
APX News / MINNESOTANS CHOSEN IN NHL DRAFT
The 2025 NHL Draft featured 16* Minnesotan skaters selected over the two-day event at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Some parts of the draft were the same as usual, such as commissioner Gary Bettman receiving a decent amount of ‘boo’s’ while taking the stage, but there were plenty of changes to the event this year as well, such as switching to a decentralized format with teams on video call during the first round of the event.
A handful of skaters wound up being selected much higher than many draft boards would have predicted, such as Stillwater forward Blake Vanek who went 93rd overall to the Ottawa Senators, while others were chosen right where they were expected to go, such as Woodbury native Logan Hensler, who many have had pegged as a first-round talent for some time now. Find out more about each of the skaters from the area who were drafted and what is up next for them on their developmental paths.
(*The number 16 does not include current Minnesota resident Will Belle, who primarily grew up in China and Massachusetts before moving to the state to play hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in high school.)
JULY 1, 2025
Author SYDNEY WOLF
GOALTENDERS (1)
Only one netminder from the State of Hockey was selected in the draft this season in Caleb Heil, originally from Victoria. Heil got his start in the Chaska/Chanhassen youth association before joining the Sioux Falls Power triple-A program and eventually, the USHL. Heil was passed over in last year's NHL draft but was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round this year as a recently-turned 19-year-old. The 6-foot-2 goaltender posted a .896 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average as the starter for the Madison Capitols in 2024-25.
DEFENSEMEN (4)
It’s no surprise that any of these four defenders were drafted this weekend. Former Hill-Murray defender Logan Hensler was taken in the first round, followed by Spring Lake Park’s Jacob Rombach in round two, Wayzata’s Mace’o Phillips in round three, and last but certainly not least, Sam Laurila of Moorhead in round five.
Hensler, who grew up skating in the Woodbury youth hockey association, has been a highly talked about talent now for a while, so it’s no surprise that he was selected at 23rd overall to the Ottawa Senators. The 18-year-old played two seasons with the NTDP before making the jump to college hockey at the University of Wisconsin. The 6-foot-3, nearly 200-pound skater tallied 12 points for the Badgers through 32 games in 2024-25 and was a member of the gold-medal winning World Junior Cup team this past winter as well.
Jacob Rombach was the second-highest Minnesotan-born defenseman off the board in this year’s draft. The Nashville Predators selected Rombach in the second round at 35th overall, which was closer to the higher-end of what many draft boards had for his predicted placement. The 6-foot-6, 209-pound defender played one season of high school hockey at Spring Lake Park before making the jump into junior hockey. In 2024-25 he scored 18 points in 57 games for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL. He is committed to play Division I hockey at the University of Minnesota.
Wayzata’s own Mace’o Phillips was selected in the third round, at 80th overall, by the Calgary Flames, which seems to align right in the middle of where many draft experts predicted him to fall. The former Benilde-St. Margaret’s star played the past two seasons with the NTDP and is committed to play Division I hockey at the University of Minnesota. The 6-foot-6 defenseman will reportedly be taking his talents to either the USHL or to the WHL for the 2025-26 season.
Moorhead native Sam Laurila was originally passed up in his inaugural draft year (2024) but that wasn’t going to happen again this summer after the 6-foot-1 skater had a booming year in the USHL. Laurila was selected in the 5th round at 138th overall by the New York Islanders after tying for the team lead in scoring for the Fargo Force in 2024-25 with 41 points in 57 games. The former NTDP defenseman will play college hockey at North Dakota this fall.
FORWARDS (11)
If you’re a fan of scouting out hockey prospects, you’re probably quite familiar with the name Mason West by now. Everyone has heard of the 6-foot-6 multi-sport athlete from Edina, who already has a state title under his belt and led his team in goals this past season as a junior, but many didn’t think he’d rise as high as 29th, which was where he was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks. West is a unique athlete and the current plan is for him to play his senior football season as quarterback for Edina this fall before joining the Fargo Force of the USHL and then eventually playing college hockey at Michigan State.
Cullen Potter’s Elite Prospects page might say he’s from Wisconsin, and he also played some of his youth hockey in Dallas, but his hometown on his college hockey roster is Minneapolis. Potter, a talented forward, played just one season with the NTDP before jumping into college hockey at Arizona State as just a 17-year-old in 2024-25. He wound up earning 22 points as a freshman and that was enough to be selected by the Calgary Flames for the final pick of the first round (32nd overall).
Conrad Fondrk, similarly to Potter, is a guy who has ties to a few different programs and states, but he grew up playing hockey in St. Paul and White Bear Lake. He wound up moving out to the east coast to play hockey for Mount St. Charles Academy before joining the NTDP - where he really started to solidify himself as one of the top names in this year’s draft. Fondrk, who is listed as 6-foot, was drafted at 50th overall by the New Jersey Devils. He is committed to play college hockey at Boston University.
After leading the entire state of Minnesota in goal scoring in 2024-25, there were a lot of eyes on Shakopee’s Cooper Simpson. The offensive forward led the Sabers in scoring with 83 points in 31 games played this past season and was a finalist for the Mr. Hockey award. In between his high school seasons, the 6-foot-1 skater has also shown that he can compete at the junior hockey level as well as he’s had success with the Tri-City Storm. Simpson was taken at 79th overall to the Boston Bruins and he is currently committed to North Dakota to play college hockey.
