When the NHL Draft concluded in Las Vegas in June, it marked the end of the scouting cycle for the 2023-24 season. Following the draft, previously-selected prospects and free agents travelled to NHL cities to attend development camps and set a strategy for future growth within the organization.
As the calendar turned to August, it marked the beginning of a new year for amateur scouting staffs. As a part of that, all 32 teams arrived in Edmonton for the annual Hlinka Gretzky Cup U18 tournament. The event runs from Monday, Aug. 5 to Saturday, Aug. 10 and begins the process of evaluating draft-eligible players for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Before we get into the top names to watch in Edmonton this week, let’s look at a couple of names who will not be playing. The early consensus No. 1 prospect is James Hagens, who played for the USNTDP U18 men’s team last season. Hagens was born on Nov. 3, 2006, which makes him ineligible for the U18 tournaments this season. Only players born before Sept. 15th, 2007 qualify for international events at the U18 level.
Hagens will, undoubtedly, be part of Team USA’s U20 team at the World Junior Championship in Ottawa over the Christmas holidays. He’s an offensively-gifted forward who stands 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds. Hagens contributed 39 goals and 63 assists last year and an incredible nine goals and 13 assists in only seven games at the world championship. He is a freshman at Boston College.
Another top prospect who has aged out and not eligible to play in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is Porter Martone (Oct. 26, 2006) from the Brampton Steelheads. Martone brings a combination of size and skill. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds with tons of room to add more weight and strength to his frame. Martone leans goal scorer / shooter more than distributor, contributing 33 goals, 38 assists in 60 OHL games last season and followed up with five goals and 12 assists as a member of Team Canada’s gold-medal winning U18 team in the spring.
Early predictions have Martone being selected second overall next spring at the NHL Draft.
Although Hagens and Martone will not be participating this week, there’s no shortage of high-end talent excited to suit up for their country. Here’s a pre-tournament look at some of the prospects that scouts will be monitoring this week in Edmonton.
Matthew Schaefer (Team Canada)
Left-shot defenceman (Erie Otters, OHL)
Size: 6-foot-1 ¾, 175 pounds
Schaefer was excellent for Team Canada at the U18 World Championship in Finland this past spring. He’s light on his skates, a threat to make plays in transition, and is just scraping the surface of his overall offensive upside.
Something the scouting fraternity will make note of is Schaefer’s birthdate in relation to the rest of this draft class. Matthew was born on Sept. 5, 2007. Considering the cut-off date for eligibility is Sept. 15, he is very young for this draft class.
Schaefer was selected first overall by Erie at the 2023 OHL Draft. He collected three goals and 14 assists in his rookie season, but as I mentioned I believe he is on the verge of a breakout year offensively.
Here’s a clip of what I viewed at the world championship in Finland from Schaefer:
Caleb Desnoyers (Team Canada)
Left-shot centre (Moncton, QMJHL)
Size: 6-foot-1½, 178 pounds
Desnoyers had a productive rookie season in the QMJHL playing for the Moncton Wildcats. He produced 20 goals and 36 assists in 60 regular-season games. Desnoyers also benefited from the experience of playing for Team Canada at the U18 worlds in the spring. He’s a rangy forward who handles the puck very well and displays poise in high-danger areas. Desnoyers has the ability to attack offensively in a variety of ways.
Here’s a clip from a U18 pre-tournament game last spring that displays what I’m describing:
Jakob Ihs-Wozniak (Team Sweden)
Right-shot forward (Lulea Sweden, J20)
Size: 6-foot-2¼, 184 pounds
There’s a trend returning to the prospect pool recently: SIZE! After what seemed like several years of smaller, darting players gaining the majority of attention, prospects like Ihs-Wozniak have bucked the trend.
Ihs-Wozniak is intriguing. He isn’t the most dynamic looking player on and off the puck, but he’s efficient. He sees the ice and distributes very well. He’s not a one-trick pony though. When sees an opportunity to direct pucks on net he takes advantage. Ihs-Wozniak produced 22 goals and 27 assists at the junior level in Sweden last year. His skating has room to improve and will assist with him extending more plays, creating turnovers and arriving sooner to bump opponents off the play. I will be monitoring his progress this week and throughout the year.
Sascha Boumedienne (Team Sweden)
Left-shot defenceman (Youngstown, USHL)
Size: 6-foot-2, 183 pounds
Boumedienne is a Swedish defenceman who has been playing in the U.S. for several years. He’s committed to Boston University.
I’m keenly interested to monitor Boumedienne’s trajectory. He was named to the USHL’s first-team rookie roster after last season. Sascha projects as a two-way D with better-than-average offensive upside. He moves pucks responsibly and can be trusted to contribute in all situations. He has the look of a player who is still adjusting to his size at times, especially in small areas defending and playmaking, but he also has a one-timer that can beat goalies clean from distance in the offensive zone.
Adam Benak (Team Czechia)
Left-shot forward (Youngstown, USHL)
Size: 5-foot-7, 157 pounds
Benak will also be suiting up for Youngstown in the USHL this fall. He stood out at times playing for Team Czechia last year on the international stage. The obvious concern about Benak is his stature. He’s undersized but extremely competitive and skilled. He’s a water bug that has, so far, never let me down with his compete and involvement despite his size. Benak is tough to check in small areas. He spins off opponents and has the skill and vision to make plays in a phone booth. He’s added at least 12 pounds since the end of last season to his frame.
Benjamin Kevan (Team USA)
Right-shot forward (Des Moines, USHL)
Size: 6 foot, 175 pounds
Kevan had a nice year in the USHL last season, producing 24 goals and 33 assists. He was also named to the first-team rookie team at the end of the season.
Kevan has been a streaky scorer at times but I like his overall puck touch and skill. He also gets to the inside and creates scoring chances between the hash marks in the offensive zone. This stage is important for a player like Kevan to set the tone for his season and gain early momentum with the scouting fraternity.
Next Franchise Player?
Team Canada will be led by Gavin McKenna this week. He’s an all-world offensive talent who contributed 10 goals and 10 assists in seven games at the U18 worlds last spring. What makes his contribution even more impressive is the fact he isn’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2026!
McKenna plays for Medicine Hat in the WHL and led the Tigers with 34 goals and 63 assists last season. He would undoubtedly be in the conversation for the first-overall draft slot in this cycle if not for the fact he is a late birthday (Dec. 20, 2007).
McKenna loves the big stage. He had a hat trick and an assist leading Team Canada to a gold-medal victory over Team USA in the spring. He’s always in pursuit of the puck and wants to be a difference maker every time he hits the ice.
