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Top Five Goaltenders Available in the 2025 NHL Draft
Photo Credit: https://www.eliteprospects.com/
So, previously, I have written articles on who I think are the Top five forwards and defensemen in this year’s draft class. But, with me being a lifelong goaltender, I have to say I am very excited to bring you the latest installment in this series of articles covering who I think is the Top Five Guardians of the Blue Paint.
Now, if you read any of my other articles, you know that a lot goes into these lists. I have researched and studied hours and hours of film on these netminders, where I looked at their strengths and weaknesses and judged them based on how well I think their games will translate at the pro level. Furthermore, with some of these players, I was even afforded the luxury of sitting down and interviewing them to get a better grip on what kind of person a team would be getting.
So, with that being said, let me not prolong this list any longer.
Joshua Ravensbergen – Prince George Cougars /WHL
By now, I think most draft experts would agree that Josh is the clear-cut favorite to be taken as the number one goalie this summer. And for good reason, because at just 18 years old, Ravensbergen is already 6’5 and 192 pounds. So, before he even steps foot on the ice for them, teams know that he will take up a good portion of the net. And, if his physical size does not cover all the holes, his willingness to come way out of his crease to challenge the shooter will.
Now, while I will admit his stats this season don’t exactly make you jump out of your seat with him averaging a 2.97 goals against average and a .902 save percentage, in 46 games played this year, you have to factor in that a lot of nights the Cougars are not the most defensively minded team. Often leaving him to fend for himself back there.
So, while it may be but a small sampling of his work, I think a more accurate depiction of his abilities when playing with a defense in front of him would be when he played for Team Canada in the Prospect Challenge game against the top prospects from the USA where he only let in one goal.
In saying all this, I would tend to agree with the masses that Joshua will be the first goaltender to be taken in this draft. He is relentless in his efforts to stop the puck simply because he never gives up on the play, even if it would appear he’s beaten.
Petteri Rimpinen- Kiekko-Espoo/Liiga
Having Rimpinen ranked second on my list may surprise some, considering Petteri was passed over in last year’s draft and will soon turn 19 years old. Still, if I’m being honest, I think he is the most NHL-ready of any goaltender available this year.
And that’s because, unlike most other available goalies in this draft class, Petteri is currently playing as a professional in his country’s highest-level league, the Liiga.
This season, while playing 36 games thus far for the Kiekko-Espoo, Rimpinen has managed to post a goals-against-average of 2.46 and a save percentage of .910%. And, if that wasn’t proof enough that “Mr. Showtime” can stand tall against the competition, Petteri, who is the definition of a big game goaltender, was able to take home the honors of being named the World Junior Championships U-20 Top Goaltender.
Where he played in seven games during that tournament and was able to post a 2.34 goals against average and a .933 save percentage that allowed his team to bring home the silver medal.
Now, if I were to describe his game, I would say that Petteri is able to succeed because of his precise movements and sharp angles, which allow him to always be in the correct position. And once in the proper position, Rimpinen covers the bottom of the net amazingly by making use of his telescopic legs and black hole upper half of his body, which somehow allows him to swallow all pucks coming at him in close, eliminating any chance of a rebound.
Elijah Neuenschwander- HC Fribourg-Gottéron U20
For my third pick in this year’s draft, I would suggest teams take a look at my favorite goaltender coming out of this draft, Elijah Neuenschwander.
If you aren’t familiar with his game, that’s not surprising, considering Elijah, who is 6’4 and 193 pounds, hails from the lesser-scouted country of Switzerland.
And it’s in the “Playground of Europe” that this old-school stand-up style netminder has managed to make it to the professional ranks in his native country, playing in the SL (Switzerland’s second highest pro level) for the EHC Chur, where he has gone 6-2-1 over nine games played.
This young netminder will obviously take a little more time to develop, given his need to transition to the North American style game, but boy, when he does, I think he will be something special.
Pyotr Andreyanov- Krasnaya Armiya Moskva / MHL
Andreyanov is rated by most to be the top-rated international goalie available in this year’s draft. And, why I can see why some would put him there with his elite-level glove hand, his astonishing save percentage that is currently hovering around .940%, and his sub-two goals against average.
