Inside Wheeler’s Shocking Summer 2025 NHL Prospect Rankings: Who’s the True Future Star?
Scouts were drawn to But because of his size-skill combo as a 6-foot-6 winger with natural skill/scoring touch and a committed 200-foot game, and while he could look a little uncoordinated out there at times earlier in his career, those things have smoothed out, he skates well and his hands are nimble for his size. The draw is real, and there are some definite tools there. He’s excellent on the wall in puck protection and also has some outside-in skill so that he can attack off holds into the middle third. He has impressive shooting mechanics given how long his stick is, and he regularly pulls pucks into his feet to change his angle face-up against goalies. I love the way he shields pucks and waits for his opportunities to attack. While he has some work to do to get a little quicker from the jump in the game’s 10-foot races for the NHL, he does have some power and balance through his stride to build upon and skates pretty well for his size and age. It’s hard to be a true top-of-the-lineup forward at his size, though, and he’s not the most physical player, so he’ll have to rely on his reach-skill-shooting combo to be an impactful secondary producer in the NHL. I think he projects as a complementary scorer who gives a lineup a bit of a different look. There’s a lot to work with, though, and he’s a legitimate prospect even if, like Simashev, I felt he was picked a little too high. He’ll be a unique top-nine winger in the NHL and maybe even a second-line one if he hits.
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