Prospect Info: 2022 Draft Final STI Rankings -- Top 120

[StevenToddIves]

2022 Draft — Steven Todd Ives Final Top 120 Rankings

More in-depth write-ups for all of these prospects can be found on this thread: Prospect Info: - Devils HFBoards 2022 Draft Resource, Indexed Profiles A Thru Z

A couple quick notes before we get into the list. First off, there are no goalies in my skater rankings.

Second, all wingers and defenders are listed at their shooting side, or shooting side first.

Lastly, it’s important to emphasize that I left Ivan Miroshnichenko off my rankings — as this talented young man battles to recover from Hodgkin’s Disease, I feel it’s more important to wish him the best in his difficult recovery than to cross-analyze whether he is better than Player A or Player B. That being said, if I was picking anywhere after the top 15, I’m not sure I could pass on him — Miro's upside is quite simply as high as anyone in the 2022 class.

I'd love to answer any of your questions about the prospects or my rankings in the comments section. Enjoy!

1. C Shane Wright, Kingston OHL future franchise all-situations 1C; high-end intelligence, two-way acumen and elite shooting.
2. LW Juraj Slafkovsky, TPS Finland 6’4-220 interior force also features the best combination of puck-handling/playmaking in the entire 2022 class
3. RD David Jiricek, HC Plzen Czechia 6’3 physical force has dominant shut-down potential and a howitzer for a shot
4. RD Simon Nemec, HK Nitra Slovakia elite puck-mover and playmaker who also skates and defends at a high level
5. C Logan Cooley, US-NTDP speed-demon plays with more pace than anyone else in the class and strong bet for NHL 1C
6. LW/C Cutter Gauthier, US-NTDP ferocious power forward is dominant down low and adds elite shooting to a Tkachuk-like package
7. RW/C Frank Nazar, US-NTDP speedy, high-compete forward with scintillating offensive skill set and interior game which belies his stature
8. C Matt Savoie, Winnipeg WHL offensive skill-set as good as any player in the 2022 class; posterizes defenders with alarming regularity
9. C Marco Kasper, Rogle SHL elite skater with physical two-way game and under-appreciated offensive capability
10. RW Joakim Kemell, JYP Finland best pure sniper in the entire class also features great compete and a strong all-around game
11. LW/RW Danila Yurov, Magnitogorsk KHL excellent in every single facet of hockey but elite in none, the only question for this high-floor stud is where is ceiling is
12. RW/LW Alexander Perevalov, Loko Yaroslavl MHL elite trio of offensive tools in shooting/playmaking/puckhandling and elite intangibles of compete/IQ
13. LW/C Jiri Kulich, Karlovy Vary Czechia high-IQ, high-compete forward also features high-end skills across the board and plays with great pace; dominant U-18 performance spotlighted his dynamic potential
14. RD Ryan Chesley, US-NTDP best shut-down defender in the draft plays with physicality and features a cannon-blast from the point
15. C Rutger McGroarty, US-NTDP extremely physical two-way center shines at every hockey tool except skating; led US-NTDP in goal-scoring
16. LD Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw OHL speedy offensive defenseman has a high IQ and can work magic with the puck; top LD for the 2022 class
17. C/RW Brad Lambert, Pelicans Finland best combination of skating/playmaking/puckhandling in the entire 2022 class, but dogged by questions about his compete level, production and 200-foot game
18. LW Liam Ohgren, Djurgardens SHL big, high-effort winger with great all-around game also possesses near-elite shooting ability
19. RW Filip Mesar, HK Poprad Slovakia outstanding skater with near-elite offensive tools across the board
20. RW Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Djurgardens SHL pure sniping ability trails only Kemell, but must hone all-around game
21. C Conor Geekie, Winnipeg WHL 6’4 giant with huge wing-span and potentially elite skill-set lacks skating and consistency of effort
22. C Owen Beck, Mississauga OHL two-way speedster has extraordinarily high intelligence and a knack for clutch goals
23. C/RW Nathan Gaucher, Quebec QMJHL physical beast up the middle dominates down low and can shoot the lights out
24. RW/C Gleb Trikozov, Omskie MHL incredibly elusive, slippery and smart center has 1st line scoring upside but must improve his 200-foot game
25. LW Isaac Howard, US-NTDP high-effort, lethal finisher plays bigger than his size and led an immensely talented US-NTDP in scoring this year
26. LD Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw WHL lightning fast and supremely skilled offensive D is actually also good defensively despite 5’11 frame
27. LD Artyom Koromyslov, SKA-1946 MHL slick-skating 6’3 shut-down beast is the best defender in the MHL; also possesses intriguing offensive tools
28. RW Jimmy Snuggerud, US-NTDP big-bodied power F excels defensively and also owns enough skill to blossom into a two-way second-line fixture at the NHL level
29. LD Lian Bichsel, Leksands SHL 6’5, physical and extremely mobile, Bichsel has shut-down upside and untapped offensive upside
30. RD Tristan Luneau, Gatineau QMJHL jack-of-all-trades, master of none has extremely high floor and projects to minute-munching, middle-pairing stalwart at the highest levels
31. LW Reid Schaefer, Seattle WHL maybe the most physical forward in the draft, this 6’3-215 beast also features near-elite shooting and high-end defensive play — the next Tom Wilson?
32. LW/RW Adam Sykora, HK Nitra Slovakia one of the best defensive forwards in the draft, Sykora can also score and his compete level is second to none in the 2022 class
33. C Logan Morrison, Hamilton OHL top over-ager in the 2022 class features elite IQ and playmaking, can probably excel as AHL top-6 C right now
34. C/LW Jack Hughes, Northeastern University NCAA outstanding two-way pivot with high intelligence and near-elite playmaking acumen
35. C Noah Ostlund, Djurgardens J20 Sweden Jr. elite combination of skating/playmaking/stickhandling/IQ makes Ostlund a borderline 1st round pick despite lack of size/strength
36. RW Jagger Firkus, Moose Jaw WHL creative, crafty winger is incredibly fun and a scoring machine, but needs to work on several aspects of his all-around game
37. LW Viktor Neuchev, Yekaterinburg MHL smart, rangy sniper can wire the puck right there with Kemell, Gauthier and Lekkerimaki; torched the MHl for 40 goals in just over 50 games
38. RD Sam Rinzel, Chaska High, USHS-Minnesota 6’4 skilled speedster has almost limitless upside but is a long way off from this ultimate projection
39. RD Artyom Barabosha, Krasnaya Moskva MHL late riser in my rankings is a physical, shut-down monster with speed and untapped offensive ability
40. C/LW Rieger Lorenz, Okotoks AJHL raw and rangy speedster with skill dominated the AJHL and oozes upside
41. RW Matthew Seminoff, Kamloops WHL relentless forechecker with an almost supernatural compete level can also score enough to be considered a player with NHL 2nd line upside
42. RD Noah Warren, Gatineau QMJHL mobile 6’5 shut-down monolith is as physical as any D in the 2022 class and can also uncork a bomb from the point
43. LW Julian Lutz, EHC Munchen Germany 6’2 power forward crashes creases and can wire the puck; skates well and has 2nd line upside
44. RD Michael Mastrodomenico, Lincoln USHL physical 6’2-195 D can fly and bomb the puck; plays defense-first style but can also generate scoring enough to aspire to NHL 2nd pairing
45. LW Jani Nyman, Ilves Finland 6’3-210 bulldozer with a heavy shot crashes creases with extreme prejudice
46. RW Devin Kaplan, US-NTDP big, heady two-way forward with huge heart can pop in some offense; all elements of a middle-6 stud at the NHL level
47. RD Seamus Casey, US-NTDP undersized high-IQ defender is quite adept in all three zones and fears nothing
48. LD Calle Odelius, Djurgardens J20 Sweden Jr. another jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none defender, Odelius provides a steady defense-first presence
49. LD Kevin Korchinski, Seattle WHL big, fast and incredibly talented high-upside defender creates bushels of high-danger scoring opportunities for his team, but also for the opposition
50. LD Owen Pickering, Swift Current WHL slick-skating 6’5 defender might hear his name called in Round 1, but he’s a project who will need several years of development
51. LW/RW Joel Jonsson, Mora J20 Sweden Jr. 5’9 waterbug is one of my favorites from the 2022 class; slick and smart and courageous, knows how to manipulate defenders and create space and scoring chances
52. LW Mikey Milne, Winnipeg WHL high-effort over-ager forechecks like a demon, can score and raises his game in the biggest moments
53. C Matyas Sapovaliv, Saginaw OHL 6’4 Czech shut-down center can also dish the puck and generate offense
54. LW Kirill Dolzhenkov, Krasnaya MHL 6’7-235 yeti on skates has a howitzer shot and is absolutely immovable down low and in opposing creases
55. C Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, HIFK U20 Finland Jr. elite skater with outstanding hands has been sorely overlooked in scouting community
56. C Luca Del Bel Belluz, Mississauga OHL heads-up two-way center offers offensive skills across the board but just above-average skating
57. RW Vinzenz Rohrer, Ottawa OHL fearless Austrian winger was the best winger on his team despite being the youngest player in the entire 2022 draft class
58. LD Vladimir Grudinin, Krasnaya MHL offensively gifted defender is undersized but overflowing with skill in transition and the offensive zone
59. C Bryce McConnell-Barker, Soo OHL north/south two-way center has size and good shot; easily projectable to NHL 3C role
60. LD Isaiah George, London OHL raw but projectable defender features incredible strength and athleticism; plays physically with intriguing offensive tools
