1st round mock with explanations post Fiala trade

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Draft Class: 2022

Published: Jun. 29, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.

DRAFT

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Round 1
1. Shane Wright (Montreal Canadiens) (Details: Don’t buy into the Slafkovsky is going 1 smoke, the pick is and always has been Shane Wright.).
2. Juraj Slafkovsky (New Jersey Devils) (Details: The devils pick a player who, if developed correctly, could be the perfect complement to Jack Hughes. Slaf’s size is much needed on a small devils team, even though there is more to be desired with Judah’s toughness considering his frame.).
3. Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes) (Details: All good rebuilds need a center prospect who can be developed into a 1C. Cooley may have the best offensive upside of the draft, and he has a solid defensive game too.).
4. Simon Nemec (Seattle Kraken) (Details: Seattle picked a cornerstone center at 2 in the last draft, so now they pick a cornerstone dman. Nemec is a can’t miss prospect to me, and I’m my opinion is the 2nd best prospect in this draft.).
5. David Jiricek (Philadelphia Flyers) (Details: Philadelphia’s defense is an absolute mess. Thankfully, Jiricek is a smart, sound dman who is a plus player in all 3 zones. I see him as a right-handed Adam Pelech, with a better shot. Although I love Nemec, there is a real possibility Jiricek ends up being the best dman of this draft.).
6. Matthew Savoie (Columbus Blue Jackets from Chicago Blackhawks) (Details: Savoie is a player with versatility that any team would love. The only thing keeping him out of the top 5 is his size. He can shoot, deke, pass, play any forward position and his defensive play is much better than other offensive dynamos in this draft class. He could end up a steal at 6.).
7. Joakim Kemell (Ottawa Senators) (Details: A lot of people had Kemell ranked higher pre-injury. When healthy, he is hands down the best goal scorer of this draft. He could be a fantastic complement to Stutzle.).
8. Frank Nazar (Detroit Red Wings) (Details: Nazar is an absolutely perfect fit for the red wings. He’s from michigan, and is playing at the university of Michigan next season. He posses playmaking ability and puck skills that the rest of the red wings forward group does not. He can play center, which is a position of weakness for detroit. This is a match made in heaven.).
9. Marco Kasper (Buffalo Sabres) (Details: Kasper is a very defensively sound center who is also above average offensively, think Anton Lundell. While Cozens and Thompson are good, I would say Kasper has a better shot of being a legit 1C than those two. Kasper is also the most versatile forward in this draft class minus Savoie. This would be a home run pick for the Sabres.).
10. Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim Ducks) (Details: Like we saw with the McTavish pick last year, anaheim is desperate for goals. Cutter can score those. Gauthier also posses an edge that the ducks lack. He is future captain material, and should be a pesky, offensively capable 2nd liner.).
11. Jonathan Lekkerimäki (San Jose Sharks) (Details: The sharks sprint to the draft podium to select The Swedish sniper, who would just so happen to fit on a line perfectly with fellow Swede William Eklund. Lekkerimaki scores goals in bunches, and the sharks can use any young talent they can get their hands on.).
12. Kevin Korchinski (Columbus Blue Jackets) (Details: The Jackets were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last year. Thankfully, Korchinski, who is probably the 3rd best dman of the draft, is very defensively capable. He has a bit of a muffin shot, but the jackets have other dmen, like Werenski and Boqvist, to make up for that weakness.).
13. Brad Lambert (New York Islanders) (Details: As an isles fan, I am very torn on which player I’d rather, yurov or our new head coaches’ nephew, Brad Lambert. Lambert’s production in the liiga this year has left a lot to be desired, but he dominated against his age group. Lambert’s liiga teams have all been trash too. Is that enough, combined with his elite skating and playmaking skills, to overlook his production? After falling more and more in love with the player, I’d say yes.).
14. Conor Geekie (Winnipeg Jets) (Details: Geekie is a player who has been met with a lot of criticism, but with Dubois the diva already wanting out, and Schiefele’s days in Winnipeg being numbered, center will soon be a position of weakness for the Jets. Geekie played right in their backyard, so if the jets do pick him, you can bet the jets scouted him enough.).
15. Danila Yurov (Vancouver Canucks) (Details: The Canucks prospect pool is underrated, in a bad way. It’s terrible. Their NHL roster, while it certainly has some talented players, has holes in pretty much every position, which is why they should go BPA. Yurov has all the physical tools, and skills to be a star in the NHL. But there’s always that pesky Russian factor. This pick is a bit of a risk, but it could pay off big time.).
16. Noah Östlund (Buffalo Sabres from Vegas Golden Knights) (Details: With their 2nd 1st round pick, the Sabres continue to load up on center prospects, as their already loaded on the wing, defense and goalie positions prospect wise. The Sabres look to have a fantastic future.).
17. Denton Mateychuk (Nashville Predators) (Details: The Preds start the 2nd half of the first round with a dman who slid a bit. Some people have Mateychuk in the top 10 of this draft. He’s very talented offensively, and projects to be a top 4 dman coincidentally at the time one of Josi/Ekholm inevitably start declining.).
18. Seamus Casey (Dallas Stars) (Details: Dallas is loaded with forward prospects, so they elect to go D. Casey is a very good offensive dman, and with defensive stalwarts in Heiskanen and Lindell, a pp quarterback is all they’re missing on the backend.).
19. Jiri Kulich (Minnesota Wild from Los Angeles Kings) (Details: Minnesota takes the Czech product with the pick they just received for Fiala. His solid size combined with a toolkit that includes a solid shot and underrated playmaking ability makes him a coveted prospect.).
20. Pavel Mintyukov (Washington Capitals) (Details: Orlov and Carlson won’t stay young forever. The caps continue to build an underrated and bright future on the defensive side of the puck with the likes of Fehevary, Iorio and Mintyukov.).
21. Filip Mesar (Pittsburgh Penguins) (Details: The penguins will likely pick whoever they believe is the most NHL ready player in the draft, considering their window is closing quickly, if it’s not already shut. Mesar projects to be a good, offensive middle six forward, think Anthony Beauvillier.).
22. Lian Bichsel (Anaheim Ducks from Boston Bruins) (Details: After taking a forward with their other first round pick, and their youngest dmen (Drysdale and Zellweger) being more offensive dmen, the ducks pick a big body in Bichsel, who is a riser in this draft.).
23. Ryan Chesley (St. Louis Blues) (Details: The blues have a bright future on the offensive side of the puck, so taking a dman is the correct move. Ryan chesley has fluctuated on many people’s draft boards, but he’s a talented player and posses offensive skill.).
24. Gleb Trikozov (Minnesota Wild) (Details: The wild take a Russian to keep the homesick Kaprizov happy. Trikizov posses elite playmaking skill. He’s a true boom or bust prospect.).
25. Luca Del Bel Belluz (Toronto Maple Leafs) (Details: The Leafs take the best name in the draft, and is also a local boy. He has a good mixture of size and skill and he projects to be a middle six center.).
26. Jack Hughes (Montreal Canadiens from Calgary Flames) (Details: Kent Hughes elects to select his extremely athletic son with his other first round pick. He’s a responsible player, and could play either wing or center in the future. He should be a very good third line player.).
27. Owen Pickering (Arizona Coyotes from Carolina Hurricanes) (Details: With a Chychrun trade likely on the horizon, the Yotes take another big bodied LHD in Pickering.).
28. Elias Salomonsson (Buffalo Sabres from Florida Panthers) (Details: The Sabres, who have a wealth in LHD, balance it out a bit with the pick of Salomonsson, who would beef up the buffalo d even more.).
29. Rutger McGroarty (Edmonton Oilers) (Details: Edmonton selects the pesky, all around player, who could go anywhere from top 15 to the end of the first round.Just because I have him falling a bit does not mean he’s a bad player at all.).
30. Tristan Luneau (Winnipeg Jets from New York Rangers) (Details: Chevy needs to beef up the Winnipeg blue line and he knows it. Luneau is the type of dman winnipeg has lacked. Big bodied and sound defensively.).
31. Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lightning) (Details: Howard, who has also fallen a bit, is a playmaking winger who gives Tampa a much needed quality forward prospect.).
32. Jimmy Snuggerud (Arizona Coyotes from Colorado Avalanche) (Details: The first round closes with the pick of Snuggerud, who is a natural goal scorer. He is a unique type of prospect that arizona does not currently have.).

