Inside Wheeler’s Shocking Summer 2025 NHL Prospect Rankings: Who’s the True Future Star?
His offensive gifts are extremely impressive but Cole has more of a physical element to his game than Lane does as well, and plays opponents really hard so that his size is less noticeable (Lane’s plenty competitive, but Cole delivers more hits if you will), gluing himself to them in order to be as disruptive as possible and really outwardly battling along the wall. He quickly identifies second and third options, often a step ahead of opposing structures. The way he shows one thing and does another is pretty unique. His little hesitations in control into quick, decisive attacking moments grab your attention and allow him to make plays past the first layer and walk off the line as well as any D prospect in the sport. He has the puck on a string at times. I think he’s a better skater than his big brother was at the same age (he snakes his way through gaps in coverage so effortlessly, and his lateral agility on cuts is a major strength). He executes some beautiful stretch passes. He has great touch and feel on his backhand as well as his forehand. He has the shakes and head fakes that Lane has. And while there were some who questioned whether his more physical style would translate against pros, he defended really well with his feet, anticipation and timing both in college and at the World Juniors (I thought his play defensively in Ottawa was as notable as his playmaking offensively). His teams have been better with him out there on the back end in each of the last three seasons than without him. The consensus despite the production is that he’s not quite as dynamic/smart as Lane, but I’m still a big believer in the talent, ranked him 34th when he went 43rd, and think he has emerged as a star prospect after his second half in college last year following the World Juniors.
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