The scouting season for the 2022 NHL draft has ended and it is among the most popular sports in the World. And what a journey it’s been. Stops and starts, players scattered throughout the globe, and the turmoil in Ukraine are just a few of the obstacles scouts faced during the 2021-22 season.
Due to the erratic nature of the NHL season, all draft-related events were rescheduled. The draught lottery, NHL Combine, and draught itself have all been a touch-off regarding scheduling and substance.
NHL Draft Picks 2022: Live Results, Grades, Complete List Of Selections From Round
Based on current indications, the 2023 scouting season will be as near to typical as we’ve seen in the previous three years. Of course, the 2022 World Juniors will conclude in August, and it should play a significant role in the start of the next scouting season since it follows the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, which is the crown gem of all tournaments.
DHL Draft Order 2022
- Montreal Canadiens – Juraj Slafkovsky
- New Jersey Devils – Simon Nemec
- Arizona Coyotes – Logan Cooley
- Seattle Kraken – Shane Wright
- Philadelphia Flyers – Cutter Gauthier
- Columbus Blue Jackets – David Jiricek
- Chicago Blackhawks – Kevin Korchinski
- Detroit Red Wings – Marco Kasper
- Buffalo Sabres – Matthew Savoie
- Anaheim Ducks – Pavel Mintyukov
- Arizona Coyotes – Conor Geekie
- Columbus Blue Jackets – Denton Mateychuk
- Chicago Blackhawks – Frank Nazar
- Winnipeg Jets – Rutger McGroarty
- Vancouver Canucks – Jonathan Lekkerimaki
- Buffalo Sabres – Noah Ostlund
- Nashville Predators – Joakim Kemell
- Dallas Stars – Lian Bichsel
- Minnesota Wild – Liam Ohgren
- Washington Capitals – Ivan Miroshnichenko
- Pittsburgh Penguins – Owen Pickering
- Anaheim Ducks – Nathan Gaucher
- St. Louis Blues – Jimmy Snuggerud
- Minnesota Wild – Danila Yurov
- Chicago Blackhawks – Sam Rinzel
- Montreal Canadiens – Filip Mesar
- San Jose Sharks – Filip Bystedt
- Buffalo Sabres – Jiri Kulich
- Arizona Coyotes – Maveric Lamoureux
- Winnipeg Jets – Brad Lambert
- Tampa Bay Lightning – Isaac Howard
- Edmonton Oilers – Reid Schaefer
The 2020-21 season was a failure in terms of progress. European players who were too young to compete at the top level had few opportunities to play, and when they did, they were employed sparingly.
Round 1 of the 2022 NHL Draft Live
We had OHL players who were out for the whole season, WHL players who played a reduced schedule, and QMJHL players who played a modified, often interrupted schedule. Those that competed in the USHL faced substantially more rigid opposition in an older league in general.
The first half of the 2021-22 season was spent bringing players back up to speed, and the level of play reflected this. Once we got beyond Christmas, it took a few of weeks to get back to the usual speed and level of play from these outstanding young guys.
On the other hand, many players were able to utilize the pandemic time off to strengthen and skill train, although growth in its purest form is accelerated by the gaming experience.
This draught is expected to be volatile, with two important features adding to the uncertainty. First, there are players who have missed a substantial amount of development time. Second, we will have teams back on the draught floor, live and in person, which should result in more talk and business being completed on or before July 7.
Volatility may begin as early as the first choice. Shane Wright, who was awarded the special status in the OHL, has held the top rank for the last three years. But he now has two competitors in Logan Cooley and Juraj Slafkovsky, both of whom had good seasons.
Speaking with scouts and executives at the NHL Combine, it was obvious that the margin between Wright, Cooley, and Slafkovsky is as narrow as any draught in recent memory. The top two anticipated choices are sometimes debated (think Tavares/Hedman or Taylor vs. Tyler), but seldom the top three.
Aside from these outstanding three, things will begin to unravel after the first eight choices, which is significantly sooner than usual. Normally, we have some assurance about the first half of the draught, but this year we have some clarity about the first quarter of the first round or the first eight choices.
There’s also uncertainty about where we expect top-tier defensemen to go and how soon they’ll go. Simon Nemec and David Jiricek are in the same tier but have the advantage of shooting from the right side.
The second tier includes Kevin Korchinski, Pavel Mintyukov, Denton Mateychuk, and Owen Pickering. Who knows what happens after that?
Furthermore, the situation in Ukraine will undoubtedly have an influence on this draught. How confident are NHL clubs in investing a draught selection on a guy who may never play in North America if he isn’t already? Will the player want to come across, and how difficult will it be for NHL clubs to get visas for these players?
With all of that in mind, here are our final rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft, complete with playing cards from our own scout, Pro Hockey Group’s Jason Bukala. Keep an eye out for our Mock Draft, which will be revealed on July 5.
