StevenToddIves
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2022 Devils-centric Mock Draft 2.0 (through NJ 2nd round) — Post Trade Deadline
As always, I remind you fine folks this is NOT a draft ranking. It’s based on the consensus rankings, mixed on organizational draft tendency/need.
As always, I remind you fine folks this is NOT a draft ranking. It’s based on the consensus rankings, mixed on organizational draft tendency/need.
- Montreal: C Shane Wright, Kingston OHL the Habs get a future franchise player in the high-scoring, two-way center who possesses every trait necessary to be a superstar at the NHL level.
- Seattle: LW Juraj Slafkovsky, TPS Finland as an expansion team, the Kraken are needing organizational depth virtually everywhere and tough to predict. Slafkovsky is a rare prospect — 6’4 with elite skill and a power game. You pass on a player like this and it may be years before another comes along.
- Arizona: C Logan Cooley, US-NTDP the Coyotes desperately need a 1C and gate attraction, and would fall all over themselves to get Wright at the top of the lottery. Here, they still do quite well with Cooley, the best skating center in the draft with terrific skill and excellent two-way acumen.
- NEW JERSEY DEVILS: RD David Jiricek, HC Plzen Czechia the Devils biggest organizational skating position of need, both at the professional and prospect levels, is RD. Tom Fitzgerald has shown a preference for bigger-bodied, more physical defenders. Jiricek is precisely what the doctor ordered — a fast-skating, highly physical, shut-down-type D with very good puck skills and an absolute howitzer of a shot. The idea of a thunder/lightning future D pairing of twin elite talents Luke Hughes/David Jiricek is absolutely too much to pass up.
- Ottawa: C Conor Geekie, Winnipeg WHL the Senators like them big and North American. Their biggest organizational need is up the middle, and Geekie offers elite skills in a 6’4 frame. Questions about his compete level and skating have dropped him towards the back end of several top 10s, but as last year’s draft proved, Ottawa does not care what you think about their modus operandi.
- Philadelphia: RD Simon Nemec, HC Nitra Slovakia the Flyers blueline is in shambles and I feel this will be a 2022 draft priority. Nemec is tearing apart scoring records for a teenager in the Slovakian men’s league as a 17/18 year old and is even better on the defensive side of the puck. He and Jiricek may represent the only high-percentage bets to become 1D stars at the NHL level in the 2022 draft.
- Buffalo: C Matt Savoie, Winnipeg WHL the Sabres are not certain if Dylan Cozens’ future is at C or RW, nor do they know if Peyton Krebs will be a C or LW. I feel they will prioritize pivots at the 2022 drafts, as well as RD. But with Jiricek and Nemec already gone, the Sabres take the player with maybe the most pure offensive upside in the class in Savoie, who has absolutely shredded the WHL all season long.
- Columbus: RW Joakim Kemell, JYP Finland the Blue Jackets need players who can put the puck in the net aside from their one, true weapon in Patrik Laine. Kemell has performed with similar stellar scoring totals in Liiga as Laine in his draft year, and Jarmo Kekkalainen is the only Finnish GM in the NHL and loves to draft out of his home country.
- Detroit: RW/C Frank Nazar, US-NTDP Wings GM Steve Yzerman has always drafted exceptionally and one of the reasons is his high priority for taking high-compete, high-IQ players. Nazar has an elite combination of intangibles to combine with elite puck skills and outstanding two-way acumen.
- San Jose: RW Brad Lambert, Pelicans Finland despite the best combination of elite skating and puck skills in the draft, Lambert has struggled in his draft-eligible season and his compete level has been called into question. He has dropped from his pre-season consensus ranking of #2 behind only Wright to the back end of the top 10. I feel this is a chance the Sharks would be willing to take, as the idea of pairing a player of such extreme speed and ability with a more two-way force in 2021 1st-rounder William Eklund is potentially a game-changer.
- Anaheim: LW Cutter Gauthier, US-NTDP the best power forward in the draft aside from Slafkovsky, Gauthier is the most Matt Tkachuk-y player available in the draft since Matt Tkachuk. Gauthier is big, mean, fast and hits like a freight train, his interior dominance not inhibited in the least versus players 4 and 5 years older in the US-NTDP’s games against NCAA competition. Gauthier’s 48 goals in 60 games have him challenging Wright and Kemell for best sniper in the draft, though he scores more of his goals in the crease. Though Anaheim has a new GM in Pat Verbeek, their scouting staff has shown a perennial preference for toughness and size and Gauthier is no doubt on their draft-day radar.
