Today is part two of our series looking back at recent NHL Drafts and how my ordering of those players would change with time and more information. This piece is about the 2022 NHL Draft. Despite a much-debated top of the class going in, much of the top group remains the same two years out. Players eligible for this exercise had to be drafted in the draft class mentioned, regardless of their first year of eligibility.
Tier 1: NHL All-Star
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | DRAFT POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tier 2: Bubble star and top of lineup
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | DRAFT POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Heading into the 2022 draft, Montreal was thought to be debating between three players with their No. 1 pick in Logan Cooley, Juraj Slafkovský and Shane Wright. Two years later, I still see those three players as the top three pro prospects of this class. Wright has gotten beat up a lot in the past two years, but he was actually very good in the AHL this past season and a leading part of a top team. Slafkovský and Cooley have separated a bit from him, in part due to their tools and the fact they’ve already shown well at the NHL level.
Tier 3: Top-of-lineup player
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | DRAFT POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pavel Mintyukov shoots up to the No. 4 spot following a great rookie NHL season. He’s a very talented defenseman with high-end skill, strong size and mobility. He projects to have a lot of NHL offense while playing decent enough defensively.
Tier 4: Bubble top and middle lineup
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | DRAFT POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 became a factor in NHL teams deciding whether to select Russian players like Ivan Miroshnichenko and Danila Yurov. Miroshnichenko, who many teams had rated as a top-five pick in the draft, was also diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March of that year. He and Yurov went in the 20s.
Miroshnichenko has shown promising recovery and looked good this season in the AHL and NHL. Yurov was also a leading player on the KHL champion Magnitogorsk Metallurg this past season. Risks remain with both prospects for the same reasons teams saw two years ago, but I believe if you re-did the draft, both would go a lot higher.
Maveric Lamoureux was seen as a huge, mobile defenseman who played hard, but there were major questions about his skill and hockey sense and whether he could make a first pass in the NHL. The QMJHL’s quality has deteriorated and I am rarely impressed by numbers being put up there, but Lamoureux was a point-per-game player last season and one of Canada’s best players at the world juniors. He doesn’t need to be a points type in the NHL with his athletic tools, he just needs to not hot potato every puck and he could have a long NHL career.
Tier 5: Middle of lineup player
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | DRAFT POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Brad Lambert got beat up in his draft season. He was always seen as a very talented prospect due to his great skating and skill, but his inconsistent effort and playmaking worried teams a lot. His play in recent months has been more reassuring, as he was quite good versus pros in the AHL as a very young player.
Lane Hutson has been among the most debated prospects in scouting circles over the last few years. He was outstanding in college the last two seasons. Some scouts see his elite hockey sense and skill and think he could be a very good NHL defenseman. Others look at his small frame and lack of standout mobility for his size and wonder if he will be able to defend in the NHL. I’ve come around to the idea he could be a top-four type, but he may have to be used in an extremely specific way.
Jani Nyman went in the second round due to concerns about his skating, but he’s a good-sized winger with legit offensive skills and goal-scoring abilities who had a big year in Liiga. Tristan Luneau made the Anaheim Ducks out of camp as a teenager, although injuries shortened his season. His mobility is just OK, but he can move pucks and score goals and has a decent frame, too.
Dennis Hildeby was picked as a re-entry goaltender, and since then he’s shown very well versus pros even without a ton of games in the last few years. He’s big and very athletic and has solid hockey sense, too. He has a lot of NHL traits.
Matt Savoie was a top-10 pick in his draft after being a highly touted junior. He has a lot of speed and playmaking in his game and works hard. He is an undersized forward, though, who doesn’t have the elite skill you’d ideally want in a player that size.
Rutger McGroarty had a big season in college and is a highly competitive forward who was Team USA’s captain at the world juniors. I don’t view him as a super creative player with the puck, though, and his skating is mediocre. There are questions about how his game is going to fare versus NHLers.
Tier 6: Projected to play NHL games
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | DRAFT POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tier 7: Has a chance to play games
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | DRAFT POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
