Brandon Soto/OHL Images
It’s time to open the notebook once more and take a look at a few players eligible for the 2025 NHL draft.
This time, we will check in on three players who may be heading to the world juniors in Ottawa at the end of the month.
The series is designed to give readers a peek inside my scouting notebook as I review and scout the current crop of draft talent. It’s an excellent way to shine a light on part of my process and give hockey fans a bit of a peek behind the curtain of what I – and every NHL team – do in preparation for the NHL draft.
Coming off a fantastic showing at the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge, defenseman Matthew Schaefer is first up as we look at a recent game in the OHL where he put all of his tools on display.
Next, we look at Porter Martone, the captain of the CHL team at the same event. The game started off with a bang, and Martone showed why he’s getting comparisons to some of the NHL’s best power forwards.
The final feature of the notebook is Victor Eklund, a Swedish forward playing pro hockey and proving that he should be in the discussion among the top-tier talent in the draft.
Matthew Schaefer, D, Erie Otters (OHL), 6-foot-2, 183 pounds
Nov. 16, 2024, vs. Flint Firebirds (OHL)
Skating: The level of complete mobility that Schaefer brings to the game is what makes him special.
When a player is head and shoulders the best mover on the ice, he has inherent advantages. Schaefer can make up for his mistakes, win puck races, evade pressure, create offensively, kill play defensively and impact the game through the neutral zone in transition all because his skating is simply better than most on the ice.
In this game, he showed exactly how effectively he can use his skating to make plays all over the ice. There were several times when Schaefer could leverage his skating to step up and halt a rush in the neutral zone, reading the play and using his stick to disrupt the pass right as it arrived at its recipient.
Related: Matthew Schaefer Has Put His Stake In The Ground For No. 1 Overall In The 2025 NHL Draft
IQ: While his skating was on display throughout this game, his ability to read the play and blend the rest of his physical tools into his skating made him truly effective.
Schaefer consistently recognized where the play was developing and how he was going to have to make a play on the puck to cut it down definitively. He was physical when necessary, but Schaefer’s brand of defense was built upon anticipating the play, jumping a pass, or simply swiping the puck off the opposing players’ stick after skating through their hands to separate possession.
His ability to scan and read where pressure was coming from when he was going back to retrieve the puck was impressive, using feints and misdirection to evade the forecheckers or open himself up to space. It was the quick cutbacks or subtle changes in direction that made all of the difference. When opening up and looking up ice on the breakout, Schaefer’s game really began to shine. If there was open ice in front of him, he would take it and then some.
Using his shiftiness in cohesion with well-controlled puckhandling, he would knife through the neutral zone until he was met with a defender head-on at the blueline. If he could not cut around them, Schaefer showed excellent awareness of where his teammates were.
When finding a teammate for a pass wasn’t an option, he dumped pucks into space and used the wall to bank pucks to spots where his teammates could skate onto them. It wasn’t just dumping to chase, it was dumping for his teammate to have the most direct path to the puck.
Offensive Creation: Schaefer was once again able to use his speed and quickness along the blueline to walk laterally and open passing or shooting lanes. He would also attack down into the slot or down the wall to hunt down a puck to extend the pressure time.
He wasn’t doing the kind of things that we see from Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes. It was simply the effectiveness of advancing the play and creating a chance the way an Adam Fox or Mattias Ekholm have done for years.
Schaefer had an assist on the power play in this game, working the point and moving along the top of the zone before making a crisp, hard pass to the half-wall to set up a one-timer. Although this was his lone point of the game, it wasn’t close to one of his better plays in the game. It was a simple, move-and-dish power-play tactic that he pulled off to perfection.
Overall, Schaefer showcased such a well-rounded and controlled game in all three zones. His transition ability and quick counter-attack style of game will fit well with the NHL style of play.
Related: NHL Draft: Three Stars Of Game 1 Of CHL USA Prospects Challenge
Porter Martone, RW, Brampton Steelheads (OHL), 6-foot-3, 207 pounds
Nov. 30, 2024, vs. Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Starting Off Hot: On his very first shift of the game, fresh off of being his linemate at the CHL-USA games, Martone and Michael Misa fought in a spirited affair after some bumping in the neutral zone.
There were a few moments throughout the game when the duo would get a chance to lay the body on each other, and they seemed happy to do so. Both Martone and Misa are uber-competitive so it was interesting to see the back-and-forth physical play between the two.
