Prospect Info: 2022 Draft Prospects, Part II

[Smitty426]

I still cannot believe Lou let Toews go for 2 second rounders …. I know he was in cap trouble but who got them in that cap trouble ? Sucks we’re are in same division or maybe we could have outbid the Avs

He mismananged that while taking care of Barzal. Bit him in the ass this year

 

[Smitty426]

I would obviously rather Bedard/Michkov than anyone in this draft but hopefully we aren’t even in a position where that’s possible next year. Time to take a big step. I’m hoping for one last lucky draw this year. I want the #2 pick and I want Slafkovsky with that pick.

Not that I want it, but what if they won it and traded down? Montreakl hosts, they would go nut to get it and have some picks to offer. AZ as well!

 

[Hisch13r]

Not that I want it, but what if they won it and traded down? Montreakl hosts, they would go nut to get it and have some picks to offer. AZ as well!

Trade down and grab Jiricek

 

[Smitty426]

Trade down and grab Jiricek

That is my hope, what do we get for letting them get it? Its gotta be worth a lot to them!

 

[Hisch13r]

That is my hope, what do we get for letting them get it? Its gotta be worth a lot to them!

Thing is Arizona only really pushes for that deal if they’re way higher on one of Cooley/Slafkovsky than the other since they could look at it as whichever we don’t pick they will pick. Same goes Montreal as they’d need to be much higher on both of them and see them in a higher tier than the rest to justify moving up rather than taking whatever is there to them. It’s fun to think about but not really anything that’d happen

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

2022 Draft Profile:

C Logan Morrison, Hamilton OHL
Everyone who follows my draft write-ups knows it is quite rare when I review over-agers. I need to really love a prospect to take the time to fastidiously re-evaluate a player I've probably evaluated previously. Well, you might not be familiar with him, but Logan Morrison is such a prospect. I'm going to take some time to explain the reasons why this criminally unranked player deserves strong consideration for the 2022 NHL Draft, and as early as the 3rd round.

Logan Morrison went undrafted in 2021 after not playing a single game all season due to the OHL shutting down during the pandemic. At the time, he was listed as a 5'11-170 center and probably known more for his play without the puck than with it. I was similarly guilty of overlooking Morrison -- I had not seen him play in over a year, and as he was not a strong consideration for any Canadian tournament teams, he sort of just dropped out of your sphere of attention.

This year, Morrison showed up at 6'0-180. It was clear from the outset of the season that he had a chip on his shoulder about going undrafted, as his skating speed -- which was already a plus -- seemed to improve in explosiveness and he was clearly in the best physical condition of his life. Morrison's added strength has led to a more physical style of play and a far greater acuity in one-on-one battles. Quite simply, instead of sitting home playing video games, this was clearly a kid who took a lost year of development and worked his ass off to become a better hockey player.

The same work ethic Morrison has shown off the ice has translated onto the ice. He is one of the hardest working players in the OHL, and he's a player you notice every time he's on the ice. The compete level isn't his finest intangible, because we need to discuss his hockey IQ. I'm going to make a hot take right here and say Morrison has one of the best hockey IQs in the entire draft -- it's a top 10 pick sort of elite strength. You see this in everything Morrison does. He is perhaps the best takeaway artist of any OHL forward, routinely picking pockets of unaware stickhandlers, baiting passes into lanes he's about to flood, using deception to force opponents to put the puck precisely where he wants it. This carries over to his offensive awareness -- Morrison is an outstanding passer with terrific vision. Though he is not the elite sort of puck skills player to aspire to an NHL 1C role, we're talking about a player with bona fide middle-6 two-way center upside, a kid who can excel on a 1PK and 2PP unit and contribute in all facets of the game.

Ultimately, I really don't care if no one else wants to rank Logan Morrison for the 2022 draft. He's a steal in the 3rd round. Heck, he's a great pick in the 2nd. He came back after a year of inactivity and the crushing let-down of going undrafted and responded with 93 points in 57 games, and is currently on a 100+ point pace. He plays two-ways and he plays hard. He has elite hockey IQ and puck-hawking abilities, combined with near-elite passing skills. He can skate and he can score. He can play all situations, all special teams, and either center or RW. What more can be asked of the kid? He needs to be drafted, he's just an outstanding hockey player and he's the kind of young man you win with.

OHL coaches appreciate "your" guy.

 

[StevenToddIves]

OHL coaches appreciate "your" guy.

