2025 NHL Draft Preview
June 26, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
FLINT - The Flint Firebirds will look to see their streak of having at least one player selected at every NHL Draft since the franchise arrived in Flint in 2015 at the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft, set to take place on Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles. Flint has 10 players eligible to be selected, five of whom are in their first year of eligibility. The first round of the draft takes place on Friday night at 7 p.m. and will be televised live in the United States on ESPN and ESPN+. The remaining six rounds will take place on Saturday beginning at noon and airing on NHL Network and ESPN+.
Jimmy Lombardi was ranked 84th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final pre draft rankings in April and is in his first year of draft eligibility. A former second round selection of the Firebirds in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Lombardi had 13 goals and 32 assists over 63 games played during the 2024-25 season and participated in the inaugural Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game. He has also announced a commitment to play NCAA hockey at the University of Michigan beginning in the 2026-27 season.
The 2025 NHL draft is the first-year 2007-born prospects are eligible to be drafted. Additionally, select 2005 and 2006-born players will be eligible as well. To be eligible, players must be 18 years old by Sept. 15 and under 20 years old by Dec. 31 in the draft year.
Flint's best showing at an individual NHL Draft was the 2023 draft, during which four Firebirds heard their named called. Tristan Bertucci (Dallas - 2nd round, 61st overall), Coulson Pitre (Anaheim - 3rd round, 65th overall), Nathan Day (Edmonton - 6th round, 184th overall) and Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay - 7th round, 211th overall) were each taken during the 2023 draft. The Firebirds had three players selected at the 2024 draft as Nathan Aspinall (New York Rangers - 5th round, 159th overall), Connor Clattenburg (Edmonton - 5th round, 160th overall) and Kaden Pitre (Tampa Bay - 6th round, 181st overall) were all drafted.
Since the Flint Firebirds' inception in 2015, the club has had 34 drafted or NHL-signed players on its roster. That list consists of Nathan Aspinall (NY Rangers), Tristan Bertucci (Dallas), Will Bitten (Montreal), Dennis Busby (Arizona), Nick Caamano (Dallas), Connor Chatham (New Jersey), Connor Clattenburg (Edmonton), Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Nathan Day (Edmonton), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas), Artem Guryev (San Jose), Fedor Gordeev (Toronto), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Gavin Hayes (Chicago), Kyle Keyser (Boston Bruins), Ethan Keppen (Vancouver), Braeden Kressler (Toronto), Vladislav Kolyachonok (Florida), Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit), Matthew Mania (Los Angeles), Nick Mattinen (Toronto), Sam McCue (Toronto), Brent Moran (Dallas), Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina), Evgeniy Oksentyuk (Dallas), Brennan Othmann (NY Rangers), Alex Peters (Dallas), Coulson Pitre (Anaheim), Kaden Pitre (Tampa Bay), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Jalen Smereck (Arizona), Blake Smith (Toronto), Tyler Tucker (St. Louis) and Josh Wesley (Carolina).
Ontario Hockey League Stories from June 26, 2025
- 2025 NHL Draft Preview - Flint Firebirds
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