With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft soon approaching, the status of the Vancouver Canucks‘ first-round selection is as ambiguous as it is intriguing. A subject of constant trade talks and hypothetical team-building scenarios, the asset represents an enticing and significant trade chip that could instantly bolster the organization’s top-six forward core.

In the same breath, prospects are consistently arriving in the NHL quicker than they ever have, providing higher-end skill at cost-controlled prices – a key to competing in today’s cap-strapped environments.

Regardless of the Canucks’ plans over the coming week, they will have options rolling into the draft, which is shaping up to be a potentially volatile top-15 compared to public rankings.

With centre depth filling up the mid-range of the first round, options to improve depth at the centre/forward position are going to be available. Whether the organization decides to fast-forward the timeline of the 15th overall pick with a trade or use their selection, it would be helpful to break down what may be out there come June 27th.

While defensive options like Barrie Colts’ Kashawn Aitcheson, Tri-City Americans’ Jackson Smith, or even Kitchener Rangers’ Cameron Ried all represent fine choices, based on my own work scouting these players for Elite Prospects, the value within this range is pretty similar. Vancouver may view it differently, but positional need can supersede other factors when developing a ranking. With that said, here are some options at centre and forward for the 15th overall selection.

When talking about a player’s impact and involvement across all three zones of the ice, there likely isn’t a match to Braeden Cootes in this range. A 6-foot-0, right-hand shot centre, Cootes captained a transitioning Seattle Thunderbirds team, racking up 63 points across 60 games. He was their offensive and defensive driver, earning a reputation as a premier two-way player across the WHL.

The base of Cootes’ game is his motor – he’s an uber-involved forechecker, operating with relentless pace and physicality. Hard skills, such as puck protection habits, inside positioning, and proactive contact, are consistent throughout his game, which only aids his projection to the NHL level. He’s frankly one of the best space creators in the draft. That isn’t even mentioning his defensive play, where Cootes excels as a pressure pusher and disruptor.

Don’t get it twisted, Cootes isn’t just a checking projection. He operates with speed, pushing defenders on their heels, all while leveraging a deadly curl-and-drag wrister, full of angle-change deception and inside-foot releasing. He’s a talented distributor, working hook and slip passes into the mix, liable to mix in a dynamic handle to create an advantage. His offensive upside is greater than his production.

Some believe Cootes’ feel for the game isn’t at a high enough level to fully translate his offensive dimension, but this isn’t a sentiment I share after watching him 10-plus times this season. A second-line centre upside is in reach, and for the 15th overall selection, that is incredible value.

Cootes revealed on Donnie and Dhali that the Canucks took him out to dinner at the combine, confirming some level of interest.

Across this list, Carter Bear is the most certain NHL projection. Bear’s offensive dominance was evident this year. He racked up 40 goals and 42 assists across 56 games before this season, leading a loaded Everett Silvertips in scoring, despite missing the end of the season to an Achilles injury.

Bear is the master of operating within the dotted lines, in the slot, and subsequently, the crease. He possesses a deft small-area game, able to identify and finish rebounds, all while operating as a constant redirection and slot-funnelling threat. He may not be an overwhelming puck transporter, but he’s a high-end connecter who is first on the forecheck, flashing elite physical skill and puck retrieval ability. While there are dynamic elements sprinkled across his game, Bear is already a functional professional-level scorer who should have little issue translating that ability to higher levels.

The Winnipeg-born centre/wing’s ability to push pressure cannot be understated. I had viewings where he crushed his opposition’s transition, making smart reads, rejecting outlets and mobbing puck carriers into turnovers — this is a high-end thinker capable of impacting play off-puck and across his own zone. Mitchell Brown, of Elite Prospects, tracked Bear in the 99th percentile of defensive stops compared to his peers.

With Bear already reportedly skating, his Achilles injury isn’t much of a consideration in terms of affecting his value in the draft. The area that does concern some is his size. At just 6-foot-0, 179 pounds, some worry that he won’t be able to push a similar physical game at the NHL level. By my estimation, I don’t think that will be much of an issue – he’s similar to Seth Jarvis at the same age, who is a smaller but physically dominant forward.

A top-six centre/wing future seems clear for Bear going forward.

If Roger McQueen slips to the 15th-overall pick, he could end up being the biggest steal of the NHL draft. A 6-foot-5, fluid-skating, right-shot centre, he is among the more special profiles in the entire draft. A unicorn when it comes to the size and skill blend, he shouldn’t be this mechanically refined.

A full-range handler, able to beat pressure and create advantages in motion, McQueen possesses the large and small-area handling to bamboozle defenders. Stacking higher-end ideas on-puck, McQueen’s use of deception, both through the use of look-offs and feints, adds a dynamic dimension to his attacking. Possessing a powerful shot that leverages his entire frame and projectable passing skill, McQueen’s upside is, in a word, unlimited.

