Inside Wheeler’s Shocking Summer 2025 NHL Prospect Rankings: Who’s the True Future Star?
Ostlund’s silky smooth in possession and a superb puck transporter through neutral ice. He has a slippery quality that few players have; the puck just sticks to him in tight coverage, and he is a catalyst on his line in a variety of ways. He’s a nifty little player. Some scouts worry about whether he’ll be able to get to the inside/hold his own physically along the wall in the NHL (he has never scored a ton), but his approach and skating should help mitigate against that. The flow, the work ethic, the ability to hang onto it or play in quick give-and-goes, his stick on steals, the changes of directions and cutbacks: there’s a lot to like. He has and holds the puck a lot, he’s so shifty in possession side-stepping defenders or turning them on angles, and even though he doesn’t always produce something out of his natural playmaking game because he’s still missing that finishing strength, he’s noticeable and making plays nonetheless. The stops and starts, and how quickly and tightly he turns, really make him hard to get a handle on and have helped him escape the cycle well against bigger competition.
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