The 2022 NHL Draft was one finally filled with normality. After the COVID safe draft of last year that took place digitally, the 2022 version was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Thirty-two picks were made during Friday's first round. Here we will offer a short scouting report of every player selected in the first round, as well as a grade for each selection, with live updates happening as each pick is announced. Enjoy the show and get excited about your favorite team's future.
1. Philadelphia Flyers: Shane Wright,
Center
Grade - A+
Didn't Overthink it and took the best player in the Draft. Wright will immediately slot into the Flyers lineup as either a 2nd or 3rd line center
2. Ottawa Senators: Dwayne Kerslake,
Center
Grade - A+
With likely the best system of prospects in the entire NHL, the Ottawa Senators add another young Center to the likes of Josh Norris and Shane Pinto. Kerslake easily has the highest potential out of the three
3. St. Louis Blues: Matthew Savoie,
Center
Grade - A-
I expected the Slovak Slafkovsky to be selected by the Blues as he is exactly the type of player the Blues like, big, fast and skilled. Instead they go with the undersized but fast and dangerous Matthew Savoie. He'll make a great 1-2 punch down the middle with Robert Thomas once he develops
4. Buffalo Sabres: Brad Lambert,
Center
Grade - C
The Buffalo Sabres reach and take the Fin Brad Lambert. The potential is there for this kid but he just need's to put it all together. He's a "all the tools, no toolbox" type of player right now. The Sabres already have a lot of depth at center with Cozens, Thompson and Mittelstadt so unless Lambert can adapt to the wing position, this pick was a questionable one
5. Nashville Predators: Juraf Slavkovsky,
Left Wing
Grade - A+
Slafkovsky falls to the 5th pick where the Nashville Predators are more then happy to select the big winger. Nashville has to decide on a direction to take this team this offseason but regardless, selecting Slafkovsky adds a top-end prospect to their system
6. Los Angeles Kings: Simon Nemec,
Right Defense
Grade - B+
If there was a team that could afford to pass on some of the upper end forwards that populate this draft, it was the LA Kings. They take arguably the best defenseman in the draft in Simon Nemec. With Brandt Clarke, Brock Faber and Helge Grans already in the system, the Kings are looking set for the future on the backend
7. Columbus Blue Jackets: Logan Cooley,
Center
Grade - B-
Swedish forward Liam Samuelsson continues to fall as Logan Cooley goes to the Jackets. Cooley will join Sillinger and Johnson as the future of this team and that's an exceptional three players to build around up front. Cooley could potentially join Columbus as soon as next season.
8. Seattle Kraken: Joakim Kemell,
Right Wing
Grade - C-
The Seattle Kraken make arguably the biggest mistake of the draft so far by passing up on Samuelsson and taking Finnish winger Joakim Kemell. The Kraken could have selected a potential star but instead went for the safer pick in Kemell. Who will finally capitalize on the value and select the Swede?
9. New Jersey Devils: Liam Samuelsson,
Left Wing
Grade - A+
With the steal of the draft thus far, GM Tom Fitgerald selects Liam Samuelsson from Timra IK. The Devils add an NHL ready left winger who can become a 1st line player to compliment guys like Hughes, Hischier or Holtz. They acquired Tarasenko at the deadline last season so he'll have someone to mentor him in New Jersey.
10. Detroit Red Wings: Frank Nazar,
Right Wing
Grade - B+
You know the Red Wings were praying the Swedish left winger would fall to them at 10th spot but it was not to be. Instead they take the American Frank Nazar. He's a dynamic offensive winger with two-way ability. He immediately becomes the best forward prospect the Wings have
11. San Jose Sharks: Danila Yurov,
Right Wing
Grade - A+
One of the riskier picks in this draft, Yurov is a young guy who got little to no playing time in the KHL for Magnitogorsk. Where he stood out was in the international tournaments for Russia. Yurov is a big boom or bust pick here by San Jose
12. Montreal Canadiens: Gleb Trikozov,
Center / Right Wing
Grade - D
Another high risk pick and another Russian, Gleb Trikozov goes to the Canadiens at 12th. Trikozov dominated in the MHL which is a very weak league. He has potential but needs to take a lot of steps to get there. He has a very low-floor which makes him a bad pick considering who else was on the board.
13. Arizona Coyotes: David Jiricek,
Right Defense
Grade - A
What is the plan in Arizona? They spent last offseason in fire sale mode, selling off Dvorak, Garland, and OEL for draft picks. Then at the Trade Deadline last season they acquired Patrick freaking Kane from the Blackhawks. They add likely the most NHL ready prospect left in the draft in defenseman Jiricek but it's unlikely he makes the team this season
14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Seamus Casey,
Right Defense
Grade - C-
He was ranked all over the place in pre-draft mocks but the Blue Jackets take him at the 14th spot. He's a right-handed defenseman which is the same as the Jackets 25th pick last year Corson Ceulemans. It's a confusing selection considering Boqvist is also a right handed shot, leaving little room on the blueline for Casey
15. Nashville Predators: Connor Geekie,
Center
Grade - A
What a Draft by the Nashville Predators as they are able to select Geekie and Slafkovsky, two big players that have high-end potential. Geekie played with the Winnipeg Ice alongside 3rd Overall Pick Savoie. While some say Connor is the by-product of Savoie, Geekie more then held his own with 71 Points in 66 games.
