2022 NHL Entry Draft

[Marv-the-wet-bandit]

19 minutes ago, HighOnHockey said:

Wouldn't really say I have DNDs. Just players I'd rave ranked later that most. Not the biggest fan of Joakim Kemell, but I guess if the Canucks got him at 14 or 15 I'd be cool with it.

 

I'd be very disappointed with either of Chesley or Salomonsson in anywhere in the first round.

 

Would prefer to stay away from any Russians. I guess I'd be ok with Yurov at 15, considering I have him 4th on my overall list.

Why is it you don’t like Chesley? Is it the lack of offensive upside? I think he would fit the Canucks group really well, we could use a right shot Dman that’s strong and reliable defensively. His positioning and awareness is at a pretty high level and he makes good first passes even when he’s under pressure. I, obviously, personally like him but am just curious as to why you don’t? Over the years I’ve seen a lot of your takes I absolutely agree with so I’m not saying you’re wrong I’m just genuinely curious. 

[KyGuy123]

I think we need to focus on skating when it comes to Dmen. Also ones that put their zone first and focus on the defensive side. 

Edited April 26, 2022 by KyGuy123

[HighOnHockey]

12 minutes ago, Marv-the-wet-bandit said:

Why is it you don’t like Chesley? Is it the lack of offensive upside? I think he would fit the Canucks group really well, we could use a right shot Dman that’s strong and reliable defensively. His positioning and awareness is at a pretty high level and he makes good first passes even when he’s under pressure. I, obviously, personally like him but am just curious as to why you don’t? Over the years I’ve seen a lot of your takes I absolutely agree with so I’m not saying you’re wrong I’m just genuinely curious. 

Yes, in short, lack of upside. Maybe "anywhere in the first" was a slight exaggeration on Chesley. After 25 or so I'd be more ok with it. But he doesn't get me excited for a top 15 pick.

 

Maybe part of it is I just don't think this draft is as weak as others do. If it was last year's class, then yeah maybe top 20 or 25. But there's a lot of players in this draft I'd be stoked to see the Canucks take at 15. Aside from the kinda consensus top 12-14, I'm really high on Trikozov (although with the Russian thing...). Korchinski, Gauthier, McGroarty, Howard, Luneau, Mateychuk, Kasper, and at least a couple others.

 

And then when you're talking about more of a defensive-first guy like that, it would be nice to have them be 6'2 or 6'3 or better (Pickering, Lammoureux).

 

So yeah, I just think there are a lot of players with much higher upside, and many of them don't come with all that much risk either.

[Marv-the-wet-bandit]

4 minutes ago, HighOnHockey said:

Yes, in short, lack of upside. Maybe "anywhere in the first" was a slight exaggeration on Chesley. After 25 or so I'd be more ok with it. But he doesn't get me excited for a top 15 pick.

 

Maybe part of it is I just don't think this draft is as weak as others do. If it was last year's class, then yeah maybe top 20 or 25. But there's a lot of players in this draft I'd be stoked to see the Canucks take at 15. Aside from the kinda consensus top 12-14, I'm really high on Trikozov (although with the Russian thing...). Korchinski, Gauthier, McGroarty, Howard, Luneau, Mateychuk, Kasper, and at least a couple others.

 

And then when you're talking about more of a defensive-first guy like that, it would be nice to have them be 6'2 or 6'3 or better (Pickering, Lammoureux).

 

So yeah, I just think there are a lot of players with much higher upside, and many of them don't come with all that much risk either.

I like all of the players you mentioned, Trikozov is very intriguing to me. I really like Chesley and just think he’s the perfect fit for this this team (particularly Hughes) but I would  take most of the guys you mentioned ahead of him. On the back end I definitely take Pickering, Luneau, Korchinski and Mateychuk ahead of him and think 3 of those 4 will probably be available to us. 

[hammertime]

If we stay at the pick I think we're taking a FWD 1 of Kaspar, Lambert, Kemell, Yurov.