61. C/LW Servac Petrovsky, Owen Sound OHL big-time sleeper from Slovakia is one of the youngest 2022 draft-eligibles and extremely skilled; good bet to explode offensively next year and make many teams feel silly for passing on him
62. LW Beau Jelsma, Barrie OHL throwback forward offers high-effort and ferocious forechecking plus no shortage of offensive pop
63. LD Tomas Hamara, Tappara Finland Prague-born speedster has a ton of offensive chops and adds solid play in his own zone plus a tremendous transition game
64. RW Marcus Nguyen, Portland WHL criminally overlooked never-ending hustle machine plays 10,000 miles per hour and scores the greasy goals
65. LW Dylan James, Sioux City USHL borderline elite skater also possesses high-end passing and shooting ability, big-time sleeper for the draft
66. C David Goyette, Sudbury OHL explosive skater with outstanding ability to generate offense can be a steal here if he can diversify his game from the perimeter
67. RD Michael Fisher, St. Marks School USHS Massachusetts 6’3 speedster with tons of offensive tools probably needs a half-decade of development, but features many elements of a big-time draft-day steal
68. LW Sandis Vilmanis, Lulea J20 Sweden Jr. another of my favorite sleepers for 2022, the best Latvian export for this year can fly and dangle at high speeds; rocket of a shot and big-time upside here
69. RW Jack Devine, University of Denver NCAA not a lot of flash but a whole lot of substance with this always-effective, two-way can’t-miss NHL 3rd liner
70. LD Alexander Pelevin, Chaika MHL 5’11 speedster defies initial impressions by being a rock-solid defender and heavy hitter
71. LD Lane Hutson, US-NTDP perhaps the most unique talent in the 2022 class, Hutson is probably the best skater in the entire draft with magical hands and playmaking, but at just 5’6-145 can he defend at the NHL level?
72. LW Evan Konyen, Sudbury OHL 5’10 speedster with a silky set of hands and sweet playmaking skill is another potential 2022 sleeper
73. LD Simon Forsmark, Orebro SHL 6’2 defense-first rearguard is also skilled offensively but needs to improve his skating to fulfill potential as NHL middle-pairing stalwart
74. RD Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville QMJHL 6’7 redwood tree skates well and loves to look for the open-ice hit, but a big-time project who needs great work in literally every puck skill
75. LW/C Jordan Gustafson, Seattle WHL high-effort, smart forward plays hard two-ways and can shoot and pass well enough to aspire to NHL middle-6 future
76. RW Gavin Hayes, Flint OHL 6’1 heart and hustle machine is a demon on the forecheck and can also pop in enough offense to project to an NHL middle 6 role
77. LW Alex Bump, Omaha USHL incredibly athletic speedster can fire the puck and offers big time upside for an NHL top 6
78. C/LW Brennan Ali, Lincoln USHL maybe the best pure athlete in the 2022 class, Ali can fly and is incredibly strong for his size, but it’s yet to translate to the scoresheets; at the very least a bottom-6 physical defense-first player
79. LD Artyom Duda, Krasnaya Moskva MHL excellent skater with high-end puck skills has middle-6 upside as an offense-first defender
80. RD Ty Nelson, North Bay OHL undersized all-offense rearguard increases the high-danger scoring chances for both his team and the opposition
81. C Matthew Poitras, Guelph OHL excellent skater with near-elite playmaking needs to work on consistency and improve his production
82. C/LW Danny Zhilkin, Guelph OHL extremely blessed with size and speed and shooting, Zhilkin needs to find consistency of compete in order to produce; perhaps the Pavel Zacha of the 2022 class
83. C Filip Bystedt, Linkoping J20, Sweden Jr. 6’4-205 center is a project but skating and skill are good enough to project to an NHL middle 6
84. RW Maddox Fleming, Sioux Falls USHL good skater with a nose for the net and high compete will try to approach his top-6 upside at Notre Dame
85. C/LW Hunter Haight, Barrie OHL elusive, high IQ playmaker possesses second-line skill but needs to increase his core strength to play in the interior
86. LD Tnias Mathurin, North Bay OHL 6’3 shut-down defender is a physical enforcer, low-compete opposition blatantly fears him; also quite adept with the puck, but his average skating keeps him from the top of the draft
87. LW/C Mathew Ward, Swift Current WHL I don’t care if he’s 5’8-145 — this kid is fast, smart, skilled and plays with the heart of a lion
88. LD Mats Lindgren, Kamloops WHL puck-on-a-string dangler can generate offense from the point but needs to gain a separation gear in his skating in order to improve his transition game
89. RW Cameron Lund, Green Bay USHL 6’2 burner is a huge raw talent and will have 4 years at Northeastern University to hone his fundamentals
90. LD Michael Buchinger, Guelph OHL offense-first blue liner is extremely strong skater and solid in his defensive play
91. RW Cruz Lucius, US-NTDP fantastic shooter and passer, but lack of foot speed lowers his ceiling a bit
92. LW/C Adam Ingram, Youngstown USHL 6’2 sniper tore up the USHL with his blistering shot and offensive skill, but average skating needs to improve
93. LW Alexander Suzdalev, HV71 J20 Sweden Jr. puck wizard has silky hands and is a regular on highlight reels but lack of defense and consistency make him a high-ceiling/low-floor wild card for 2022
94. LD Daniil Orlov, Sakhalinskiye MHL 6’2-180 defensive stalwart is an extremely quick skater and prefers a simple but effective game
95. C Brady Berard, US-NTDP native Rhode Islander is a physical, shut-down center who might be the face-off circle king for the 2022 class
96. RW/C Daniil Bourosh, Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL best Belarus product for the 2022 draft is a 6’1-190 power F with a bomb of a shot who doesn’t mind crashing creases and getting his nose dirty to score greasy goals
97. C/RW Pano Fimis, Niagara OHL despite being small and lacking elite speed, Fimis gets the most out of his ability with a great skill package, high IQ and outstanding two-way game
98. LD Jake Livanavage, Chicago USHL another completely unique entity — Livanavage is 5’10-160 but one of the most physical D for the entire 2022 class; also a terrific defender and offensive generator from the point
99. C Liam Arnsby, North Bay rarely do we draft a kid specifically to be a 4th line center, but Arnsby is a shut-down defender with unforgiving physicality and every leadership quality imaginable; he’s impossible not to root for
100. LD Rodwin Dionicio, Niagara OHL bruising 6’2-210 defender plays with intelligence, compete and defensive diligence — if he can improve his skating, his puck skills are actually quite good and there is upside here
101. RW Jordan Dumais, Halifax QMJHL elite playmaker tore up the Q with dazzling offense, but 5’9 and a so-so skater which clouds his projectability
102. LW/C Fraser Minten, Kamloops WHL cerebral defensive stalwart also flashes a nice amount of skill and projects to a high-floor, NHL bottom-sixer
103. C Topi Ronni, Tappara U20, Finland Jr. a true center with a great mix of size and skating, Ronni lacks flash but there’s a lot of substance
104. LW Parker Bell, Tri-City WHL 6’4-200 and a very good skater, Bell is raw but also features a bomb of a shot and extremely intriguing upside
105. LD Jackson Edward, London OHL an extremely good skater at 6’2-195, Edward plays a generally conservative game but flashes offensive skill which lends to the belief he may be more than what we’ve seen thus far
106. C Paul Ludwinski, Kingston OHL high-compete, two-way center thrived in a support role behind Shane Wright on the depth chart
107. C Ryan Greene, Green Bay USHL the sheer athleticism in undeniable — he’s 6’2 and can fly — but the consistency and work ethic must improve in the next few years at Boston University
108. LD Jorian Donovan, Hamilton OHL all the basics are checked — he’s 6’2 and a very good skater who takes care of his own end, plays physical and knows what to do when he gets the puck
109. C/LW Ilya Kvochko, Magnitogorsk MHL despite a 5’9 frame with average skating, Kvochko stands out with a phenomenal combination of intelligence and puck skills
110. LW Michael La Starza, Sioux Falls USHL an absolute burner with high-end playmaking skills, this is a sleeper who could explode offensively at Boston University
111. RD Elias Salomonsson, Skelleftea J20 Sweden Jr. a 6’1 pure athlete with outstanding skating and skill, this pre-season top-10 candidate is very disappointing in his lack of in-game awareness and consistency of compete level
112. RW Marek Hejduk, US-NTDP outstanding high-effort defensive winger reminds me of a young Jay Pandolfo is several respects
113. LD Filip Nordberg, Sodertalje J20 Sweden Jr. what you expect is pretty much what you get from this 6’4-210 physical, stay-at-home bruiser
114. RW Tucker Robertson, Peterborough OHL over-aged heart-and-soul player features elite intangibles and torched the OHL for 80+ points
115. LW/RW Ruslan Gazizov, London OHL 5’11-195 fire hydrant oozes offensive skill but is limited in his skating
116. RD Charlie Leddy, US-NTDP simple, stay-at-home defender gets the job done and does it very well
117. LW Antonin Verreault, Gatineau QMJHL lightning-fast 5’8 forward can light it up offensively and turn defenders into pylons
118. RD Kasper Kulonummi, Jokerit U20 Finland Jr. steady and simple two-way defender does everything well without a whole lot of razzle-dazzle
119. RW Avery Hayes, Hamilton OHL over-aged winger excelled as Logan Morrison’s sidekick with his high-IQ, fearless forechecking game
120. RD Ryan Healey, Sioux Falls USHL super-sleeper D has great wheels and tantalizing skills which can be honed at Harvard over the coming four years

