‘Built for this time of year’: How Sam Bennett transformed into a playoff MVP candidate
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Greg Wyshynski
SUNRISE, Fla. — Everything one needs to understand about Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett as a Stanley Cup playoffs juggernaut was epitomized by one shift in their Game 3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
It began with a backcheck. It continued with a thundering hit on Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin right after he released the puck — brutal, legal. Podkolzin had made a short pass to Edmonton defenseman John Klingberg, so Bennett hit him, too. He kept fighting for the puck along the boards before attempting a clear that was intercepted briefly, before Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen jarred it loose.
Bennett saw this and — like he had just used a power-up in a game of Mario Kart — blew past everyone to accept a pass for a breakaway on Stuart Skinner, who was frozen in place as Bennett deposited the puck behind him for the fourth goal of a 6-1 blowout.
“That shift was a perfect example of his game: Blows two guys up and then he somehow leads the rush after that to score a beautiful goal. He can do it all,” said Brad Marchand, a one-time Bennett adversary turned Panthers teammate. “He has been an animal this whole playoffs. He’s built for this time of year.”
Every round, Bennett has validated this thesis. He leads the NHL postseason in goals with 14, four more than Edmonton star Leon Draisaitl. This is Florida’s third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final. In that span, no one on the Panthers has scored as many goals (26) as Bennett.
“You just see him year after year, playoffs after playoffs. That’s where he makes his name,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “He’s the definition of a playoff player. And it’s really fun to play with him, especially at this time of year.”
His 20 points in 20 games leads the team. In a Panthers run defined by their dominance away from Florida, he has been their road warrior, with 12 goals and three assists — his 15 away points lead the playoffs.
After the Panthers’ Game 3 win put them two victories away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions, Bennett moved into the lead in the wagering odds for the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP.
He’s been a menace in every zone this postseason, but especially in the offensive zone where his punishing forechecking and controversial play around the opponents’ crease have fueled Florida’s attack.
“I think that’s one of the biggest separators that he has is when you get in this time of year that you have to be in the dirty areas and he lives there,” Marchand said. “A lot of guys get pushed at this time of year, but [it’s great] when you have that ability to and skill to capitalize in front of the net.”
Even Bennett’s rivals have to nod to his postseason acumen.
“He’s always played with an edge, ever since he was a little guy. Nothing that we haven’t seen before — he’s playing well, scoring goals,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. “We’ve got to figure him out.”
This MVP-caliber moment for Bennett is the latest milestone in a peculiar 11-year journey in the NHL: From the draft prospect who couldn’t complete a pullup to a Stanley Cup champion who can’t stop frustrating opponents — by any means necessary.
BENNETT WAS DRAFTED fourth overall by the Calgary Flames in 2014 behind three other players competing in the Stanley Cup Final this season: Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad (1st) and center Sam Reinhart (2nd, by Buffalo), and Edmonton’s Draisaitl (3rd).
A center for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs, Bennett showed palpable offensive upside to go along with his defensive prowess: 91 points in 57 games during the 2013-14 season. He said he modeled his game after Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour, a tenacious two-way player whose nickname with the Toronto Maple Leafs was “Killer.”
But heading into the 2014 draft, Bennett was known for something else: Being the prospect who couldn’t complete a single pullup at the NHL scouting combine.
That became a viral story, defining him before the Flames selected him fourth overall. Players like Ottawa Senators captain Jason Spezza called him to offer support and advice on how to deal with the embarrassment. Bennett completed five pullups later that year for a predraft television special, in an effort to prove doubters wrong.
“I knew right away he’d be embarrassed by that. He likes to succeed in everything he ever tries. Now we can joke about it, but when it first went down it was like, ‘Oh, buddy, yikes,'” his mother Diane told Maclean’s in 2014. “The fact that some people in the media doubted his motivation made me think, ‘Oh god. They don’t know Sammy at all.'”
Bennett’s first full NHL season came as a 19-year-old in 2015-16. He had 18 goals and 18 assists in 77 games, but didn’t receive a single vote for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. The next five seasons were defined by Bennett’s unrealized potential: 67 goals and 73 assists in 402 games, skating to a minus-67 while averaging just over 14 minutes per game in ice time. The season before the Flames traded him, Bennett was averaging just 12:31 in ice time per game — less than 31-year-old Milan Lucic (13:20) for Calgary.
The only place were Bennett excelled? The postseason. In 30 playoff games, he had a 1.63 points-per-60 minutes average, higher than his regular-season average (1.41) in that span.
