Pro Comparisons for Top NHL Prospects at the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four

Player comparisons for prospects are like playing with fire.

You say a guy plays similarly to Alex DeBrincat once, and people take it and run with it. And then he starts to look more like Paul Bissonnette and they turn on you.

So, rule No. 1 for player comps: You cannot take them as gospel. 

They exist to give you a frame of reference for the style of hockey a guy plays, or the archetype of player he could become in the right circumstances. How he affects his team, how he could be utilized on the ice, and how he approaches play in specific situations. These are all things we take into account when selecting player comps. 

So, let's have some fun looking at four player comps for NHL prospects you'll see on the ice in the Frozen Four this weekend.

This comp is easy. A prolific goal-scoring American product of college hockey (who is also named Cole, but that one is just incidental).

Cole Caufield is an easy player comp for Cole Eiserman, a player who many believe only brings goals to the equation and nothing else.

But why are we so quick to dismiss the player who had the best shot in his draft class? Particularly one who is only the fourth Boston University freshman since 1990 to break the 20-goal mark (the other players are Jack Eichel, Clayton Keller and Macklin Celebrini).

Do we still want to see the rest of his game round out? Absolutely. But we can't discount the kind of goal-scoring ability he has just because of some uncertainty.

What we don't want to see from Eiserman in terms of player comps is becoming heir to the line of largely one-dimensional New York Islanders prospects such as Kieffer Bellows and Oliver Wahlstrom, who came before him.

It would be easy for him to head right down that path—and given the Islanders don't accomplish much in terms of working with their prospects on their development needs, it wouldn't be entirely on him—but here's hoping he doesn't. We've seen flashes of promise that he'll avoid this; I would like to see more.

Sure, choosing his brother is cheating when it comes to selecting a player comp for Cole Hutson. But it's also a valuable one.

Lane and Cole have a lot of similarities in their game, and looking at those them makes it easy to highlight their differences. After all, Cole is still his own player. (One who causes me fewer tension headaches while watching than his brother does.) Also, fun fact: Lane's college career high in points was 49. Cole has 46 as a freshman.

Their similarities are obvious—agile, offensively engaged defensemen with an almost preternatural ability to anticipate how a play is going to unfold.

They're also both prone to the mistakes that come with the kind of high-risk plays you see from dynamic, offensive defenseman. A more prominent difference is that when it comes to defensive plays, Cole is more direct than Lane, and there's a bit more aggression to his game—something that feels like it will fit well when he eventually joins the Capitals.

He may be a Hobey Baker Award hat-trick finalist and by far the best defenseman in college hockey right now, but Zeev Buium is going to be an essential part of the Minnesota Wild roster sooner rather than later.

And ironically, the comparison we are using here is the guy who will be his future captain. Jared Spurgeon is a smaller defenseman who produces offensively and isn't afraid to throw himself into the play, and he's a great, agile skater. Sound familiar?

Buium is relied on in key moments, and he is incredibly gifted and engaged offensively, but he can be a smothering force in his own end. It's so valuable to have a defenseman who can contribute by scoring at that level while still being a reliable shutdown option.

It's going to be great fun to watch him in the Frozen Four, as he's going to be all over the ice. 

It was tempting to mention Cale Makar just because I love his and Buium's skating, but the overall comparison wasn't quite right. Still, if you're watching the tournament this weekend, take a shift or two just to have a look at Buium's skating. It's top-notch.

Jack Devine made the Hobey Baker top 10 for the second year in a row. He's helped Denver to two NCAA Championships, in 2022 and 2024, and he's now going for a third in his senior year.

The Florida Panthers prospect could become a college UFA if he chooses not to sign post-tournament, but that still remains to be seen. He's definitely made noise that would have teams paying attention, though, including leading all NCAA players in points with 57 in 43 games, including 13 goals.

Making the comparison to Bryan Rust is not saying Devine is going to have a similar career trajectory to Rust—there are so many factors that impact that and it all begins with the pro team you sign with. But I do anticipate him affecting his team in similar ways on the ice.

He and Rust share a relentless motor; and both are extremely engaged players, particularly when it comes to puck pursuit. I'm not sold that his offensive skill is quite to the point of Rust's, but Devine has grown offensively. He may not be driving play for his team, but he's right there in the middle of everything.

Being able to clearly see improvement in play just over his college career is a great sign for his time as a pro. And it's definitely going to be good for Denver as it chases a repeat national title.