Click to read more...

 

[ninetyeight]

Thanks! Really appreciate the effort to go all the way to #120.

From the top I'd flip Cooley and Jiricek. And I think Lekkerimäki, Geekie and Howard should be higher. The more I've thought about it the more I think Lekkerimäki will be a great, potentially a star player. I really love the Geekie brothers, big very skilled forwards, I'm still expecting Morgan to break through and become a 30 goal close to ppg forward. Also I know you like Howard too, but any particular reason you view him as the "weakest" of the "big 5" usdp players?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Thanks! Really appreciate the effort to go all the way to #120.

From the top I'd flip Cooley and Jiricek. And I think Lekkerimäki, Geekie and Howard should be higher. The more I've thought about it the more I think Lekkerimäki will be a great, potentially a star player. I really love the Geekie brothers, big very skilled forwards, I'm still expecting Morgan to break through and become a 30 goal close to ppg forward. Also I know you like Howard too, but any particular reason you view him as the "weakest" of the "big 5" usdp players?

I have Jiricek #3 and Cooley #5, though I see the appeal of both players -- they're both tremendous hockey players. I did this on the basis of perceived upside, in that I feel Jiricek has the potential to be one of the top 5 RD in the NHL, while I do not believe Cooley has the upside to be a top 10 center in the NHL. Here's some responses regarding the other players you mentioned:

Lekkerimaki: obviously I'm a fan -- he's in my top 20 -- but I see him as a complimentary player and not a line driver. His 200-foot game and transition game are both alright but nothing particularly impressive. He's extremely dangerous once his team is set up in the offensive zone. I think he'll score a lot of goals in the NHL, but I don't think he's capable of driving a line like a Kulich or Perevalov and I don't see him scoring as many goals as a Kemell or Gauthier. It's a numbers game, I like Lekkerimaki a lot -- enough to include him in my top 20 -- but the players listed ahead of him are all pretty awesome, too.

Geekie: the upside here is obviously tremendous -- 6'4 centers with elite vision and shooting don't exactly grow on trees. However, I grade highly on compete level and 200-foot play, and Geekie has been problematic in both these respects. This is the same reasoning I incorporated in ranking Brad Lambert -- maybe the highest upside in the entire class -- at #17. I watched a ton of Winnipeg this year and felt most of the time it was not even Geekie driving his line, but rather my #52 overall in Mikey Milne. Can Geekie prove me wrong and become a superstar? Absolutely, but I'm cautiously taking a "I'll believe it when I consistently see it" approach.

Howard: I love everything about this kid, but he has to rank 5th out of the US-NTDP "Big 5" because he lacks any singular elite tool which the others all possess. He's plus across the board in every category -- both physical skills and intangibles -- and I'm a huge fan. But could I take him ahead of the elite skating/playmaking/puckhandling of a Cooley or Nazar? Or the elite scoring/power game of a Gauthier or McGroarty? Even if I tried to argue it, I'd also have to factor in that the other 4 US-NTDP forwards are all capable of slotting at center or wing, giving them greater versatility than Howard, who is exclusively a winger. I will say that I'd sure as hell love to see Howard slip to the Devils in the 2nd round.

 

[Doublechin]

No love for Korchinski huh?

 

[StevenToddIves]

No love for Korchinski huh?

I watched a ton of Seattle throughout the WHL playoffs.

Is Korchinski's upside tremendous? Absolutely. But he's so just problematic in his mistakes and giveaways, he gives me a stomachache.

In the Game 7 match-up vs. Edmonton, Korchinski was absolutely torched. There was no doubt he was the weakest link on the ice for either team -- he turned the puck over something like 12-15 times, often in high-danger areas.

Korchinski's talent is immense. He's got size, speed and tremendous vision. I'm just not sure he's a player I'd want on my team. I think he'll have a couple 50+ point seasons in the NHL, but I don't see a team utilizing him in a top 2 role having any shot to contend for a Stanley Cup unless he improves dramatically in several respects. He's certainly a player with the ability to prove me wrong, but my personal taste in high-event defensemen is continent on most of the high-events occurring for their own team. With Korchinski -- right now -- it's usually the opposite.

 

[evnted]

fantastic work as always, STI, definitely gonna be carving out some time this weekend for a nice full run-through of your list. at first glance, we seem to have remarkable consistency at the top of the draft, even going so far as to having that cooley, nazar, savoie grouping near b2b2b. only significant discrepancy would be i've got my boy yurov a bit higher. thanks as always for your writeups, too

 

[StevenToddIves]

fantastic work as always, STI, definitely gonna be carving out some time this weekend for a nice full run-through of your list. at first glance, we seem to have remarkable consistency at the top of the draft, even going so far as to having that cooley, nazar, savoie grouping near b2b2b. only significant discrepancy would be i've got my boy yurov a bit higher. thanks as always for your writeups, too

Thank you -- this means a lot to me and makes all the hard work worth it.

I love Yurov, as you probably already know. I wanted to get him in my top 10 -- as well as Perevalov and Kulich -- but as always, it's a numbers game. Had the Devils been picking at #7 (which was possible prior to the lottery), I would certainly have touted Yurov as a great pick for NJ at that spot.

 

[Guadana]

Great job, Steve.

I would say it is really hard to rank each player in the strong line. Because one player will play in good system with good partners, in good developing programm, some will not, some should be complimentary player, some should drive the line by his own. It`s really hard for me to put players in one straight line.

But I would not be Guadana, if I wouldn`t say my strong words, because I did spent a lot of time with some prospetcs, but didn`t find real time to text it because of world.

Let`s do it.

Slafkovsky over Wright.
I believe Wright will be good NHL player, I see two things in one player - pretty avarage two way game on one hand, smart moves, good reading of the game on the other hand. He is great shooter, I dont think his skating is great, but I saw how he manage speed when he really need to do.
But in SLafkovsky I see a passion, pure talent, IQ, I see love of the game. He is giant dude, but he doesnt look like Wright. He looks young. Wright looks like he is older by 5-7 years or even more. And I know why. But who cares)
Again. Wright is very good player. But I`m betting on the huge potential of a guy, who working hard on his weaknesses, can talk on three lenguages in his 18 years, can joke and be opened person. I didn`t travel to other countries, but start to live without any helping from my parents when I was 17-18 you. And change cities, jobs, appartaments etc. I can imagine what it is for SLaf, what kind of size of his dreams. He is huge person and he working on the way to be the person he wanna be. I appreciate it.
And I think Slafkovsky has a great chance to be monster on the Jack\Nico wing, when Wright will got harder surround in MTL. And I don`t see great tools to be great winger for Wright, that I see in Slafkovsky

Jiricek over Nemec.
Again raw talent. And I like when defenseman is much more agressive and pro active. I believe Nemec could produce more points. But I`m talking about two way defense.

Nazar over Cooley.
Yeah. I believe Nazar could turn into some kind of Point. He is much more agressive, he is interior player. Hope his health will help him to be great player.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

2022 Draft — Steven Todd Ives Final Top 120 Rankings

A couple quick notes before we get into the list.
First off, there are no goalies in my skater rankings.

Second, all wingers and defenders are listed at their shooting side, or shooting side first.

Lastly, it’s important to emphasize that I left Ivan Miroshnichenko off my rankings — as this talented young man battles to recover from Hodgkin’s Disease, I feel it’s more important to wish him the best in his difficult recovery than to cross-analyze whether he is better than Player A or Player B. That being said, if I was picking anywhere after the top 15, I’m not sure I could pass on him — Miro's upside is quite simply as high as anyone in the 2022 class.

I'd love to answer any of your questions about the prospects or my rankings in the comments section. Enjoy!