I can’t help but wince when I notice other aspects of his game. For example, if a player shoots the puck on the ice at his stick or skates, Pyotr, nine times out of ten, will give up the most eye-popping rebound to the opposition’s awaiting power forward. Also, while I’m not one to necessarily care about the height of a goaltender, the fact that Pyotr, who only stands at 6’0 tall, shrinks himself down to see around traffic in front of his net is concerning. As I have noticed in games, even players at the MHL level have begun to take note of this and have started to sail shots right over his shoulders. So, just think what an NHL player will be able to do with that big of a target to shoot at.
However, I think all that could be cleaned up with a bit of help from a good goalie coach. Don’t get me wrong, I think the kid is really talented, but like most his age, he still needs some work.
The question is, would he be worth the trouble? Remember, we have still not seen Andreyanov play in any international tournaments, such as the World Juniors. Now, this, of course, is to no fault of his own with all that is still going on in his country. But it still leaves questions unanswered.
That’s why, if it were me and, I wanted to take a chance to try and land one of the next great Russian netminders. I would head up to London, Ontario, and start scouting…
Alexei Medvedev- London Knights/OHL
This 17-year-old Russian netminder, who stands at 6’3, is one of the youngest players in this draft. And, because he came to North America at an early age, he isn’t held hostage by a multi-year contract like most others who were classically trained and still play back in Mother Russia.
In this, his first season with the Knights, Alexei has seen his stock rise exponentially after delivering game after game of some of the most solid play the OHL has seen this season. And the more I watch Medvedev play, the more impressed I become because I simply can’t find any holes in his game. Alexei plays with the kind of confidence and patience that most would expect to see from a 20-year-old overeager in this league who should have turned pro already.
Now, again, this list is, of course, subjective. But you can trust it because it comes from a goaltender who has been playing this game for over thirty years now and has coached for at least ten of those. Remember, I watched a lot of tape on these guys and have interviewed quite a few of them as well. So, I can honestly say I think all of these guys will make excellent pros one day real soon.
Tough Decisions Lie Ahead for the Flyers’ GM
Photo Credit: Derik Hamilton, AP
I think we can all agree that the Four Nations Championships far exceeded most of our expectations. But, it’s time for the Flyers General Manager Danny Briere to get back to the business at hand.
As I’m sure you remember, right before the break, Danny decided to chalk this season up as a loss and went out and finally found a buyer for both Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee when he shipped the pair off to the Calgary Flames on January 31st. But now, with the NHL’s March 7th Trade Deadline looming ever closer, he will be faced with the much more complex decision of whether he should continue with the fire sale of players from his current roster in order to gain more draft pick compensation and or cap space. Or retain them and continue to settle for their ongoing state of mediocrity.
What makes this impending decision seem like Briere will choose the latter is the fact that the players that prospecting teams are calling Danny about are ones that he is not exactly enthused to move out.
Scott Laughton
Case in point: their long-standing veteran Scott Laughton. Now, Scott, who is rapidly approaching 31 years of age, was drafted by the Flyers in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has been a consummate professional over the years. He is well known and respected around the league for always giving 110% out there, applying himself both on the forecheck and the backcheck. To add to that, Laughton has never complained over the years, despite being asked by the Flyers to play up and down the lineup and being moved from center to the wing position on a whim.
However, as good a teammate as he is both on and off the ice, Scott lacks the offensive prowess his team so desperately needs, which makes him nothing more than a depth forward. And, while every team needs a couple of those kinds of reliable players to round out their rosters. The Flyers could stand to move on from this defensively responsible forward, especially if doing so gives them the chance to draft a more dynamic one, because let’s face it, they would still have exact clones of Laughton in the form of Sean Couturier, Ryan Poehling, and Noah Cates.
What’s his worth on the open market, you might be asking? Well, I assure you it’s certainly not what the Flyers are currently asking for him, seeing that most rumor sights have confirmed that any trade involving Scott would acquire opposing teams to give Philadelphia a first-round pick and possibly an already-drafted prospect.