“He’s always had the talent. He’s always had the work ethic, he’s always had the bite, the jam, everything. I think a lot of it has got to do with opportunity,” said Tkachuk, who played with Bennett in Calgary.
“He didn’t get the opportunity in Calgary that he has here with the minutes and how he’s utilized and everything. I don’t know why that is. Maybe that’s just a personnel thing or whatever, but he’s just taken off as a whole new player here in Florida for everybody to see — even though in Calgary I saw it all along and us as players saw it all along.”
Tkachuk was one of the Flames players that hated to see him go.
“We weren’t too thrilled, especially him being a great buddy of mine, I was not too happy when he got traded from Calgary,” he said, “but I was also so happy to see him come here and have a chance.”
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving was running the Flames when they traded Bennett and a sixth-round pick in April 2021 for a 2022 second-round pick and winger Emil Heineman, who was subsequently traded to Montreal in a deal for winger Tyler Toffoli.
Logistically, the trade made sense for Calgary. They were likely to lose Bennett in the Seattle expansion draft that year for nothing; or, if they kept him, it would have meant giving Bennett a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent and a raise.
At the time of the trade, Treliving admitted that Bennett’s development and deployment could have been “handled a little bit differently” during his time in Calgary.
“I don’t put that on Sam. I think at the end of the day, Sam worked hard here. That was never an issue,” Treliving said. “I think he’s going to embrace a fresh start.”
Bennett appreciated the new opportunity with the Panthers.
“I definitely struggled in Calgary for a while. I think once I got here, just how the team embraced me, the opportunity the team gave me, really from the beginning, was totally different than what I was getting in Calgary,” he said. “I took that opportunity and found some success early. And then our team definitely changed quite a bit from when I first got here, but I still had that confidence.”
Bennett paid immediate dividends, scoring a career-high 28 goals in his first season in Florida on a team that finished with the best record in the NHL.
But things would change dramatically in the offseason: Coach Andrew Brunette was replaced by coach Paul Maurice, and Tkachuk arrived from Calgary in a trade for Jonathan Huberdeau, Bennett’s slickly skilled linemate who lacked the unique intangibles that Tkachuk brought to Florida.
“Sam Bennett goes from playing with Jonathan Huberdeau — fantastic player, very skilled and Benny can play that game — to playing with Matthew Tkachuk,” Maurice said. “So his game changes a little bit.”
This is where the “playoff animal” began to really emerge from Bennett. He had the scoring and the skill. He had the playoff clutch gene. Tkachuk brought out even more tenacity and agitation from Bennett — and the swagger in relishing that style of play — forging Panthers hockey into its current blunt force form.
“I think our style changed, but I think it even fit my style of game even more so. That gave me even more confidence to go out and play,” Bennett said. “I’ve got quite a few playoff games under my belt now, and always felt the need to perform when the game’s the biggest.”
Bennett plays to win. And those wins come at all costs.
BENNETT COLLIDES WITH skaters.
He received a one-game suspension in May 2021 for boarding and a three-game ban in January 2022 for an illegal check to the head of Cedric Paquette of the Montreal Canadiens. He infamously punched Marchand in the Panthers’ 2024 playoff win over the Boston Bruins, putting Marchand out of the series for two games and resulting in no punishment for Bennett.
“He’s got a good right hook,” Marchand said last month, remembering a time before they shared the same dressing room.
“He’s not as serious of a person as I thought he was. When you see him on the ice and you see him kind of around the media, he just seemed like he was quiet and very reserved,” Marchand said. “Once you get to know him, he’s actually pretty vocal and really funny and a good guy to be around. But when you see him on the ice, he’s so intense. He doesn’t really chirp. You don’t hear him during the game. He’s all business.”
Bennett also collides with goaltenders.
Like, a lot.
He collided with Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 of the second round. The Maple Leafs goaltender — Bennett’s former teammate on the Panthers — left the series with a concussion and didn’t return.
He collided with Carolina’s Frederik Andersen in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. He fell backward into Skinner’s crease in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final after battling with defenseman Brett Kulak, getting credited for a goal when the puck deflected in off him. He fell on Skinner again in Game 2, earned a penalty for goalie interference that in hindsight he hadn’t earned, having tripped over Skinner’s leg as the Edmonton goalie went to move in his crease.
During a TNT postgame show early in the Stanley Cup Final, Bennett was told that “a very large portion of the Alberta population” no longer wanted to see him in front of the Edmonton net.
