Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The National Hockey League returned to a somewhat normal schedule for the 2021-22 season following a shortened season due to COVID-19 and irregularities since the pandemic began.
The 2022 NHL Draft will be the first draft since 2019 to be held in-person after the 2020 and 2021 NHL Drafts were held virtually due to the pandemic. It will be nice to see the future stars of the NHL make that long walk to the stage and put on their new team's jersey.
As prospects began to return to a normal schedule as well, a clear first overall pick began to emerge in Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League. However, as the year progressed, Juraj Slafkovsky of TPS Turku in the Finnish Liiga quickly rose up draft boards to the No. 2 slot, and has even surpassed Wright for the No. 1 spot in some mock drafts.
The team that holds the first decision on these prospects, and many others, is the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens have drafted first overall five times in their team's history, one of which coming in the 1973 draft where they drafted Guy Lafleur who played 1,126 games in the NHL and recorded 1,353 points (560+793).
The Buffalo Sabres will have three picks in the first round of the draft this year, with 11 picks total throughout the entire draft. The first pick at ninth overall is their own that they were awarded in the NHL Draft Lottery.
The second pick, being the 16th overall selection, was acquired on Nov. 4 this past year when the Sabres traded former captain Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for their first-round pick in 2022, Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The third pick comes in at 28th overall from the Florida Panthers after the Sabres traded forward Sam Reinhart during last year's NHL Draft. The Sabres received the Panthers' 2022 first-round pick in return, along with goalie prospect Devon Levi.
There were many other teams who made trades to move up and down the draft board, or even out of the first round in this year's draft. The Arizona Coyotes also hold three first-round picks coming from trades with the Montreal Canadiens and the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche, along with eight other teams including the Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings, do not currently hold any first-round picks.
For this exercise there will not be any potential mock trades that could happen in the first round.
Without further delay, let's find out how the first round could go down on Thursday night in Montreal:
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1.) Montreal Canadiens
SELECTION: Shane Wright - Center - Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Even though a star has risen with Juraj Slafkovsky threatening to take the No. 1 spot, it's hard to overlook a player as good as Wright.
The Ontario native has been on the radar for NHL scouts' radar for a few years now after having a stellar freshman year in the OHL, recording 66 points (39+27) in 58 games with Kingston. This year, he almost doubled that point total having scored 32 goals and recording 62 assists for a total of 94 points in 63 games.
Had it not been for the COVID-19 gap year, Wright's numbers may be even better than they already are. But this still doesn't change the fact that he's an incredibly talented player. Think of Wright like a quarterback. He can set up every play for his team and help them create numerous opportunities in the same shift, which is probably why he has as many assists as games played.
What's not to like about a guy who can seemingly do it all in the offensive zone for you, and then even get back on defense and help break up scoring chances? Some have even gone as far to say he could be the next Patrice Bergeron.
While some first overall picks head to their new team right out of the draft, it's uncertain if Wright will do this or head back to Kingston for another season in the OHL. No matter what he does though, the Canadiens will have themselves a fine future No. 1 center to kickstart their rebuild with some other important pieces already in place.
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2.) New Jersey Devils
SELECTION: Juraj Slafkovsky - Left Wing - TPS (Liiga)
Slafkovsky shocked the world when he came out of nowhere during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and IIHF World Championship.
While at the Olympics in Beijing, he scored seven goals in seven games as an 18-year-old for the Slovakian National Team, helping them to their first Olympic bronze medal in hockey. He then put up nine points (3+7) in eight games during the IIHF World Championship in Finland.
Slafkovsky has all of the tools to go No. 1 overall, and very well could've overtaken Wright if he had a few more games to do so. With amazing foot speed, passing capabilities, and a world class shot, the Devils will be getting quite the player at the No. 2 spot.
In his 31 games for TPS, the Slovakian scored five goals and earned five assists for 10 points, which is an impressive feat for someone of his age at in the highest professional league in Finland.