And I don’t know about you, but I think that price seems a little steep, considering Laughton has only managed to post an average of 8 goals and 22 points a season over his 12-year NHL career.
However, what makes him desirable to the masses is the fact that Laughton is signed for a very reasonable $ 3,000,000 through the end of next season, which would be quite the bargain compared to the other rumored centers on the market like Yanni Gourde from Seattle who makes $5,166,667 a year, Brock Nelson of the Islanders who makes $6,000,000 a season, Dylan Cozens of the Sabers who makes $7.1 million a season, or Elias Pettersson of the Canucks who rakes in a whopping $ 11,600,000 a year.
With that being said, let’s take a look at which team may be the best suitor for his services and what the Flyers should be asking from them in return.
While the Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators have all at least kicked the tires on Laughton, I believe the team that has shown the most interest in his services would be:
The Toronto Maple Leafs
It has been rumored for weeks now that the Maple Leafs have been scouting Scotty, and it makes sense, seeing that he was born in nearby Oakville, Ontario, and would be a much-needed upgrade down the middle over guys like Pontus Holmberg and David Kampf who are currently taking draws for the Leafs on their bottom six.
Acquiring Laughton and slotting him in behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares would allow them to solidify three excellent lines.
But to do so, they are going to have to convince Briere to part with his beloved Laughton since he’s not really shopping Scott and is only willing to take calls for him. They better come correct, which means since the Leafs no longer have ownership of their first-round selection in this draft. I would suggest they offer up Florida’s second-round pick, which they currently possess, and throw a prospect’s name out there that Briere is going to be familiar with. And that’s Easton Cowan.
Cowan is a 19-year-old center/wing that the Leafs drafted in the 1st round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Easton, who has 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points for the London Knights of the OHL this season, is already signed to an entry-level deal and often plays on the same line as Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk. So, there’s no doubt Briere is familiar with Cowan and would be at least intrigued enough to spark serious conversation to the point both teams could hopefully agree to a deal.
Rasmus Ristolainen
The next player that Danny has been receiving calls about, and with whom he will have to make a decision on whether he wants to part ways or not, is his 30-year-old right-hand shooting defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. When Risto first came to the Flyers, fans were overcome with excitement because they thought he would bring with him some much-needed grit and physicality. Like the kind, they lost when Pronger retired and Radko Gudas was traded.
But the player they got, turned out to be much different than the one fans were forced to watch destroy their orange and black for so many seasons before trading for him. He played more reserved and less on the edge, and for at least the first three seasons he was here, Rasmus showed them why he is still a career -178 defenseman.
This year, however, has been different. While still lacking the testosterone that he once played with, Rasmus has been playing more defensively responsible, to the point where, for the first time in his career, he finds himself maintaining a plus average. (+4).
And, with that being said, Briere isn’t exactly eager to move the towering Finnish blueliner, who is signed through the next two seasons at a reasonable $5.1 million a season.
As far as potential suitors, I would say it would be between Edmonton and Winnipeg.
Edmonton is probably the one in more need, but with far less to offer, considering the Flyers sent the 32nd pick in this last draft to the Oilers for the rights to their 2025 or 2026 first-round pick. The conditions are that it will most likely be the 2025 pick since it is only Top 12 protected, and the Oilers don’t look like they are going to finish in the bottom half of the league this season.
So, in my opinion, if the Flyers want to make room next season for younger, more cap-friendly options already in their system, like defensemen Emil Andrae, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, or Oliver Bonk then I would say the better option to get more from the return would be to make a deal with…
The Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are currently leading the league in points with (81), and they still hold the rights to their first-round pick this summer. So they might be willing to give it up to obtain a solid defender with multiple years still on his contract seeing that this Manitoba providence has trouble selling themselves to free agents, barring the fact that it holds a record low temp of -54 degrees. And its “Snowy Period” has been known to last nearly seven months!
And with them now wisely locking up their now two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, for many years to come, they might be willing to part with more assets in order to make him happy.
