There are 25 prospects between Kaiden Guhle (No. 20) and Braden Schneider (No. 46) on EliteProspects Rinkside’s most recent 2020 NHL Draft ranking.

Whenever the NHL Draft takes place and in whatever shape it takes, both are likely first-rounders, and one can reasonably expect a much smaller gap between them.

The appeal of both prospects is easy enough to see. Both Guhle and Schneider are physical defenceman with the mobility and mindset to play in the modern-day NHL. While neither player lit up the WHL, it’s still easy to imagine a scenario where both go on to fruitful NHL careers.

So, who’s the better prospect, and why did 25 spots separate these two prospects despite similar (at face value) skill sets? Let’s find out.

Defence

The calling card of both prospects is on defence — it’s why ea