I'm absolutely floored Logan Morrison can't buy a top 100 ranking. It actually makes me question the veracity of some writers. What else does the kid have to do? He scored 100 points in 64 games, he'd great defensively, he can skate, he's got solid size at 6'0-180, his leadership and compete level are off the charts, and he's got one of the highest hockey IQs in the entire 2022 draft. How are people missing this kid's ability? Apparently, everyone in the OHL knows how good he is, how can he be escaping the attention of the people who actually are relied upon to rank the players?

I'll say it again. Logan Morrison in the #30-#40 overall range is a great pick. As for Logan Morrison where he's probably destined to go, in the 3rd or 4th round? It's a steal of ridiculous proportions. This kid is just an outstanding hockey player, there's no other way to describe him.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Howard, Nazar and Chesley played great games against the Team Canada. I also liked Cooley. Gauthier had good moments, but he didn't always take advantage of his size and he was pretty passive every now and then.

Pickering reminds me a little bit of Edvinsson, at least when he has the puck in his stick. He doesn't have the same skill set and I didn't pay attention to his defensive game, but these were my first impressions.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Gauthier had good moments, but he didn't always take advantage of his size and he was pretty passive every now and then.

I didn’t watch the game but that is part of why I’m not sold on Gauthier. Isn’t consistently working on a shift by shift basis and kind of just floats around for shifts at times.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Howard, Nazar and Chesley played great games against the Team Canada. I also liked Cooley. Gauthier had good moments, but he didn't always take advantage of his size and he was pretty passive every now and then.

Pickering reminds me a little bit of Edvinsson, at least when he has the puck in his stick. He doesn't have the same skill set and I didn't pay attention to his defensive game, but these were my first impressions.

Chesley is really going to raise his stock. Chesley is #12 in my rankings (Prospect Info: - Ives 2022 Top 100 NHL Draft Rankings (Spring Edition, 2.0) ) though his consensus is probably the late 1st round. The only detractors against him are the pure-numbers people, who rarely understand scouting prospects, anyway.

Nazar (#5) is ahead of Cooley (#6) in my rankings, though it's close. I feel he was the better player over the final half of the season, and he's got more sandpaper in his game.

Isaac Howard (#33) really blew the doors off with 4 goals and an assist. I currently have him a bit lower than the consensus, and I might be wrong.

Owen Pickering (#41) certainly combines intriguing size (6'4) and skating. He is a good bet to go in the first round, though he's still extremely raw.

 

[Guttersniped]

Howard, Nazar and Chesley played great games against the Team Canada. I also liked Cooley. Gauthier had good moments, but he didn't always take advantage of his size and he was pretty passive every now and then.

Pickering reminds me a little bit of Edvinsson, at least when he has the puck in his stick. He doesn't have the same skill set and I didn't pay attention to his defensive game, but these were my first impressions.

Howard is a guy a seen ranking all around and don’t have a good handle on. I’m curious where he ends up.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Howard is a guy a seen ranking all around and don’t have a good handle on. I’m curious where he ends up.

Howard is truly one heck of a player, but I still feel Nazar drove that Team USA second line today. Howard to me is still a complimentary winger, though he's one heck of a complementary winger. Nazar also showed he can play center in a huge game against high-end competition without either of Cooley or Gauthier on his line. I was a bit nervous ranking Nazar ahead of Cooley, but this game reinforced my gut feeling that Nazar is the best player on this years's US-NTDP.

As for Howard, I must admit I did not have him circled as one of the players whom I felt would seriously raise their draft stock at the U-18 Tourney. But he was just ridiculously dangerous and productive all game long. Though he lacks a singular elite skill, his compete level and hockey IQ are high-end and his shot is pretty close to elite. I ranked him at #33 in my spring rankings, but of course after today you have to think I slept on him a bit.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

I didn’t watch the game but that is part of why I’m not sold on Gauthier. Isn’t consistently working on a shift by shift basis and kind of just foots around for shifts at times.

Yeah, I would have liked to see more active game by him.

Chesley is really going to raise his stock. Chesley is #12 in my rankings (Prospect Info: - Ives 2022 Top 100 NHL Draft Rankings (Spring Edition, 2.0) ) though his consensus is probably the late 1st round. The only detractors against him are the pure-numbers people, who rarely understand scouting prospects, anyway.

Nazar (#5) is ahead of Cooley (#6) in my rankings, though it's close. I feel he was the better player over the final half of the season, and he's got more sandpaper in his game.

Isaac Howard (#33) really blew the doors off with 4 goals and an assist. I currently have him a bit lower than the consensus, and I might be wrong.

