds Alex Ovechkin, with pipeline graduates Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas emerging as 20-goal scorers. More youth is on the way, with an expected spring debut for Ryan Leonard. The Caps’ turnaround could become an anti-tanking model. 1 RYAN LEONARD RW, 20, 6-0, 200 Boston College (HE) 29–25–14–39–32 2023 draft, 8th overall OVERALL 2 Embracing the role of the villain at the WJC, Leonard ultimately got…
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