16. Anaheim Ducks: Denton Mateychuk,
Left Defense
Grade - B+
After trading Hampus Lindholm to the Boston Bruins, it left a hole on the back-end. The Ducks are hoping offensive defenseman Mateychuk will be able to replace him in the coming years. He had a great year in Moose Jaw and would be a great addition to the other high flying guys they have in Anaheim (Zegras, Drysdale, Terry)
17. New York Rangers: Filip Mesar,
Center / Right Wing
Grade - B
A team on the come up in the New York Rangers select the second Slovakian to go in this draft, Filip Mesar. The elite level skater projects to be a versatile player that can be used anywhere in the lineup.
18. Edmonton Oilers: Nicklas Prestberg,
Right Wing
Grade - D
Most lists had him projected as a mid-to-late 2nd round pick and yet the Oilers take him at 18th overall in the 1st. He's a raw prospect that will take patience and time to grow. Obviously the Oilers see something they like in this kid but it's still a major reach when a guy like Miroshnichenko is on the board
19. Boston Bruins: Wayne Conroy,
Right Wing
Grade - D
Conroy is an almost identical player to Prestberg in that he's a smaller guy (5'11, 176lbs) who wasn't projected to be taken until the 2nd round. He's got good playmaking skills but everything else is a work in progress. Bad pick by Boston
20. Calgary Flames: Ty Nelson,
Right Defense
Grade - B
The Flames select Ty Nelson out of North Bay in the OHL, a very raw prospect that has a lot of work to do before becoming a NHL Player. However the potential is very high for the offensive defenseman. A long term replacement for Mark Giordano is what Calgary is hoping for
21. Toronto Maple Leafs: Noah Ostlund,
Center
Grade - C+
The 1st of the trio of players projected to be selected from Djurgardens in Sweden, Ostlund heads to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's a speedy, playmaking wizard who can rack up the assists. Sounds like the perfect linemate for a certain goal-scorer...
22. New York Islanders: Ivan Miroshnichenko,
Left Wing
Grade - A
Projected as a guaranteed Top 10 Pick, Miroshnichenko falls into the laps of the defense heavy New York Islanders. It's not the greatest fit for the Russian who's not known for his defensive play. Let's hope they'll let Barzal and Miroshnichenko run wild on their own line. Who wouldn't want too see that?
23. Dallas Stars: Calle Odelius,
Left Defense
Grade - A-
The 2nd player picked from Djurgardens, this time it's the defenseman Calle Odelius. The left hander is a two-way puck moving defenseman who should be a perfect fit on the Dallas blueline. It was definitely a position of need as well with just Thomas Harley being the only other notable defensive prospect
24. Washington Capitals: Jonathan Lekkerimaki,
Center
Grade - A-
The final pick of the trio from the same team, Jonathan Lekkerimaki will join Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Those two have something in common. They love scoring goals. He does need to work on his physical and defensive game however.
25. Winnipeg Jets: Isaac Howard,
Left Wing
Grade - A-
The Winnipeg Jets draft themselves an offensive weapon in American Isaac Howard. A scoring machine but also someone who can set up his teammates Howard just needs to work on his defensive game before becoming a Top 6 Forward
26. San Jose Sharks: Marco Kasper,
Center
Grade - A
A typical San Jose player, Austrian Marco Kasper will be a future 2nd or 3rd line center for a team in need of a full on rebuild. The team has a plethora of European players on the roster for the young 18 year old to learn from which will only help his development.
27. Tampa Bay Lightning: Elias Salomonsson,
Right Defense
Grade - C+
They failed to make it a Three-peat but the Lightning will still be in Cup contention for the foreseeable future. With their 1st round pick they get Salomonsson who has the potential to be a true top-four, puck-moving defenseman. His defensive issues are worrying
28. Chicago Blackhawks: Jiri Kulich,
Left Wing
Grade - B
By trading franchise cornerstone Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks have gone into rebuild mode. They don't have a lot of good prospects in the system but Kulich helps. He's a potential 2nd line center that will give you a little bit of everything
29. Vegas Golden Knights: Cutter Gauthier,
Left Wing
Grade - A+
Absolute steal by the Vegas Golden Knights selecting Cutter Gauthier at 29th Overall. A projected Lottery pick, Gauthier is a player in the mold of a power forward. He's 6'3 and has a high floor with good potential. Great pick here by GM Kelly McCrimmon
30. Pittsburgh Penguins: Jack Hughes,
Left Wing
Grade - B-
The only player in the first round to be drafted out of the NCAA, Jack Hughes spent this season playing for the Northeastern Huskies. He had very respectable numbers for a freshman with 16 points in 39 games. Crosby and Malkin aren't going to be around forever so the Penguins are looking for replacements, as impossible as that it
31. Minnesota Wild: Stewart Peterson,
Right Wing
Grade - B+
His skating and shot are off the charts but there are some major areas of "Stu" Peterson's game that are lacking. He's going to need to make major strides in his defensive game and will need to become more engaged in the physical side of the game. They talent is there but the Wild will need to help this kid grow into an NHL Player
32. Buffalo Sabres: Pavel Mintyukov,
Left Defense
Grade - C+
A Russian offensive defenseman who had a good season in the OHL, Buffalo takes him with the last pick in the 1st round. He needs work on his defensive game but could be a middle of the lineup guy for the Sabres
Notable Draft Day Trades