 

If trade with say the Yotes  we probably get 2 of.. Gaucher, Beck, Nyman, Bichsel, Chesley, Pickering

 

I'm ok with either of these scenarios lets not ignore a Nic Hague on the board because nobody's taking Kole Friki'n Lind.

[J.I.A.H.N]

 

@HighOnHockey

 

I have kind of narrowed down my RHD choices to area's where we might have a chance or getting a good player.................

 

#1. Jiricek........................trading up to get him................Boeser and our 2022 1st..........................................he goes 5 to 8 OA

 

#2. Chesley.....................hard not to like his defensive abilities, and it appears he can score points too.........he goes 12 to 24

 

#3. Luneau......................If HighonHockey says this kid is the bomb, then he is the bomb...............................he goes 14 to 22

 

Here is what I am going to say about Jiricek..............we need a top end RHD, he can be everything, he can be Defensive, or he can be Offensive, but he needs to be elite

Hopefully all of these guys have some of these qualities? 

[HighOnHockey]

1 hour ago, Marv-the-wet-bandit said:

I like all of the players you mentioned, Trikozov is very intriguing to me. I really like Chesley and just think he’s the perfect fit for this this team (particularly Hughes) but I would  take most of the guys you mentioned ahead of him. On the back end I definitely take Pickering, Luneau, Korchinski and Mateychuk ahead of him and think 3 of those 4 will probably be available to us. 

Hands down the most interesting case study in the draft for me. Every year there's a couple players like this in the top 10 or 15, who tend to try to use their skills to do too much, who maybe have questionable understanding of how to use their teammates and play within a team concept. It's always kids who have been phenoms from a very young age and were so much better than everyone they could do what they want and never had to learn to play the right way. Perfetti and somewhat Holtz in 2020. Lysell and a little bit Kent Johnson last year. This year there's a few - Nazar kinda, Savoie, Kemell.

 

But Trikozov is a bit of a different animal. He might be a slight step down from those guys in terms of pure skill, but he's 6'1, 185 and and a freak athlete. He's like a freight train out there at the junior level; I don't know how many times I've seen him get cut off along the boards and just lower the shoulder and plow through. But I also don't know how many times I've seen him toe drag a forechecker coming out of his own zone, or go through a guy's legs behind his own net.

 

He's a force on the defensive side of things too. Skating through pucks, backchecking like a man possessed (often has to because he turned over the puck), and he's so deceptive. On the backcheck he loves to press guys away from the middle towards the boards and then sneak up the long way around them and attack the puck from the board-side - but again, its a riskier play since if they notice him coming up the board-side they know they have a lane to the middle.

 

He's either going to be the second coming of Marian Hossa... or he'll be one hell of a KHLer.

[HighOnHockey]

Watching the Canada-Czech game. Really liking what I'm seeing from Kulich and Sapovaliv, particularly Kulich. He is more skilled than I realized.

 

Owen Pickering is an absolute beast. I can't possibly fathom how people can say this is a weak draft class. The more I watch the more I'm seeing kids like Pickering, Kasper, Howard, who look to me like top 15 or 20 calibre picks. There's gotta be at least 25 of them. This is what I've been saying from the start of the season - you've got a good chance to get a good NHL player anywhere in the top 25.

 

With all the smaller kids, I can see how people might criticize the inordinate amount of risk, particularly through the top 15, but it's one of the deepest groups through 25 I've seen in quite a few years.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, HighOnHockey said:

Watching the Canada-Czech game. Really liking what I'm seeing from Kulich and Sapovaliv, particularly Kulich. He is more skilled than I realized.

 

Owen Pickering is an absolute beast. I can't possibly fathom how people can say this is a weak draft class. The more I watch the more I'm seeing kids like Pickering, Kasper, Howard, who look to me like top 15 or 20 calibre picks. There's gotta be at least 25 of them. This is what I've been saying from the start of the season - you've got a good chance to get a good NHL player anywhere in the top 25.

 

With all the smaller kids, I can see how people might criticize the inordinate amount of risk, particularly through the top 15, but it's one of the deepest groups through 25 I've seen in quite a few years.

