Wright, potential No. 1 pick in 2022, compared to Barzal

Shane Wright is the favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, and Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting, is curious to see how he deals with that pressure.

"Everybody knows him, everybody's got their guns out for him," Marr said on the latest edition of the "NHL Draft Class" podcast. "He's the target. It's going to be fun in a way to watch him and how he handles the checking pressure, the attention and just how he continues to produce."
Wright has scored six points (two goals, four assists) in five games with Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot, 185-pound center received an A rating from
Central Scouting on its preliminary players to watch list
, which was released Tuesday.
Marr compared the best parts of Wright's game to New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier and New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal.
"I distinctly recall going to games to watch Nico in Halifax (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and Mathew in Seattle (Western Hockey League) and the way they just come at you in a game, the determined approach, the desire to succeed is so evident in their style of play," Marr said. "Then when you throw in Wright's] skills, the smarts, the speed, the ability to execute under pressure, to have the composure to read the play and make the good plays, it all just comes together to where you have a top prospect."
Marr also discussed some of the other A-rated prospects for the 2022 draft, among them forwards Brad Lambert and Joakim Kemell of JYP in Liiga, the top league in Finland; forward Ivan Miroshnichenko of Omsk Krylia in Russia's second division; and forwards Logan Cooley, Isaac Howard, Cutter Gauthier and Frank Nazar, and defenseman Ryan Chesley from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team.
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[NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts
and the NHL app.
Listen: New episode of NHL Draft Class