With the 28th pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Jets select Sascha Boumedienne from Boston University of the NCAA
About Sascha Boumedienne
The Boston University freshman broke the single-tournament record for points by a defenseman at the recent World Under-18 Championship with 14 points in seven games. The record was previously co-held by Ryan Murphy, who scored 13 points for Team Canada in 2011, and the USA’s Cole Hutson, who scored 13 points last year. Boumedienne had an eye-raising six points in Sweden’s tournament opener against Switzerland.
Related: 2025 NHL Draft Tracker
The 6-foot-1 defenseman played in 40 games for BU and finished with 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) and a plus/minus of plus-8. Since moving to the United States in 2021, Boumedienne has accelerated his development en route to becoming one of the youngest players in college hockey last season. After just one season in the USHL (United States Hockey League), he made the jump to the college level and helped his Terriers to the national championship game.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“Boumedienne’s skating is one of his greatest strengths, however, he still needs to improve in a few areas. His mix of speed and size allows him to be a key player in transition, however, he needs to use his frame to his advantage more consistently at the collegiate level. He’s improving defensively, but if he’s going to become a reliable 200-foot player rather than a power play specialist, he’ll need to continue improving considerably.”
“Boumedienne appears to project as a second-pairing offensive defenseman who could be a key piece of a team’s second power-play unit. While he’ll need to continue improving defensively in order to be an effective 5-on-5 player at the NHL level, he’s unlikely to become a reliable penalty killer unless he completely revamps his game defensively.”
“Boumedienne is touted as an offensive defenseman who projects as a top power-play option in the very near future. With players such as Cole Hutson and Tom Willander on the roster, there was little pressure on the youngest player in college hockey to perform at a high level right out of the gate.”
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Jets’ Plans
The Jets don’t need immediate help, so drafting a player who is a couple of years away from being ready works well for them. While their prospects on offense are solid, the defensive pipeline is a bit thinner, so the selection of Boumedine makes sense. The Jets get a prospect who is a great forechecker, taking away time and space, and is very tough to handle when playing at speed and battling down low in one-on-one play.
Boumedienne also has NHL bloodlines, as his father, Josef, was a fourth-round pick by the Devils in the 1996 NHL Draft (91st overall) who skated in 47 NHL games from 2001-02 to 2003-04 with the Devils, Lightning, and Capitals. He has the size and skills to play as an effective two-way defenseman.
