2022 NHL Draft: Top 10 defensemen

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 defensemen. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Simon Nemec
could become the first Slovakia-born defenseman chosen among the top nine picks in the NHL Draft.
Nemec (6-foot, 199 pounds), a right-handed shot that is No. 3 in
NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters
, had 26 points (one goal, 25 assists) and a plus-13 rating in 39 regular-season games with Nitra in Slovakia's top division, and 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 19 playoff games.
The 18-year-old also had one assist in seven games for bronze-medal winning Slovakia at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
"I see Nemec as a John Klingberg-type defenseman with the Dallas Stars," said Craig Button, TSN director of scouting, NHL analyst and former NHL general manager. "Simon is smart with the puck, nifty, sharp, crafty, deceptive and extremely competitive. Don't think you're going to be able to get the better of Simon Nemec ... you're just not going to."
The highest a Slovakia-born defenseman has been chosen is No. 10, in 2004 (Boris Valabik, Atlanta Thrashers) and 1999 (Branislav Mezei, New York Islanders). Forward Marian Gaborik was the highest Slovakia-born player ever chosen (No. 3, 2000, Minnesota Wild).
Here are NHL.com's top 10 defensemen available for the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft:
1. Simon Nemec, Nitra (SVK)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 3 (International skaters)
Nemec has stood out playing against older competition in Slovakia and internationally, at the Olympics and the 2022 IIHF World Championship, where he had six points (one goal, five assists) and averaged 18:23 of ice time in eight games.

2. David Jiricek, Plzen (CZE)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 4 (International skaters)
Jiricek sustained a knee injury in Czechia's first game at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in December, had surgery and missed three months before returning in April. He had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 29 games in Czech Extraliga, the top professional league in the Czech Republic. The right-handed shot, a big (6-3, 189), strong offensive-minded defenseman with good vision and smarts, had two points (one goal, one assist), three shots on goal, and averaged 10:26 of ice time in five games for third-place Czechia at the 2022 World Championship. The 18-year-old has a high compete level and utilizes his size and strength to be successful in all areas, according to NHL director of European Scouting Goran Stubb.
3. Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw (OHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 6 (North American skaters)
The 18-year-old left-handed shot (6-1, 194) spent last season in North America but didn't play after the Ontario Hockey League canceled its season due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. This season he was third among OHL defensemen with 62 points (17 goals, 45 assists) and was first with three shorthanded goals in 67 games. Mintyukov had five assists in six games for first-place Russia at 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and was selected by Saginaw in the first round (No. 52) of the 2020 Canadian Hockey League import draft.
4. Kevin Korchinski, Seattle (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 7 (North American skaters)
Korchinski (6-2, 185) was fourth among Western Hockey League defensemen with 65 points (four goals, 61 assists), and third with 28 power-play assists, in 67 games. He is the first WHL defenseman since Darryl Sydor of Kamloops in 1989-90 (66 assists) to have 60 or more assists in his first year of NHL draft eligibility. The left-handed shot is creative with the puck and can play big minutes in all situations. Korchinski, who turns 18 on June 21, was first among WHL rookie defensemen at 0.97 points per game in the regular season and led all of the league's defensemen with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 24 games in the playoffs.

5. Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 14 (North American skaters)
Regarded as a strong skater who can lead or join the rush for scoring opportunities and create chances with his ability to anticipate plays, Mateychuk (5-10, 194) was third on Moose Jaw with 64 points (13 goals, 51 assists) in 65 regular-season games and in the WHL playoffs with 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 10 games. The 17-year-old left-handed shot is an all-situations player who logs big minutes. He also had one assist and a plus-2 rating as the captain for Team White in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on March 23 in Kitchener, Ontario.
6. Lian Bichsel, Leksand (SWE)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 9 (International skaters)
The Switzerland-born defenseman (6-5, 225) has been compared by scouts to Florida Panthers defenseman Ben Chiarot. The 18-year-old began the season with Leksand's team in Sweden's junior league but was promoted to the Swedish Hockey League, where he had three points (one goal, two assists) in 29 games and improved in all areas. Bichsel moves well for his size and plays a strong two-way game, according to Stubb.
7. Owen Pickering, Swift Current (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 15 (North American skaters)
Pickering (6-4, 180), who has tremendous upside with his size and skating ability, led Swift Current defensemen with 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) and 17 power-play points (four goals, 13 assists) in 62 games. The 18-year-old won the Tom Ham Memorial Award as Swift Current's top defenseman, was named a Second Division All-Star and WHL Central Division Rookie of the Year. He also had two assists and a plus-2 rating in four games for Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
8. Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville (QMHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 20 (North American skaters)
A solid all-around skater with good mobility, Lamoureux (6-7, 199) had 24 points (four goals, 20 assists) in 54 regular-season games and one assist in four Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff games. The 18-year-old right-hand shot has good defensive instincts, plays a physical game and can generate chances from the back end with good puck movement, Jean-Francois Damphousse of Central Scouting said. Lamoureux played lacrosse in the summer until he was 15 and said that has helped his hand/eye coordination on the ice.

9. Sam Rinzel, Chaska (HIGH-MN)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 19 (North American skaters)
The right-handed shot (6-4, 180), who turns 18 on June 25, had 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 27 games as a high school junior, and 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 21 United States Hockey League games with Waterloo. He'll play all of next season with Waterloo and is committed to play at the University of Minnesota in 2023-24. Rinzel makes a good first pass, has strong stick-defending skills and has high-end mobility with the puck on his stick, according to Greg Rajanen of Central Scouting.
10. Lane Hutson, USA U-18 (NTDP)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 25
Hutson (5-8, 158) is an elite thinker, elite skater and effective defender, according to Button. His stature shouldn't affect his status in this draft, simply because he's one of the most dynamic players available at any position. He had 63 points (10 goals, 53 assists) in 60 games, the second-most points in a season by an NTDP defenseman (65, Cam York, 2018-19). The 18-year-old had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 19 games against NCAA competition, and was named the top defensemen at the World U-18s after he had eight assists in six games to help the United States finish second.

Photos: HockeySlovakia; Nick Pettigrew
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