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 goalies. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.
2022 NHL Draft: Top 10 goalies
Zhigalov, Brennan, Leinonen rated among best
Ivan Zhigalov
has a chance to be the first Belarus-born goalie chosen in the NHL Draft.
Zhigalov (6-foot-3, 167 pounds) of Minsk, Belarus, is No. 2 in
NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies
. The 19-year-old was 26-9-3 with a 2.84 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in 42 games in his first season with Sherbrooke of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
"I really like his game," said Jean-Francois Damphousse of NHL Central Scouting. "He's very agile and competitive in net. He has the size in his favor which is obviously an asset. I see a lot of natural talent. Lots of upside and tools to work with. His game needs to mature, he needs to continue to log some games and gain experience, but there's lots to like."
A goalie has been chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft each of the past three years. In the 2021 NHL Draft, Sebastian Cossa was chosen No. 15 by the Detroit Red Wings and Jesper Wallstedt at No. 20 by the Minnesota Wild.
Here are NHL.com's top 10 goalies available for the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft:
1. Tyler Brennan, Prince George (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 1 (North American goalies)
The 18-year-old (6-4, 185) was 11-25-2 with a 3.58 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and four shutouts in 39 games, and was 0-3 with a 1.86 GAA and .954 save percentage in four WHL playoff games. Brennan has good overall quickness and athleticism, can move the puck well from behind the net and is capable of making big, timely saves. He has very good pro potential, according to Central Scouting goalie evaluator Al Jensen.
2. Topias Leinonen, JYP Jr. (FIN-JR)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 1 (International goalies)
Leinonen, who plays for JYP's team in Finland's junior league, was 9-10-0 with a 2.28 GAA, .916 save percentage and two shutouts but played 21 games because of illness and injuries. The 18-year-old (6-5, 233) went 3-2 with a 2.61 GAA and .897 save percentage in five games for third-place Finland at the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. He plays a hybrid butterfly style while trusting his size and net coverage with good instincts and a quick glove. He also played four games this season with JYP in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland.
3. Hugo Havelid, Linkoping Jr. (SWE-JR)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 2 (International goalies)
The 18-year-old (5-10, 170) was named the top goaltender at the World Under-18s after going 4-1 with a 2.41 GAA and .929 save percentage in five games for first-place Sweden. He made 47 saves in a 6-4 win against the United States in the championship game, including 20 in the third period. He was 21-7-0 with a 1.82 GAA, .920 save percentage and five shutouts in 28 games with Linkoping in Sweden's junior league. His father, Niclas Havelid, played 628 NHL games in nine seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils; his twin brother, defenseman Mathias Havelid, is No. 19 on Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters.
4. Ivan Zhigalov, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 2 (North American goalies)
Zhigalov, the only right-handed catching goalie on Central Scouting's top 10 list of North American goalies, offers a big presence in net and is smart at reading the play. He played three games for Dynamo Moscow's team in Russia's junior league and eight games with the Belarus Under-18 Team, which plays in Belarus' second division, in 2020-21 before joining Sherbrooke this season. He describes himself as hard working, athletic and calm, and his excellent butterfly makes him tough to beat down low. He allowed three goals on 16 shots in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on March 23.
5. Dylan Silverstein, USA U-18 (NTDP)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 3 (North American goalies)
Silverstein (6-0, 179) is a quick, athletic goalie capable of making the big saves when needed. The 18-year-old was 10-7-0 with a 3.52 GAA, .878 save percentage and two shutouts in 20 games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team. He's committed to Boston College for the 2023-24 season.
6. Tyler Muszelik, USA U-18 (NTDP)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 4 (North American goalies)
He earned the majority of the starts with the NTDP, going 24-5-3 with a 2.91 GAA, .900 save percentage and two shutouts in 35 games. Muszelik (6-2, 195), who will play at the University of New Hampshire next season, relies on his size and positional play and has a big presence in his stance when down in the butterfly, according to Jensen. The 17-year-old was 2-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .909 save percentage in two games for the United States at the World U-18s.
© Chris Tanouye/Getty Images
7. Mason Beaupit, Spokane (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 5 (North American goalies)
Beaupit (6-5, 188) is a strong skater with above-average puck-handling skills, can read plays and anticipates well. The 18-year-old went 20-22-4 with a 3.63 GAA, .893 save percentage and one shutout in 49 games. He was sixth in the WHL in shots against (1,577) and saves (1,408). He also made 16 saves on 16 shots in 30:13 of ice time at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
8. Jan Spunar, Olomouc Jr. (CZE-JR)
NHL Central Scouting: No. 3 (International goalies)
Spunar (6-3, 185) plays with confidence, is good at reading the play and positioning himself within the crease. The 18-year-old went 22-8-0 with a 2.57 GAA, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 31 games with Olomouc in the Czech Republic junior league. He was 2-0 with a 3.45 GAA and .844 save percentage for the Czechia at the World U-18s.
9. Ty Young, Prince George (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 6 (North American goalies)
Young (6-2, 181) has a strong work ethic and is very coachable. Sharing duty with Brennan this season, the 17-year-old was 6-9-3 with a 3.50 GAA and .899 save percentage in 23 games. He also went 4-10-3 with a 3.38 GAA and .918 save percentage in 17 games with Calgary of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Jensen said Young's style is similar to Brennan's, with good butterfly coverage, glove hand and rebound control.
10. Cameron Whitehead, Lincoln (USHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 7 (North American goalies)
Passed over in the 2021 NHL Draft, Whitehead (6-3, 172) gained the attention of NHL scouts this season after finishing tied for eighth among United States Hockey League goalies in wins (16-8-4). He also had a 3.19 GAA, .892 save percentage and one shutout in 31 games. Whitehead, who turns 19 on Monday, worked with former NHL goalie Robert Esche when he played with the Utica Jr. Comets of the National Collegiate Development Conference in 2020-21 and joined Brennan and Leinonen as the only goalies invited to the 2022 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. Jensen said Whitehead has a good pro presence and plays with confidence. He's committed to play at Northeastern University starting in 2023-24.
Photos: Vincent L-Rousseau, Sherbrooke (QMJHL); James Doyle, Prince George (WHL)
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