The most significant question mark that surrounded McQueen’s game this year came in the form of his health. McQueen only suited up for 20 games this past season, leaving early in the campaign due to a back injury. Initially misdiagnosed with a bulging disk, McQueen revealed at the combine that he suffered a fracture in a vertebra. Upon returning to action at the end of the year, McQueen was sidelined again for an unrelated injury — not ideal for a big-bodied prospect.

While McQueen’s upside is clear, he’s also a fairly raw quantity. Missing significant time in a draft season can have real developmental effects, which will only worsen if this trend continues into his draft-plus-one season. Still, McQueen assured teams at the combine that he was 100% and pain-free going forward.

At 15th overall, this is a slam-dunk pick in terms of an upside bet. It’s impossible to find players with similar archetypes via trade in the NHL, which raises scepticism that he will even be available when and if the Canucks make their selection.

Victor Eklund operates like a puck-seeking missile, possessing a motor, will, and hard-skill habits that are a marvel to watch.

Brother of San Jose’s William Eklund, Victor crashes the boards so willingly and operates with such an unrelenting battle level that you never have to question his effort level. He wins inside positioning, outworks bigger quantities, and is slippery on the perimeter, working deft playmaking out of his escapes below the goal line. He’s intense, understanding the nuances of controlling opponents, all while flexing details across every facet of his game.

In transition, he blends handling, pace, and deft playmaking skill to create in motion, while defaulting into slot-oriented attacking off the cycle. His tools are proficient, able to leverage an accurate catch-and-release shot or a handle in small spaces to create an advantage. He won’t be an overwhelming offensive producer, but he has enough to connect plays with a higher-end teammate, providing much-needed puck recovery and speed to the mix.

While the public sphere loves Eklund, whispers that he could drop in the order are ever-present as a lead-up to the draft. The worry with his profile, as you might guess, comes down to size. He’s only 5-foot-11, and there are question marks if he will be able to operate and, frankly, survive playing the same style he pushed so heavily in HockeyAllsvenskan. Typically, based on experience, you bet on the detailed physical players to translate, but without elite-level tools, his projection may be closer to a mid-six contributor than a top-line attacking wing.

Cole Reschny possesses the most complex projection across this group. Leading a Victoria Royals team, the Saskatchewan-born centre dominated through his playmaking skills, racking up 66 assists across the regular season, putting together an outstanding 25 points across 11 games in the postseason.

An incredible down-low connector, Reschny blends deception, magnetism, proactive movement, and inside-oriented attacking to draw attention and find teammates through the tightest of lanes. He’s a true nexus point of his line, spreading chances out to the wings, facilitating quick puck movement through one-touches, hooks, and slip feeds. More of a dual-threat scorer than he gets credit for, Reschny also possesses an accurate wrist shot, focusing more on placement and precision rather than power and violent wrist-folding.

Despite being just 5-foot-10, Reschny’s puck protection, slippery outside play, and battle level were high-end aspects of his game, helping alleviate some concerns about his size. On top of that, Reschny’s defensive dimension represents one of the strong points of his profile — a dogged backchecker and disruptor under pressure.

One of the more complete players on this list, Reschny’s skating and lack of a dynamic punch are two areas that hold him back from a projection standpoint. He lacks explosiveness and, at times, appears mechanically limited when blending his skating and handling to create advantages. If you are looking for a comp, Puis Suter matches up quite well, albeit with a stronger playmaking base. We all know how highly the Canucks regard Suter and his profile.

Of all draft-eligible players in the WHL, no one outproduced Ben Kindel. Coquitlam-born and son of former Whitecaps left back, Steve Kindel, the wing/centre prospect nearly eclipsed the 100-point mark this season, recording 35 goals and 64 assists across 65 games.

Kindel plays fast, combining NHL-level tools and hockey sense to drive play. He’s a tricky route adjuster who holds onto pucks, draws attention, and leverages changes in speeds to create opportunities for the players around him.

His playmaking stands out as his most dangerous weapon. He feathers area feeds, tape-to-tape layers, give-and-go connections, and deceives pressure through absurd finds, perpetually flexing his vision. Able to convert off the pass, Kindel’s finishing is another plus area of his profile, possessing a wild one-timer shot and a deceptive curl-and-drag wrist shot.

Fearless in his own zone, it’s not uncommon to see Kindel swinging into shot lanes, covering secondary threats, and pushing a disruptive brand of hockey. He also holds his own as a battler, processing and intercepting breakouts for second-chance offence, but he lacks consistent proactive contact and space creation habits in moments.

Additionally, Kindel isn’t exactly a burner, more relying on activity rate than mechanics to play faster hockey. Combine those aforementioned factors with his 5-foot-10 frame, and he’s a somewhat divisive prospect when it comes to projecting out to the NHL. Still, a middle-six creator isn’t out of the question in today’s NHL.