He has one year remaining on his contract with TPS, so it's probable that he will return to Finland for the 2022-23 season. However, when he does arrive in the NHL, the Devils will have a top-line winger that they can pair with Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier to be competitive for quite some time.
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3.) Arizona Coyotes
SELECTION: Logan Cooley - Center - U.S. National Team Development Program
Logan Cooley has some of the best hockey IQ in this 2022 NHL Draft class, being able to see the game even better than the two previously mentioned players.
Cooley is a pure playmaking type, using his vision, speed and passing skills to find open teammates for highlight reel goals. He had a combined 75 games played this season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he had 40 goals and 71 assists for 111 points.
He is a commit to the University of Minnesota for the fall, and will look to perfect his ability to pass and limit the turnovers he may create. He may also try to add some more tools in his tool box like improving his shot and skating.
One thing is for sure, the Coyotes will need all of the playmaking ability that he brings so it could be expected that he will move to the desert sooner rather than later.
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4.) Seattle Kraken
SELECTION: Simon Nemec - Defense - HK Nitra (Slovakia)
With their second first round draft choice in franchise history, the Kraken could get the best defenseman in the entire 2022 NHL Draft. Nemec is an all-around defensive force that will help the Kraken blue line for years to come.
Nemec was also a big part of the reason why the Slovakian National Team went on the impressive run to the bronze medal in the Winter Olympics. While he only recorded one assist in the seven games, Nemec was a key piece on the blue line, being extremely sound in his own end.
While at the professional level in Slovakia, he also put up an impressive 26 points (1+25) in 39 games, showing a bit of his offensive side. Nemec is a huge presence in his own end when it comes to breaking down plays, but he has also proven to be an offensive threat as well.
Given some time and development, he could be a top-pairing defenseman for a fresh prospect system in Seattle to help them get their feet off the ground.
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5.) Philadelphia Flyers
SELECTION: David Jiricek - Defense - HC Plzen (Extraliga)
Jiricek is, arguably, the second-best defensman in this year's NHL Draft, as he and Nemec would bounce back-and-forth in the rankings.
The Czechia native is a monster in size, coming in at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, making him a big body to have to beat on the blue line. Despite this size though, Jiricek can be seen as an amazing skater, helping create plays in the offensive zone with his agility and vision.
In his two years of professional play in the Czech professional league, he played 63 games and totaled 20 points (8+12). Along with that, he has had numerous appearances on the national team most recently in the IIHF World Championship, recording two points in five games.
The Flyers need all the help they can get right now on a not so sturdy blue line. While they may need to wait a year or two, Jiricek will help them immensely when he makes his arrival to the NHL.
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6.) Columbus Blue Jackets
SELECTION: Cutter Gauthier - Center - U.S. National Team Development Program
Gauthier is one of the more highly spoken about power forwards coming out of this NHL Draft.
Coming in at 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds, Gauthier can create space in the offensive zone by simply blowing past players using his size and stride. With this size also comes great forechecking ability, the ability to control play whether he has the puck or not, and the ability to be a playmaker when he has the puck.
In his 76 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program this year, Gauthier tallied 53 goals and 40 assists for a total 93 points. Along with that, he played six games at the IIHF U18 World Championship and recorded nine points (3+6).
Gauthier is committed to Boston College for the upcoming fall and would likely play there for, at least, two seasons to polish some of his talents before entering the NHL. When he does, the Blue Jackets will find themselves with a powerful play driving center for years to come.
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7.) Ottawa Senators
SELECTION: Joakim Kemell - Right Wing - JYP (Liiga)
Kemell is one of the smaller players coming out of this NHL Draft, but that's not always a bad thing.
Coming in at only 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds, Kemell is a speedy scorer that can find small areas in the offensive zone to create deadly shots that easily fool goaltenders. He can seemingly shoot the puck from anywhere, however, it's shown he's more comfortable scoring goals from mid to long range while on the attack.
