3 projected first round picks still available on day 2 of the draft.

Predicting the National Hockey League Entry Draft every year is an incredibly difficult challenge and inevitably every single year we end up with some surprises. Those surprises can be both positive, with players that weren't expected to be picked early getting the surprise of a lifetime, or negative, with players who were hoping to be picked in the first round left devastated after Day 1 of the draft.

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft has featured plenty of both with some players moving way up the board as well as players who were projected to go early still up for grabs on Day 2. That latter group is who I will be focused on today with a look at 3 players who were projected to go in the first round of the draft that are still on the board.

#1 Malcolm Spence - Erie Otters

Without a doubt the biggest name still on the board is that of Malcolm Spence, with most mock drafts having Spence ranked somewhere in the early 20s.

Spence, a natural left winger, scored 32 goals and added 41 assists for 73 points in 65 games with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters this past season and at 6 foot 1 and 203 lbs at only 18 years of age, he also brings some size to his game.

#2 Blake Fiddler - Edmonton Oil Kings.

You could easily make the argument that Fiddler should be at #1 on this list given just how big of a need there is for right-shot defensemen in the National Hockey League.

Fiddler was projected in most mock drafts to go somewhere in the late 20s and with his combination of size, skill and a desirable position it's not hard to see why. Fiddler stands at a whopping 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighs in at 209 lbs, factors that will make him a desirable commodity among NHL teams.

Fiddler has a much improved campaign in his second season with the Western Hockey League's Edmonton Oil Kings, putting up 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points over 64 games. Fiddler also has the NHL in his blood with his father Vernon Fiddler having played in 877 career NHL games.

#3 Milton Gastrin - MoDo

Like Fiddler, Gastrin plays at a position of constant need in the NHL with Gastrin a natural centerman. Like Fiddler he was also projected to be a mid to late 20s type of pick on most mock drafts but remains undrafted at the time of this writing.

Gastrin stands at 6 foot 1 inch tall and weighs in at 185 lbs, and has some experience playing against men coming into this draft. Gastrin primarily played with MoDo Jr. last season but made the step up to the big time with MoDo of the Swedish Hockey League where he played in 8 games last season. Gastrin had no goals and no assists with the big club, but that he was counted on to play against grown men at just 18 years old is a feather in his cap.

Gastrin is a very solid two-way forward, albeit one without a ton of offensive upside.

It seems fair to suggest that it is only a matter of time before all 3 of these names are off the board.