Category Archives: Uncategorized

Written by Austin Garret We at Smaht Scouting have our first rankings call coming up this Saturday, October 25th. This is a bit earlier than usual, and given the amount of rankings that have come out early this year, it makes sense that we’ll get started on our initial top 32 as well. There are stillContinue reading “Bi-Weekly Musings: The Ranking Before the Ranking”

Written by Austin Garrett With the CHL/USHL seasons roughly three weeks in and the NCAA kicking off this past weekend, I thought it would be a good time to bring back the bi-weekly blog post talking about North American prospects I’ve seen with a focus on who’s trending up and down with a potpourri of thoughtsContinue reading “Smaht Talk: North American Musings 10/7”

Introducing the Smaht Scouting 2026 NHL Draft Mock Simulator (V1) We’re excited to launch Version 1 of the Smaht Scouting 2026 NHL Draft Mock Simulator, a free, interactive tool that lets you simulate all seven rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft. Whether you’re building your own mock, analyzing prospect depth, or just exploring how thingsContinue reading “2026 NHL Draft Simulator”

The 2025 NHL Draft class is built on projection. With no unanimous No. 1 and a tightly packed group of prospects through the first two rounds, this year’s draft is more about team identity, organizational need, and draft philosophy than ever before. From dynamic playmakers and towering defenders to athletic goaltenders and high-motor depth pieces,Continue reading “2025 NHL Mock Draft”

Alexander Appleyard, Gray Matter, Ben Jordan, SpokedZ, Chris Ford, Josh Tessler, Austin Garret, Iván Ortiz, Thomas Gagné, Tom Watson and Dan Haurin combined their draft rankings and put together the official Smaht Scouting 2025 NHL Draft Final Rankings. #1 – Michael Misa – C/LW – Saginaw Michael Misa remains our top prospect for the 2025Continue reading “Final 2025 NHL Draft Rankings”

The 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship is set to begin, offering a premier stage to evaluate top draft-eligible prospects from around the globe. This post takes a closer look at each participating nation, highlighting key players, positional strengths, and overall team outlooks. From perennial powerhouses like Canada and Sweden to rising programs like Slovakia andContinue reading “2025 IIHF U18 World Championship Preview”

Alexander Appleyard, Gray Matter, Ben Jordan, SpokedZ, Chris Ford, Josh Tessler, Austin Garret, Iván Ortiz, Thomas Gagné, Tom Watson and Dan Haurin combined their draft rankings and put together the official Smaht Scouting 2025 NHL Draft Spring Rankings. #1 – Michael Misa – C/LW – Saginaw Michael Misa holds the same spot in our 2025Continue reading “Spring 2025 NHL Draft Rankings”

Alexander Appleyard, Gray Matter, Ben Jordan, SpokedZ, Chris Ford, Austin Garret, Iván Ortiz, Thomas Gagné, Tom Watson and Dan Haurin combined their draft rankings and put together the official Smaht Scouting 2025 NHL Draft Preliminary Rankings. #1 – Michael Misa, C/LW, Saginaw In a year containing a handful of contenders to go first overall, MichaelContinue reading “Preliminary 2025 NHL Draft Rankings”

Written by Austin Garret On Sunday, December 1st the Smaht Scouting team will get together for our first ranking for the 2025 NHL Draft. We’ll rank an initial 32 players with a scattering of about 5-10ish honorable mentions as well.  As a North American crossover scout, my focus for the past 4+ months have been playersContinue reading “Bi Weekly Musings: Where I’m at Before Our First Rankings Call”

Written by Austin Garret The USNTDP has been a juggernaut as of late in producing highly talented, first round caliber prospects. The last two years we’ve seen 8 alumni of the program get drafted in the first round, with countless others being drafted throughout the draft.  Coming into the 2025 season I expected it to beContinue reading “Bi-Weekly Musings: Evaluating the NTDP”