Prospect Info: The 2022 Draft Thread

[snipes]

Assuming we keep the pick and we look at Bob's list - I see a lot of guys that I would be extremely happy with:

25. Chesley - 6'0.5" 201bs RD

I've seen Chesley all over the place. I think whoever takes him will get a solid defenceman for a lot of years. The more you watch him, the move you appreciate his edges, hockey IQ and ability to make the right play. I could see him turning into a Ryan McDonaugh type.

26. Bichsel - 6'5.5" 225lbs LD

I don't expect Bichsel to be around with our pick given his size and untapped offensive potential. Bichsel could be this years Moritz Seider light. Seider didn't exactly have the best of numbers in the DEL either. Bichsel is a great skater for his size, plays a physical game and can move the puck surprisingly well. The young Swiss player has some flashes of Darnell Nurse in his game. If you want to try and hit a homerun, this is a pick. My guess is Anaheim snags him with their pick at 22.

27. McGroarty - 6'1" 204lbs LC

If McGroarty can work on his speed and skating, watch out. This kids shot is LETHAL. In addition to having one the best names in the draft, Rutger put up just stupid numbers in his career so far. He reminds me a bit of Bo Horvat but I could see him putting up better NHL numbers if he figures it out all. I think he has a pretty high ceiling but still some untapped potential here.

-----------

That Leaves us with the following:

28. Nathan Gaucher - 6'3" 207lbs RC
I don't mind Gaucher but I think he tops out as a 3rd line center and reminds me of Adam Lowry. Maybe thats too harsh but I don't know if I see the upside but overall a very safe pick. Wouldn't hate the pick as right hand centers are always nice to have and something the Oilers are missing. I see him more of an early second but wouldn't be surprised if hes the guy we grab given that this isn't exactly a strong draft.

29. Luca Del Bel Belluz - 6'0.5" 17lbs LC
I'd rather have Owen Beck if I'm being honest. Del Bel Belluz has had a productive season but plays a cerebral game that I'm not sure it translates very well to the NHL level. He seems slow to me and doesn't really seem like he has enough gas in the tank to make the NHL as a top 6 forward. I guess I just don't see how he fits into the Oilers at this point.

30. Filip Mesar - 5'9.5" 174lbs RW
Impressed early but he really looked small against men. I don't know how much he improved this year playing against harder competition. My fear is that hes too small and becomes a perimeter powerplay guy. Super skilled and fun to watch at times though, just not sure we need another smallish RW.

31. Sam Rinzel - 6'3.75" 180lbs RD
I'm always impressed with these guys at the high school level and say to myself that they check all the boxes. Unfortunately these big defenceman from high school seem to rarely pan out. Not sure it's worth the risk in the 1st.

32. Tristan Luneau - 6'1.5" 189lbs RD
Steady guy that I think is flying under the radar a bit. He's a big RHD that I think plays a 4-5 role in the NHL. Wouldn't be the worst pick but not a really sexy pick either. I would be okay with Luneau but I do think their are more talented players around. Should be a nice complimentary player

-----------

Overall not too happy with what would be here based on Bob's rankings. Other players available are:

33. Owen Beck
34. Jagger Firkus
36. Calle Odelius
40. Lane Hutson

Beck would be okay the same way Gaucher would be but neither would be my 1st choice. Firkus probably isn't a Holland pick given his size but you never know. Odelius would be a great pick. Hutson I love but he is a huge gamble for a team that doesn't pick again until the 5th round.

Don’t forget Ty Nelson.

Right shot, has good skill. Played with Petrov this year, so the scouting staff would have gotten lots of looks at him.

Firkus, Hutson, and Nelson all seem like undersized but high upside draft picks. Lorenz is interesting as well, he’s got some good size and is following the Holloway path from the Okotoks Oilers to the Wisconsin Badgers.

Chesley is a safe pick and has good potential. My hopes for Bischel seem like a long shot, he’ll be drafted way before we pick.

The real wild card here is Brad Lambert, he’s projected to fall and would be a very interesting player to take a flyer on if he’s available.

 

[McDoused]

Don’t forget Ty Nelson.

Right shot, has good skill. Played with Petrov this year, so the scouting staff would have gotten lots of looks at him.

Firkus, Hutson, and Nelson all seem like undersized but high upside draft picks. Lorenz is interesting as well, he’s got some good size and is following the Holloway path from the Okotoks Oilers to the Wisconsin Badgers.

Chesley is a safe pick and has good potential. My hopes for Bischel seem like a long shot, he’ll be drafted way before we pick.

The real wild card here is Brad Lambert, he’s projected to fall and would be a very interesting player to take a flyer on if he’s available.

I didnt forget about him. Big no thank you for drafting Nelson in the 1st round.

