Matthew Schaefer highlights NHL Central Scouting’s final 2025 NHL Draft rankings

The final NHL Central Scouting rankings list dropped on Tuesday morning, and Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer is leading the charge for North American skaters.

Anton Frondell, who plays for Djurgarden in Sweden’s second division, is No. 1 on the final ranking of International skaters.

The 2025 draft will be held at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on June 27-28. 

There were a number of changes to the final rankings, with players jumping and some falling. Some of the most notable changes are Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa going from No. 3 to No. 2 spot, while Boston College forward James Hagens dropped from No. 2 to No. 3. Brantford Bulldogs forward Jake O’Brien is ranked No. 4 after being No. 8 in the midterm, defenseman Radim Mrtka of the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL moved one spot to No. 5, Porter Martone dropped to No. 6.

“It’s a tighter spread between Schaefer and the No. 2 player than it was at the midterm, and that is a result of the fact [Schaefer] has not been playing,” NHL Central Scouting vice president and director Dan Marr said. “But what does remain is that [Schaefer] is the best at his position. There’s no other defenseman, though Mrtka might make a conversation out of it. Maybe if [Mrtka] had a full year in North America, but he hasn’t.

Schaefer notched seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 17 games this past season after being injured during the World Juniors. Misa became the first player in Saginaw history to win the Eddie Powers Trophy as the top scorer in the OHL, totalling 134 points. Hagens ranked third at Boston College with 26 assists and 37 points.

“[Misa and Hagens] are very impressive in their own right and there’s not a fine line to be drawn,” Marr said. “Three years from now, they both could be a point-per-game guy in the NHL, but they’ll just both do it their own way.