The Tops 25 Under 25 rolls on with a large newcomer to the list. After his first full season in the organization, Milo Roelens makes his debut.
| Name | Milo Roelens |
| Position | Forward |
| Age (as of October 1) | 22 |
| Height/Weight | 6’7″, 216 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Syracuse Crunch |
| Draft – Year, Round | Undrafted |
| Previous Rankings | Not Ranked |
| Justin G.’s Rank | Not Ranked |
| Final Rank | 22 |
Stats:
Our Thoughts:
The first thing you notice about Milo Roelens is his size. At 6’7″ he stands out on the ice, unless he was on the ice with Jack Finley (6’6″) and Logan Brown (6’7″). The second thing you notice is that he moves around the ice fairly well for a big man. He’s not going to set any speed records while skating, but he can move about pretty well while using his size to his advantage.
That being said, he’s still a bit of a project and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him spend a little more time in the ECHL this season, especially if some of the incoming Crunch players push him out of a spot. Last season, he spent most of it in Syracuse, logging 35 games before being assigned to Orlando for the final portion of the year.
Roelens does an excellent job of keeping his teammates involved in the action. He uses his size to shield defenders off of the puck and has the ability to find his linemates with deceptively accurate passes. Scoring isn’t going to be the path he uses to get to the NHL, but just based on his size and ability to tip shots in front of the net, he should be a 10-15 goal guy at the AHL level. How much of that translates to the NHL will depend on if he can continue to improve his skating.
As you might expect with someone who has his size, he uses his reach to break up passing plays in the defensive zone and doesn’t shy away from contact. Like many of the prospects on this list, his hockey IQ is fairly high and he anticipates plays well. So, why didn’t I have him ranked? At this point I think there are other prospects with an easier path to the NHL. A strong season could change that, though.
At this point he’s borderline to make the NHL, but there are enough tools in his toolbox that with a little improvement here and there, he could earn a bottom-six spot at some point. His goal this year should be to make the Crunch and stay up there all season long.
Highlight Videos:
Roelens showed some nice hands on this rebound. It kind of handcuffed him a bit, but he was still able to knock it in from in close. He also started the play with a nice, sneaky stuff attempt. With his reach he can be effective from behind the net.
An object in motion stays in motion, right? He doesn’t take a stride in this highlight, but he was still cruising into the slot at a pretty good rate after building up momentum in the neutral zone. He timed his arrival to the front of the net perfectly to tip home the pass from Max Groshev.
This looks like an innocent play on Roelens’ part. After all, all he did was chip it off of the boards, but it shows that he knew what the right play was and executed it. He didn’t try and make a hero pass with the opponent crashing down on him. It had the right weight to it which allowed Niko Huuhtanen to break into the zone.
This is what size can do for you. He sets up in front of the net and absorbs the hit before turning and putting it home.