Owen Pickering (#41) certainly combines intriguing size (6'4) and skating. He is a good bet to go in the first round, though he's still extremely raw.

Chesley was really impressive when I noticed him. He was steady, I liked his skating and he had some skill moves. The Devils need another first round pick so they can pick him too.

Nazar and Howard played really well together, but Cooley was trying to do too much by himself. That's why I liked Nazar more than Cooley against the Team Canada. But it's easy to see that Cooley is also a great prospect.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Yeah, I would have liked to see more active game by him.


Chesley was really impressive when I noticed him. He was steady, I liked his skating and he had some skill moves. The Devils need another first round pick so they can pick him too.

Nazar and Howard played really well together, but Cooley was trying to do too much by himself. That's why I liked Nazar more than Cooley against the Team Canada. But it's easy to see that Cooley is also a great prospect.

I feel this has been Cooley's problem over much of the 2nd half of the season. It's almost as if he heard all the hype about him in the first half which made him the consensus #2 after Wright, and his game lost a bit of the meat and potatoes in lieu of the flash and dash. Cooley is certainly still a tremendous prospect, but I don't think I would take him in the top 5 right now, and I have Nazar slightly ahead of him.

As for Chesley -- well, if the Devils miss out on Jiricek and Nemec, the best move might just be to trade down to the #9-#13 range and take Chesley, maybe picking up an early 2nd rounder in the process. Right now, Chesley is the best defensive defender in the 2022 draft, and his shooting and puck skills give him intriguing offensive upside.

 

[tunnelvision]

How would you guys rank all US-NTDP forwards, solely in terms of hockey IQ and/or vision?

For me, Nazar and Cooley seem to be the best decision makers with the puck, Nazar probably being #1 and Cooley as close second. As for Howard and the rest, I'm not so sure of how good they are. After watching some of Howard's youtube shifts, I thought he ignored a lot of great offensive play options as he was crossing the blueline and trying to find his way to the net. Yesterday's game against Canada didn't change my view yet, although I must say it was an impressive performance from him in many ways.

 

[StevenToddIves]

How would you guys rank all US-NTDP forwards, solely in terms of hockey IQ and/or vision?

For me, Nazar and Cooley seem to be the best decision makers with the puck, Nazar probably being #1 and Cooley as close second. As for Howard and the rest, I'm not so sure of how good they are. After watching some of Howard's youtube shifts, I thought he ignored a lot of great offensive play options as he was crossing the blueline and trying to find his way to the net. Yesterday's game against Canada didn't change my view yet, although I must say it was an impressive performance from him in many ways.

Really tough question, but I would agree with Nazar first and Cooley second in both IQ and vision. I'd say McGroarty is 3rd in both. Howard probably 4th, then Snuggerud and Gauthier. It's a tough question, though.

 

[ninetyeight]

Any discussion on goalies yet? I'd assume they continue the trend of picking a goalie in the mid rounds.

Here are the Central Scouting rankings:
NA: https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/p...6053/2022 NHL Final Rankings - NA Goalies.pdf
INT: https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/p...053/2022 NHL Final Rankings - ITL Goalies.pdf

International offering is a bit lackluster this year, Leinonen has got great size and good junior performances, but he hasn't really played enough to make a good guess on either direction. Havelid looks great, but his small size is probably a problem.

Tyler Brennan seems to be the top rated goalie, he could go mid 2nd round.

Tyler Brennan - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tyler Brennan, 2003-09-27 Winnipeg, MB, CAN Canada. Most recently in the undefined with Utica Comets. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

I don't really like Silverstein (#3 ranked), unimpressive stats in a good USDP team.

Dylan Silverstein - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Dylan Silverstein, 2004-02-07 Calabasas, CA, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Quinnipiac Univ.. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

His fellow team mate Muszelik (#4) is bigger, younger, played more and had better stats. I can't understand how they ranked him lower.

Tyler Muszelik - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tyler Muszelik, 2004-07-01 Long Valley, NJ, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Univ. of Connecticut. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

My other candidates are:

Marco Costantini (#29)

Marco Costantini - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Marco Costantini, 2002-08-04 Hamilton, ON, CAN Canada. Most recently in the ECHL with Allen Americans. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Over-age, but he didn't play last year. Incredible playoff stats.

Thomas Milic (#28)

Thomas Milic - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Thomas Milic, 2003-04-14 New Westminster, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the AHL with Manitoba Moose. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Small, over-age, but has put up amazing stats his whole career.

