2022 NHL Draft: Top WHL prospects

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at the top eligible prospects from western Canada. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Matthew Savoie
of Winnipeg is projected to be the first player chosen in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft from the Western Hockey League, which features an elite-level prospect at each position this year.
Savoie (5-foot-9, 170 pounds), a right-shot center, is No. 4 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, the highest spot among WHL players. His Winnipeg teammate, center
Conor Geekie
(6-3, 190), is No. 5.

Defenseman
Kevin Korchinski
(6-2, 185) of Seattle is No. 7, and second among North American defenseman after
Pavel Mintyukov
of Saginaw in the Ontario Hockey League (No. 6).
Tyler Brennan
(6-4, 185) of Prince George is No. 1 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies.
Savoie led Winnipeg and was seventh in the WHL with 90 points (35 goals, 55 assists) in 65 games. Geekie had 70 points (24 goals, 46 assists) in 63 games.
Korchinski had 65 points (four goals, 61 assists) in 67 games. He's the first WHL defenseman in 32 years (Darryl Sydor, 66, 1989-90) to have 60 or more assists in his first year of NHL draft eligibility.
Brennan had a 3.58 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in 39 regular-season games for Prince George, and a 1.86 GAA and .954 save percentage in four WHL playoff games.
The WHL has 53 players represented in Central Scouting's final rankings of North American skaters and goalies. Twenty of the 22 teams in the league have at least one player listed, topped by Swift Current with seven. There also are 12 players from western Canada-based Junior A leagues in the final rankings.
To break it down, here's a Q&A with NHL Central Scouting's John Williams:
What about Savoie makes you believe he will be a solid professional in the near future?
"He's got that game-breaker ability. There's a few guys like that in this year's draft. He's a dynamic skater ... I think he's an NHL skater right now, which gives him an advantage over a lot of players his age (18). He processes the game very well. He's an elite thinker and does things at a high speed. Today's NHL is fast; you have to play fast, think fast, and he has that ability. He's the type of kid that wants to be a difference maker, wants to score goals, make plays and have an impact each time he's on the ice."
In the time you've followed Geekie, has his skating gotten better? Or is it good enough now that teams could see him as a potential top-10 pick?
"I think [skating] is fine where he is right now. When you compare him to someone like Savoie, who has a dimensional quality with his skating, it looks maybe on some nights to be worse than others. He's young ... in terms of his physical development [turned 18 on May 5]. He's a big kid, so there are nights when the legs are a little bit heavy. But I worked in junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and we drafted Joe Thornton [in 1995], and there's a similar skating style to Joe at that same age. A big, lanky guy who picks his feet up a little bit. I think for him, it's just a matter of time as he adds some weight and strength to his game. At the end of the day, you're going to find at 21 or 22 years old, that this guy is going to be a big-time player."

Q: Rieger Lorenz, a left wing with Okotoks in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, hits hard and loves to shoot. Is he a legitimate first-round option?
"I think so. He checks a lot of boxes; he's got size (6-2, 194), can skate and plays in all situations. He wants to be a difference maker. He played a little bit of a different role for Canada at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, but I think you see a kid that has gotten better every day. He was a little bit like a deer-in-the-headlights to start off the World U-18s summer camp since the pace was a little bit much for him. But he adapted quickly. He realized how much time and space he had, and I think a guy with that size who can score, can make plays, can bring a physical element, is something that will be very attractive to a lot of teams."
Defenseman Denton Mateychuk (5-10, 194) of Moose Jaw looks like one of the most complete defensemen in this year's draft. The skating stands out and he has a really smart defensive game. When you watch Mateychuk, what stands out?
"This guy's wants to make an impact every time he's on the ice. He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he'll drive the offense. When he's on the ice he'll lead the rush, he'll make plays. He's a solid built player, who, when the opportunity presents itself, will step up on somebody and make a big hit. I think that sort of game-breaker mentality is something you really like to see in a player."
Is Owen Pickering (6-4, 180) of Swift Current a high-ceiling player that some team will take a chance on just because of the possible reward in 2-3 years?
"I don't think you're really taking a chance on him. He brings enough with what he is right now to contribute at the NHL level down the road. He's come a long way in a fairly short period of time. He's grown a lot over the last couple of years. He's very poised with the puck under pressure and Swift Current was a very young team. They had some tough nights and he handled that quite well and became the No. 1 defenseman on the team, played big minutes and managed those minutes well."

Moose Jaw forward Jagger Firkus (5-10, 151) really opened some eyes this season. What are some of the things you've liked about him?
"He didn't really pop for me last year. And then having seen quite a bit of him this season, he's an elite skilled player in the Western Hockey League right now. He's smart and one of those guys who has the ability to hide in plain sight, and all of a sudden the puck is on his stick and it's in the net. He protects the puck pretty well down low below the circles and has an unbelievable release on his shot**