- NY Islanders: C Marko Kasper, Rogle Sweden the best Austrian prospect for the 2022 class is Kasper, a two-way beast with elite wheels — he might be the second-fastest center in the 2022 class aside from only Cooley. Isles’ GM Lou Lamoriello loves the high-compete, two-way players and Kasper adds enormous physicality and a penchant for making opponents pay a heavy price for playing with their heads down. Kasper may lack the PPG ability of a typical top-12 pick, but he’s extremely skilled and a perfect projection for an NHL 2C.
- Vancouver: RD Ryan Chesley, US-NTDP the Canucks are desperate for prospect D, especially on the right side. Chesley is the best pure defender in the draft, a physical shut-down beast for the US-NTDP in the vein of Kings Uber-prospect Brock Faber but with greater offensive ability and an absolute bomb of a shot from the point.
- Columbus: C Rutger McGroarty, US-NTDP the Blue Jackets greatest positional need is clearly at center, and as such we should fully expect them to address this with at least one of their pair of top 15 picks in 2022. McGroarty is one of those “great at everything but an average skater” types who would be a surefire top 10 guy were he faster, but he’s also probably the most physical center in the entire draft class.
- Winnipeg: RW Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Djurgardens J20 Sweden Jr. the Jets routinely draft exceptionally well, and generally abide by a “best player available” philosophy. Lekkerimaki is a devastating pure goal scorer who compares in several ways to Joakim Kemell, but lacks Kemell’s 200-foot game. His shot is undeniable, and his upside is as a perennial 30+ goal scorer, so I’d expect him to be gone in the top 15.
- Buffalo (from Vegas): RD Tristan Luneau, Gatineau QMJHL the Sabres’ pressing needs are likely RD and C. If they miss out on Jiricek and Nemec at the top of the draft, I expect them to look for a RD with the Vegas pick. Luneau is not a sexy pick, but he’s just terrific both ways and has a high floor as a steady, all-situations mid-pairing type the Sabres could envision on a future pairing with either of LDs Power or Dahlin.
- Dallas: LW Filip Mesar, Poprad Slovakia since 2019, the Stars have used all of their 1st/2nd round picks on C, RW and D and there is now a looming organizational need at LW. Mesar is an outstanding skater with tremendous skill who is a bit under the radar but has slipped into several 2022 top 10 lists with his sublime talent.
- Los Angeles: LW Danila Yurov, Magnitogorsk KHL okay, I suppose it’s time to deal with perhaps the biggest question for the 2022 draft, which is: how far will the Russians fall? Yurov is a top 8 pick and maybe even top 5 in normal circumstance, but we can expect all the Russians to fall in the 2022 draft due to world events. With the best prospect pool in the NHL (and many Russians among them), the Kings are a team which can afford to take a risk. They are stocked in the prospect pool at virtually every skating position, but lack a LW with the high-end intangibles and down-low abilities of Yurov, who reminds me in some ways of Dawson Mercer with his off-the-charts compete level and IQ.
- Edmonton: LW Liam Ohgren, Djurgardens Sweden perennially, the Oilers need weapons for elite center duo McDavid/Draisaitl. Unfortunately, Edmonton has a history of drafting poorly and making boneheaded picks, from Tyler Benson over Alex DeBrincat to Philip Broberg over Trevor Zegras. Here, I have them making an uncharacteristically very good pick, with an excellent prospect in the big, skilled and fast two-way forward Liam Ohgren,
- Nashville: C Nathan Gaucher, Quebec QMJHL Gaucher is not only skilled but also a big, physical two-way future NHL middle 6 C. Predators GM David Poile loves this type of player and Nashville has a clear need to bolster the center depth in the prospect pool.
- Washington: LD Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw OHL the Caps might be one of the few teams not scared off Russian prospects and the fact Mintyukov is already in North America might make him less frightening for an NHL organization to draft. Mintyukov is a very flashy offensive force with high-end scoring upside, and he also adds terrific size and skating — a combination which makes him the best LD in the entire 2022 class.
- St. Louis: LD Lian Bichsel, Leksands Sweden with no picks in the top two rounds spent on D since Scott Perunovich in the 2018 2nd round, there is a clear organizational need here for the Blues. You may not have heard of Bichsel, but the Swiss-born player is both 6’5 and mobile, a combination which should see him drafted higher than his consensus ranking in the early 2nd round.
- Minnesota: RD Sam Rinzel, Chaska HS USHS Minnesota the Wild have drafted exceptionally well since dumping disastrous ex-GM Paul Fenton, but they still have organizational needs on the blueline, especially on the right side with a looming Matt Dumba trade this off-season. Here, I have them finding an extremely high upside local high school product with 6’4 size and an outstanding combination of skill and speed. Rinzel compares in many ways to Scott Morrow, who went in the 2nd round last year to Carolina but in a 2021 re-draft is already a likely top 20 pick.
