Image credit: CFJC Today

By Marty Hastings

NHL DRAFT

Behm, Lafreniere of Blazers look ahead to NHL Draft day, ponder landing spots

Jun 26, 2025 | 6:32 PM

Nathan Behm and Tommy Lafreniere of the Kamloops Blazers are likely to be selected in the 2025 NHL Draft, which is scheduled to run on Friday [June 27] and Saturday in Los Angeles.

“I think I’m a first-rounder, for sure, but obviously nothing’s said and done yet, so just kind of waiting to hear my name called and wherever it is, the work just starting then,” said Behm, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound, right-shot forward from Calgary.

“It doesn’t really matter where you go, but we’ll see what happens. I think I’m a first-rounder, for sure.”

Behm racked up 31 goals and 66 points in 59 games last season, but slipped to 44th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s final draft rankings from 31st in mid-term rankings.

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Lafreniere, who was born in Montreal but grew up in Whistler, had 24 goals and 56 points in 68 games in the 2024-2025 WHL campaign.

The six-foot, 175-pound right shot jumped to 57th in NHL Central Scouting rankings from 86th in mid-term rankings.

“Anything can happen,” Lafreniere said. “I think I could go probably anywhere from the third to the fifth round. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me. I went in the eighth round to Kamloops in the WHL [Prospects Draft], so I think it really doesn’t matter. I just want to land in a good spot and I think it’ll be a good day.”

Lafreniere and Behm participated in the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month in Buffalo, withstanding testing and the occasional curveball during interviews with team brass.

Behm said Nashville asked him to balance one golf ball on top of another golf ball.

“So that was kind of probably the trickiest thing I had to do, but pretty standard questions,” said Behm, the under-17 Canadian amateur long drive champion. “I think they just kind of want to see how you react to a challenge that is pretty much impossible.”

Lafreniere said the New York Rangers presented an unusual test: “We had a piece of paper with 100 numbers on it and then, once you flipped it over, you had 30 seconds to find one, two, three, four … as many as you can in 30 seconds.”

Behm has been training in Calgary this off-season with local pros and a group of WHLers that includes Andrew Basha and Carter Yakemchuk.

“Obviously, it’s every kid’s dream playing hockey in Canada to get drafted and play in the NHL,” Behm said. “It’ll be a dream come true, for sure.”

Lafreniere has been training in Burnaby with his former Yale Hockey Academy coach, Adam Nugent-Hopkins.

“I’m just super excited,” Lafreniere said. “I’ve been looking forward to this since I was four years old. So, I’m just itching to get to Saturday.”

Blazers’ forward Vit Zahejsky of Czechia was hindered by injury last season, but several draft prognosticators indicate he is in with a shot of being selected this weekend.

Behm is in Los Angeles and expects to interview with several NHL clubs before the first round of the draft gets underway at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Rounds two through seven will take place on Saturday.

Lafreniere will be watching from his couch in Whistler and expects his mother to be the most emotional of the bunch if his name is called.

“She’s been my biggest supporter since day one,” he said. “She was driving me to Vancouver when I was a little kid and she’s just been there all the way and my sisters and my dad, as well, but my mom is just … she’s kind of my superfan.”