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The Winnipeg Jets lost Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency this summer. Ehlers signed a six-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes after taking time to decide his future. Winnipeg has to pick up the pieces and try to find talent to replace him. This process began at the 2025 NHL Draft last week in Los Angeles, California.
Winnipeg did not have a ton of draft capital, unfortunately. In fact, they had just five picks in the entire draft. This put them among the teams with the fewest selections. The Vegas Golden Knights had the second-fewest amount of picks with four. And the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues are the teams with the fewest, having three apiece.
Winnipeg did have a first-round pick, however, so they landed a notable prospect to headline the class. But how does the remainder of this class look? Let's go over what they did and hand the Jets a grade for their 2025 NHL Draft additions.
Jets fill major need in 1st round
The Winnipeg Jets owned the 28th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. And with this selection, they picked a glaring need in their pipeline. The Jets selected Boston University defenseman Sascha Boumedienne late in the first round.
Boumedienne rose through the ranks as the season went on. He gained a ton of attention due to his puck-moving ability. He didn't flash an elite trait at the collegiate level this past season. However, he is very solid at pretty much everything. And the upside is quite clear to see.
Winnipeg did not have any defenseman who projected to play an extended role in the NHL. Now, they have one. Boumedienne could find himself playing top-four minutes once he's ready to make the jump to the league. This is a fantastic fit, and it was one of the final picks in the first-round of the 2025 NHL Draft to receive an A- grade from ClutchPoints.
Winnipeg may have found sneaky value
The Jets did not have a ton of capital to work with. As a result, Winnipeg had to get creative to bring talent into the organization. Looking at the remainder of their picks, it appears as if they did rather well to find players with a comfortable NHL projection.
Owen Martin — Winnipeg's third-round selection — is a rather talented forward. He is very defensively sound, and he had a breakout performance in the WHL Playoffs with the Spokane Chiefs. He is good in transition and does flash playmaking ability. Martin could become a bottom-six defensive center, with the potential of moving up if the offense comes around.
Edison Engle gives the Jets another promising defensive prospect, and they got good value in the sixth round. He is a very solid defensive defenseman who can create some offense. He can move the puck well, too. His calling card is the defense, though. Engle will need to add strength and continue his development on defense, but he could be a top-four defenseman if things go well.
The Jets took a swing on an undersized winger a round before picking Engle. Viktor Klingsell is one of the more dynamic offensive forwards in the class. He is an incredible playmaker, using his unbelievable vision to thread the needle with his passes in the offensive end of the ice. There are flaws, such as a lack of pace, but there could be third-line scoring upside here.
All in all, Winnipeg filled their prospect pipeline with players possessing NHL upside who are still quite raw as prospects. The Jets still have a good team, even with the loss of Ehlers. They have the time to be patient with these players as they attempt to make the NHL.
Grade and final thoughts
The Jets receive a fine grade for their 2025 NHL Draft class. Winnipeg did have a relatively small draft class. However, they were able to select players with a comfortable NHL projection with nearly every selection. Even seventh-round pick Jacob Cloutier could make the NHL as a high-energy fourth-line winger. The lack of depth drops the grade, but it's an impressive haul considering the capital.
Jets draft grade: B-