“That’s where I’m going to be for the rest of this series,” Bennett said.
0:47
Puck deflects off Sam Bennett’s skate for Panthers goal
Sam Bennett deflects in a goal for the Panthers to tie the score in the first period vs. the Oilers.
His physicality around the crease — and into goaltenders — has been the catalyst for plenty of ‘how does he keep getting away with it?’ moments of exasperation for fans and opposing teams.
“Obviously, you don’t like when guys are purposely falling into your goaltender. That’s never good, and you hope that gets noticed,” Oilers winger Evander Kane said. “You can’t go out and take a 10-minute penalty in the first period. That wouldn’t help anybody. But there are other ways to handle it. Staying aggressive and going hard to their net as well.”
Seth Jones used to defend against Bennett around the crease before joining the Panthers via trade this season.
“As a defenseman, you see where he gets around that blue paint. He pushes off. He makes himself big. Screens goal as well,” he said. “It’s just that constant body contact around the net that really elevates his game and makes it difficult to handle.”
Ekblad has been Bennett’s teammate now for five seasons. The way he sees it, Bennett earns these high-danger opportunities by going to the toughest parts of the ice.
“A lot of times there’s nothing you can do if he gets pushed, right? Just like Corey Perry, he’s extremely good at getting there and being between the D-man and a goalie, so there’s not much you can do,” Ekblad said. “Those guys have a knack for it. They’re some of the best in the league at it.”
0:51
Sam Bennett scores on the power play for Florida Panthers
Sam Bennett scores on the power play for Florida Panthers
Bennett has been the best at most things in this playoff run for Florida. All of it is happening at a critical time for the veteran center’s career.
Bennett is an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s in the last year of a four-year contract signed with Florida that carries an average annual value of $4.425 million. There has been speculation that Bennett could earn upwards of $10 million annually on his next contract.
He has clearly been happy as a Panther, not only in their success but in how that success has been set up by those around him.
“I’m just very fortunate to get some great teammates and great linemates and great coaches that believe in me,” he said. “I think all that together just is the perfect combination to have success.”
Whether he signs in Florida or leaves for another team’s riches, the value placed on Bennett won’t be for his regular-season achievement. Bennett has never scored 30 goals in a season, and this was his first campaign with more than 50 points.
It’ll be for his championship pedigree. For being the “definition of a playoff player.” Or, as Marchand poetically said, for simply being “an animal” when it counts the most.
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Kristen Shilton
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Tomas Nosek was experiencing every hockey player’s worst nightmare.
It was overtime in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, and the veteran fourth-line forward for the Florida Panthers was sitting in the box for a delay of game penalty after flipping a puck over the glass with 1:42 remaining in extra time. He could only watch helplessly from there as Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored the game winner on the ensuing power play.
That was a devastating moment for Nosek. The response from coach Paul Maurice was to ensure that the crushing feeling wouldn’t linger.
“You just remind him after the game of being down 2-0 to Toronto [in the second round] when that [fourth] line came in and changed everything for us,” Maurice said in his postgame media availability. “And how we are not here [in the Final] without Tomas. It’s a tough break. So, we’ll just make sure he doesn’t eat alone tonight. He’s got lots of people sitting at his table and reminding him how good he’s been to us.”
Nosek didn’t see that kind of empathy coming. The 32-year-old has skated for five NHL clubs in his career and called the interaction with Maurice following his gaffe special compared to other dressing rooms.
“He’s a tremendous person. He said some things that he didn’t need to say, but he said it,” Nosek said. “And that’s what makes him, for me, a really, really good coach and a really good person as well.”
Like Nosek, Maurice has journeyed around the league. It’s at his sixth stop — behind the Panthers’ bench — where he has created his finest work. It’s not just that he has guided Florida to a third consecutive Cup Final, where the Panthers are vying for a second straight title after claiming the organization’s first one 12 months ago. Maurice has been at the center of his team’s cultural movement.
Before Maurice arrived in 2022, the Panthers were a good team on the cusp of greatness. Three years later, Florida is verging on dynastic territory.
That’s not all Maurice’s doing, of course. But whether he takes credit or not, Maurice has been a linchpin in making the Panthers shine, both as a group and individuals.
“Every single guy respects him so much,” forward Sam Bennett said. “When he speaks, everyone’s listening, and I think the team’s really just bought into the culture that he’s implemented into this team. We’re all willing to do whatever it takes and play that hard style that he keeps preaching to us, night in and night out, and we’ve all just bought into that over the years.”