 

[snipes]

I didnt forget about him. Big no thank you for drafting Nelson in the 1st round.

What don’t you like about his game?

 

[Soli]

Marco Kasper drafted in the CHL import draft by the Ottawa 67s. Things that make you go hmmm.

 

[McDoused]

What don’t you like about his game?

For me hes a late 2nd early 3 type of player. Brock Otten is a guy I trust a lot for OHL players. He has him ranked 8th in the OHl way behind Beck, DelBelBelluz, Sapovaliv and Ludwinski. Here is what Brock Otten says:

Tale of three seasons for Nelson. He started the year extremely well and I believed that he had a chance of being a first round pick. Then he really struggled in the second half of the OHL regular season and seemed to lose all confidence in his offensive abilities. This was followed up by a very strong performance in this year's OHL playoffs, where he helped North Bay reach the East finals. So what do we make of all of this? Honestly, much like LDBB, I'm a little flummoxed. The four way mobility is a major positive. The shot is one of the best in this draft class. His breakout pass is excellent and he has great scanning habits with the puck. His physical intensity level is extremely admirable given his lack of height (but not width; Nelson is built like a brick **** house). He has the makings of being a very good two-way defender. There are just a lot of application issues that I see that I think could limit his potential if not corrected. He has some bad habits when defending in transition. He gets caught flat footed a lot, way more than he should given his strong mobility. This leads to a lot of blow-byes and penalties against. His footwork inside the offensive zone isn't terrific either. He has this booming shot, but he does not clear space for himself well enough by using his edges. He's just too stagnant running the point right now and he needs to do a better job of using space inside the offensive zone. This is something that all elite powerplay QB's do to help break down coverage and he does not have those habits yet at a consistent level. Late in the year, when Nelson seemed to lose his confidence, he wasn't even taking chances offensively either. Lots of dump ins and low percentage plays, even though he has the skill to try to make plays. Given how many puck moving defenders eligible this year had terrific second half performances (Korchinski, Havelid, Rinzel, etc), it's going to be tough for Nelson to find a spot inside the Top 45 or so IMO.

My Final Top 50 OHL Players for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft - Part 3: 30-11

This is the third part of my final top 50 OHL players eligible for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Here you will find players ranked 30 through 1...

ohlprospects.blogspot.com

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Based on McKenzie's list, there are a few potential fallers that I think would be excellent picks at 29. Noah Ostlund (22nd), Denton Mateychuk (24th), Ryan Chesley (25th), Lian Bichsel (26th), and Rutger McGroarty (27th) could all be great fits. Not too confident any of them fall to our pick, but a man can dream.

Otherwise, I think this could be a decent opportunity to trade down—especially if we're able to gamble on Lane Hutson.

 

[tempest186]

Hutson is interesting. Could see a team taking him before our pick

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Great to see a high skill Western Canadian kid. A peek at Jagger Firkus.

Which team will buy a ticket to the 'Firkus Circus' at the NHL draft? - TSN.ca

Jagger Firkus reflected on his breakthrough season during a conversation with TSN. He explained why Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner is his NHL role model and how Power Edge Pro has aided his development, Mark Masters writes.

www.tsn.ca

Though I don't see the Oilers going small skill if they keep their late first round pick.

 

[belair]

For me hes a late 2nd early 3 type of player. Brock Otten is a guy I trust a lot for OHL players. He has him ranked 8th in the OHl way behind Beck, DelBelBelluz, Sapovaliv and Ludwinski. Here is what Brock Otten says:

Tale of three seasons for Nelson. He started the year extremely well and I believed that he had a chance of being a first round pick. Then he really struggled in the second half of the OHL regular season and seemed to lose all confidence in his offensive abilities. This was followed up by a very strong performance in this year's OHL playoffs, where he helped North Bay reach the East finals. So what do we make of all of this? Honestly, much like LDBB, I'm a little flummoxed. The four way mobility is a major positive. The shot is one of the best in this draft class. His breakout pass is excellent and he has great scanning habits with the puck. His physical intensity level is extremely admirable given his lack of height (but not width; Nelson is built like a brick **** house). He has the makings of being a very good two-way defender. There are just a lot of application issues that I see that I think could limit his potential if not corrected. He has some bad habits when defending in transition. He gets caught flat footed a lot, way more than he should given his strong mobility. This leads to a lot of blow-byes and penalties against. His footwork inside the offensive zone isn't terrific either. He has this booming shot, but he does not clear space for himself well enough by using his edges. He's just too stagnant running the point right now and he needs to do a better job of using space inside the offensive zone. This is something that all elite powerplay QB's do to help break down coverage and he does not have those habits yet at a consistent level. Late in the year, when Nelson seemed to lose his confidence, he wasn't even taking chances offensively either. Lots of dump ins and low percentage plays, even though he has the skill to try to make plays. Given how many puck moving defenders eligible this year had terrific second half performances (Korchinski, Havelid, Rinzel, etc), it's going to be tough for Nelson to find a spot inside the Top 45 or so IMO.