Jiri Kulich is slated to go anywhere from 20 to 50 based on projections? 

 

I see he's listed as a 6' center... does he look solid out there compared to his peers? 

[Screw]

18 hours ago, HighOnHockey said:

Like him a lot. Would be stoked if Canucks got him. Recrutes is a pretty respectable group and I think they had him 3rd overall on their last rankings.

 

Big body. 6'2 and thick as $&!#. Great skater, great shot. A real handful for defenders down low. Just not sure about his upper-end hockey sense - creativity, deceptiveness and such. Should be a reasonably safe bet for 25-30 goals and 55-65 points in the NHL anyway. I haven't seen a ton of him though. Maybe has a whole different gear that Grant McCagg and co at Recrutes are seeing.

Yeah,  I watched some videos of him and he looks good and may be available around 15.

[HighOnHockey]

21 hours ago, VancouverHabitant said:

Jiri Kulich is slated to go anywhere from 20 to 50 based on projections? 

 

I see he's listed as a 6' center... does he look solid out there compared to his peers? 

My best guess would be 25 to 35.

 

You mean solid physically? Honestly can't recall seeing him in any physical exchange. Was surprised with his skill and finesse. He actually took the puck to the inside occasionally, but he's so slippery he was barely touched (keep in mind how bad Canada's defense is).

 

On a different note, I am so in awe of this USA team. I've been following this tournament for quite a few years, and this is one of the best teams I have ever seen. USA's 2012 team was dominant led by the best defense corps I can recall, with Seth Jones, Jacob Trouba, Brady Skjei, Matt Grzylek. Canada's 2013 team was loaded, with McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Josh Morrissey, Shea Theodore. USA's 2019 team was incredible, with Jack Hughes, Trevor Zegras, Alex Turcotte, Cole Caufield, Matt Boldy, Matt Beniers, Cam York, Spencer Knight, but somehow lost the gold medal game (to under-aged Alex Holtz and Lucas Raymond). And then there was Canada's team last year with Mason McTavish, Shane Wright, Connor Bedard, Brandt Clarke, etc.

 

Maybe not overall the all-time best team at this tournament, but I legitimately think this must be the best ever forward group. You've got Logan Cooley, Frank Nazar, Cutter Gauthier, Isaac Howard, Rutger McGroarty, Jimmy Snuggerud all going to go first round this year. Charlie Stramel and Will Smith top 10 or 15 next year. The 2019 USA team or Canada's 2021 team might have had slightly better top sixes, but that's 8 elite forwards I've already named, and then down to Cruz Lucius, Devin Kaplan, Cole Spicer, they've got 3rd and 4th liners who are likely to be drafted 2nd and 3rd round. USA's 3rd line of Stramel-McGroarty-Lucius can go toe-to-toe with any other team's top line and hold their own.

[HKSR]

So it looks almost certain the Canucks will pick around 15th.  Looking over the prospects list this year, I'm confident the Canucks are gonna get a really good player.  Seems like good depth in this year's draft.

[EP Phone Home]

Canucks management hopefully finds a way to recoup a 2nd rounder. From the sounds of it, it’s a much deeper draft then many people have been saying. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, EP Phone Home said:

Canucks management hopefully finds a way to recoup a 2nd rounder. From the sounds of it, it’s a much deeper draft then many people have been saying. 

I'd much prefer 2023 draft picks if I could choose.  

 

Just by examining the Hlinkas last year and the U18s this year, it seems that 2023 draft class is much stronger then 2022. 

[HighOnHockey]

1 hour ago, VancouverHabitant said:

I'd much prefer 2023 draft picks if I could choose.  

 

Just by examining the Hlinkas last year and the U18s this year, it seems that 2023 draft class is much stronger then 2022. 

 

Agreed. 2022 is around average, probably slightly above average. I've just been protesting against the idea that it's a weak class. Some drafts are just average. 2023 looks superlative.

 

I was just thinking earlier about how U18s performances have effected my take on some 2023s.

