The NHL draft is an opportunity to re-establish or set a whole new course. Some teams do this by collecting selections, while others use assets to make transactions.
The 2022 NHL draft saw a mix of both, as well as some unpredictable selections. Here is a scoring note for each of the 32 teams in the league.
Buffalo Sabers: A
Buffalo had and made three first-round picks: Matt Savoie, Jiri Kulich and Noah Ostlund. If there’s one hit on this list, it’s that all three are forwards, but when your blue line already features Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin, maybe the worry goes away. It’s a lot of added skill to an already growing group of strikers. Buffalo also took the first draft of the draft, selecting Finnish goalkeeper Topias Leinonen 41st overall.
Montreal Canadiens: A
The heads turned, but only momentarily when Juraj Slafkovsky first came off the general’s board. Many thought the big, scoring winger was the second-best striker in the draft, and Montreal needed a center. The Habs tackled this problem by switching to former third overall team Kirby Dach. Later, in the initial round, Montreal took the Slovak Filip Mesar. Where the Canadians really won was with the first two picks on day 2. Here they caught Owen Beck and Lane Huston, who many thought were first-round talents. Huston, in particular, is among the best in the draft in terms of skills; it was only his 5-foot-8 frame as a defender that scared the teams. Montreal seems positioned for a rapid upward evolution in its reconstruction.
The first three NHL draft picks brought many surprises. (Photo by Dave Sandford / NHLI via Getty Images)
Seattle Kraken: A
How it happened, no one knows, but when Shane Wright fell in the fourth overall, the Seattle Kraken were there to catch him. Now with Matty Beniers and Wright in the middle, Seattle has the foundation to win in the future. In round 2, the Kraken stole another first-round player from Jagger Firkus. Exceptionally creative, and dangerous from all areas of the offensive zone, when Firkus fills up, he could fill the net for the Kraken. On Day 2, Seattle ranked Ty Nelson 68th overall. The smaller-sized blueliner could turn into a robbery. Seattle also found good value from Tucker Robertson and David Goyette.
The story goes on
Colom’s blue jackets: A
If Columbus had left this draft with just three picks, his options of David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk and Luca Del Bel Belluz would have been enough. The Blue Jackets got two of the top five defenders in the draft, and there is a legitimate chance that Jiricek will end up being a player that other teams regret for dropping to sixth. Columbus played by the rules and rankings, with few initial surprises, and maybe that’s good.
Minnesota Wild: A-
With two first-round picks, the Wild added Liam Ohgren 19th in the overall, and then stole Danila Yurov, considered by many to be one of the top 10 talents, in the 24th. Beyond that pair, who are projected as safe NHL players, Minnesota did a bit of work on day 2 adding Hunter Haight and Rieger Lorenz. Haight is a two-way smart center, and Lorenz has a final advantage in the first round.
Winnipeg Jets: A-
The Jets caught two very different players in the opening round. Brad Lambert was once considered one of the top five prospects and is certainly a highly skilled performer. It could be a robbery at number 30. While some might say they reached Rutger McGroarty at number 14, no one can blame the Jets, as there is much to love about the hard, disruptive and impulsive game McGroarty plays. . Beyond that pair, Winnipeg found value in Elias Salomonsson and Danil Zhilkin in the second and third rounds.
Anaheim Ducks: A-
There’s a lot to like about the Ducks ’draft class. Pavel Mintyukov is one of the draft’s elite offensive defenders, and Noah Warren and Tristan Luneau add instant depth to a blue-line group that was weak outside of current NHLer Jamie Drysdale. Anaheim addressed this organizational need with emphasis. The icing on the cake for Anaheim was catching great striker Nathan Gaucher in the opening round. The Ducks entered the draft with a clear goal to meet their greatest team need, and were successful.
Arizona Coyotes: B +
Picking Logan Cooley over Wright in third place overall was questionable, but the Coyotes replenished their prospect group only by volume. Going up to the first round and then choosing Maveric Lamoureux, who would have been available later, was also a bit perplexing. With their other first-round pick, the Coyotes made a safe choice by taking Conor Geekie to 11. In the second, Artyom Duda became the Coyotes’ second blue player, followed by Julian Lutz, who could become in a late robbery. If Geekie and Cooley turn out as planned, the Coyotes ’draft could turn into an“ A, ”but players who went above and beyond with their third, 29th, and 36th picks could make a new draft revive a nightmare.