1. C Shane Wright, Kingston OHL future franchise all-situations 1C; high-end intelligence, two-way acumen and elite shooting.
2. LW Juraj Slafkovsky, TPS Finland 6’4-220 interior force also features the best combination of puck-handling/playmaking in the entire 2022 class
3. RD David Jiricek, HC Plzen Czechia 6’3 physical force has dominant shut-down potential and a howitzer for a shot
4. RD Simon Nemec, HK Nitra Slovakia elite puck-mover and playmaker who also skates and defends at a high level
5. C Logan Cooley, US-NTDP speed-demon plays with more pace than anyone else in the class and strong bet for NHL 1C
6. LW/C Cutter Gauthier, US-NTDP ferocious power forward is dominant down low and adds elite shooting to a Tkachuk-like package
7. RW/C Frank Nazar, US-NTDP speedy, high-compete forward with scintillating offensive skill set and interior game which belies his stature
8. C Matt Savoie, Winnipeg WHL offensive skill-set as good as any player in the 2022 class; posterizes defenders with alarming regularity
9. C Marco Kasper, Rogle SHL elite skater with physical two-way game and under-appreciated offensive capability
10. RW Joakim Kemell, JYP Finland best pure sniper in the entire class also features great compete and a strong all-around game
11. LW/RW Danila Yurov, Magnitogorsk KHL excellent in every single facet of hockey but elite in none, the only question for this high-floor stud is where is ceiling is
12. RW/LW Alexander Perevalov, Loko Yaroslavl MHL elite trio of offensive tools in shooting/playmaking/puckhandling and elite intangibles of compete/IQ
13. LW/C Jiri Kulich, Karlovy Vary Czechia high-IQ, high-compete forward also features high-end skills across the board and plays with great pace; dominant U-18 performance spotlighted his dynamic potential
14. RD Ryan Chesley, US-NTDP best shut-down defender in the draft plays with physicality and features a cannon-blast from the point
15. C Rutger McGroarty, US-NTDP extremely physical two-way center shines at every hockey tool except skating; led US-NTDP in goal-scoring
16. LD Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw OHL speedy offensive defenseman has a high IQ and can work magic with the puck; top LD for the 2022 class
17. C/RW Brad Lambert, Pelicans Finland best combination of skating/playmaking/puckhandling in the entire 2022 class, but dogged by questions about his compete level, production and 200-foot game
18. LW Liam Ohgren, Djurgardens SHL big, high-effort winger with great all-around game also possesses near-elite shooting ability
19. RW Filip Mesar, HK Poprad Slovakia outstanding skater with near-elite offensive tools across the board
20. RW Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Djurgardens SHL pure sniping ability trails only Kemell, but must hone all-around game
21. C Conor Geekie, Winnipeg WHL 6’4 giant with huge wing-span and potentially elite skill-set lacks skating and consistency of effort
22. C Owen Beck, Mississauga OHL two-way speedster has extraordinarily high intelligence and a knack for clutch goals
23. C/RW Nathan Gaucher, Quebec QMJHL physical beast up the middle dominates down low and can shoot the lights out
24. RW/C Gleb Trikozov, Omskie MHL incredibly elusive, slippery and smart center has 1st line scoring upside but must improve his 200-foot game
25. LW Isaac Howard, US-NTDP high-effort, lethal finisher plays bigger than his size and led an immensely talented US-NTDP in scoring this year
26. LD Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw WHL lightning fast and supremely skilled offensive D is actually also good defensively despite 5’11 frame
27. LD Artyom Koromyslov, SKA-1946 MHL slick-skating 6’3 shut-down beast is the best defender in the MHL; also possesses intriguing offensive tools
28. RW Jimmy Snuggerud, US-NTDP big-bodied power F excels defensively and also owns enough skill to blossom into a two-way second-line fixture at the NHL level
29. LD Lian Bichsel, Leksands SHL 6’5, physical and extremely mobile, Bichsel has shut-down upside and untapped offensive upside
30. RD Tristan Luneau, Gatineau QMJHL jack-of-all-trades, master of none has extremely high floor and projects to minute-munching, middle-pairing stalwart at the highest levels
31. LW Reid Schaefer, Seattle WHL maybe the most physical forward in the draft, this 6’3-215 beast also features near-elite shooting and high-end defensive play — the next Tom Wilson?
32. LW/RW Adam Sykora, HK Nitra Slovakia one of the best defensive forwards in the draft, Sykora can also score and his compete level is second to none in the 2022 class
33. C Logan Morrison, Hamilton OHL top over-ager in the 2022 class features elite IQ and playmaking, can probably excel as AHL top-6 C right now
34. C/LW Jack Hughes, Northeastern University NCAA outstanding two-way pivot with high intelligence and near-elite playmaking acumen
35. C Noah Ostlund, Djurgardens J20 Sweden Jr. elite combination of skating/playmaking/stickhandling/IQ makes Ostlund a borderline 1st round pick despite lack of size/strength
36. RW Jagger Firkus, Moose Jaw WHL creative, crafty winger is incredibly fun and a scoring machine, but needs to work on several aspects of his all-around game
37. LW Viktor Neuchev, Yekaterinburg MHL smart, rangy sniper can wire the puck right there with Kemell, Gauthier and Lekkerimaki; torched the MHl for 40 goals in just over 50 games
38. RD Sam Rinzel, Chaska High, USHS-Minnesota 6’4 skilled speedster has almost limitless upside but is a long way off from this ultimate projection
39. RD Artyom Barabosha, Krasnaya Moskva MHL late riser in my rankings is a physical, shut-down monster with speed and untapped offensive ability
40. C/LW Rieger Lorenz, Okotoks AJHL raw and rangy speedster with skill dominated the AJHL and oozes upside
41. RW Matthew Seminoff, Kamloops WHL relentless forechecker with an almost supernatural compete level can also score enough to be considered a player with NHL 2nd line upside
42. RD Noah Warren, Gatineau QMJHL mobile 6’5 shut-down monolith is as physical as any D in the 2022 class and can also uncork a bomb from the point
43. LW Julian Lutz, EHC Munchen Germany 6’2 power forward crashes creases and can wire the puck; skates well and has 2nd line upside
44. RD Michael Mastrodomenico, Lincoln USHL physical 6’2-195 D can fly and bomb the puck; plays defense-first style but can also generate scoring enough to aspire to NHL 2nd pairing
45. LW Jani Nyman, Ilves Finland 6’3-210 bulldozer with a heavy shot crashes creases with extreme prejudice
46. RW Devin Kaplan, US-NTDP big, heady two-way forward with huge heart can pop in some offense; all elements of a middle-6 stud at the NHL level
47. RD Seamus Casey, US-NTDP undersized high-IQ defender is quite adept in all three zones and fears nothing
48. LD Calle Odelius, Djurgardens J20 Sweden Jr. another jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none defender, Odelius provides a steady defense-first presence
49. LD Kevin Korchinski, Seattle WHL big, fast and incredibly talented high-upside defender creates bushels of high-danger scoring opportunities for his team, but also for the opposition
50. LD Owen Pickering, Swift Current WHL slick-skating 6’5 defender might hear his name called in Round 1, but he’s a project who will need several years of development
51. LW/RW Joel Jonsson, Mora J20 Sweden Jr. 5’9 waterbug is one of my favorites from the 2022 class; slick and smart and courageous, knows how to manipulate defenders and create space and scoring chances
52. LW Mikey Milne, Winnipeg WHL high-effort over-ager forechecks like a demon, can score and raises his game in the biggest moments
53. C Matyas Sapovaliv, Saginaw OHL 6’4 Czech shut-down center can also dish the puck and generate offense
54. LW Kirill Dolzhenkov, Krasnaya MHL 6’7-235 yeti on skates has a howitzer shot and is absolutely immovable down low and in opposing creases
55. C Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, HIFK U20 Finland Jr. elite skater with outstanding hands has been sorely overlooked in scouting community
56. C Luca Del Bel Belluz, Mississauga OHL heads-up two-way center offers offensive skills across the board but just above-average skating
57. RW Vinzenz Rohrer, Ottawa OHL fearless Austrian winger was the best winger on his team despite being the youngest player in the entire 2022 draft class
58. LD Vladimir Grudinin, Krasnaya MHL offensively gifted defender is undersized but overflowing with skill in transition and the offensive zone
59. C Bryce McConnell-Barker, Soo OHL north/south two-way center has size and good shot; easily projectable to NHL 3C role
60. LD Isaiah George, London OHL raw but projectable defender features incredible strength and athleticism; plays physically with intriguing offensive tools
61. C/LW Servac Petrovsky, Owen Sound OHL big-time sleeper from Slovakia is one of the youngest 2022 draft-eligibles and extremely skilled; good bet to explode offensively next year and make many teams feel silly for passing on him
62. LW Beau Jelsma, Barrie OHL throwback forward offers high-effort and ferocious forechecking plus no shortage of offensive pop
63. LD Tomas Hamara, Tappara Finland Prague-born speedster has a ton of offensive chops and adds solid play in his own zone plus a tremendous transition game
64. RW Marcus Nguyen, Portland WHL criminally overlooked never-ending hustle machine plays 10,000 miles per hour and scores the greasy goals
65. LW Dylan James, Sioux City USHL borderline elite skater also possesses high-end passing and shooting ability, big-time sleeper for the draft
66. C David Goyette, Sudbury OHL explosive skater with outstanding ability to generate offense can be a steal here if he can diversify his game from the perimeter
67. RD Michael Fisher, St. Marks School USHS Massachusetts 6’3 speedster with tons of offensive tools probably needs a half-decade of development, but features many elements of a big-time draft-day steal
68. LW Sandis Vilmanis, Lulea J20 Sweden Jr. another of my favorite sleepers for 2022, the best Latvian export for this year can fly and dangle at high speeds; rocket of a shot and big-time upside here
69. RW Jack Devine, University of Denver NCAA not a lot of flash but a whole lot of substance with this always-effective, two-way can’t-miss NHL 3rd liner
70. LD Alexander Pelevin, Chaika MHL 5’11 speedster defies initial impressions by being a rock-solid defender and heavy hitter
71. LD Lane Hutson, US-NTDP perhaps the most unique talent in the 2022 class, Hutson is probably the best skater in the entire draft with magical hands and playmaking, but at just 5’6-145 can he defend at the NHL level?
72. LW Evan Konyen, Sudbury OHL 5’10 speedster with a silky set of hands and sweet playmaking skill is another potential 2022 sleeper
73. LD Simon Forsmark, Orebro SHL 6’2 defense-first rearguard is also skilled offensively but needs to improve his skating to fulfill potential as NHL middle-pairing stalwart
74. RD Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville QMJHL 6’7 redwood tree skates well and loves to look for the open-ice hit, but a big-time project who needs great work in literally every puck skill
75. LW/C Jordan Gustafson, Seattle WHL high-effort, smart forward plays hard two-ways and can shoot and pass well enough to aspire to NHL middle-6 future
76. RW Gavin Hayes, Flint OHL 6’1 heart and hustle machine is a demon on the forecheck and can also pop in enough offense to project to an NHL middle 6 role
77. LW Alex Bump, Omaha USHL incredibly athletic speedster can fire the puck and offers big time upside for an NHL top 6
78. C/LW Brennan Ali, Lincoln USHL maybe the best pure athlete in the 2022 class, Ali can fly and is incredibly strong for his size, but it’s yet to translate to the scoresheets; at the very least a bottom-6 physical defense-first player
79. LD Artyom Duda, Krasnaya Moskva MHL excellent skater with high-end puck skills has middle-6 upside as an offense-first defender
80. RD Ty Nelson, North Bay OHL undersized all-offense rearguard increases the high-danger scoring chances for both his team and the opposition
81. C Matthew Poitras, Guelph OHL excellent skater with near-elite playmaking needs to work on consistency and improve his production
82. C/LW Danny Zhilkin, Guelph OHL extremely blessed with size and speed and shooting, Zhilkin needs to find consistency of compete in order to produce; perhaps the Pavel Zacha of the 2022 class
83. C Filip Bystedt, Linkoping J20, Sweden Jr. 6’4-205 center is a project but skating and skill are good enough to project to an NHL middle 6
84. RW Maddox Fleming, Sioux Falls USHL good skater with a nose for the net and high compete will try to approach his top-6 upside at Notre Dame
85. C/LW Hunter Haight, Barrie OHL elusive, high IQ playmaker possesses second-line skill but needs to increase his core strength to play in the interior
86. LD Tnias Mathurin, North Bay OHL 6’3 shut-down defender is a physical enforcer, low-compete opposition blatantly fears him; also quite adept with the puck, but his average skating keeps him from the top of the draft
87. LW/C Mathew Ward, Swift Current WHL I don’t care if he’s 5’8-145 — this kid is fast, smart, skilled and plays with the heart of a lion
88. LD Mats Lindgren, Kamloops WHL puck-on-a-string dangler can generate offense from the point but needs to gain a separation gear in his skating in order to improve his transition game
89. RW Cameron Lund, Green Bay USHL 6’2 burner is a huge raw talent and will have 4 years at Northeastern University to hone his fundamentals
90. LD Michael Buchinger, Guelph OHL offense-first blue liner is extremely strong skater and solid in his defensive play
91. RW Cruz Lucius, US-NTDP fantastic shooter and passer, but lack of foot speed lowers his ceiling a bit
92. LW/C Adam Ingram, Youngstown USHL 6’2 sniper tore up the USHL with his blistering shot and offensive skill, but average skating needs to improve
93. LW Alexander Suzdalev, HV71 J20 Sweden Jr. puck wizard has silky hands and is a regular on highlight reels but lack of defense and consistency make him a high-ceiling/low-floor wild card for 2022
94. LD Daniil Orlov, Sakhalinskiye MHL 6’2-180 defensive stalwart is an extremely quick skater and prefers a simple but effective game
95. C Brady Berard, US-NTDP native Rhode Islander is a physical, shut-down center who might be the face-off circle king for the 2022 class
96. RW/C Daniil Bourosh, Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL best Belarus product for the 2022 draft is a 6’1-190 power F with a bomb of a shot who doesn’t mind crashing creases and getting his nose dirty to score greasy goals
97. C/RW Pano Fimis, Niagara OHL despite being small and lacking elite speed, Fimis gets the most out of his ability with a great skill package, high IQ and outstanding two-way game
98. LD Jake Livanavage, Chicago USHL another completely unique entity — Livanavage is 5’10-160 but one of the most physical D for the entire 2022 class; also a terrific defender and offensive generator from the point
99. C Liam Arnsby, North Bay rarely do we draft a kid specifically to be a 4th line center, but Arnsby is a shut-down defender with unforgiving physicality and every leadership quality imaginable; he’s impossible not to root for
100. LD Rodwin Dionicio, Niagara OHL bruising 6’2-210 defender plays with intelligence, compete and defensive diligence — if he can improve his skating, his puck skills are actually quite good and there is upside here
101. RW Jordan Dumais, Halifax QMJHL elite playmaker tore up the Q with dazzling offense, but 5’9 and a so-so skater which clouds his projectability
102. LW/C Fraser Minten, Kamloops WHL cerebral defensive stalwart also flashes a nice amount of skill and projects to a high-floor, NHL bottom-sixer
103. C Topi Ronni, Tappara U20, Finland Jr. a true center with a great mix of size and skating, Ronni lacks flash but there’s a lot of substance
104. LW Parker Bell, Tri-City WHL 6’4-200 and a very good skater, Bell is raw but also features a bomb of a shot and extremely intriguing upside
105. LD Jackson Edward, London OHL an extremely good skater at 6’2-195, Edward plays a generally conservative game but flashes offensive skill which lends to the belief he may be more than what we’ve seen thus far
106. C Paul Ludwinski, Kingston OHL high-compete, two-way center thrived in a support role behind Shane Wright on the depth chart
107. C Ryan Greene, Green Bay USHL the sheer athleticism in undeniable — he’s 6’2 and can fly — but the consistency and work ethic must improve in the next few years at Boston University
108. LD Jorian Donovan, Hamilton OHL all the basics are checked — he’s 6’2 and a very good skater who takes care of his own end, plays physical and knows what to do when he gets the puck
109. C/LW Ilya Kvochko, Magnitogorsk MHL despite a 5’9 frame with average skating, Kvochko stands out with a phenomenal combination of intelligence and puck skills
110. LW Michael La Starza, Sioux Falls USHL an absolute burner with high-end playmaking skills, this is a sleeper who could explode offensively at Boston University
111. RD Elias Salomonsson, Skelleftea J20 Sweden Jr. a 6’1 pure athlete with outstanding skating and skill, this pre-season top-10 candidate is very disappointing in his lack of in-game awareness and consistency of compete level
112. RW Marek Hejduk, US-NTDP outstanding high-effort defensive winger reminds me of a young Jay Pandolfo is several respects
113. LD Filip Nordberg, Sodertalje J20 Sweden Jr. what you expect is pretty much what you get from this 6’4-210 physical, stay-at-home bruiser
114. RW Tucker Robertson, Peterborough OHL over-aged heart-and-soul player features elite intangibles and torched the OHL for 80+ points
115. LW/RW Ruslan Gazizov, London OHL 5’11-195 fire hydrant oozes offensive skill but is limited in his skating
116. RD Charlie Leddy, US-NTDP simple, stay-at-home defender gets the job done and does it very well
117. LW Antonin Verreault, Gatineau QMJHL lightning-fast 5’8 forward can light it up offensively and turn defenders into pylons
118. RD Kasper Kulonummi, Jokerit U20 Finland Jr. steady and simple two-way defender does everything well without a whole lot of razzle-dazzle
119. RW Avery Hayes, Hamilton OHL over-aged winger excelled as Logan Morrison’s sidekick with his high-IQ, fearless forechecking game
120. RD Ryan Healey, Sioux Falls USHL super-sleeper D has great wheels and tantalizing skills which can be honed at Harvard over the coming four years

