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Vancouver Canucks Select Braeden Cootes 15th Overall In The 2025 NHL Draft

With the 15th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks selected Braeden Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Cootes is a 6’0 centre who served as Seattle’s captain for the 2024–25 season and has spent the past three years with the Thunderbirds. 

Cootes made his WHL debut in the 2022–23 season, playing in seven games and tallying one assist. In his first full year with Seattle, he scored 14 goals and 21 assists in 64 games played. He broke out offensively this season, posting 26 goals and 37 assists in 63 games. In six playoff games with the Thunderbirds this season, he potted two goals and six assists. 

Cootes served as Team Canada’s captain in the 2025 U18 IIHF World Junior Championship, putting up six goals and six assists in seven games in Canada’s gold medal win.   

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This is Vancouver’s third first-round selection in the past six years, as previously, the Canucks picked Jonathan Lekkerimäki 15th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft and Tom Willander 11th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Vancouver traded away their 2020, 2021, and 2024 first-round picks. 

Prior to Cootes’ selection, the New York Islanders used the first overall selection in the draft to pick defenceman Matthew Schaefer. Other picks include Carter Bear to the Detroit Red Wings, Roger McQueen to the Anaheim Ducks, and James Hagens to the Boston Bruins. 

Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes. (Photo Credit: @SeattleTbirds/X)

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Flyers Trade Up, Select Jack Nesbitt At No. 12

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded up to get the 12th overall from the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving Pittsburgh their 22nd and 31st picks.

Nesbitt, who plays for the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, is a 6'5" center that brings high hockey IQ, incredible positional awareness, and skillful puck-handling to the table. There are some concerns surrounding his skating ability, although his vision and playmaking ability balance out what he may lack in speed. 

The center position has been one where the Flyers have needed more depth, and after taking right winger Porter Martone with their No. 6 pick, it's clear that GM Danny Briere was high enough on Nesbitt to hand over their other two first-round picks to their Keystone State rivals. 

Nesbitt has shown significant improvement over this past season, and his ceiling is believed to be a high one. Although it might take him a little while to be NHL ready, there is plenty of room to grow and develop into a solid anchor for the Flyers' offense. 

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Phillies' offense alive and well in late-night blowout win over Braves

Phillies' offense alive and well in late-night blowout win over Braves  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies’ offense was alive and well late Friday night in rainy Atlanta.

After scoring a single run over three games and being swept by the Astros, the Phillies began their series against the Braves by tallying a season-high 13 runs. They moved to 48-34 on the year with a 13-0 win. Every member of the Phillies’ starting lineup recorded a hit. 

The downpour at Truist Park delayed proceedings over two hours and the game did not finish until after midnight. Atlanta’s pitchers obviously had a tougher time than the Phillies’ with the wet weather. 

Mick Abel was supposed to start, but the delay caused Phillies manager Rob Thomson to opt for a bullpen game instead. Tanner Banks opened and threw two clean innings. 

The Braves stuck with their starter and he had a dreadful outing. Bryce Elder only managed six outs and allowed 10 runs (nine earned), eight hits and four walks. 

Trea Turner led off the evening with a double and Kyle Schwarber walked. A bases-loaded, two-out J.T. Realmuto free pass eventually brought home the Phils’ first run.  

Turner ripped another shot to deep left field in the second inning, nailing a solo home run. Three batters later, Nick Castellanos blasted the Phillies to a 5-0 lead by lacing a juicy first-pitch sinker 445 feet to dead center. 

Elder’s misery continued in the third. After Realmuto and Bryson Stott singled, Otto Kemp slammed a hanging slider for his first big-league home run. 

The Phils didn’t mind seeing a new pitcher. The first batter Michael Petersen faced was Schwarber and the Phils’ slugger hammered his 25th homer of the season.

The remainder of the game contained zero drama and the Phillies had no need to use high-leverage bullpen arms. Taijuan Walker and Alan Rangel combined for seven scoreless innings out of the ‘pen. Turner bashed his second homer on a 52.4 mph offering from position player Luke Williams in the ninth inning.

