USHL Stock Watch: Václav Nestrašil grabbing attention for 2025 NHL Draft

It was an eventful January in the USHL. 

The Muskegon Lumberjacks hit a rare dip in form amidst on-ice changes with the arrival of Ivan Ryabkin and the blossoming play of Tynan Lawrence and Václav Nestrašil, losing seven of their 12 games last month. 

The Lincoln Stars are on a torrid run, with nine consecutive victories, convincingly defeating some competitors at the top of the table, including joint top-placed Dubuque 6-1.

Some players are expanding their games, dominating entire shifts in various ways. Nestrašil’s blend of violence and soft skill has overwhelmed many USHL teams in the past two months: After scoring 14 goals in 12 January games, Will Zellers is just a pair of goals shy of goal-per-game production through 31 contests, totalling 46 points.

Others are finding their footing, gaining comfort and consistency past the season’s midway mark, such as Adam Benák and Charlie Trethewey.

Stock Rising 📈

Václav Nestrašil, RW, Muskegon (2025 Draft)

Despite the addition of Ivan Ryabkin to the Lumberjacks’ lineup, it has been Václav Nestrašil stealing scouts’ attention when Muskegon has laced up the skates over the past month. A violent 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-winger, Nestrašil’s defensive engagement and relentless pressure have disrupted a high rate of plays in the neutral and offensive zones.

While certainly more than a capable checker, the Czech winger has rocketed up rankings—including our own, where he landed at 32—due to his on-puck daring, creativity, and flashes of high-end playmaking skill. Though Nestrašil remains raw, there’s plenty of on-puck runway with this player, which will interest NHL teams. While his 28 points in 41 games don’t jump off the page or suggest a prospect with clear top-six upside, he has scored 20 in 20 since December 1st, gaining confidence week after week.

Nestrašil took some time to hit his stride this season, but the power forward has been among the USHL’s most aggressive checkers and most daring on-puck creators over the past two months..

Will Zellers, C/LW, Green Bay (Colorado Avalanche)

The league’s leading goalscorer with 29 goals Will Zellers sits four tallies clear of second place – linemate – Aidan Park, despite having missed 10 games. The 76th overall selection of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024 Draft, Zellers has looked anything but a USHL rookie this season, leveraging his intelligence and handling to get himself into scoring positions better than any other player in the league.

Zellers uses clever off-puck routes and strong anticipation to access pockets of space, exploiting the space between checks and forcing defenders into uncomfortable decisions on most shifts. He will need to improve his strength on his feet and ability to play through contact in the coming year, but his offensive mind and growing puck skills bode well for the 3rd round pick’s potential in the Avalanche organization.

Honourable Mentions: Ashton Schultz (2025 Draft), Bruno Idžan (2025 Draft), Ryker Lee (2025 Draft), Kam Hendrickson (2025 Draft), Olivers Mūrnieks (2026 Draft), Tynan Lawrence (2026 Draft), Luke Osburn (Buffalo Sabres), Sean Barnhill (2026 Draft)

Stock Steady ↔️

Charlie Trethewey, RD, USNTDP (2025 Draft)

Following a rocky start to the season with regular turnovers off retrievals and, at times, erratic decision-making, Charlie Trethewey has gained his footing and settled into a calmer more straightforward approach. 

While it has been the simplification of his game that has improved Trethewey’s performances and gained his coaches’ trust, as Dir. of North American Scouting Mitchell Brown noted in this January 3rd scouting report, “Trethewey has a ton of potential, that much is clear. He's an explosive skater with physicality, handling ability, and a neverending motor. Defensively, he locks down off-puck threats, makes high-speed stops off the rush, and beats opponents down along the walls.”

This trend in Trethewey’s development has come at an important time for the USNTDP U18s, coinciding with a clear uptick in USHL form since December, going 7-1-1. He’s taken on bigger responsibilities with Carter Amico’s season-ending injury and has found consistency in the challenge.

The American defenceman may need a handful of years to develop into a reliable NHLer, but with continued steadiness and growing composure in his on-puck game, Trethewey’s high-end tools could flourish. 

Adam Benák, C/RW, Youngstown (2025 Draft)

The Youngstown Phantoms’ leading scorer – by 9 points with 38 in 39 games – Adam Benák has found a way onto the score sheet for much of the season. The 5-foot-7 sparkplug has encountered hurdles this season, being forced to the outside for much of his playmaking and limited in his leveraging of speed to create advantages in congested areas. These elements have been turned from limitations to guidelines for his play.

Despite losing 4-0, I had this to say about Benák in a January 18th scouting report: “This is the most cohesive his game has looked since moving to the USHL, and it came on the wing, which offered a variety of benefits for his profile. Accessing the middle lane and inner slot has been among the Czech’s biggest struggles this season, operating largely from the perimeter as a cycle playmaker. His right-wing role got him into his favourite power play pocket by the right circle frequently at even strength. Benák’s speed and incessant motor was a struggle for Dubuque to handle all night, leading to many successful entries.”

With strong defensive instincts, an irreproachable work ethic, and the emergence of his half-wall playmaking, Adam Benák is settling into an identity in the USHL. One that has decided games for the Youngstown Phantoms and that presents a clearer NHL projection.

Stock Falling 📉

Ivan Ryabkin, C, Muskegon (2025 Draft)

A high-profile midseason transfer, Ivan Ryabkin has provided a boost in offensive production and depth for a competitive Muskegon Lumberjacks team. Despite a drawn-out process to leave Dynamo Moskva’s system—and Russia as a whole—Ryabkin’s USHL play has been plagued by the same lack of engagement he displayed at all three levels of Russian hockey this season.

Ryabkin’s physicality comes in bursts and outbursts—leading to a suspension in his second USHL appearance for slew footing—often as a means of venting his frustrations. He chases late hits rather than pragmatically leveraging his strength to create small advantages. Immature habits have defined Ryabkin’s season, but his potential as a physical, playmaking centre remains intriguing, albeit as a longer-term projection than initially thought.

The Russian pivot has produced well thus far in North America, scoring six goals and nine points in nine games. However, five of his goals and six of his points have come in just four games against the USNTDP U17s and U18s. He has struggled to access scoring positions and break down defences with the puck on his stick against stronger competition, such as the Lincoln Stars and even the Green Bay Gamblers. For these reasons, Ryabkin was ranked outside the first round, landing 36th overall in the most recent Elite Prospects 2025 Draft Rankings..