While in the Liiga with JYP, the winger played 39 games, scoring 15 goals and adding eight assists for 23 points. He also played in the IIHF U18 World Championship, where a slight shoulder injury hindered his performance. However, he still was able to add eight points (6+2) in five games and help Finland earn a bronze medal.
Kemell will probably need a year or two until he can make an impact at the NHL level. He is currently set to return to JYP in Liiga for the 2022-23 season. Once he arrives with the Senators, he would join the likes of Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stuzle and help Ottawa increase their scoring threat.
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8.) Detroit Redwings
SELECTION: Marco Kasper - Center - Rogle BK (SHL)
Kasper feels like such a Steve Yzerman pick, because he's a very under the radar player who has amazing upside.
The Austrian center remained under the radar for most of the time leading up to this draft, hovering around the mid-to-late first round, but then spring-boarded himself into the top-10 conversation last minute. This could be from his relentlessness to drive to the net and dig up any loose puck that a goalie may have missed.
With the combination of the size of a power forward and the mindset of a playmaker, Kasper uses his size to create space and then his vision to utilize that space with either a shot or a tape-to-tape pass. In his time at the SHL level, Kasper recorded 11 points (7+4) in 43 games played.
With rising stars like Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson, and Moritz Seider already in the Red Wings' pipeline, Detriot is poised to make another crucial addition to their line up.
Kasper is expected to return to the SHL next year to have a bigger impact for his team, and then join the Red Wings when they deem fit.
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9.) Buffalo Sabres
SELECTION: Matthew Savoie - Center - Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
Savoie was one of the key contributors to an exceptionally good Winnipeg team this past season in the Western Hockey League.
The 18-year-old center has only played one full season in the WHL due to COVID-19 causing issues with his seasons, but in his one season, he scored 35 goals and added 55 assists for 90 points in only 65 games. Last year, since he couldn't play in the WHL, Savoie played in the United States Hockey League with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he recorded 38 points (21+17) points in 34 games.
Savoie has an incredible shot that can come from all over the offensive zone. With a quick release, a shot from the perimeter can easily fool goalies and create a goal or an easy rebound for one of his teammates in front of the net. He can also drive the net on his own to get up close and personal to bury the puck with a nifty stick handle around the goalie.
Savoie's skating is out of this world, as well. Despite only being 5-foot-9, he has a very powerful stride that helps him win races to loose pucks and power past defenders as he enters the offensive zone. This also allows him to move with ease, creating plays with moves that could fool some NHL defenders.
With only one-and-a-half years in the WHL under his belt, Savoie is expected to return to the Ice for the 2022-23 season. There he will, most likely, work on building up his size, along with some other aspects of his game that still need polishing like consistency and confidence.
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10.) Anaheim Ducks
SELECTION: Pavel Mintyukov - Defense - Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Mintyukov lit up the OHL in scoring last year as an offensive defensman.
With 62 points (17+45) in 67 games, the left shot defenseman was a force to be reckoned with in the offensive zone. This was technically his freshman season in the OHL after the COVID-19 gap year took away, what was going to be, his first year with the Spirit.
Mintyukov comes out of the CSKA Moskova program in Russia, where he played his junior days before coming to the OHL. His greatest attribute that he currently has isn't his shot or skating, it's his hockey IQ. Mintyukov picks apart teams, whether he's on the puck looking for a scoring chance, or in his own zone trying to break up a play.
While it would be a couple of years down the road, Mintyukov would be an amazing counterpart to right-shot defenseman Jamie Drysdale. Drysdale is just starting to get his first looks in the NHL after a solid first full season with the Ducks, where he scored 34 points.