The Phillies will search for a series win on Saturday night. The scheduled starters are the Phils’ Jesus Luzardo (7-3, 4.08 ERA) and the Braves’ Spencer Schwellenbach (6-4, 3.21 ERA). 

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Kraken Select Center Jake O'Brien with the Eighth Overall Selection in the 2025 NHL Draft

Los Angeles - With the 8th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Seattle Kraken have selected Jake O’Brien from the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. This marks the second year in a row that the Kraken have selected 8th overall, taking center Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs in 2024.

O’Brien is a 6’2”, 170 lb center who recently completed his second season in a Brantford Bulldogs sweater. This past year, he came 3rd in team scoring with 32 goals and 66 assists in 66 games. In his first season with the Bulldogs in 2023-24, he earned the Emms Family Award for OHL Rookie of the Year, along with selections to both the CHL All-Rookie Team and the OHL First All-Rookie Team. This past January, O'Brien was named captain of the Eastern Conference team for the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game. He earned MVP honors for Team East after notching 3 assists.

"Displaying close to x-ray vision, O’Brien spots the tiniest seams between skates, under sticks and above them. He sees through multiple defenders and behind his back, spotting teammates running at the back post and attacking a few steps late. When he can’t spot a lane, he creates it, shifting defenders or faking a shot before dropping the puck to teammates."
- EliteProspects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

Jake will look to fill in with other Kraken center prospects like Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs), Carson Rehkopf (Coachella Valley Firebirds), and Nathan Villeneuve (Sudbury Wolves) in the upcoming Kraken Development Camp in Seattle starting next week.

Time will tellI how O’Brien, along with the Kraken’s other picks will fare with this being the first Seattle Kraken draft with Jason Botterill at the helm as General Manager after Ron Francis held that role for the first 4 seasons. In his years as the Buffalo Sabres GM from 2017-2020, Botterill selected players like Casey Mittlelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin, and Dylan Cozens each in the first round.

Related

Kraken 2025 Draft Targets: Jake O'BrienKraken 2025 Draft Targets: Jake O'BrienAs we continue to look at 2025 NHL draft-eligible prospects, we head to the OHL to analyze center Jake O'Brien and what he could provide the Seattle Kraken if they drafted him with the eighth overall pick.

O’Brien featured photo via chl.ca

O’Brien hero photo via chl.ca

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Maya Joint at home on grass as Australian teenager marches into Eastbourne final

  • World No 51 beats Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in semi-final

  • Alexandra Eala first Philippines player to reach a WTA Tour decider

Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached another WTA final at the age of just 19, giving herself the perfect pre-Wimbledon boost by powering into the championship match in the traditional Eastbourne International curtain-raiser.

The US-born Queenslander, competing in just her second senior grass-court event, took another illustrious scalp on Friday following her wins over Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu as she defeated Russia’s former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in the semi-final.

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BREAKING: Flyers Take Porter Martone At Sixth Overall

The Philadelphia Flyers have selected Porter Martone at No. 6 in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Martone, a right winger, brings size and intelligence to the Flyers' offense, and it's suggested that he could be ready for an NHL roster come October.

The 6'3" forward brings plenty of energy, and has proven himself capable of scoring and driving possession. The hope is that he can balance out an offense with equally high-motor players like Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras. 

He's drawn comparisons to players like Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk and Dallas Stars standout Mikko Rantanen. 

Martone also grew up a Flyers fan, revealing that he had a poster of former Flyers captain Claude Giroux in his basement. General manager Danny Briere also said with a smile on his face that they had pictures of Martone in Flyers gear.

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Predators select center Brady Martin with 5th overall pick in NHL Draft

Brady Martin is a Nashville Predator. 

With their highest pick since 2013 and first of three in the first round, the Predators selected Sault St. Marie Greyhounds center Brady Martin with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

In his second season with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, Martin scored 72 points in 57 games and had a plus/minus of 25. He also logged 68 penalty minutes. 

The Elmira, Ontario, native also represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Championship, scoring 11 points in seven games and winning a gold medal.

Martin was not in attendance at the NHL Draft as he was reportedly working on his family's farm. 

