2022 NHL Draft not short on talent, unpredictability
Canadiens have No. 1 pick, hosting event at Bell Centre; Wright, Slafkovsky, Cooley among top prospects
Not only do the Canadiens hold the No. 1 pick in the draft, which starts with the first round on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), they are also hosting the event at Bell Centre.
For the first time since 2019, the draft will be held in person with fans in the arena. The 2020 and 2021 NHL Drafts were each held virtually due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"I think it's exciting for us as a management group and certainly exciting for us as an organization," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. "I remember the last time the draft was in Montreal (2009), and it was a packed house. That isn't the case in every draft location so, especially with us owning the first pick, I can only imagine the buildup of anticipation, excitement, and interest in the Montreal Canadiens.
"You hope, as an organization, that you don't pick No. 1 overall too often but when you're in that situation, it's pretty special."
The NHL Draft will be held in Montreal for the 27th time, the most of any NHL city. The Canadiens have held the No. 1 pick five times, the most by any NHL team. Rounds 2-7 of the draft will be Friday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
Montreal is the first team to host the draft and choose No. 1 since the Toronto Maple Leafs selected forward Wendel Clark in the 1985 NHL Draft at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The big question is, what will the Canadiens do with the No. 1 pick?
Shane Wright
(6-foot, 199 pounds), a right-handed center with Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League, has held No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting's ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2022 draft all season and is
the projected top choice
.
The Canadiens haven't tipped their hand on if they will select Wright, or perhaps
Juraj Slafkovsky
(6-4 229), a left wing with TPS in Liiga (Finland), who is No. 1 in Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, or possibly trade the pick.
RELATED: [Complete coverage of 2022 NHL Draft | Canadiens undecided on No. 1 pick]
And the drama doesn't stop there. The New Jersey Devils own the second pick in the draft, and there have been several reports of them possibly trading up to No. 1 or moving back in the draft.
The Arizona Coyotes (No. 3), Seattle Kraken (4), Philadelphia Flyers (5), Columbus Blue Jackets (6), Ottawa Senators (7), Detroit Red Wings (8), Buffalo Sabres (9) and Anaheim Ducks (10) round out the top 10.
The Coyotes have three first-round picks (Nos. 3, 27, 32), as do the Sabres (Nos. 9, 16 and 28). The Canadiens (Nos. 1, 26), Ducks (Nos. 10, 22), Blue Jackets (Nos. 6, 12), Winnipeg Jets (Nos. 14, 30) and Minnesota Wild (Nos. 19, 24) each have two.
The fact that there are several top-notch players in the draft leads to even more intrigue.
"I think the part that we'll see, and you'll hear about is there's a lot of players that have similar projection, similar upside, different positions and that's what's going to make this decision hard," Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said. "There is no slam dunk. There are a bunch of really good hockey players that we can add to our stables so that's a good problem to have."
New Jersey has selected a player with a top-two pick eight times, most recently center Jack Hughes (No. 1, 2019 NHL Draft).
Wright remained No. 1 in Central Scouting's ranking of North American skaters all season despite missing more than 13 months of competitive hockey. He played in the 2021 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, scoring 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in five games while serving as captain for first-place Canada. The OHL canceled its season in 2020-21 due to COVID-19.
"I think it'd just be extra special to be drafted by Montreal," said Wright, who was born in Ontario. "First of all, it's the dream come true of just being drafted, and then to be drafted first overall by a franchise in such an unbelievable city with that sort of fan base and the history around that organization would be pretty incredible. Definitely a lifelong dream come true for sure."
Wright was eighth in the OHL with 94 points (32 goals, 62 assists), and scored 28 power-play points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 63 regular-season games.
"He plays a strong two-way game with pro structure and habits and has an excellent shot with an unpredictable release that can beat goalies from any angle," Joey Tenute of NHL Central Scouting said. "Shane is the definition of a hockey player and will be a franchise player in the NHL."
Slafkovsky is Slovakia-born but has lived and played in Finland the past three seasons.
He was named the most valuable player at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Still 17 years old (he turned 18 on March 30), Slafkovsky scored a tournament-best seven goals in seven games to help Slovakia win the bronze medal, its first men's Olympic hockey medal. His seven points tied for the tournament lead, he led Slovakia with 24 shots on goal and averaged 15:50 of ice time despite being the youngest player in the tournament.
"Juraj is a physically mature forward who already plays a mature game at the pro level and what stands out most with him is his continued improvement and development over the course of the season," Dan Marr, director of NHL Scouting said. "He's like a sponge, absorbing the game and adapting his game to the level of play. He has the potential to develop along the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Leon Draisaitl and Auston Matthews, which certainly places him as the potential number one selection in Montreal.
"I'm not a fan of using the word NHL ready with 18- and 19-year-olds, but physically, he might be the player that's closest to compete for an NHL job next year."
Slafkovsky and countryman
Simon Nemec
(No. 3 in Central Scouting's ranking of International skaters), a defenseman with Nitra in Slovakia, could become the highest-selected Slovakia-born players in an NHL draft. Marian Gaborik currently holds that distinction, going No. 3 to the Minnesota Wild in the 2000 NHL Draft. Gaborik played 17 NHL seasons with five teams.
Logan Cooley
(5-10, 180), a center with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team, is No. 2 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters and
Joakim Kemell
(5-10, 185), a right wing JYP in Liiga (FIN), is No. 2 in Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters.
Although Wright might be the favorite to go No. 1 because of his complete, smarts and all-around game, there are others to be considered with the top pick, Marr said.
"This draft class has kind of expanded to where the top two North American players or the top two International players could be taken at the number one spot," Marr said. "You'd have to go back to the 2013 NHL Draft where you had a similar situation (when Barkov went No. 2 to the Florida Panthers)."
Cooley was second on the NTDP with 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists) in 51 games. He scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and had 23 shots on goal in six games to help the United States finish second at the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
"The margin between the two top North American prospects (Wright and Cooley) got narrower as the season progressed," Marr said. "Both possess NHL qualities and utilize their skills and assets within their own style of play. There is a completeness about Shane's game to which he has the innate ability to rise to the level of play required to get results, whether it's with his speed, his exceptionally quick hockey wits or just competing with a never-give-up approach."
