The Hockey News

It’s The Hockey News' highly anticipated Draft Preview 2022 edition! We run down our top 100 prospects with scouting reports on each player, plus NHL Team Reports for all 32 clubs. Also, the feature story on our top prospect Shane Wright, and a sneak peek at the 2023 and 2024 NHL drafts.

PERILS OF PUBLISHING DP COVERS

MASTHEAD

2022 NHL DRAFT RUSSIAN RISKS

NO RUN ON RUSSIA • While the NHL won’t mirror the CHL’s ban on drafting Russians, the invasion of Ukraine could still dissuade teams from picking players from Russia – especially early on

BEHIND THE MASK

JERSEY HOUND

TAKE-TWO-O-METER • Sometimes the second time is the charm for prospects. This quintet of impact NHLers needed a draft redo before making the big-time.

IN THE CARDS

THE COUNTDOWN • The spotlight is always on first-rounders. But striking gold in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds of the draft plays a big part in deepening the depth chart

2022 DRAFT ORDER

PICKS BY ROUND

WELCOME TO THE PARTY • From peeing in a cup to almost losing my lunch, hearing my name at the draft was just part of a memorable weekend

GREAT LEGENDS GREATER MEN • Bossy & Lafleur: Two of the game’s greatest scorers ever, gone within a week of each other. They were as electric as they were beloved. And the parallels between their careers are striking, both on and off the ice

TRAGEDY, TRIBUTE & TRIUMPH • HIS CAREER IS ONLY JUST GETTING STARTED, AND SHANE WRIGHT HAS ALREADY EXPERIENCED SO MUCH: THE MURDER OF A TEAMMATE, THE FAILURE TO MEET ‘EXCEPTIONAL’ EXPECTATIONS AND THE LOSS OF AN ENTIRE SEASON. HE HAS CHARTED HIS OWN COURSE TO THE TOP OF THE HOCKEY WORLD, WHILE FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PHENOMS, AND WITH AN INSATIABLE WILL TO WIN…AT ALL COSTS

COOL HAND LOGAN • IF OPPONENTS AREN’T ATTENTIVE, LOGAN COOLEY CAN BECOME HOCKEY’S ANSWER TO THE ‘INVISIBLE GORILLA’ WHEN HE’S ON THE ICE. HIS SAVVY AND 200-FOOT GAME HAVE VAULTED HIM TO ELITE-PROSPECT STATUS AHEAD OF THE 2022 NHL DRAFT

TALENT FACTORY • The NTDP has become a powerhouse producer of draft talent over the past decade-plus, getting development down to a science

NETFLIX AND THRILL • IT’S BEEN A WHIRLWIND SEASON FOR SIMON NEMEC, ONE FILLED WITH MEDALS, AWARDS, VIDEO GAMES, MOVIES AND FORMULA 1. WITH AN EYE FOR DETAIL, A NEED FOR SPEED AND PATIENCE UNDER PRESSURE, HE HAS NHL SCOUTS SALIVATING AT HIS SKILL SET – EVEN IF HE HAS FEW WORDS FOR THEIR BOSSES

DAVID JIRICEK VS. SIMON NEMEC • ONE IS VERY SAFE, THE OTHER IS SIZZLE OR FIZZLE. SO WHICH ONE OF THE TOP TWO ‘D’ PROSPECTS IN THE 2022 NHL DRAFT WILL GET PICKED FIRST? IT WILL LIKELY COME DOWN TO RISK TOLERANCE

WELL-PREPARED PELICAN • BRAD LAMBERT MAY NOT HAVE QUITE THE SAME SHINE HE HAD A YEAR AGO, BUT HE HAS GAINED INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE PLAYING AGAINST MEN IN FINLAND’S LIIGA. AND HE’S GOT THE SKILL AND SMARTS TO PROVE HIS DOUBTERS WRONG

OUT WITH THE OLD • LES GLORIEUX ARE LONG GONE, AND NEXT SEASON WILL MARK 30 YEARS SINCE THE MONTREAL CANADIENS LAST WON THE STANLEY CUP. AFTER HITTING ROCK BOTTOM, AND SETTING SOME IGNOMINIOUS HISTORY, THERE’S MUCH WORK TO BE DONE AND A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO. AND IT ALL STARTS WITH MODERNIZING THE FRANCHISE’S ARCHAIC DRAFTING AND DEVELOPING DEPARTMENTS

TOP 100 DRAFT RANKINGS • There are no guarantees when it comes to the NHL draft, but here’s our top 100 for the 2022 edition of the annual prospect derby

Top 100 Prospects: 1-4

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 5-8

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 9-12

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 13-16

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 17-20

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 21-24

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 25-28

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 29-32

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 33-36

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 37-40

TOP 100 PROSPECTS: 41-44

TOP 100 PROSPECTS:...