Unreal job STI. We’re spoiled.

Also I’m pretty sure I remember hearing that Miroshnichenko had recovered and won his battle and should be ready for next season.

I could be wrong but I feel like I remember reading that.


Also want to add that Slafkovsky weighed in at 229lbs at the combine because he was too light at 218.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Great job, Steve.

I would say it is really hard to rank each player in the strong line. Because one player will play in good system with good partners, in good developing programm, some will not, some should be complimentary player, some should drive the line by his own. It`s really hard for me to put players in one straight line.

But I would not be Guadana, if I wouldn`t say my strong words, because I did spent a lot of time with some prospetcs, but didn`t find real time to text it because of world.

Let`s do it.

Slafkovsky over Wright.
I believe Wright will be good NHL player, I see two things in one player - pretty avarage two way game on one hand, smart moves, good reading of the game on the other hand. He is great shooter, I dont think his skating is great, but I saw how he manage speed when he really need to do.
But in SLafkovsky I see a passion, pure talent, IQ, I see love of the game. He is giant dude, but he doesnt look like Wright. He looks young. Wright looks like he is older by 5-7 years or even more. And I know why. But who cares)
Again. Wright is very good player. But I`m betting on the huge potential of a guy, who working hard on his weaknesses, can talk on three lenguages in his 18 years, can joke and be opened person. I didn`t travel to other countries, but start to live without any helping from my parents when I was 17-18 you. And change cities, jobs, appartaments etc. I can imagine what it is for SLaf, what kind of size of his dreams. He is huge person and he working on the way to be the person he wanna be. I appreciate it.
And I think Slafkovsky has a great chance to be monster on the Jack\Nico wing, when Wright will got harder surround in MTL. And I don`t see great tools to be great winger for Wright, that I see in Slafkovsky

Jiricek over Nemec.
Again raw talent. And I like when defenseman is much more agressive and pro active. I believe Nemec could produce more points. But I`m talking about two way defense.

Nazar over Cooley.
Yeah. I believe Nazar could turn into some kind of Point. He is much more agressive, he is interior player. Hope his health will help him to be great player.

I love your opinions here and I'll have to say that Slafkovsky and Wright are neck-and-neck for me. It's literally Wright by a hair.

I agree with you on Jiricek over Nemec, which is also very close in my book.

I actually was talking with Steve Kournianos about my struggles with how to rank Cooley/Gauthier/Nazar from 5-7. Again, I could have ordered them in any permutation and it would have made sense to me. If any of Nazar, Gauthier or Cooley have the best NHL career of the three, I won't be very surprised -- they're all just such terrific hockey players.

I'd love to see you put out your own ranking -- at least a top 32 list -- before the draft. It's great how you have a unique perspective on the prospects, and I'd be thrilled to see what you come up with.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Unreal job STI. We’re spoiled.

Also I’m pretty sure I remember hearing that Miroshnichenko had recovered and won his battle and should be ready for next season.

I could be wrong but I feel like I remember reading that.


Also want to add that Slafkovsky weighed in at 229lbs at the combine because he was too light at 218.

Thank you so much for the kind words, it means so much to me.

Miroshnichenko is in remission, but these types of serious recovery can take awhile and I preferred to err on the side of caution. I feel like a dick saying Miro is better than this player or not as good as that player, because clearly he has more important concerns than hockey right now. So, I left him off the list.

I will say that there's no one outside my top 15-20 I would even remotely consider drafting ahead of Miro. If that kid returns to 100% health and hits his upside, he could be one of the 5 top wingers in the entire NHL someday.

 

[Guttersniped]

2022 Draft — Steven Todd Ives Final Top 120 Rankings

A couple quick notes before we get into the list.
First off, there are no goalies in my skater rankings.

Second, all wingers and defenders are listed at their shooting side, or shooting side first.

Lastly, it’s important to emphasize that I left Ivan Miroshnichenko off my rankings — as this talented young man battles to recover from Hodgkin’s Disease, I feel it’s more important to wish him the best in his difficult recovery than to cross-analyze whether he is better than Player A or Player B. That being said, if I was picking anywhere after the top 15, I’m not sure I could pass on him — Miro's upside is quite simply as high as anyone in the 2022 class.

I'd love to answer any of your questions about the prospects or my rankings in the comments section. Enjoy!