So, what should the Flyers ask for the next time the Jets do come calling? Well, with Ristolainen now playing some of the best hockey of his life and not being just another rental player like others on the market, I would feel safe asking for the Jets 1st rounder this year.
If they are unwilling to do that, then seeing that they don’t have possession of their second-round pick because it now belongs to the New Jersey Devils, I would ask for one of their top-drafted prospects who are thriving right now.
Braden Yager
A bold move would be to ask for the 20-year-old center who stands at 6’0 tall and possesses an absolute cannon of a shot, who they acquired from the Penguins in exchange for the disgruntled Rutger McGroarty, but the probability of them agreeing to that trade considering they just traded for him themselves back in August is very low.
Colby Barlow
So, my ask if I were in charge would be for their 2023 first-round pick, forward Colby Barlow, who, despite only playing in 50 games last year in the OHL, he still managed to score 40 goals. Barlow is 6’1 and 194 pounds, and just like Yager, he too has an absolutely fantastic shot. He’s signed on a rookie deal until the end of the 26-27 season and would, no doubt in my mind, immediately improve the Flyers’ horrendous power play unit.
And, if this trade meant that the Flyers would need to take on a bad contract to even the books out, then they could take on 31-year-old Alex Iafallo, whose $4 million a year contract is due up at season’s end.
These are just two examples of trades that the Flyers could make if they wanted to continue to purge players in the pursuit of becoming a contender again. The question is, will Danny be daring enough to try it, or will he stand fast with the player he has now and see what he can do come draft day?
Why are Other Teams out Here Playing Chess While the Flyers are Left Playing Checkers?
Photo Credit: https://blendermarket.com/
In the not-so-distant past, I can remember putting in for the NHL Trade Deadline Day off work so I could sit there and watch teams scramble at the last minute to try to make their teams better. But times have changed, and nowadays, clever teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, who just went out and acquired Stanley Cup Champion Mikko Rantanen and 2010’s number one overall pick Taylor Hall in a trade for what basically boiled down to them having to give up Martin Necas (a good/but not great young player), and a couple of picks.
This trade came more than a month (six weeks to be exact) ahead of the March 7th NHL Trade Deadline.
Now, I get it; the Flyers are not in the same situation as the Hurricanes. But come on, they have not won a Stanley Cup since 1975; that’s 50 years! And they have managed to accumulate only one playoff series win over the last decade.
So, when this team finally said they were committing to a rebuild when they brought in the brash but effective John Tortorella to be their new Head Coach and hired Dan Hilferty as the new CEO, Keith Jones as the new President of Hockey Operations, and Danny Briere as the new General Manager I was excited for the possibility of them finally going to move on from their long-standing history of mediocrity.
Especially since shortly after those previously stated individuals were all hired, you saw changes occur rapidly in the way of player development personnel, the athletic training staff, upgrades to the Phantoms coaching staff, and the exodus of players at the NHL level like the very overrated Ivan Provorov, and Kevin Hayes.
But it seems as though even after they were able to discard the so-called locker room cancers and the team was able to hold down a playoff position for more than 100 straight days last season, they are right back to their same old inconsistent ways of losing just enough games NOT to make the playoffs but win just enough NOT to draft within the lottery. Hearing that I think it should also be noted that the team finds itself in this predicament despite being able to add a player of Matvei Michkov’s caliber to their roster this offseason.
This is puzzling to me. To the point I think some questions need to be raised. Like, has John Tortorella’s antiquated/manic ways of coaching run their course here in Philly? Yes, I get that he was brought in to get the most out of the guys we had and that he has two Jack Adams Awards and a Stanley Cup win to his credit, but that Cup win was way back in 2004 when I was graduating from High School some 21 years ago. With that being said, might I remind you, we live in the here and now, and over the course of the last three seasons Torts has coached in Philly, he has managed to win only .495% of his games. That is the lowest win percentage of any of the five teams he has ever coached for.