Physicality, Power and Pace: The first period was a bit of a slow one outside of the fight and a couple of solid offensive zone cycles for Martone. His physicality along the boards and around the net was noteworthy, even making defenders’ lives hell at times. He didn’t get to show off his hands much, though, and his skating seemed a bit leisurely at times, particularly in his own end where he’s generally, at the very least, an involved participant.
When the second period started, his pace and play ramped up, which was great to see. He was getting more involved in his own end, looking to put pressure on puck carriers high in the zone and along the walls. His stick was active, and he seemed to be even more willing to utilize his strength advantage.
Martone showed off some really nice hands a few times, pulling the puck around defenders and making quick lateral dekes and cuts. On zone entries, he was attacking downhill and inviting contact before cutting laterally quickly to escape the pressure as soon as a defender started to lean.
His cycle play was outstanding, recognizing when to peel off the boards and get to the middle or attack the net off-puck. His hands, in combination with his sturdy frame and power game, allowed him to generate chances and maintain possession for long stretches of time.
Martone was certainly not perfect in this game, but his line went head-to-head with Saginaw’s top line for much of the night and drew even when it came to possession, and they ended up with the win.
Two-Way Effort Leads to Goal and Save: Martone scored a goal in the second period that started on an excellent little play in the defensive zone. Setting up along the high wall for an outlet pass, Martone slipped back down the wall as Misa, once again, went for a hit. Martone then flipped the ice with an east-west pass.
Luke Misa started up ice, and Martone trailed him. When Luke got deep in the attacking zone, he spun and found the trailing Martone in the slot, driving the net. Martone made no mistake, burying the in-tight chance for a goal.
A little later on, Martone went full street hockey goalie, diving into the crease to make a save behind Jack Ivankovic after a power play broke down and Saginaw got a shorthanded rush. Martone put himself between the attacker and the net, sprawling out and taking a puck off of the leg before Ivankovic covered it up for a whistle. This kind of defensive effort is what you more traditionally see from Martone.
Even if the positioning isn’t perfect, there is always a base level of effort that helps him make plays. Through the rest of the game, Martone was engaged and outworking the opponents around the net and along the boards. Those extra effort plays like the sprawling save or the little defensive zone passes that led to breakouts are what make Martone the player so many NHL scouts see as a future captain and well-rounded player.
Related: Canada Releases World Junior Camp Roster: Reaction, Snubs, Bubble Players
Victor Eklund, LW, Djurgårdens IF (Swe-2), 5-foot-11, 161 pounds
Nov. 20, 2024, vs. Vasteras (Swe-2)
Endless Motor: On his first shift of the game, the motor was on display for Eklund. He was getting involved in the play at both ends of the ice, starting with a diving shot block in the slot defensively. At the offensive end of the ice, he threw a good hit to dislodge the puck on the forecheck and then cycled to the front of the net. Once there, the effort and compete level to gain puck-side position was impressive for a young forward, making it difficult for the goalie to see and fight for the loose puck in the scrum in front.
Eklund’s speed and energy elevate his skill and center-focused game. Throughout this game, Eklund’s quickness and effort were making a difference as he battled through contact and even got physically engaged.
Playmaking Prowess: His passing under pressure was impressive, and he always seemed to know where his teammates would be.
Eklund’s diverse passing in this game was something to note as he could fire crisp, hard passes across the slot like the one on the power play that got him his assist, or he was flipping it over a defender’s stick to a center-driving teammate for a transition chance.
Eklund made several notable passes with a player draped on him, including one where he got to the puck first off the faceoff and simply bumped it out to the defenseman. That would have given him a second assist had the goal not come back for a kicking motion.
Defensive Engagement: Eklund was defensively engaged throughout this game, which was great to see. His ability to read the pass and pick it off was evident a number of times, and he seemed to consistently have an extra step or the additional effort to pull the puck from the opposing team.
Eklund had an unwavering effort and consistent commitment to playing a brand of hockey that blended his speed and skill with a physicality and work ethic that was nearly unmatched in the game.
The opposing team often physically targeted Eklund, bumping him off the puck and even giving him extra shots after the whistle. None of it mattered because Eklund kept pushing the pace.
Final Notes: Eklund was given a questionable elbowing penalty in the game. He was rushing the puck up the ice and got tripped. As he was getting up, the player went to hit him again, and he pushed back a bit and caught the guy a bit high while trying to protect the puck.
Honestly, this was an outstanding effort for Eklund, and he continues to show that he deserves to be in the top tier of players in the NHL draft with Misa, Martone, Hagens, and Schaefer.
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