IT WAS JUST PRIOR to Christmas in 2021 when Maurice believed his time was up.
He had been the Winnipeg Jets‘ head coach for nine seasons and could see, with the team limping through a 4-7-2 stretch, that they needed someone else to start calling the shots.
“If you’ll allow me some arrogance, I feel I’m better positioned than anyone to know that they need a new voice,” Maurice said while announcing his resignation. “They need somebody that can get them to that next place.”
Ironically, the same would shortly be true of the Panthers. Little did Maurice know at the time he was the right man for that job. Because when Maurice was bowing out in Winnipeg, he cited a loss of passion for the game itself and swore that without recapturing it, “you can’t be as good as you could be or should be, and that’s how I feel.”
While Maurice was contemplating his future, the Panthers were basking in their present. Florida tore up the NHL with a 122-point showing in 2021-22 to earn the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season team. That accolade didn’t serve them well in the postseason though, where Florida flamed out in a second-round sweep by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was Florida, then, that needed the new voice. After the season, GM Bill Zito parted with interim head coach Andrew Brunette, who had taken over when Joel Quenneville resigned in October following sexual assault allegations reported by Kyle Beach against the Chicago Blackhawks during Quenneville’s tenure there.
Despite how far Brunette had taken Florida, Zito wanted to woo someone else for the permanent role — and Maurice was willing to give his past love one last chance.
It’s been a match made in heaven, in more ways than one.
Maurice was barely in the fold when Zito rocked the hockey world with a blockbuster trade in July 2022, shipping the Panthers’ top scorer Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames for forward Matthew Tkachuk.
That haymaker dwarfed the Maurice news, but both acquisitions were integral to redefining the Panthers’ brand. Tkachuk exemplified the type of physically focused structure Maurice was sermonizing. Almost in one fell swoop, Florida had found harmony between a superstar and coach. Easy enough then to get everyone else on board too, what with Maurice’s knack for knowing how to read his room.
“He’s open, honest and speaks his mind,” forward Evan Rodrigues said. “I don’t think he holds back by any means. [He’s] very smart. Knows kind of what to say and when to say it, and does a great job of motivating us.”
1:27
Matthew Tkachuk: ‘When we’re playing at our best, we’re pretty hard to beat’
Matthew Tkachuk speaks with Emily Kaplan about the Florida Panthers’ pursuit of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and what it would mean for their legacy.
Talking might be one of Maurice’s greatest strengths — unless it’s about himself. Maurice earned his 1,000th career win when Florida topped Edmonton 6-1 in Game 3 of the Cup Final on Monday, an accomplishment he declined specifically commenting on. But Maurice was touched to hear Bennett’s comments about the Panthers’ esteem for their coach, calling it “a very kind thing” for his top skater to say about how Maurice has handled leading the Panthers.
“If you walk into the room and you just tell the truth,” Maurice said, “whether they want to hear it or not but it’s the truth, and over time you could look back and say what that person told me was the truth, you’ll have respect for that, I think. So I work hard at trying to find the truth every day and then just telling it as simply as I can with the occasional joke slipped in. Most times I’m the only one that thinks it’s funny.”
Carter Verhaeghe can’t suppress a grin when asked about Maurice and the quirks that make him a unique personality in today’s game.
“He’s one of a kind,” Verhaeghe said. “We see his sense of humor with [the media] and he kind of has the same sense of humor with us. He keeps everything light but makes you want to work; and for the right reasons, for each other. At any given time, he knows what the group needs … it keeps us loose and focused at the same time.”
Fortunately for Maurice it’s not his comedic timing that has cemented the Panthers’ status as a destination spot for players — particularly those in search of revitalizing their résumé. While it used to be — and still is — thought that Florida’s lack of state income tax is what drives NHL free agents to their doorstep, the pull of a Panthers’ sweater goes beyond the potential to save some cash. Florida is 141-87-18 under Maurice, a perennial playoff powerhouse and wields some sort of elixir that, when injected into countless newcomers, has resulted in some of their best years ever.
Just ask A.J. Greer.
The veteran signed a two-year deal with Florida this past July 1 and posted a career-high 17 points in the regular season on his way to being a key piece of the Panthers’ impactful fourth line during this postseason run. And the way Maurice has made his unit with Nosek feel important is testament to that skill Maurice has in getting the most from his group.