 

Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson stay static. Had them top five before. Not likely to surpass Bedard or Michkov, but they're legit.

 

Lukas Dragicevik and Will Smith are moving up for me. Dragicevic was exposed by elite, older players that first game against USA, but since then he's been able to show some really high-end offensive abilities to a level I hadn't seen from him with Tri-City. If there is going to be a defenseman break into the top 5, he's the one. Will Smith missed the first couple games and then jumped right on to that line with Nazar and Howard, allowing Nazar to move from center to his natural RW. Smith is not out of place with those guys in the least.

 

Charlie Stramel and Matthew Wood are trending down for me. I thought both merited top 5 consideration. Maybe still do, but I'm less sure. Both are big bodies and very good players, just don't seem to have that special something.

 

Kasper Halttunen wasn't a player I was all that aware of before this tournament, but he's another big, skilled forward, and he doesn't turn 17 until June.

 

Unlike this 2022 draft where the top 15 is loaded with highly skilled but sub 6' forwards, especially wingers, 2023 is stacked a mile high with highly skilled 6'+ forwards (many 6'2+), especially centers.

[HighOnHockey]

Lol, speaking of Halttunen, he just had the tying goal against Canada with a minute and a half left. Joakim Kemell with the winner 30 seconds into overtime, to complete the hat trick. And Canada is done.

 

As I said coming in, maybe the worst team Canada has ever sent to this tournament. I was particularly disappointed with Rieger Lorenz, who I saw as a fringe first round candidate coming in, but he showed some pretty brutal decision-making at times throughout the tournament. I know there's a lot of love for David Goyette around the internet lately, and he was pretty good here but I'm not sure I quite see the excess of skill to make up for the lack of size. At this point I see him more as an early second rounder than late first. As far as Canada's secondary players, I was most impressed with Kocha Delic and Nicholas Moldenhauer. Delic is a smart, tenacious two-way forward who could have a future as a bottom six in the NHL. Moldenhauer is more boom-bust, small and offense-first, but highly skilled. Both look like 2nd-3rd rounders.. On defense, lots to like about Mastrodomineco, a physical two-way RD who I would imagine should go 3rd or 4th round.

[Warhippy]

On 4/12/2022 at 9:00 AM, Warhippy said:

My wish list:

 

1st round:  #13 Cutter Gauthier https://thehockeywriters.com/cutter-gauthier-2022-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

2nd round:  (Via trade picks 5, 6 and 7 to Arizona or Montreal) Maverick Lamoureux https://thehockeywriters.com/maveric-lamoureux-2022-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

3rd round:  Noah Warren:  https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/574586/noah-warren

4th round:  Liam Arnsby https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/529236/liam-arnsby

I stand by this.

 

This is what I am hoping for.  The closer we get, the more I want this to be a reality.

[Nucker 67]

I don't really want to scroll through 30+ pages, but what are the changes to the Draft this year?  Canucks can only move up 10 spots max?  So, the best they could do with a miracle lottery win is the #5?  

[Nucker 67]

Well, forget the lottery, Canucks don't win those types of things, so I'm going to assume they pick #15.  I think they could still get a pretty good player there.  

 

Forwards: (LW) Cutter Gauthier, (C) Marco Kasper, (C/LW) Ruther McGroarty

 

Defense:  (L) Denton Mateychuk, (L) Pavel Mintyukov, (L) Kevin Korchinski, (L) Owen Pickering

 

I figure possibly one of these guys. Would be nice to get a stud RD, but they've got to be Top 5 for that. Unless they trade down for Casey or Chesley?  Hmm, not sure about that. 

 

It's also possible that another team or two takes a long shot pick, and some good players move down. Maybe VAN gets Yurov?  Then, make a trade to recoup a high 2nd and grab Miroshnichenko. 

 

Let's get Podkolzin some comrades here

 

 

[cdgraham]

I'd go for cutter gauthier for sure. 19 goals in 22 USHL games looks really good. Good two way player too exactly what we need