- Anaheim (from Boston): LD Kevin Korchinski, Seattle WHL after trading off Manson and Lindholm, the Ducks clearly have a need to rebuild the blueline from the bottom up. Korchinski is a tremendous combination of size and near-elite skating, and also possesses mid-pairing type offensive skills.
- Toronto: LW Isaac Howard, US-NTDP the Leafs MO is to draft the best available scorer with every early pick, and in this case the argument could be easily made for Howard, a sniper with a high compete level and very good two-way game.
- Pittsburgh: RW Jimmy Snuggerud, US-NTDP the Pens are on a perpetual search for wingers to compliment Crosby and Malkin, and Snuggerud is a huge kid who plays an interior game with high compete.
- NY Rangers: C Jack Hughes, Northeastern University NCAA in this particular scenario, we can cue the jokes about the competitors-across-the-river making up for the Kakko mistake and finally getting themselves a Jack Hughes. But this particular Hughes fills the Rangers organizational need up the middle with a high-compete, two-way stud who also features dazzling playmaking skills.
- Tampa Bay: LD Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw WHL after years of competing for a cup, the Lightning have dealt away a ton of picks and have needs in the prospect pool virtually everywhere. Mateychuk is a sublimely skilled and highly competitive undersized (5’11) D who, unlike most smaller offensive D prospects, is able to produce points at an astounding rate without sacrificing his 200-foot game. Were Mateychuk 6’2, he’d be a threat for the top 10.
- Montreal (from Calgary): LW Jiri Kulich, Karlovy Czechia the Habs have a great young center in Ryan Suzuki and, in this scenario, I have them getting another in Shane Wright. They also feature a pair of high-end RWs in Gallagher and Caufield. They’re a bit weaker on the left side, so here I have them taking the criminally overlooked Kulich, a high-compete power forward with size, skill and speed, giving him palpable top 6 scoring upside at the professional level.
- Arizona (from Colorado): LD Owen Pickering, Swift Current WHL the Chychrun deal might have to wait until the off-season, but the Coyotes still need to rebuild that blueline. Pickering combines a hulking 6’4 frame, excellent mobility and some intriguing offensive tools to work with.
- Buffalo (from Florida): RD Maveric Lamoureaux, Drummondville QMJHL with a trio of 1st round picks and a need at RD, the Sabres take a chance on Lamoureaux, an incredibly physical 6’7 bruiser who skates well and has drawn a few comparisons to Zdeno Chara.
- Arizona: C Adam Ingram, Youngstown USHL the Coyotes close out the 1st round by continuing an emphasis on drafting up the middle; Ingram is a rangy and projectable 6’2 with excellent skates and the type of skill which has seen him dominate the USHL this year in terms of scoring.
- Montreal: LW Ivan Miroshnichenko, Omsk VHL with 3 picks in the top 33 and a hatful of mid-rounders, the Habs can afford to roll the dice on Miro. This kid’s upside is, quite simply, best player in the entire 2022 draft. However, not only is he Russian, but has also been recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. It’s a big chance to take and probably a long wait, but the only winger in the entire draft who can approach this type of upside is Slafkovsky, who is a surefire top 3 pick.
- Seattle: RW Devin Kaplan, US-NTDP the Kraken have shown a draft-day liking for two-way players with size and compete, and the Bridgewater NJ native Kaplan is an outstanding prospect for the future of any team’s middle 6.
- Arizona: RD Elias Salomonsson, Skelleftea J20 Sweden Jr. in recent drafts, the Coyotes have shown no emphasis on hockey IQ or compete level whatsoever, instead making picks based on nepotism and size/speed combos and stats. Salomonsson has every tool available to become a star 1D at the NHL level, but questions about his tool box have dogged him as his on-ice play has failed to impress.
- NEW JERSEY DEVILS: RW Alexander Perevalov, Yaroslavl MHL this might be another pipe dream, but the Russians are going to fall. The Devils have shown their MHL scouting is something special -- we see you, Mr. Gritsyuk. Now that the Devils have built up one of the best young talent cores in the NHL, they can afford to take a chance on Perevalov, a likely top-12 talent who combines elite shooting, stick handling and passing vision with an off-the-charts intangible combination of ferocious compete level and almost psychic hockey IQ. This pick would be like getting a free top 15 pick, and hopefully in the remainder of the draft the Devils can fill some organizational needs at RD and with the C depth.
