Inside Wheeler’s Shocking Summer 2025 NHL Prospect Rankings: Who’s the True Future Star?

Defensively, he’s a capable man-to-man in-zone defender and though I do worry about his stilted backward skating/pivots and how often he gets caught flat-footed off the rush, he closes out on gaps (he can struggle maintaining them but using timing to his advantage and is eager to pounce) with his length and aggression. Offensively, he leads a ton of rushes as an equally eager puck transporter (he’s a better skater going forward than backward) and he’s a capable handler and distributor whose point shot is complemented by an aggressive approach. There are also some subtleties to his game (first passes that are almost never off target, a sneaky-silky first touch for a player his size into his first move and an ability to make a second move, etc.). But his modus operandi is that he’s a confident, active, engaged, talented player who has almost all of the tools you look for in a top defender, except for the footwork on his heels.

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