Carolina Hurricanes: B +
The Hurricanes staff should earn praise for their 2022 draft class. What they were able to achieve without a first-round selection is impressive. Gleb Trikozov and Alexander Perevalov are two legitimate prospects who had a chance to go into the first round. They may have dropped to 60s and 71s due to the NHL’s hesitation toward Russian players, but that could benefit Carolina. Simon Forsmark was another cunning option, while Chaz Lucius is an intriguing dream who saw less prominence in a deep USNTDP team, but could come out as a six-time striker. Carolina’s biggest steal could be Vladimir Grudinin’s fifth-round pick.
Chicago Blackhawks: B +
If you had to judge the Blackhawks for their three first-round picks: Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel, it’s a good day. In fact, these three draft-only players could get an “A” rating for the Blackhawks. CEO Kyle Davidson is a genius or made beginner mistakes in the mixed messaging of the day. He changed two of his younger stars, Dach, 21, and Alex DeBrincat, 24, who seemed part of the future solution. In terms of talent, it can’t be said whether the Blackhawks won or lost.
Washington Capitals: B +
Everyone expects this draft note to become an “A” for capitals. It could very well be if Ivan Miroshnichenko’s health problems are in the past. He is one of the top 10, perhaps the top five talents, and the Capitals claimed Miroshnichenko in 20th place. Ryan Chesley was another player that some scouts had in the top 20 and the Capitals selected the USNTDP’s steady defender in the 37th. Washington played safely the rest of the way, adding good depth.
New Jersey Devils: B
For an organization that needed defenders, taking on Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey, two of the best blue players to move records and thrive on the transition, was a victory. Could the Devils have changed, especially with Wright and Cooley on the board and still selecting Nemec while taking another asset? Almost certain. But it is a hypothesis that we will never receive an answer. Great watchman Tyler Brennan has potential for the future. With the talent the Devils have in their system, selecting by organizational need was prudent, even if they left the talent on the table.
Philadelphia Flyers: B
Taking Gauthier Cutter to fifth overall is an option loved by many and questioned by some. Gauthier raised the rankings at the end of the season, apparently following the NHL combination when the search opportunities were over. He had a major under-18 world championship and will be an NHL contributor, but if he belonged in fifth place he will only be seen in the future. Devin Kaplan, another USNTDP player has great potential.
Detroit Red Wings: B-
Don’t question Steve Yzerman. At least not yet. The team needed a center and secured this position at number 8 by choosing the Austrian Marco Kasper. They then selected USHL Rookie of the Year Dylan James. Ville Husso’s draft pick on the day was again for Yzerman. What follows is where this draft for the Wings will be judged. The Red Wings placed towards the fences with Dmitri Buchelnikov and then did what they have become known for, choosing lesser known Europeans like Anton Johansson and Maximilian Kilpinen.
St. Louis Blues: B-
None of the first four St. Louis was outrageous. Jimmy Snuggerud is intriguing. At the stacked USNTDP it was difficult to know whether Snuggerud was the benefactor of the skill surrounding him or whether he was the catalyst. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, a Finnish striker also has many advantages.
Nashville Predators: B-
Some people saw Joakim Kemell as one of the top 10 players, and he could still become one of the top scorers in this draft class. Adam Ingram was a good pick at the 82nd overall position, but the Predators, who had holes in the blue line in their depth chart, did little to fix the problem.
Tampa Bay Lightning: B-
Isaac Howard may have a one-sided mind, but when his thinking is to score and score often, it could be worse. His team play is a question mark, but there’s a lot to love, and he showed his personality on the draft court, something the NHL needs more of. It was amazing to see Howard still available in 31st place overall, but for the Lightning it was a case of the rich getting richer. Lucas Edwards was one of the oldest players talked about in the draft, and could be closer to the NHL than many.
Vancouver Canucks: B-
Vancouver received Jonathan Lekkerimaki at number 15. Many considered his skill worthy of the top 10. He’s creative, he can score, he finds crosswalks where there aren’t any, and it could be exciting to see him next to his compatriot Elias Pettersson … no, not the Elias Pettersson the Canucks they selected in round 3. It’s hard to get too excited about this group. apart from Lekkerimaki.
Dallas Stars: C +
Picking up Lian Bichsel has a big advantage. It’s hard to miss the high defender, and while the Stars may need to be patient with their development, the benefit is worth the wait. Obviously, the defense was a focus for the Stars, who chose blue players, including Christian Kyrou and George Fegaras, with their first four …