But who knows how it goes with these goalies, I just hope they continue to pick one / draft.

 

[Blackjack]

Any discussion on goalies yet? I'd assume they continue the trend of picking a goalie in the mid rounds.

Malek
Daws
Brady
Schmid
Senn
Comier

I endorsed this strategy a year or two ago, but it really has not yielded us much. Almost a waste of a pick at this point. I'd be in favor of taking a swing at another high upside skater in the mid rounds, and spend an early pick (mid to late 1st or early 2nd) when there's a standout goaltender worth taking early)

 

[ninetyeight]

Malek
Daws
Brady
Schmid
Senn
Comier

I endorsed this strategy a year or two ago, but it really has not yielded us much. Almost a waste of a pick at this point. I'd be in favor of taking a swing at another high upside skater in the mid rounds, and spend an early pick (mid to late 1st or early 2nd) when there's a standout goaltender worth taking early)

I think we have a future starter in Daws and Schmid was excellent before his few NHL games. I hope it didn't mess with his confidence. They are both very young still.

I think after the first 2 to 3 rounds the draft becomes a bit of a crapshoot anyway, so you might as well gamble with goalies and other high ceiling low floor skaters.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Malek
Daws
Brady
Schmid
Senn
Comier

I endorsed this strategy a year or two ago, but it really has not yielded us much. Almost a waste of a pick at this point. I'd be in favor of taking a swing at another high upside skater in the mid rounds, and spend an early pick (mid to late 1st or early 2nd) when there's a standout goaltender worth taking early)

Malek, Daws, and Schmid look promising. They cost a 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounder. Those picks usually don't yield much as is. I like having 3 promising young goalies, who could but probably won't become starters in the organization.

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Any discussion on goalies yet? I'd assume they continue the trend of picking a goalie in the mid rounds.

Here are the Central Scouting rankings:
NA: https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2022/05/16053/2022 NHL Final Rankings - NA Goalies.pdf
INT: https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2022/05/16053/2022 NHL Final Rankings - ITL Goalies.pdf

International offering is a bit lackluster this year, Leinonen has got great size and good junior performances, but he hasn't really played enough to make a good guess on either direction. Havelid looks great, but his small size is probably a problem.

Tyler Brennan seems to be the top rated goalie, he could go mid 2nd round.

Tyler Brennan - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tyler Brennan, 2003-09-27 Winnipeg, MB, CAN Canada. Most recently in the undefined with Utica Comets. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

I don't really like Silverstein (#3 ranked), unimpressive stats in a good USDP team.

Dylan Silverstein - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Dylan Silverstein, 2004-02-07 Calabasas, CA, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Quinnipiac Univ.. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

His fellow team mate Muszelik (#4) is bigger, younger, played more and had better stats. I can't understand how they ranked him lower.

Tyler Muszelik - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tyler Muszelik, 2004-07-01 Long Valley, NJ, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Univ. of Connecticut. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

My other candidates are:

Marco Costantini (#29)

Marco Costantini - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Marco Costantini, 2002-08-04 Hamilton, ON, CAN Canada. Most recently in the ECHL with Allen Americans. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Over-age, but he didn't play last year. Incredible playoff stats.

Thomas Milic (#28)

Thomas Milic - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Thomas Milic, 2003-04-14 New Westminster, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the AHL with Manitoba Moose. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Small, over-age, but has put up amazing stats his whole career.

But who knows how it goes with these goalies, I just hope they continue to pick one / draft.

Milic is having a great postseason. Game 7 tonight @ Portland. Tyler Brennan gave the Winterhawks fits too, even though they swept Prince George.

This is a weak draft overall including the goalies. Button has Brennan the highest at #54. McKenzie has him at #62 and others have him in the 80's and 90's.

 

[glenwo2]

Thanks for the kind words, they mean a lot.

If I'm the Devils, my strategy in the first few rounds would be to draft the best available player early in the draft, then key out positions/areas of need later on. The Devils draft needs, in my opinion, are as such:

1 Right Defense
2 Interior/Power Forwards
3 Depth Centers
4 Goaltender

There are several players I've already written up who can be possibly be found later in the draft who could help the Devils shore up their center depth.