Can’t you see that this team is just reverting to their old ways? And to prove that, all you have to do is look at the Flyers power play unit, which currently finds itself right back among the worst in the league. 28TH, to be exact, with them only being able to net a goal on the man advantage 16% of the time. And I have to say the penalty-killing unit isn’t doing much better, with them only managing to kill a penalty 77.4% of the time, ranking them 20th in the league.
Now, I’m not saying Danny Briere is doing a lousy job. But there’s a difference between moving a Mountain and a Molehill! While I respect the fact he has managed to set himself up with potentially three first-round picks and three-second rounds picks this year, those picks are beginning to look less impressive when you find out Philadelphia is scheduled to get the Avalanche’s 1st pick, which, if the season ended today the Flyers would find themselves picking 21st overall and the Oilers 1st round selection which as of today has them making that selection 30th overall.
I’m sure whoever they get in those spots will probably one day be a decent NHL player, but do we really need another Morgan Frost, who was drafted 27th overall, Scott Laughton, who was drafted 20th overall, Tyson Foerster who was drafted 23rd overall, or Joel Farabee who was taken 14th overall in his draft year? There simply won’t be franchise-changing players left to select this late in the draft, so if the team really wants to bust out of the constant state of mediocrity they continue to find themselves in, they will need to get creative!
To do that, they cannot continue to put up with this inconsistent play where they are able to beat a playoff team pretty decisively one night like they did the Devils on Monday the 27th, only to get completely embarrassed by them the very next game 5-0.
That means Danny Briere must stop trying to dangle the same old stinky bait out there and keep expecting a bigger fish (team) with more to offer to bite on it. Don’t get me wrong; I respect him for trying to get the most out of what he has to offer. But let’s face it, Danny has had names like Frost, Laughton, Farabee, and Ristolainen out there for years now and has been rumored to pass on deals if prospecting teams are not trying to offer up 1st round picks plus some.
Now, maybe this is just me, but if I tried that long to trade someone and was not getting the return offers I wanted, I would switch it up a bit. For example, if Briere is not getting the 1st round picks that he wants, then maybe it would be wise to settle for a second or third-round pick and instead, in addition to that, ask for one of the opposing team’s already drafted young players within the system.
Take, for instance, the Washington Capitals. They are currently in first place in not only the Metropolitan Division but the entire Eastern Conference. And with an aging superstar like Alexander Ovechkin, they know they may not get many more chances at winning another cup with him at the helm, so why not give them a call and ask what they need?
Because at this point, if I were the Flyers, I would be willing to offer up just about anybody not named Michkov if that meant I could garner another late first-round pick or even settle for another second or third-round pick that I could combine with the other multitude of top-round selections the Flyers already possess to make an offer to a team that is due to select inside the Top 5 overall that they will not be able to refuse. So, the Flyers could make sure to get a franchise-changing center like James Hagens or Michael Misa to pair with Michkov.
In addition to that, in that hypothetical trade with the Caps, because they settled for a second or third-round pick for some of their players, they can then ask for one of the Capitals’ top prospects, like Ryan Leonard or Andrew Cristall.
Now, I know what you’re thinking; it would take a lot to get the Caps to agree to something like this, and you’re right. But, it’s like that old idiom says: You have to be willing to give up something in order to get something in return. Even if that meant having to give up a staple of your team, like Sean Couturier or Owen Tippett, or if not them, then a restricted free agent like Tyson Foerster, who scored 20 goals last year, or 24-year-old defenseman Cam York, they should do it. Because if you are truly building for the future with a championship in mind, then you should be willing to do whatever you have to in order to acquire a possible franchise-changing talent.
And don’t try to tell me that Washington couldn’t afford to take them on because they have both Nicklas Backstrom, who makes $9.2 million a year, and T.J. Oshie, who makes $5.7 million a year, who are currently on Long Term Injured Reserve set to become unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Remember, this is just one example. There are plenty of playoff-contending teams the Flyers should be out there contacting. For clubs are no longer waiting for the deadline to make moves. Therefore, Briere should be acting now in order not to end up like his predecessor Chuck Flecther did for so many years, when, at the conclusion of the trade deadline, he was left sitting in his office wondering why his phone didn’t ring.