2022 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game rosters selected

Shane Wright, projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, was among 40 players invited to play in the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

The game will be held at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, Ontario, on March 23 (8 p.m. ET).
Players for the game were selected by NHL teams in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting. The roster breakdown will be determined at a later date.
"All 32 NHL clubs have a say in the player selection process and take great interest in this best-on-best showcase," Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "The Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is a great opportunity for scouts and general managers to evaluate talent and we look forward to seeing which players will make their mark in Kitchener."
Wright (6-foot, 185 pounds), a right-shot center with Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League, is 17th in the OHL with 52 points (19 goals, 33 assists) in 37 games. He has scored nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past six games. The 18-year-old had one assist in two games for Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship before the tournament was canceled Dec. 29 due to coronavirus concerns.
"Shane can be a difference-maker in so many ways," Marr said. "The way he processes the game and sees the ice, he can execute plays at top speed. He's got a quick acceleration where he can go outside, cut inside, get to the net and it's a quickness that can't be matched or defended against."
The game will also feature five other skaters among the top 10 in
Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters
. They include forwards Matthew Savoie (No. 3) and Conor Geekie (No. 4) of Winnipeg in the Western Hockey League, and defensemen Pavel Mintyukov (No. 5) of Saginaw (OHL), Denton Mateychuk (No. 9) of Moose Jaw (WHL) and Tristan Luneau (No. 10) of Gatineau in the Quebec Major Junior League.
Savoie is ninth in the WHL with 58 points (20 goals, 38 assists) and has scored 28 power-play points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 40 games. Geekie (6-3, 193) has scored 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 40 games.
"Savoie has great wheels and is a dynamic player," John Williams of NHL Central Scouting said. "Geekie is taller and lankier and reminds me a bit of Joe Thornton at this age in the way he skates."
Mintyukov, a left-handed shot, ranks 10th among OHL defensemen with 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 42 games.
"Mintyukov, to me, is the best at his position for the 2022 draft," Marr said. "He plays a very dynamic game utilizing his size, skating, smarts and skills to control the play in all zones and situations. The confidence, composure and degree of authority in which he takes charge and executes on plays places him in a category all to himself."
Mateychuk is first among Moose Jaw defensemen with 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 45 games and Luneau, a right-handed shot, is second among Gatineau defensemen with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 30 games.
Among the goalies, Tyler Brennan of Prince George (WHL) and Ivan Zhigalov of Sherbrooke (QMJHL) are Nos. 1-2, respectively, in
Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American goalies
.
2022 CHL/NHL TOP PROSPECTS GAME
GOALIES: Mason Beaupit, Spokane, WHL; Tyler Brennan, Prince George, WHL; Reid Dyck, Swift Current, WHL; Ivan Zhigalov, Sherbrooke, QMJHL
DEFENSEMEN: Michael Buchinger, Guelph, OHL; Jorian Donovan, Hamilton, OHL; Isaiah George, London, OHL; Kevin Korchinski, Seattle, WHL; Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville, QMJHL; Mats Lindgren, Kamloops, WHL; Tristian Luneau, Gatineau, QMJHL; Ty Nelson, North Bay, OHL; Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw, WHL; Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw, OHL; Owen Pickering, Swift Current, WHL; Noah Warren, Gatineau, QMJHL
FORWARDS: Maxim Barbashev, Moncton, QMJHL; Owen Beck, Mississauga, OHL; Luca Del Bel Belluz, Mississauga, OHL; Josh Filman, Swift Current, WHL: Jagger Firkus, Moose Jaw, WHL; Nathan Gaucher, Quebec, QMJHL; Ruslan Gazizov, London, OHL; Conor Geekie, Winnipeg, WHL; David Goyette, Sudbury, OHL; Jordan Gustafson, Seattle, WHL; Hunter Haight, Barrie, OHL; Jake Karabela, Guelph, OHL; Paul Ludwinski, Kingston, OHL; Bryce McConnell-Barker, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL; Fraser Minten, Kamloops, WHL; Matthew Poitras, Guelph, OHL; Vinzenz Rohrer, Ottawa, OHL; Matyas Sapovaliv, Saginaw, OHL; Matthew Savoie, Winnipeg, WHL; Reid Schaefer, Seattle, WHL; Matthew Seminoff, Kamloops, WHL; Antonin Verreault, Gatineau, QMJHL; Shane Wright, Kingston, OHL; Danny Zhilkin, Guelph, OHL
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