With a 6-foot-0-inch, 174-pound build, Martin is the perfect center for the Predators to develop and has used his frame to his advantage. From highlights, Martin is able to generate space on the ice during the rush and has a strong net-front presence. 

The Predators next selections are at 23rd overall and 26th overall. 

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Islanders Select Schaefer With First-Overall Pick

It was an emotional moment for Matthew Schaefer and his family when Gary Bettman announced Matthew Schaefer as the first-overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft. Despite injury and personal hardship, the Erie Otters' defender proved he was the top prospect in this draft class. 

In February of 2024, Schaefer lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer. The young defender was visibly in tears as he stood on the stage wearing the blue, orange and white of the New York Islanders.

Schaefer was the first-overall pick at the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. The 6-foot-2 defender scored 10 goals and added 29 assists in 73 games with Erie over the course of the last two years. This past season, he only played 17 games for Erie due to a combination of injury and illness. 

He was named to Canada's World Junior roster and scored a goal and added an assist in the two games he played at the tournament before succumbing to an upper-body injury. Just making the team was an accomplishment for the 17-year-old defender as Canada's roster normally consists of 19 and 20-year-old players.

 Schaefer impressed in the two games he played for Canada, showcasing his elite skating abilities and offensive instincts. His performance in those two games was so impressive that he became the consensus first-overall pick for the entire second half of the season despite being unable to play for the remainder of the season.

Bulldogs Acquire Two Time OHL Champion Ryder BoultonBulldogs Acquire Two Time OHL Champion Ryder BoultonEarlier today, the London Knights sent 2006-born forward Ryder Boulton to the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick. 

He's the first OHL player since Connor McDavid to be a first-overall pick in his OHL Draft year and NHL draft year. 

Schaefer is a fantastic add for the Islanders who just traded away Noah Dobson earlier today. He profiles as a strong two-way defender who can not only score big goals and contribute offensively but also lock down defensively. 

It is entirely possibly that Schaefer could join the Islanders as soon as next season based on his skillset and accomplishments. However, it may be more prudent for the Islanders to give their young prospect a bit more time to develop. This seems especially true given the amount of time he missed this past season. 

Whether he joins the NHL next season or not it seems like Schaefer has a bright future ahead of him with his new NHL franchise. 

 

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Chicago Blackhawks Select Anton Frondell With 3rd Overall Pick In 2025 NHL Draft

The Chicago Blackhawks were forced down to the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft as a result of the Draft Lottery that took place a handful of weeks ago.

Since then, the debate and conversation about who they will go with has been ongoing. Now, the wait is over.

The New York Islanders kicked the night off by selecting Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick. Although it was expected, it set the tone for the rest of the draft to play out. 

With the second overall pick, the San Jose Sharks took Michael Misa. After rumors started to suggest that San Jose may go in a different direction, they ultimately proved that was a smokescreen for them to end up taking Misa in the end. 

From there, the Chicago Blackhawks were on the clock. They selected Swedish forward Anton Frondell with the third overall pick. Frondell entered the draft as the number one-ranked international prospect. 

Now, with Bedard and Nazar leading the way on offense, they have another forward to put in the mix. Frondell is much more of a two-way center who models his game after Aleksander Barkov. He will provide a perfect balance to their long-term forward group. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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SEE IT: Yankees prospect Spencer Jones smacks home run in first Triple-A at-bat

Spencer Jones didn't waste any time proving that his recent promotion to the Triple-A level was warranted.

In his first at-bat for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday night, the Yankees' top prospect showed off his pop, crushing a full-count fastball to dead center for a solo home run against the Red Sox's affiliate. The ball traveled 397 feet, with an exit velocity of 110 mph.

Jones, who's ranked the Yankees' second-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, officially made the move from Double-A Somerset on Friday afternoon. The behemoth 24-year-old thrived in Double-A, posting a .274/.389/.594 slash line with 16 homers and 32 RBI across 49 games.

The red-hot start to his Triple-A stint doesn't come as much of a surprise. Jones entered Friday with a laudable .321 average and 1.039 OPS in June (21 games).

Jones' first Triple-A dinger can be watched below.