1. C Shane Wright, Kingston OHL future franchise all-situations 1C; high-end intelligence, two-way acumen and elite shooting.
2. LW Juraj Slafkovsky, TPS Finland 6’4-220 interior force also features the best combination of puck-handling/playmaking in the entire 2022 class
3. RD David Jiricek, HC Plzen Czechia 6’3 physical force has dominant shut-down potential and a howitzer for a shot
4. RD Simon Nemec, HK Nitra Slovakia elite puck-mover and playmaker who also skates and defends at a high level
5. C Logan Cooley, US-NTDP speed-demon plays with more pace than anyone else in the class and strong bet for NHL 1C
6. LW/C Cutter Gauthier, US-NTDP ferocious power forward is dominant down low and adds elite shooting to a Tkachuk-like package
7. RW/C Frank Nazar, US-NTDP speedy, high-compete forward with scintillating offensive skill set and interior game which belies his stature
8. C Matt Savoie, Winnipeg WHL offensive skill-set as good as any player in the 2022 class; posterizes defenders with alarming regularity
9. C Marco Kasper, Rogle SHL elite skater with physical two-way game and under-appreciated offensive capability
10. RW Joakim Kemell, JYP Finland best pure sniper in the entire class also features great compete and a strong all-around game
11. LW/RW Danila Yurov, Magnitogorsk KHL excellent in every single facet of hockey but elite in none, the only question for this high-floor stud is where is ceiling is
12. RW/LW Alexander Perevalov, Loko Yaroslavl MHL elite trio of offensive tools in shooting/playmaking/puckhandling and elite intangibles of compete/IQ
13. LW/C Jiri Kulich, Karlovy Vary Czechia high-IQ, high-compete forward also features high-end skills across the board and plays with great pace; dominant U-18 performance spotlighted his dynamic potential
14. RD Ryan Chesley, US-NTDP best shut-down defender in the draft plays with physicality and features a cannon-blast from the point
15. C Rutger McGroarty, US-NTDP extremely physical two-way center shines at every hockey tool except skating; led US-NTDP in goal-scoring
16. LD Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw OHL speedy offensive defenseman has a high IQ and can work magic with the puck; top LD for the 2022 class
17. C/RW Brad Lambert, Pelicans Finland best combination of skating/playmaking/puckhandling in the entire 2022 class, but dogged by questions about his compete level, production and 200-foot game
18. LW Liam Ohgren, Djurgardens SHL big, high-effort winger with great all-around game also possesses near-elite shooting ability
19. RW Filip Mesar, HK Poprad Slovakia outstanding skater with near-elite offensive tools across the board
20. RW Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Djurgardens SHL pure sniping ability trails only Kemell, but must hone all-around game
21. C Conor Geekie, Winnipeg WHL 6’4 giant with huge wing-span and potentially elite skill-set lacks skating and consistency of effort
22. C Owen Beck, Mississauga OHL two-way speedster has extraordinarily high intelligence and a knack for clutch goals
23. C/RW Nathan Gaucher, Quebec QMJHL physical beast up the middle dominates down low and can shoot the lights out
24. RW/C Gleb Trikozov, Omskie MHL incredibly elusive, slippery and smart center has 1st line scoring upside but must improve his 200-foot game
25. LW Isaac Howard, US-NTDP high-effort, lethal finisher plays bigger than his size and led an immensely talented US-NTDP in scoring this year
26. LD Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw WHL lightning fast and supremely skilled offensive D is actually also good defensively despite 5’11 frame
27. LD Artyom Koromyslov, SKA-1946 MHL slick-skating 6’3 shut-down beast is the best defender in the MHL; also possesses intriguing offensive tools
28. RW Jimmy Snuggerud, US-NTDP big-bodied power F excels defensively and also owns enough skill to blossom into a two-way second-line fixture at the NHL level
29. LD Lian Bichsel, Leksands SHL 6’5, physical and extremely mobile, Bichsel has shut-down upside and untapped offensive upside
30. RD Tristan Luneau, Gatineau QMJHL jack-of-all-trades, master of none has extremely high floor and projects to minute-munching, middle-pairing stalwart at the highest levels
31. LW Reid Schaefer, Seattle WHL maybe the most physical forward in the draft, this 6’3-215 beast also features near-elite shooting and high-end defensive play — the next Tom Wilson?
32. LW/RW Adam Sykora, HK Nitra Slovakia one of the best defensive forwards in the draft, Sykora can also score and his compete level is second to none in the 2022 class
33. C Logan Morrison, Hamilton OHL top over-ager in the 2022 class features elite IQ and playmaking, can probably excel as AHL top-6 C right now
34. C/LW Jack Hughes, Northeastern University NCAA outstanding two-way pivot with high intelligence and near-elite playmaking acumen
35. C Noah Ostlund, Djurgardens J20 Sweden Jr. elite combination of skating/playmaking/stickhandling/IQ makes Ostlund a borderline 1st round pick despite lack of size/strength
36. RW Jagger Firkus, Moose Jaw WHL creative, crafty winger is incredibly fun and a scoring machine, but needs to work on several aspects of his all-around game
37. LW Viktor Neuchev, Yekaterinburg MHL smart, rangy sniper can wire the puck right there with Kemell, Gauthier and Lekkerimaki; torched the MHl for 40 goals in just over 50 games
38. RD Sam Rinzel, Chaska High, USHS-Minnesota 6’4 skilled speedster has almost limitless upside but is a long way off from this ultimate projection
39. RD Artyom Barabosha, Krasnaya Moskva MHL late riser in my rankings is a physical, shut-down monster with speed and untapped offensive ability
40. C/LW Rieger Lorenz, Okotoks AJHL raw and rangy speedster with skill dominated the AJHL and oozes upside
41. RW Matthew Seminoff, Kamloops WHL relentless forechecker with an almost supernatural compete level can also score enough to be considered a player with NHL 2nd line upside
42. RD Noah Warren, Gatineau QMJHL mobile 6’5 shut-down monolith is as physical as any D in the 2022 class and can also uncork a bomb from the point
43. LW Julian Lutz, EHC Munchen Germany 6’2 power forward crashes creases and can wire the puck; skates well and has 2nd line upside
44. RD Michael Mastrodomenico, Lincoln USHL physical 6’2-195 D can fly and bomb the puck; plays defense-first style but can also generate scoring enough to aspire to NHL 2nd pairing
45. LW Jani Nyman, Ilves Finland 6’3-210 bulldozer with a heavy shot crashes creases with extreme prejudice
46. RW Devin Kaplan, US-NTDP big, heady two-way forward with huge heart can pop in some offense; all elements of a middle-6 stud at the NHL level
47. RD Seamus Casey, US-NTDP undersized high-IQ defender is quite adept in all three zones and fears nothing
48. LD Calle Odelius, Djurgardens J20 Sweden Jr. another jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none defender, Odelius provides a steady defense-first presence
49. LD Kevin Korchinski, Seattle WHL big, fast and incredibly talented high-upside defender creates bushels of high-danger scoring opportunities for his team, but also for the opposition
50. LD Owen Pickering, Swift Current WHL slick-skating 6’5 defender might hear his name called in Round 1, but he’s a project who will need several years of development
51. LW/RW Joel Jonsson, Mora J20 Sweden Jr. 5’9 waterbug is one of my favorites from the 2022 class; slick and smart and courageous, knows how to manipulate defenders and create space and scoring chances
52. LW Mikey Milne, Winnipeg WHL high-effort over-ager forechecks like a demon, can score and raises his game in the biggest moments
53. C Matyas Sapovaliv, Saginaw OHL 6’4 Czech shut-down center can also dish the puck and generate offense
54. LW Kirill Dolzhenkov, Krasnaya MHL 6’7-235 yeti on skates has a howitzer shot and is absolutely immovable down low and in opposing creases
55. C Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, HIFK U20 Finland Jr. elite skater with outstanding hands has been sorely overlooked in scouting community
56. C Luca Del Bel Belluz, Mississauga OHL heads-up two-way center offers offensive skills across the board but just above-average skating
57. RW Vinzenz Rohrer, Ottawa OHL fearless Austrian winger was the best winger on his team despite being the youngest player in the entire 2022 draft class
58. LD Vladimir Grudinin, Krasnaya MHL offensively gifted defender is undersized but overflowing with skill in transition and the offensive zone
59. C Bryce McConnell-Barker, Soo OHL north/south two-way center has size and good shot; easily projectable to NHL 3C role
60. LD Isaiah George, London OHL raw but projectable defender features incredible strength and athleticism; plays physically with intriguing offensive tools
61. C/LW Servac Petrovsky, Owen Sound OHL big-time sleeper from Slovakia is one of the youngest 2022 draft-eligibles and extremely skilled; good bet to explode offensively next year and make many teams feel silly for passing on him
62. LW Beau Jelsma, Barrie OHL throwback forward offers high-effort and ferocious forechecking plus no shortage of offensive pop
63. LD Tomas Hamara, Tappara Finland Prague-born speedster has a ton of offensive chops and adds solid play in his own zone plus a tremendous transition game
64. RW Marcus Nguyen, Portland WHL criminally overlooked never-ending hustle machine plays 10,000 miles per hour and scores the greasy goals
65. LW Dylan James, Sioux City USHL borderline elite skater also possesses high-end passing and shooting ability, big-time sleeper for the draft
66. C David Goyette, Sudbury OHL explosive skater with outstanding ability to generate offense can be a steal here if he can diversify his game from the perimeter
67. RD Michael Fisher, St. Marks School USHS Massachusetts 6’3 speedster with tons of offensive tools probably needs a half-decade of development, but features many elements of a big-time draft-day steal
68. LW Sandis Vilmanis, Lulea J20 Sweden Jr. another of my favorite sleepers for 2022, the best Latvian export for this year can fly and dangle at high speeds; rocket of a shot and big-time upside here
69. RW Jack Devine, University of Denver NCAA not a lot of flash but a whole lot of substance with this always-effective, two-way can’t-miss NHL 3rd liner
70. LD Alexander Pelevin, Chaika MHL 5’11 speedster defies initial impressions by being a rock-solid defender and heavy hitter
71. LD Lane Hutson, US-NTDP perhaps the most unique talent in the 2022 class, Hutson is probably the best skater in the entire draft with magical hands and playmaking, but at just 5’6-145 can he defend at the NHL level?
72. LW Evan Konyen, Sudbury OHL 5’10 speedster with a silky set of hands and sweet playmaking skill is another potential 2022 sleeper
73. LD Simon Forsmark, Orebro SHL 6’2 defense-first rearguard is also skilled offensively but needs to improve his skating to fulfill potential as NHL middle-pairing stalwart
74. RD Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville QMJHL 6’7 redwood tree skates well and loves to look for the open-ice hit, but a big-time project who needs great work in literally every puck skill
75. LW/C Jordan Gustafson, Seattle WHL high-effort, smart forward plays hard two-ways and can shoot and pass well enough to aspire to NHL middle-6 future
76. RW Gavin Hayes, Flint OHL 6’1 heart and hustle machine is a demon on the forecheck and can also pop in enough offense to project to an NHL middle 6 role
77. LW Alex Bump, Omaha USHL incredibly athletic speedster can fire the puck and offers big time upside for an NHL top 6
78. C/LW Brennan Ali, Lincoln USHL maybe the best pure athlete in the 2022 class, Ali can fly and is incredibly strong for his size, but it’s yet to translate to the scoresheets; at the very least a bottom-6 physical defense-first player
79. LD Artyom Duda, Krasnaya Moskva MHL excellent skater with high-end puck skills has middle-6 upside as an offense-first defender
80. RD Ty Nelson, North Bay OHL undersized all-offense rearguard increases the high-danger scoring chances for both his team and the opposition
81. C Matthew Poitras, Guelph OHL excellent skater with near-elite playmaking needs to work on consistency and improve his production
82. C/LW Danny Zhilkin, Guelph OHL extremely blessed with size and speed and shooting, Zhilkin needs to find consistency of compete in order to produce; perhaps the Pavel Zacha of the 2022 class
83. C Filip Bystedt, Linkoping J20, Sweden Jr. 6’4-205 center is a project but skating and skill are good enough to project to an NHL middle 6
84. RW Maddox Fleming, Sioux Falls USHL good skater with a nose for the net and high compete will try to approach his top-6 upside at Notre Dame
85. C/LW Hunter Haight, Barrie OHL elusive, high IQ playmaker possesses second-line skill but needs to increase his core strength to play in the interior
86. LD Tnias Mathurin, North Bay OHL 6’3 shut-down defender is a physical enforcer, low-compete opposition blatantly fears him; also quite adept with the puck, but his average skating keeps him from the top of the draft
87. LW/C Mathew Ward, Swift Current WHL I don’t care if he’s 5’8-145 — this kid is fast, smart, skilled and plays with the heart of a lion
88. LD Mats Lindgren, Kamloops WHL puck-on-a-string dangler can generate offense from the point but needs to gain a separation gear in his skating in order to improve his transition game
89. RW Cameron Lund, Green Bay USHL 6’2 burner is a huge raw talent and will have 4 years at Northeastern University to hone his fundamentals
90. LD Michael Buchinger, Guelph OHL offense-first blue liner is extremely strong skater and solid in his defensive play
91. RW Cruz Lucius, US-NTDP fantastic shooter and passer, but lack of foot speed lowers his ceiling a bit
92. LW/C Adam Ingram, Youngstown USHL 6’2 sniper tore up the USHL with his blistering shot and offensive skill, but average skating needs to improve
93. LW Alexander Suzdalev, HV71 J20 Sweden Jr. puck wizard has silky hands and is a regular on highlight reels but lack of defense and consistency make him a high-ceiling/low-floor wild card for 2022
94. LD Daniil Orlov, Sakhalinskiye MHL 6’2-180 defensive stalwart is an extremely quick skater and prefers a simple but effective game
95. C Brady Berard, US-NTDP native Rhode Islander is a physical, shut-down center who might be the face-off circle king for the 2022 class
96. RW/C Daniil Bourosh, Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL best Belarus product for the 2022 draft is a 6’1-190 power F with a bomb of a shot who doesn’t mind crashing creases and getting his nose dirty to score greasy goals
97. C/RW Pano Fimis, Niagara OHL despite being small and lacking elite speed, Fimis gets the most out of his ability with a great skill package, high IQ and outstanding two-way game
98. LD Jake Livanavage, Chicago USHL another completely unique entity — Livanavage is 5’10-160 but one of the most physical D for the entire 2022 class; also a terrific defender and offensive generator from the point
99. C Liam Arnsby, North Bay rarely do we draft a kid specifically to be a 4th line center, but Arnsby is a shut-down defender with unforgiving physicality and every leadership quality imaginable; he’s impossible not to root for
100. LD Rodwin Dionicio, Niagara OHL bruising 6’2-210 defender plays with intelligence, compete and defensive diligence — if he can improve his skating, his puck skills are actually quite good and there is upside here
101. RW Jordan Dumais, Halifax QMJHL elite playmaker tore up the Q with dazzling offense, but 5’9 and a so-so skater which clouds his projectability
102. LW/C Fraser Minten, Kamloops WHL cerebral defensive stalwart also flashes a nice amount of skill and projects to a high-floor, NHL bottom-sixer
103. C Topi Ronni, Tappara U20, Finland Jr. a true center with a great mix of size and skating, Ronni lacks flash but there’s a lot of substance
104. LW Parker Bell, Tri-City WHL 6’4-200 and a very good skater, Bell is raw but also features a bomb of a shot and extremely intriguing upside
105. LD Jackson Edward, London OHL an extremely good skater at 6’2-195, Edward plays a generally conservative game but flashes offensive skill which lends to the belief he may be more than what we’ve seen thus far
106. C Paul Ludwinski, Kingston OHL high-compete, two-way center thrived in a support role behind Shane Wright on the depth chart
107. C Ryan Greene, Green Bay USHL the sheer athleticism in undeniable — he’s 6’2 and can fly — but the consistency and work ethic must improve in the next few years at Boston University
108. LD Jorian Donovan, Hamilton OHL all the basics are checked — he’s 6’2 and a very good skater who takes care of his own end, plays physical and knows what to do when he gets the puck
109. C/LW Ilya Kvochko, Magnitogorsk MHL despite a 5’9 frame with average skating, Kvochko stands out with a phenomenal combination of intelligence and puck skills
110. LW Michael La Starza, Sioux Falls USHL an absolute burner with high-end playmaking skills, this is a sleeper who could explode offensively at Boston University
111. RD Elias Salomonsson, Skelleftea J20 Sweden Jr. a 6’1 pure athlete with outstanding skating and skill, this pre-season top-10 candidate is very disappointing in his lack of in-game awareness and consistency of compete level
112. RW Marek Hejduk, US-NTDP outstanding high-effort defensive winger reminds me of a young Jay Pandolfo is several respects
113. LD Filip Nordberg, Sodertalje J20 Sweden Jr. what you expect is pretty much what you get from this 6’4-210 physical, stay-at-home bruiser
114. RW Tucker Robertson, Peterborough OHL over-aged heart-and-soul player features elite intangibles and torched the OHL for 80+ points
115. LW/RW Ruslan Gazizov, London OHL 5’11-195 fire hydrant oozes offensive skill but is limited in his skating
116. RD Charlie Leddy, US-NTDP simple, stay-at-home defender gets the job done and does it very well
117. LW Antonin Verreault, Gatineau QMJHL lightning-fast 5’8 forward can light it up offensively and turn defenders into pylons
118. RD Kasper Kulonummi, Jokerit U20 Finland Jr. steady and simple two-way defender does everything well without a whole lot of razzle-dazzle
119. RW Avery Hayes, Hamilton OHL over-aged winger excelled as Logan Morrison’s sidekick with his high-IQ, fearless forechecking game
120. RD Ryan Healey, Sioux Falls USHL super-sleeper D has great wheels and tantalizing skills which can be honed at Harvard over the coming four years