My Final Top 50 OHL Players for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft - Part 3: 30-11

This is the third part of my final top 50 OHL players eligible for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Here you will find players ranked 30 through 1...

ohlprospects.blogspot.com

This is the reason I have no problem trading back into the 40s and picking up a 3rd. Particularly if they drafting D. I see Nelson as a more skilled and rounded defenseman than a guy like Luneau. If he's falling back for any reason, go get the extra asset.

Nelson's game falling off midseason falls into the range where North Bay ran into injury problems. Tnias Mathurin missed a significant amount of time and both Kyle Jackson and Liam Arnsby missed time. The team was struggling without their two top centers.

I agree there are concerns about what Nelson is at the NHL level, but I believe his talent level is extremely high and he's got the toolkit and work ethic where I believe he'll improve on the weaknesses in his game.

The only way I stay at 29 is if the Russian or Lambert falls.

 

[McAsuno]

Craig Button has the Oilers taking Reid Schaefer in his mock

(whoever Reid is)

 

[joestevens29]

Craig Button has the Oilers taking Reid Schaefer in his mock

(whoever Reid is)

Seems like a guy that has come up the rankings the last half of the season.

Big body, finisher, local guy with average skating.

 

[oilers'72]

Craig Button has the Oilers taking Reid Schaefer in his mock

(whoever Reid is)

Reid Schaefer at eliteprospects.com

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Reid Schaefer, 2003-09-21 Edmonton, AB, CAN Canada. Most recently in the AHL with Milwaukee Admirals. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Reid Schaefer - 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

We profile Seattle Thunderbirds forward Reid Schaefer. See why teams are very interested in him despite several questions about his game.

thehockeywriters.com

 

[Shizuka]

Yeah, I'll echo a few other posters -- if they trade down I hope they use it to pick Hutson, an offensive dynamo on the back end who skates extremely well but also demonstrated committment to his own zone first. He's very small at 5'8" currently but it's not entirely unprecedented to see small guys like that find success as D in the NHL.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Craig Button has the Oilers taking Reid Schaefer in his mock

(whoever Reid is)

Lots on him. See post 259.

Among other stuff: 2022 NHL Draft Highlight Reel – Reid Schaefer – WHL Network

Oilers management continue to look to add size and compete. Upgrade the quality support around its elite skill.

 

[NotAVacuumSalesman]

Scouching's got the Oilers picking Tristan Luneau based on Gut (left) and Jack Hughes going by Brain (right). I have it timestamped to show the Oilers pick.

 

[McMozesmadness]

Here's my personal top 125:

1) Juraj Slafkovsky

2) Logan Cooley

3) Shane Wright

4) David Jiricek

5) Denton Mateychuk

6) Kevin Korchinski

7) Simon Nemec

8) Jonathan Lekkerimaki

9) Frank Nazar

10) Jiri Kulich

11) Lane Hutson

12) Conor Geekie

13) Joakim Kemell

14) Noah Ostlund

15) Danila Yurov

16) Marco Kasper

17) Rutger McGroarty

18) Calle Odelius

19) Liam Ohgren

20) Cutter Gauthier

21) Jagger Firkus

22) Matt Savoie

23) Mattias Havelid

24) Pavel Mintyukov

25) Lian Bicshel

26) Jani Nyman

27) Ivan Miroshnichenko

28) Isaac Howard

29) Ryan Chesley

30) Brad Lambert

31) Elias Salamonsson

32) Arseni Koromyslov

33) Noah Warren

34) Jimmy Snuggerud

35) Sam Rinzel

36) Jack Hughes

37) Owen Beck

38) Julien Lutz

39) Filip Mesar

40) Filip Nordberg

41) Ty Nelson

42) Michael Fisher

43) Owen Pickering

44) Jack Devine

45) George Fegaras

46) Gleb Trikozov

47) Vladimir Grudinin

48) Luca Del Bel Belluz

49) Dylan James

50) Adam Sykora

51) Nathan Gaucher

52) Alexander Perevalov

53) Vincenz Rohrer

54) Cruz Lucius

55) Viktor Neuchev

56) David Goyette

57) Josh Filmon

58) Miko Matikka

59) Alex Bump

60) Liam Steele

61) Jake Furlong

62) Artyom Duda

63) Matyas Sapovaliv

64) Servac Petrovsky

65) Jordan Dumais

66) Elias Pettersson

67) Rieger Lorenz

68) Spencer Sova

69) Ryan Healey

70) Dmitri Buchelnkikov

71) Simon Forsmark

72) Tomas Hamara

73) Seamus Casey

74) Cole Spicer

75) Ludvig Jansson

76) Mats Lindgren

77) Otto Salin

78) Zach Bookman

79) Paul Ludwinski

80) Filip Bystedt

81) Jere Lassila

82) Maverick Lamoreux

83) Brandon Lisowsky

84) Matthew Seminoff

85) Kasper Kulonummi

86) Gavin Hayes

87) Fabian Wagner

88) Tristan Luneau

89) Charlie Leddy

90) Aleksanteri Kaskimaki

91) Cameron Lund

92) Ben Hemmerling

93) Lucas Edmonds

94) Jackson Dorrington

95) Fraser Minten

96) Reid Schaefer

97) Kazimier Sobieski

98) Toppi Ronni

99) Marcus Nguyen

100) Josh Nadeau

101) Isaiah George

102) Jozef Viliam Kmec

103) Kent Anderson

104) Rasmus Rudsatt

105) Michael Mastrodomenico

106) Tyson Jugnauth

107) Rayan Bettahar

108) Nick Moldenhauer

109) Hudson Thornton

110) Zam Plante

111) Devin Kaplan

112) Bryce McConnell-Barker

113) Tyler Duke

114) Angus Booth

115) Ludwig Persson

116) Tyson Dyck

117) Luca Hauf

118) Beau Jelsma

119) Christian Kyrou

120) Tnias Mathurin

121) Liam Arnsby

122) David Spacek

123) Michael Buchinger

124) Veit Oswald

125) Joe Flemming

 

[joestevens29]

Is there a reason draft is Thursday/Friday this year? Wasn't it always Friday and Saturday?

 

[McDoused]

Is there a reason draft is Thursday/Friday this year? Wasn't it always Friday and Saturday?

The draft was moved back because of the extended schedule. Somehow they thought Thursday/Friday was a good idea.

 

[joestevens29]

The draft was moved back because of the extended schedule. Somehow they thought Thursday/Friday was a good idea.

I understand moving everything, but they should've just had it the way they usually do.

Always been such a large event, but how many viewers are they going to lose now?

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

A bit under the radar is Dub d-factory has three prospective first rounders on the Scouts aggregated list compiled by McKenzie. A nice feature on one of them: A 'giraffe' at times, Pickering brings plenty of upside to NHL draft - TSN.ca

 

[NotAVacuumSalesman]

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Let’s get some predictions for tomorrow going. What do the Oilers do with pick 29?

I’ll say they pick Odelius if they go defence or Firkus if they go with a forward.

 

[Magnum23]

This draft looks weak. Wouldn’t be mad if Holland just traded the pick

 

[McDNicks17]

I wouldn't treat it as gospel, but I always find Bader's stuff interesting.

 

[McDoused]

I think someone good will drop to the Oilers that weren't expecting like a Mateychuk. You gotta think that Montreal takes at least 1 Quebec born player in the first round.

Mock Draft	Team	First Name	Last Name
1​	Montreal	Shane	Wright
2​	New Jersey	Juraj	Slafkovsky
3​	Arizona	Logan	Cooley
4​	Seattle	Simon	Nemec
5​	Philadelphia	Cutter	Gauthier
6​	Columbus	David	Jiricek
7​	Ottawa	Joakim	Kemell
8​	Detroit	Marco	Kasper
9​	Buffalo	Jonathan	Lekkerimaki
10​	Anaheim	Kevin	Korchinski
11​	San Jose	Matthew	Savoie
12​	Columbus	Conor	Geekie
13​	New York Islanders	Pavel	Mintyukov
14​	Winnipeg	Brad	Lambert
15​	Vancouver	Danila	Yurov
16​	Buffalo	Frank	Nazar
17​	Nashville	Liam	Ohgren
18​	Dallas	Lian	Bichsel
19​	Minnesota	Noah	Ostlund
20​	Washington	Ivan	Miroshnichenko
21​	Pittsburgh	Isaac	Howard
22​	Anaheim	Jimmy	Snuggerud
23​	St.Louis	Jiri	Kulich
24​	Minnesota	Nolan	Gaucher
25​	Toronto	Rutgar	McGroarty
26​	Montreal	Tristan	Luneau
27​	Arizona	Owen	Pickering
28​	Buffalo	Ryan	Chesley
29​	Edmonton	Denton	Mateychuk
30​	Winnipeg	Jagger	Firkus
31​	Tampa Bay	Lane	Hutson
32​	Arizona	Owen	Beck