The 2025 National Hockey League Entry Draft kicked off on Friday evening, as the league’s General Managers went about the task of improving their club’s futures by adding some first round selections to their player pools.
The Winnipeg Jets’ GM Kevin Cheveldayoff had to patiently watch as his rivals picked up 27 prospects before the True North franchise finally got their chance to add to the prospect pool. The New York Islanders began the fun when they selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters with the 1st overall pick and here is how the rest of the top ten played out (via Sportsnet):
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We had looked at 12 potential selections that the Jets may make in a previous article, though I did admit that it was likely that some of those options would go before Winnipeg had a chance to grab them. That ended out playing out tonight, as the following prospects were off the board by the time Chevy was on the clock:
- Jack Nesbitt – C – Flyers (12th overall)
- Cameron Reid – D – Predators (21st overall)
- Bill Zonnon – W – Penguins (22nd overall)
- William Horcoff – C – Penguins (24th overall)
With two big forward prospects nabbed by Pittsburgh in the picks leading up to selection #28, the Winnipeg Jets finally were in the spotlight when #28 rolled around late on Friday. With 8 out of the 12 prospects I reviewed available for selection, the True North franchise had goalie Eric Comrie make the selection for them….and our team ended up making Sascha Boumedienne the most recent draft pick to join the Manitoban franchise.
This was a player that I didn’t look at all. A Finnish-born, Swedish-raised left-handed defenseman – 6’2″ 183 lbs – son of former NHLer, Josef. Here is what Dobber Prospects had to say about the young man:
Final Rankings – Sascha Boumedienne, the BU freshman with a booming shot, struggled to adjust to the college level but finished strong at the U18s, breaking the tournament record for points by a defenseman (14). He has the tools for the next level, but questions remain about whether there’s a role in the modern NHL that fits his game.—Anni Karvinen
June 2025—Noted for his shot, transition play, and offensive involvement, Boumedienne’s skillset hasn’t translated to the NCAA game as well as hoped.
Coming into the season, it’s fair to say that Boumedienne was seen among the likes of Frondell, Eklund and Ekberg as the cream of the Swedish crop. While his early play for the Terriers didn’t reflect that, Boumedienne certainly improved over the course of the season.
That said, that was mostly an improvement to a competent college defender from a young defender who seemed far out of his depth. At this point, it seems unreasonable to project Boumedienne as dynamic offensive catalyst at higher levels. Continued refinements to his defensive positioning and physicality will likely dictate his professional success.—Luke Sweeney
Those words weren’t exactly filled with praise, so if you would like to read an entire article devoted to praising the European defenseman’s potential:
Here are Boumedienne’s stats, via PuckPedia:
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The entry draft will resume on Saturday, where the remaining 6 rounds will take place, allowing the Jets to add 4 more prospects to their pool (barring trades). Hoping to take a look at the full compliment of players Winnipeg selected in an article to be posted on Sunday, helping us fans get to know the new prospects a bit before they head to Winnipeg to take part in this summer’s development camp. Some other news along that line is that this year will see an end to the Jets’ attendance at the Young Stars Classic (featuring Vancouver, Edmonton, & Calgary) and instead will join the Prospect Showdown (featuring Montreal, Ottawa, & Toronto).
Oh, before I sign off…just remembered that the NHL mentioned that Kevin Cheveldayoff finished 3rd in voting for the Jim Gregory Manager of the Year Award. It was a Central Division rival, the Dallas Stars’ Jim Nill that ended up winning the trophy for a third consecutive season, showing just how deep Winnipeg’s division was last year.