Matias Sapovaliv is a 6'4 Czech defensive center who has displayed some offensive upside for Saginaw of the OHL and can possibly fall to the early 3rd round. Cole Spicer plays a defensive C role for the US-NTDP and can likely be had in the 5th-7th rounds. Lincoln (USHL) C Brennan Ali is one of my favorite sleepers in the draft, a physical 6'1 pivot who plays a ferocious two-way game and should be available by the 4th/5th rounds. Gatineau's Sam Savoie is only 5'9, but he's a boxy 190 pounds and has outstanding skates; I think he'll be available past the 5th round. Ivan Ivan is another QMJHL center who can give you a bottom 6 center in the final few rounds of the draft. Also in the QMJHL are hard-working Markus Vidicek and the blindingly fast Alex Blais, both guys who should be around past the 3rd round.

I'll be doing more write ups in the coming weeks where I will identify some nice sleepers out of the WHL, OHL, Finland, Sweden and Russia -- and there look to be some interesting names up the middle in those leagues, as well.

1 Right Defense
2 Interior/Power Forwards
3 Depth Centers
4 Goaltender

Looks like our priorities have changed since then.

Now it's :

1 Interior/Power Forwards (provided Slaf is still there)
2 D-men
3. Depth Centers
4. Goaltender

 

[StevenToddIves]

1 Right Defense
2 Interior/Power Forwards
3 Depth Centers
4 Goaltender

Looks like our priorities have changed since then.

Now it's :

1 Interior/Power Forwards (provided Slaf is still there)
2 D-men
3. Depth Centers
4. Goaltender

I agree, but "d-men" needs to be changed specifically to "RD". The Devils made pretty significant mistakes taking Ethan Edwards and Topias Vilen in the past two drafts, when neither has any reasonable chance of overtaking LDs like Siegenthaler, Hughes, Mukhamadullin, Okhotyuk, Bahl etc. in the coming years. If the Devils had just taken the "best available RD" with those two picks, their depth chart would look significantly better right now.

I wouldn't pass on a LD if it represented a major steal, such as Koromyslov in the 4th round or something. But if the value is anywhere close, the Devils have to get some RD in the system.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Malek
Daws
Brady
Schmid
Senn
Comier

I endorsed this strategy a year or two ago, but it really has not yielded us much. Almost a waste of a pick at this point. I'd be in favor of taking a swing at another high upside skater in the mid rounds, and spend an early pick (mid to late 1st or early 2nd) when there's a standout goaltender worth taking early)

That is far from a waste of a pick. Goalies are riskier but potentially higher reward picks. The fact that we’ve gotten 2 goalies with NHL potential from 6 mid-round picks is good. It’s a pretty good strategy that has potential to pay off hugely one of these times if we get somebody who turns into a star.

 

[Guttersniped]

Any discussion on goalies yet? I'd assume they continue the trend of picking a goalie in the mid rounds.

Here are the Central Scouting rankings:
NA: https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2022/05/16053/2022 NHL Final Rankings - NA Goalies.pdf
INT: https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2022/05/16053/2022 NHL Final Rankings - ITL Goalies.pdf

International offering is a bit lackluster this year, Leinonen has got great size and good junior performances, but he hasn't really played enough to make a good guess on either direction. Havelid looks great, but his small size is probably a problem.

Tyler Brennan seems to be the top rated goalie, he could go mid 2nd round.

Tyler Brennan - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tyler Brennan, 2003-09-27 Winnipeg, MB, CAN Canada. Most recently in the undefined with Utica Comets. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

I don't really like Silverstein (#3 ranked), unimpressive stats in a good USDP team.

Dylan Silverstein - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Dylan Silverstein, 2004-02-07 Calabasas, CA, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Quinnipiac Univ.. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

His fellow team mate Muszelik (#4) is bigger, younger, played more and had better stats. I can't understand how they ranked him lower.

Tyler Muszelik - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tyler Muszelik, 2004-07-01 Long Valley, NJ, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Univ. of Connecticut. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

My other candidates are:

Marco Costantini (#29)

Marco Costantini - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Marco Costantini, 2002-08-04 Hamilton, ON, CAN Canada. Most recently in the ECHL with Allen Americans. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Over-age, but he didn't play last year. Incredible playoff stats.

Thomas Milic (#28)

Thomas Milic - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Thomas Milic, 2003-04-14 New Westminster, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the AHL with Manitoba Moose. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Small, over-age, but has put up amazing stats his whole career.

But who knows how it goes with these goalies, I just hope they continue to pick one / draft.

Cameron Whitehead is my guy because I read a few nice things about him plus he’s going to Northeastern University and they’ve had good success with goalies and watching Cole Brady get broken by Arizona has taught me to value a good program because I’m secretly very good at scouting goalies, I just never shared that side with the board before.