High school hockey fans are no stranger to Mason Moe, who is a former star at Eden Prairie. Moe decided to forgo his senior year for the Eagles and make the jump to the USHL in 2024-25 to join the Madison Capitols and that move has certainly paid off as he posted 43 points in 51 games and he was eventually selected in the third round, 90th overall, to the New Jersey Devils. The 6-foot-2 forward is committed to the University of Minnesota.
The biggest riser of all the Minnesotans on this list is certainly Blake Vanek. The Stillwater forward, and son of former NHL-er Thomas Vanek, was probable to be selected in the draft this season, but not guaranteed, and he ended up going much, much higher than many thought as the Ottawa Senators selected him in round three at 93rd overall. The 6-foot-3 forward had 53 points in 29 games for the Ponies in 2024-25 and he is likely headed to the Wenatchee Wild of the WHL for this upcoming fall.
Brent Solomon became the first hockey player from Champlin Park High School to be drafted after being chosen by the Detroit Red Wings at pick No. 109 on Saturday in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft. The 6-foot forward earned about two points per game for the Rebels as a senior to become a Mr. Hockey finalist this past spring and he also competed in a handful of successful games from the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL at the end of the season. Solomon is committed to play college hockey at Wisconsin.
Victoria native Ashton Schultz was selected at 167th by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round. The 5-foot-11 forward is a former state champion with Minnetonka but he decided to leave the Skippers for his senior season to join the Chicago Steel of the USHL in 2024-25, where he scored 39 points in 57 games - tied for the team lead in overall scoring. Schultz will play college hockey at the University of North Dakota.
Lakeville’s Brendan McMorrow, similarly to Caleb Heil, was a skater who was passed up on during his first year of draft eligibility, but now the Los Angeles Kings have taken McMorrow at 196th overall (in the seventh round) after he led the Waterloo Black Hawks in goal scoring in 2024-25. The 6-foot forward played one season at Benilde-St. Margaret’s before joining the NTDP for two years and he then eventually wound up in Waterloo. The skilled forward will now likely join the ranks of college hockey this fall since he is committed to Denver.
Burnsville native Jacob Kvasnicka has shown plenty of skill in his game ever since his days of high school hockey at Wayzata. That was enough to earn him a spot on the NTDP roster over the past two seasons and a commitment to the University of Minnesota. The New York Islanders liked what they saw and chose Kvasnicka at No. 202 overall, in the seventh round. The 5-foot-11 skater is set to join Penticton of the WHL this fall.
And last but certainly not least is former White Bear Lake standout Nolan Roed. The former Mr. Hockey finalist was passed over in last year’s draft but was chosen at No. 214 by the Colorado Avalanche this year in 2025. Roed, a 5-foot-11 center, led the Tri-City Storm of the USHL in scoring this season with 60 points in 61 games. He’ll play college hockey for St. Cloud State University this upcoming fall.
View each of the skaters and their draft position below.
ROUND 1
Pick 23, OTT: Logan Hensler (Woodbury / Hill-Murray), D, Univ. of Wisconsin
Pick 29, CHI: Mason West (Edina), F, Edina HS (Michigan State commit)
Pick 32, CGY: Cullen Potter (Minneapolis), F, Arizona State
ROUND 2
Pick 35, NSH: Jacob Rombach (Spring Lake Park), D, Lincoln Stars (Minnesota commit)
Pick 50, NJD: Conrad Fondrk (White Bear Lake), F, NTDP (Boston Univ. commit)
ROUND 3
Pick 79, BOS: Cooper Simpson (Shakopee), F, Shakopee HS (North Dakota commit)
Pick 80, CGY: Mace’o Phillips (Wayzata / Benilde-St. Margaret’s), D, NTDP (Minnesota commit)
Pick 90, NJD: Mason Moe (Eden Prairie), F, Madison Capitols (Minnesota commit)
Pick 93, OTT: Blake Vanek (Stillwater), F, Stillwater HS
ROUND 4
Pick 109, DET: Brent Solomon (Champlin Park), F, Champlin Park HS (Wisconsin commit)
ROUND 5
Pick 138, NYI: Sam Laurila (Moorhead), D, Fargo Force (North Dakota commit)
ROUND 6
Pick 167, BUF: Ashton Schultz (Minnetonka), F, Chicago Steel (North Dakota commit)
ROUND 7
Pick 193, TBL: Caleb Heil (Victoria), G, Madison Capitols (North Dakota commit)
Pick 196, LAK: Brendan McMorrow (Lakeville / Benilde-St. Margaret’s), F, Waterloo Black Hawks (Denver commit)
Pick 202, NYI: Jacob Kvasnicka (Burnsville / Wayzata), F, NTDP (Minnesota commit)
Pick 214, COL: Nolan Roed (White Bear Lake), F, Tri-City Storm (St. Cloud State commit)
About APX Hockey
Formerly known as Map South Hockey, APX Hockey has been a staple in the hockey community, offering high-caliber training programs for aspiring players. With a focus on player-centered development and cutting-edge performance training methods, APX Hockey is committed to helping athletes of all ages refine their skills, build resilience, and achieve excellence on-and-off the ice.