Inside Wheeler’s Shocking Summer 2025 NHL Prospect Rankings: Who’s the True Future Star?
He’s a plus-level skater and handler who plays an extremely involved game in all three zones, whether that’s activating into the rush or off the point, shaking pressure on exits or across/off the blue line (which he does extraordinarily well, making opposing players miss), working in and out of give-and-gos, or playing tight gaps against the rush. He’s a very busy player on both sides of the puck, and he gets in and out of his transitions and footwork so quickly that he can play that style. When he’s dialed in, applying pressure on and off the puck and using his feet and his skating to influence play, he can really impact a game in a lot of ways and take over play both offensively (with his activations and evasiveness in the offensive zone) and defensively (with his ability to swallow up top players). His shakes and deception have gone from a strength to a game-breaking quality. His head is always on a swivel. He opens up and walks the line to create lanes for his shot and pass so well, even working off his off-side. He side-steps past opposing players with ease. He has great hands (complemented by those inside edges and shoulder fakes). Some questioned his lack of physicality (with one scout even calling him soft) early on in his draft year but those questions have been emphatically answered in the last two years going to work on some of the more talented forwards in college hockey defensively in big moments — and top players at the World Juniors (I thought after a bit of an off start in this year’s tournament that he really elevated in the medal round and defended at a high level). He has learned that the faster he cuts off plays, the more he can play offense, and has really begun to take space more assertively defensively (on top of all of his stickwork and footwork). He’ll occasionally lose a battle in front or in the corner, but he defends at a high level in every other area, and his ability to shake and dance past and around coverage can really open up the offensive zone for his team when he’s out there.
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