“Every player that comes into this organization elevates their game and gets to a certain point where you’re like, ‘Wow. Why wasn’t he like this in the other organizations?’ It translates from the head coach,” Greer said. “He’s a lot of different coaches that I’ve had kind of combined into one. He’s kind of just a complete package of being able to motivate us and elevate our games mentally.”
0:36
A.J. Greer helps Panthers regain 2-goal lead
A.J. Greer scores early in the second period to help Florida regain a two-goal advantage over the Hurricanes.
It’s become the standard in Florida that entering the den comes with high expectations for soaring results. No one epitomizes that more than Maurice. There’s a core belief in his system and how he wants to run the team, but personal evolution has taught Maurice to be less rigid in his everyday approach to the game.
“I’ve spent a lot of years in this league grinding and spitting nails every single day,” Maurice said. “It’s too hard to do. You have to be able to find places where you can laugh a little bit and enjoy it. Once you know everyone’s going to work their butt off, it’s easy to do.”
That translates into how Maurice puts the Panthers through their practice paces during the playoffs. Florida didn’t get on the sheet at all after winning Game 3 and held only an optional practice the morning before Game 4. Maurice is open to adjusting the Panthers schedule as they go, and in tune with what players need to be successful, a vital combination that allows Maurice to know when it’s the right time for a skate — and just how long to keep it going.
“In my relationship with these players, [I ask], when was the last time we added a drill or a skate to practice? I haven’t done it in three years,” he said. “All I do is as soon as I think I get them to the threshold, I shut practice down. Then you get to have a good time. If you believe that you’ve worked as hard as you can, then there’s nothing left to do.”
THEY SAY WINNING can change a man. Maurice, apparently, is not one of them. At least not to his team, who are still getting the same ol’ chestnuts from their leader even after hoisting hockey’s holy grail a season ago.
“He [brings] pretty much the same stuff. Nothing really changed,” Anton Lundell said. “I think you guys know, too; he’s got a lot of things to say, so it’s not only one or two things. He always switches it up and rotates his quotes. But it’s fun to be here, and as a group we like him.”
If there has been a shift in Maurice at all it’s been a positive for the Panthers. Florida’s road to the Cup Final this year was rockier than before, oscillating between dominant stretches and spans of adversity that drew questions about their ability to contend for back-to-back championships.
Maurice kept the Panthers even-keeled through those highs and lows until Florida had fully blossomed.
“He’s the same guy, the same coach,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “Maybe even better, probably. He’s really good. He’s still very much looking at every game and he’s reading into everything. And he’s giving us the best chance to win every night.”
That might be Maurice’s greatest superpower — an ability to instill confidence. Whether Florida is up or down in a postseason series — as they have been at times this spring — the Panthers don’t panic. They don’t crumble. Stumble, maybe. But the safety net is there. It comes from Maurice and his philosophies that are well-received because they work. Florida can trust that if it follows his lead, good things happen.
And the Panthers could be days away from proving that fact. Again.
“I don’t think he’s changed since winning [the Cup]. He’s the same,” Bennett said. “He can be hard on us. He’s hard on us when he needs to be. And then he’s relaxed with us when he knows that we need [it], so I think he really does have a good feel for what our team needs. We all have the most respect for him.”
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Kiley McDaniel
The prospect talent in Omaha is strong this year. Even though only two SEC teams made it, the Men’s College World Series field is full of traditional powers with first-round talents.
Before regionals, I ranked the programs with the most MLB draft prospects and though the second-, third- and eighth-ranked teams made it to Omaha, the other five MCWS teams didn’t crack the top dozen. Most of them would’ve been in the next tier — with the notable (and fantastic) exception of Murray State.
Below, I rank the top 15 prospects in the tournament (regardless of draft class), who are all strong candidates to be drafted in the first or compensation rounds. Some underclass prospects could belong in that conversation, and they’re all covered below in the team-by-team breakdown. This ranking is based on major league potential and draft stock, not potential College World Series impact, and prospects are 2025 draft-eligible unless noted otherwise.
Here are all the top pro prospects in Omaha this year.
