2025 NHL Draft: Top five late-round sleepers

Jun 20, 2025, 09:00 EDT

2025 NHL Draft: Top five late-round sleepers

Credit: Rena Laverty

We released our final top 120 NHL Draft list on Thursday, showing the best the crop has to offer.

But what about those who didn’t make the cut? It’s almost always more interesting to see which players projected to go late could end up being steals. There are always a few each year who defy the odds outside of the top 100. And that’s what makes watching these players develop so interesting, because so much can change at any given time.

Today, we’re looking at five players who didn’t make the top 120 list who could end up being late-round steals. In some cases, they may not have cracked the list but are still solid prospects. In other cases, they have deficiencies in their game that can be managed but just aren’t there yet.

Here’s a look at five players you’ll likely find in the later rounds – if they are drafted at all – who could turn out to be decent value picks:

Carl Axelsson, G (Austen Bruins, NAHL)

Axelsson hasn’t appeared on many draft boards this year, but there are some who believe in the Swedish goaltender – myself included. He didn’t play a ton in the NAHL, serving as the backup to Jack Solomon on the Austin Bruins (what a team name). Solomon is set to go to college next year, so if Axelsson stays in the NAHL, he’ll have plenty of playing time to work with. The Bruins were an excellent team, and Axelsson is a big reason why. He had six shutouts in 19 starts and a 14-4-1 record overall. The NAHL isn’t the highest-level league in the world (although Connor Hellebuyck is an alum), but Axelsson made the most of his first season in North America, and he even played some decent hockey with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede.

At 6-foot-4, Axelsson covers a lot of space, and he has the lateral speed to boot. Axelsson spends a lot of time standing at the top of his crease and taking shooting opportunities away, and he’s great at rebounds, too. On the flipside, though, Axelsson is prone to overcommitting, something that got him stung on occasion this year. And for being a bigger goalie, he could afford to fill his frame out a little bit to take more holes away. Axelsson will need to face tougher competition to prove he’s a capable goalie, but I like him as a long-term goaltending project.

Kale Dach, C (Sherwood Park Crusaders, BCHL)

Dach didn’t receive a lot of attention from the general public this year, partly because he played in the BCHL – a league that was ravaged after the NCAA opened up eligibility to CHLers. Dach elected to stay the course, finishing with 65 assists and 87 points in 54 games. He’s set to join the Calgary Hitmen next year before heading off to Penn State, but it’s good he decided to stick to the plan and not jump ship early, potentially hurting his playing time.

The two-way center is a tremendous playmaker, exploiting defenders with his deceptive passing techniques. He’s as confident as they come with the puck on his stick, and he’s great around the net. Dach can struggle defensively and needs to improve his shooting, and he’s not physically strong either. But if he can bulk up with the Hitmen before heading off to college, Dach could be a sneaky find.

Kieren Dervin, C (Kingston Frontenacs, OHL)

Prep school players often get overlooked in the draft, mostly due to the lack of high-end competition. At St. Andrew’s College, Dervin had 33 goals and 79 points while also being one of the team’s most valuable power forwards. He skated in 10 regular season and 11 playoff games with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, but his production was mostly muted as a fill-in guy.

That being said, there’s a lot to love. Dervin is a two-way center who can play with just about anyone, showing a high level of versatility. He’s not afraid of anyone, no matter their size, and he’ll take you on physically – and often win, despite not being huge. Dervin is a decent skater, although he won’t be a burner at the next level. Instead, you’d draft him for his all-around toolkit – he’s solid defensively and will battle to win every shift at the other end, too. We’ll see how the Penn State commit develops over the next few years because there are some scouts who think he could be a hidden gem if he continues to show more confidence as a shooter against tougher competition.

Patrik Kerkola, G (KalPa, Finland U-20)

Kerkola has ideal size at 6-foot-3, had to face a lot of shots on bad Finnish junior national teams and he has a quick glove hand. So why don’t more scouts love him? He’s inconsistent and can often play small. He’s had some rough showings internationally the past few years, which isn’t totally his fault given the state of Finland’s prospect pool right now. But he also struggled in his league play, finishing with a .883 save percentage in 31 U-20 Liiga games.

Stylistically, Kerkola is quick in the crease but also does a good job of keeping square to the shooters. At his size, there are plenty of shots that he turns away without needing to waste much energy, and he seems to handle high-volume chances fine. But Kerkola still hasn’t figured out how to play like a bigger goalie. He often sits too deep in his crease, which opens up holes that just shouldn’t be there. Kerkola allows too many weak low goals, too, with shooters often looking for his five-hole. With the right coaching, Kerkola might be able to utilize his frame more and allow him to make more complex saves. As a raw goaltending prospect, there’s something there, but there’s still plenty of refinement needed right now.

Andrew O’Neill, C (USNTDP)

O’Neill was someone I really started to like throughout the season. He’s a fourth-liner, but he’s excellent defensively and shows a ton of pro-level traits. He processes the game quickly and is committed to winning every shift. He didn’t play a lot during the U-18 World Championship and, ultimately, didn’t get much fanfare. But I still think there’s a lot to like as a potential sixth/seventh-round pick.

For starters, he’s a big dude who plays a big game. He’s 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, but he’s got plenty of muscle and isn’t afraid to use it. He played some of his best hockey against college competition, showing he wasn’t going to be pushed around easily. He’s a two-way guy who already plays a pro-style game in that regard – he works hard and doesn’t make many mistakes in his own zone. O’Neill doesn’t have much going for him offensively, though, and that’ll definitely need to change when he goes to the Edmonton Oil Kings next year. The University of North Dakota commit should receive NHL attention due to his work ethic but it feels like he’s one of those guys who will open eyes once he leaves the program – sort of like Kristian Epperson.

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