Who goes after Schaefer? Button plays GM in Mock Draft reveal

While TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button has Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer going first overall to the New York Islanders in his final mock draft ahead of the main event on June 27-28, this year’s draft is defined by centres.

Button has eight centres going in the top 15 of his mock draft, starting with Michael Misa of the Saginaw Spirit going second overall to San Jose, where he would join a young Sharks team highlighted by last year’s No. 1 pick, Macklin Celebrini, and 2023 fourth-overall pick Will Smith.

Misa scored 62 goals with 134 points in 65 games for the Spirit last season. For his efforts, he won the CHL Top Scorer Award as well as the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player and the Eddie Powers Trophy as the top point-getter.

With the third-overall pick, Button has the Chicago Blackhawks taking Djurgardens centre Anton Frondell.

This is the third straight year the Blackhawks are picking in the top three after selecting forward Connor Bedard first overall in 2023 and defenceman Artyom Levshunov No. 2 in 2024.

Frondell had 11 goals and 25 points in 28 games this past season in Sweden. He also helped the team win the HockeyAllsvenskan, earning a promotion to the SHL for the 2025-26 season and won rookie of the year.

The Utah Mammoth will pick fourth overall and Button has them shoring up their centre depth behind Logan Cooley, projecting them to take Soo Greyhounds centre Brady Martin.

Martin scored 33 goals with 72 points in 57 games in the OHL this season and helped Canada win gold at the U18s with 11 points in seven games.

Rounding out the top five is Boston College centre James Hagens, who Button has going to the Nashville Predators. This is the highest pick the Predators have had since selecting defenceman Seth Jones with the fourth-overall pick in 2013.

The Predators have just six players on their current roster who were born in the 2000s and just two players who were selected in the first round by the team.

Hagens was a point-per-game player as a freshman in the NCAA last season with 37 points in 37 games. He also has a decorated international career, helping the United States win gold at the U18s and World Juniors.

The first Canadian team to pick in the first round is the Vancouver Canucks at No. 15, with Button seeing a fit with Seattle Thunderbirds centre Braeden Cootes.

Cootes had 26 goals and 63 points in 60 games last season with Seattle and had eight points in six playoff games. After his WHL season ended, he captained Canada to gold at the U18s with 12 points in seven games.

The last time the Canucks took a centre in the first round was when they drafted Elias Pettersson fifth overall in 2017.

The next Canadian team up is the Montreal Canadiens, who hold back-to-back selections at No. 16 and 17. After picking in the top five for three years straight, the Canadiens made the playoffs in 2024-25. It is also the second straight year they will pick twice in the first round after selecting Russian winger Ivan Demidov fifth overall and centre Michael Hage at No. 21 in 2024.

Button has Montreal addressing the wing position with both selections, taking Erie Otters left winger Malcolm Spence (No. 16) and Ufa right winger Alexander Zharovsky (No. 17).

Spence, who is committed to the University of Michigan next season, scored 32 goals with 73 points in 65 games with Erie last season and added nine points in nine playoff games.

Zharovsky played the 2024-25 season in Russia with Ufa, scoring 24 goals with 50 points in 45 MHL games.

At No. 18 is the Calgary Flames, who will also select at No. 32. Button has the Flames taking two centres in the first round, with Cole Reschny off the board at No. 18 and Eric Nilson, who skated for the Djurgardens J20 squad last season, at No. 32.

Reschny had 26 goals with 92 points in 62 WHL games last season with Victoria and had a big playoff performance, scoring nine goals with 25 points in 11 games. He also had five goals and eight points to help Canada claim U18 gold. He is committed to the University of North Dakota next season.

Nilson sored 12 goals with 38 points in 37 games in 2024-25. He also helped Sweden win bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and silver at the U18s. Nilson is expected to attend Michigan State next season.

At No. 21, Button has the Ottawa Senators taking Blainville-Boisbriand Armada winger Justin Carbonneau and the Winnipeg Jets selecting Swedish forward Eddie Genborg 28th overall.

Carbonneau finished second in the QMJHL with 89 points and was tied for second in goals with 46. After the botched Evgenii Dadonov deal, the Senators were penalized by the NHL to give up a first-round pick in either 2024, 2025, or 2026. Ottawa kept last year’s pick, taking Calgary Hitmen defenceman Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall and chose to keep this year’s selection.

The Jets did not have a first-round selection in 2024, but Button has the team selecting Eddie Genborg, who had 19 goals and 34 points in 28 games with Linkoping J20 last season. He represented Sweden three times this season at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (bronze), World Junior A Challenge (silver) and U18s (silver).