Great job, I will have more comments later but…
#71 Lane Hutson was 5’8.25”/158 at the combine, which is small but bigger than the 5’6”/145 you list here.

#53 Matyas Sapovaliv was 6’2.75” not 6’4”

#38 Sam Rinzel was 6’3.25” not 6’4”

#107 Ryan Greene was 6’1.25” not 6’2”

Those are the only mistakes I caught, and the last two are very minor, but I checked the rest when I saw you made poor Lane even more wee-sized than he actually is now.

2022 NHL Combine Heights & Weights

 

[StevenToddIves]

Great job, I will have more comments later but…
#71 Lane Hutson was 5’8.25”/158 at the combine, which is small but bigger than the 5’6”/145 you list here.

#53 Matyas Sapovaliv was 6’2.75” not 6’4”

#38 Sam Rinzel was 6’3.25” not 6’4”

#107 Ryan Greene was 6’1.25” not 6’2”

Those are the only mistakes I caught, and the last two are very minor, but I check the rest when I saw you made poor Lane even more wee-sized than he actually is now.

2022 NHL Combine Heights & Weights

Thanks so much for the kind words. I'll fix Sapovaliv and Hutson's sizes. I'm actually a huge fan of Lane Hutson, he's so much fun to watch. I just wish he was played at LW sometimes -- he'd be so good there.

 

[MWagg72]

Too bad there isn't a way to come away from the draft with both Slaf and Gauthier.

 

[oxman44]

great stuff as always STI. If we could grab Mike Fisher with our 3rd rounder id be absolutely stoked.

 

[Guadana]

I love your opinions here and I'll have to say that Slafkovsky and Wright are neck-and-neck for me. It's literally Wright by a hair.

I agree with you on Jiricek over Nemec, which is also very close in my book.

I actually was talking with Steve Kournianos about my struggles with how to rank Cooley/Gauthier/Nazar from 5-7. Again, I could have ordered them in any permutation and it would have made sense to me. If any of Nazar, Gauthier or Cooley have the best NHL career of the three, I won't be very surprised -- they're all just such terrific hockey players.

I'd love to see you put out your own ranking -- at least a top 32 list -- before the draft. It's great how you have a unique perspective on the prospects, and I'd be thrilled to see what you come up with.

In ranking of Wright and Slaf I`m putting a lot of personal stuff. And a lot of my gut.
Anyway it`s really hard to rank players in vacuum. You will take good player and put him in Arizona. Good luck. And it`s a reason why my own words about Cooley could come true. Not only because I have some truth in my words, but because he will going in the dark corner of NHL.

It`s bold, more for fun. I didn`t think about it before. May be you will find some joy, may be you will be angry. Don`t take it to seriously. It isn`t seriously. That`s more of a kitchen talk. My draft day raiting will be much more conservative. Because I`m quite conservative. But for now I`m more about my own preferences.

1. Slafkovsky - because I like potential and size. Not the size of his body, but the size of his dreams.
2. Jiricek - I think he is very dangerous pick. Not only because of his health, but he has real flaws. But the raw potential is here.
3. Nazar - the best manipulator on the draft. He has all of the tools to be the player he wanna be. ANd his work ethic is good. Expirience will come.
4. Wright - I see the vision and the feeling, but I see some thing I don`t like. Compete level. His level is high and sometimes he didn`t do what he should do. I like players who work hard. But I cant deny potential and overall iq.