Watch: MCWS, starting Friday on ESPN | Storylines, predictions | Schedule
Top MLB draft prospects in MCWS
1. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA (2026)
2. Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
3. Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
4. Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State (2027)
5. Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
6. Brendan Summerhill, CF, Arizona
7. Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
8. Derek Curiel, CF, LSU (2026)
9. Casan Evans, RHP, LSU (2027)
10. Cole Gibler, LHP, Arkansas (2027)
11. Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
12. Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU
13. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
14. Charles Davalan, LF, Arkansas
15. Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas
Arizona
Top Prospect: Brendan Summerhill, CF
Summerhill is the clear headliner here, tracking as a mid-first-round pick with above-average tools, but Arizona also has a ton of pro talent depth who should be drafted in later rounds.
The Wildcats outfield features Aaron Walton and Easton Breyfogle (2026), while the infield has some pro talent in shortstop Mason White, third baseman Maddox Mihalakis and catcher Adonys Guzman. The pitching staff also has some depth with right-handers Collin McKinney, Owen Kramkowski (2026) and Smith Bailey (2027), along with a few more in the bullpen.
One or two will sneak into the third round, but most fit just beyond that.
Arkansas
Top Prospect: Wehiwa Aloy, SS
Arkansas is flush with early-round pro talent, finishing second in my rankings of teams with the most pro talent and now first among the programs in Omaha. Aloy leads the way — he’ll likely be selected by Pick 15 in this summer’s draft — but right-hander Gage Wood, left-hander Zach Root and left fielder Charles Davalan should all go by around Pick 50. Third baseman Brent Iredale is a sleeper pick who should also go in the top three rounds of this draft.
Catcher Ryder Helfrick and right-hander Gabe Gaeckle lead the 2026 group, and left-hander Cole Gibler tops the 2027 hopefuls. All three players could go in the first two rounds.
Coastal Carolina
Top Prospect: Caden Bodine, C
The Chanticleers are similar to Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team — a perennial, nationally relevant mid-major program. Bodine leads the way as a late-first/early-second-round prospect who stands out for his contact and framing. There isn’t a ton of top-five-round depth talent, but right-handers Jacob Morrison and Cameron Flukey (2026) and left-hander Dominick Carbone (2026) are the next-best talents, with Flukey the best of the bunch.
Louisville
Top Prospect: Patrick Forbes, RHP
Forbes is a late-first/early-second-round fit as a starter with big stuff but could end up as a reliever in the majors. Louisville’s lineup has some pro prospects: outfielder Zion Rose (2026), center fielder Lucas Moore (2026), first baseman Tague Davis (2027), third baseman Jake Munroe and catcher Matt Klein. Right-hander Tucker Biven, who has been trending up in the second half of the year and getting some starts.
LSU
Top Prospect: Kade Anderson, LHP
LSU was third (now second among teams in Omaha) in my rankings of the programs with the top pro talent. Anderson could be the No. 1 pick and seems like a lock to at least go in the top five. Outfielder Derek Curiel and shortstop Steven Milam lead the way in their 2026 group while right-handers Casan Evans and William Schmidt are the team’s top 2027 prospects.
There’s also plenty of depth beyond those players. Right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores, second baseman Daniel Dickinson and designated hitter Ethan Frey are all in the conversation to go in the first three rounds of the 2025 draft.
Murray State
Top Prospect: Will Vierling, C
The Racers might be the team with the most improbable Cinderella run to Omaha in our lifetime. Vierling (cousin of Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling) is a later-round prospect for this year as a left-handed-hitting catcher. After checking with some scouts, that might be all of the pro talent on this team. A college team full of good college players who are hot at the right moment might be enough to make some noise in Omaha, but just getting this far is an incredible accomplishment.
Oregon State
Top Prospect: Aiva Arquette, SS
Arquette and right-hander Dax Whitney (2027) are both top-half-of-the-first-round talents to headline a strong Beavers club. There’s more high-end talent in the lineup and rotation with third baseman Trent Caraway, left fielder Gavin Turley, left-hander Nelson Keljo, right-hander Eric Segura (2026) and left-hander Ethan Kleinschmit (2026), who are all top three-to-four-round talents playing key roles for Oregon State this year.
UCLA
Top Prospect: Roch Cholowsky, SS (2026)
Cholowsky is the top pro prospect in college baseball, making him an early candidate to go first overall next summer. He has a complete game and is above average at almost everything on the field.
There’s some depth for the Bruins in the third-to-fifth-round range, particularly in the infield: catcher Cashel Duggar (2026), third baseman Roman Martin (2026), first baseman Mulivai Levu (2026), second baseman Phoenix Call (2026), left fielder Dean West (2026) and right-handers Cal Randall (2026) and Easton Hawk (2027). But they don’t have much else in the 2025 group.
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