11.) San Jose Sharks
SELECTION: Jonathan Lekkerimaki - Right Winger - Djurgardens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
12.) Columbus Blue Jackets
SELECTION: Conor Geekie - Center - Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
13.) New York Islanders
SELECTION: Frank Nazar - Center - U.S. National Team Development Program
14.) Winnipeg Jets
SELECTION: Brad Lambert - Center - Pelicans (Liiga)
15.) Vancouver Canucks
SELECTION: Kevin Korchinski - Defense - Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
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16.) Buffalo Sabres
SELECTION: Danila Yurov - Right Wing - Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Yurov could be the scoring Russian winger the Sabres have been looking for since Maxim Afinogenov was lighting the lamp for the team in the late '90s and early 2000s.
He's an interesting case, for sure, as the forward was deemed too good for the MHL in Russia, however, was barely able to play at the KHL level when he was called up. The winger scored 13 goals and had 23 assists for 36 points in 23 games in the MHL, but then had zero points in his 21 games in the KHL. This could likely be due to the fact that he only averaged 3:19 of ice time per-night when with Magnitogorsk.
Much like Afinogenov, Yurov has incredible foot speed. Using his size to create speed in long strides and cross overs, he could burn by a good portion of NHL players in his first year in the league. He also created lots of scoring chances for his teams, using this speed to punch the puck into the offensive zone.
With uncertainty in Russia looming, it's unclear what course Yurov's life is going to take, let alone an NHL career. He will be returning to Magnitogorsk in the KHL next season, with reports showing he will be a main member of the squad, which will hopefully mean an increase in ice time.
17.) Nashville Predators
SELECTION: Noah Ostlund - Center - Djurgardens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
18.) Dallas Stars
SELECTION: Lian Bichsel - Defense - Leksands IF (SHL)
19.) Minnesota Wild
SELECTION: Jimmy Snuggerud - Forward - U.S. National Team Development Program
20.) Washington Capitals
SELECTION: Jiri Kulich - Center - HC Energie Karlovy Vary (Extraliiga)
21.) Pittsburgh Penguins
SELECTION: Issac Howard - Left Wing - U.S. National Team Development Program
22.) Anaheim Ducks
SELECTION: Nathan Gaucher - Center - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
23.) St. Louis Blues
SELECTION: Liam Ohgren - Left Wing - Djurgardens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
24.) Minnesota Wild
SELECTION: Rutger McGroarty - Center - U.S. National Team Development Program
25.) Toronto Maple Leafs
SELECTION: Denton Mateychuk - Defense - Moosejaw Warriors (WHL)
26.) Montreal Canadiens
SELECTION: Ivan Miroshinchenko - Left Wing - Omskie Krylia (VHL)
27.) Arizona Coyotes
SELECTION: Owen Pickering - Defense - Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
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28.) Buffalo Sabres
SELECTION: Ryan Chesley - Defense - U.S. National Team Development Program
Chesley could be one of the last pieces to an amazing Sabres defensive corps that could be a force in the NHL for years to come.
Chesley is a defensive defenseman through-and-through. He is a force in his own end, causing problems at every turn for any team trying to score. Whether it's forcing the play to the wall to diminish chances, blocking shots and passes, or chasing loose pucks in the dirty areas to help clear the zone, Chesley is there.
While he is defensive-minded, there is some offense to be seen, as well. In a combined 85 games between the USNTDP and USHL, he scored 17 goals and recorded 27 assists for a total of 44 points.
Chesley is currently committed to the University of Minnesota for this upcoming fall, where he would join current Sabres prospect Ryan Johnson, who is returning to college to play his senior year with the Golden Gophers.
29.) Edmonton Oilers
SELECTION: Tristan Luneau - Defense - Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
30.) Winnipeg Jets
SELECTION: Owen Beck - Center - Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
31.) Tampa Bay Lightning
SELECTION: Luca Del Bel Belluz - Center - Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
32.) Arizona Coyotes
SELECTION: Sam Rinzel - Defense - Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
Also be sure to check out Brayton Wilson's mock draft ahead of Thursday night's first round of the 2022 NHL Draft:
Losi and Gangi