Yeah. I have 3 players above Wright. Call me crazy. I'm used to.
5. Yurov - work ethic, overall game. He can do everything on the ice. He knows where he should be on the ice. I heard he isn`t best in anything. I heard it when people talked about Lundell. It doesn`t work when players don`t have very high compete level, or their work ethic is questionable. Yurov is hard worker. And he has nature talent.
6. Cooley. Great offensive skills. Fun player to watch. In the right organisation he will be great center. I don`t like his two way impact, but not every player should work two way. Cooley is a great skater, he can compenate it by his work with the puck. But I prefer to not put him on the faceoff in defensive zone,
7... Mateychuk. He needs to be converted in forward. Can`t imagine how he will play defensive role. But if you want defenseman with classic "high risk high reward" medal, it goes to Mateychuk. I would never draft him in the first round. If I would be Fitz, I will not draft him especially. But we are trying to talk about it in vacuum. His offensive talent is huge and he knows how to use it.
8. Gauthier. If I would be Fitz, I would draft him if Slaf and Jiricek are not available. Because Devils have structure, because devils have holes. And he fits badly great. But I cant put him higher because he isn`t play driver and I have some of questions. But I talk this words today. Tommorow I will decide to put him in top-5 because of his shot, physical play, his iq and his talking. He looks like a smart kid. I really like him more than Cooley. Why the fvck I did put him lower? But if he will center first line in philly, I`m not so sure he will be the best version of himself. Anyway I like his 200-foot game, I think he has great potential to be good true power forward in NHL.
9. Nemec. I was high on him. But I think a lot of what he is doing, doesnt work in NHL with his level of skating. I don`t like his defensive game. I see great offensive IQ, I believe he can make his game much better, but NHL is NHL. He should be much more pro active and play more physical game. I heard a lot of "if you wanna play good defense, don`t give a puck to your opponents". It`s a bravada. Defenseman should defense, or should play on extra speed and be extra dangerous. Nemec is awesome puck manager. But is he dangerous? He should have dangerous players on his line to monetize his game. Of course he will got it in NHL. Interesting case. I believe he will be much better. But I prefer mistakes from Mateychuk than passive game from Nemec. What I would do if I would be Fitz and Slaf, Jiricek and Gauthier are not available(even if Nazar and Cooley are available)? I would pick Nemec.
10. Ryan Chesley. I don`t care if he will never play top-2 role. Sometimes players with 10-20 points are playing 23+ minutes.
11. Perevalov. Agressive, selfish, agressive, good board player, very agressive player. I prefer him over guys like Geekie, Savoie, Lambert easily. It`s a bold. But he is bold.
12. Kemmel. He is my top-10 player in the normal circumstances. But his game isn`t the same after injury. Game of Jiricek is even little better. Game of Kemmel isn`t. I like how he can protect the puck, his speed, his forechecking game. He is very adaptive. I believe mister Kekka from CBJ will draft him and will never regret it. If Anaheim will not do it before him.
13. Kasper. I like his number in my "raiting" for him. I believe Steve Y has him on 2nd or on the 3rd place in his list.
14. McGroarty. Miles Wood with better skating. Not so much. But he is dangerous, active and work hard on his game. I love personality.
15. Savoie. I dont like it, I would never draft him if I would be Fitz. But I can`t deny he has what he has. I just don`t like tool puck and two way game. And size of course. Good luck to him in Buffalo. But every draft I have my own "no list". Sometimes it`s small players without good two way game, sometimes its slow players. Sometimes its both. Savoie isn`t slow. And I don`t even think that his size is a problem. But I see how Nazar can compensate it. But when I saw games of Savoie, I did say "what the hell are you doing man?", yelling on pc. Sometimes I did say "what the hell, wow". He isn`t consistent for me in his game. But he moves a lot. He allways thinking. And I think he will fix his flaws. He's just not my type.

It`s my improvised top-15. Making top-30 is too much for me. I have strong preferences in my vision. And when I watching games of prospects, I always try to think where I could use them on the devils roster. If I would be a fan of other team, I would fix my sence of vision. Because sometimes talent can exist in vacuum, more often its not. Guy like Makar would not handle 1OA title in NJ. Because it was hard for any player. When only a half of NJD did start to work well, gut like Hischier and Hughes did start to create a lot of posession and points. I want better partners for Nico. I want Slaf for him.

Again. Its not a serious raiting. May be half serious of "I like this guys in some kind of order". And I even can`t say I really like some of this guys.

Too bad there isn't a way to come away from the draft with both Slaf and Gauthier.

Yeah... It would be awesome. Dream senario. Team with Slaf, Nico, Jack, Mercer, Bratt, Grits, Yegor, Gauthier and Holtz in top-9 would never lose 4 game in play off in their prime.

 

[StevenToddIves]

great stuff as always STI. If we could grab Mike Fisher with our 3rd rounder id be absolutely stoked.

This is actually a pretty solid draft for RD. Granted, there's a drop-off between Jiricek/Nemec and Chesley and a huge drop-off between Chesley and Luneau/Rinzel, but I think there's a lot of guys who could be very good and available after the 1st round.

RD who would immediately pass Case McCarthy as the #1 RD in the NJ system: Jiricek, Nemec, Chesley, Luneau, Rinzel, Barabosha, Mastrodomenico.

RD who would slot in between McCarthy and Walsh as the #2 RD in the NJ system: Casey, Fisher.

We should also factor in Lamoureux and Healey -- both of whom would enter the system at #3 but have big-time upside, although probably a long way off.

 

[Hollywood Nosebleed]

Amazing work @StevenToddIves. I just have one question. Is/are there any player(s) in the 40+ range where you realllllllly wanted to rank them higher, because your gut is telling you to, but didn't? I use to watch a lottttt of college football, and got really good at finding the late 1st-2nd round picks that should be top 10-15, and 1st rounders that I wouldn't touch until the mid rounds. However, I feel like I didn't trust my gut enough on mid to late round picks. I'd subconsciously rank them around where I knew I could get them, even though they were on my short list. I'd watch 200 players, but there would only be like 30-40ish prospects I really wanted.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Amazing work @StevenToddIves. I just have one question. Is/are there any player(s) in the 40+ range where you realllllllly wanted to rank them higher, because your gut is telling you to, but didn't? I use to watch a lottttt of college football, and got really good at finding the late 1st-2nd round picks that should be top 10-15, and 1st rounders that I wouldn't touch until the mid rounds. However, I feel like I didn't trust my gut enough on mid to late round picks. I'd subconsciously rank them around where I knew I could get them, even though they were on my short list. I'd watch 200 players, but there would only be like 30-40ish prospects I really wanted.

GREAT question.

I'll give you a forward and a D. My D is Michael Mastrodomenico -- I think his upside is just tremendous, he's got every element of a stud D, plays a heavy game and has strong tools across the board.

My forward is Joel Jonsson. This kid's skill is through the roof -- just top-20-overall caliber skill -- but his 5'9 stature and decent-but-not-impressive skates forced me to drop him down my rankings. If this kid can build his core strength and gain a notch or two in his skating explosiveness, he possesses just amazing upside.

There are just so many sleepers. Dylan James has elite skating and high-end skill and can make a lot of people look dumb for passing on him someday. A name I'm going to mention a lot more leading up to the draft is Sandis Vilmanis -- the kid can fly and just bomb the puck, he's the best Latvian forward prospect in years.

Ryan Healey is one of those defensemen who escape notice before the draft and then, three years into college, have a bunch of people wondering how they missed him. He's super raw but combines elite skating with terrific offensive skill. I'd say Michael Fisher is the even better overall prospect -- 6'3 and can fly, a wizard with the puck on his stick.

In the WHL playoffs, I completely became enamored with Marcus Nguyen -- one of the top compete levels you'll ever see with a knack for scoring grind-y goals. With his high-end skating, he might be the Blake Coleman of the 2022 class.

We should also factor in the super-young kids -- Vinzenz Rohrer and Servac Petrovsky barely missed the cut for the 2023 draft, and both these kids might absolutely explode next year in the OHL.

 

[LeedsMonster]

Awesome job, top class content. You need to do a podcast

 

[Xirik]

Thanks for all your hard work Mr. Ives!

On your write-ups about Slaf you say his playmaking is good/elite. Other people on the draft boards and various team boards say that he has an Average IQ. Now if I parse what they mean by IQ that usually means play-making and ability to think the game.

What do you think the disconnect is between you and others opinion on Slafkovsky? Can you understand where there coming from with there opinions or does it just not make sense?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Awesome job, top class content. You need to do a podcast

I'd need to know how to do a podcast first haha.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Thanks for all your hard work Mr. Ives!

On your write-ups about Slaf you say his playmaking is good/elite. Other people on the draft boards and various team boards say that he has an Average IQ. Now if I parse what they mean by IQ that usually means play-making and ability to think the game.

What do you think the disconnect is between you and others opinion on Slafkovsky? Can you understand where there coming from with there opinions or does it just not make sense?

First off, thanks for the kind words. Now, to answer your concerns...

I think a lot of people misunderstand what hockey IQ means. Playmaking has nothing to do with it -- passing is its own (and very important) tool. It's more about awareness, decision making, adjustments made to particular opponents and game situations, anticipation/reaction -- generally how a player thinks the game. Slafkovsky is borderline elite in these general respects -- he's no Datsyukian genius on skates, but he's clearly extremely smart and has an outstanding understanding of the game. He processes everything quickly, and he's still learning the nuances.

I also think a lot of people delude their own player assessments with an incessant need for reference points and comparisons -- and additionally in adhering to "player stereotypes".

For instance -- Slafkovsky is 6'4 and humongous and Cooley is 5'11 and fast as f**k, so Cooley has to be a slicker passer and faster thinker than Slafkovsky, right?

No. This is not a comic book where the muscle guy smashes things and the smaller hero does all the heavy thinking. I would rank Slafkovsky's combination of playmaking/puckhandling/IQ slightly ahead of Cooley, and that's saying a lot because Cooley excels in these respects, as well.

I think it's important to eschew some of these stereotypes when assessing new prospects. If anything, Slafkovsky is a finesse player -- and what makes him so unique is his rare ability to play a finesse game down low and in the interior. Conversely, a guy like Cutter Gauthier also does his best work down low, but he prefers to accomplish this by bashing in your head and then firing the puck on net at a million miles an hour.

 

[goonybird]

STI rankings with no mention of syphilis. Smh

 

[StevenToddIves]

STI rankings with no mention of syphilis. Smh

Just assume I'm talking about syphilis symptomatology every time I say the words "Brad" and "Marchand" in tandem.