CapFriendly.com User-Generated Mock-Draft

ROUND 1	TEAM	ORIGINAL	PLAYER	DETAILS

1	-	Shane Wright	Don’t buy into the Slafkovsky is going 1 smoke, the pick is and always has been Shane Wright.
2	-	Juraj Slafkovsky	The devils pick a player who, if developed correctly, could be the perfect complement to Jack Hughes. Slaf’s size is much needed on a small devils team, even though there is more to be desired with Judah’s toughness considering his frame.
3	-	Logan Cooley	All good rebuilds need a center prospect who can be developed into a 1C. Cooley may have the best offensive upside of the draft, and he has a solid defensive game too.
4	-	Simon Nemec	Seattle picked a cornerstone center at 2 in the last draft, so now they pick a cornerstone dman. Nemec is a can’t miss prospect to me, and I’m my opinion is the 2nd best prospect in this draft.
5	-	David Jiricek	Philadelphia’s defense is an absolute mess. Thankfully, Jiricek is a smart, sound dman who is a plus player in all 3 zones. I see him as a right-handed Adam Pelech, with a better shot. Although I love Nemec, there is a real possibility Jiricek ends up being the best dman of this draft.
6		Matthew Savoie	Savoie is a player with versatility that any team would love. The only thing keeping him out of the top 5 is his size. He can shoot, deke, pass, play any forward position and his defensive play is much better than other offensive dynamos in this draft class. He could end up a steal at 6.
7	-	Joakim Kemell	A lot of people had Kemell ranked higher pre-injury. When healthy, he is hands down the best goal scorer of this draft. He could be a fantastic complement to Stutzle.
8	-	Frank Nazar	Nazar is an absolutely perfect fit for the red wings. He’s from michigan, and is playing at the university of Michigan next season. He posses playmaking ability and puck skills that the rest of the red wings forward group does not. He can play center, which is a position of weakness for detroit. This is a match made in heaven.
9	-	Marco Kasper	Kasper is a very defensively sound center who is also above average offensively, think Anton Lundell. While Cozens and Thompson are good, I would say Kasper has a better shot of being a legit 1C than those two. Kasper is also the most versatile forward in this draft class minus Savoie. This would be a home run pick for the Sabres.
10	-	Cutter Gauthier	Like we saw with the McTavish pick last year, anaheim is desperate for goals. Cutter can score those. Gauthier also posses an edge that the ducks lack. He is future captain material, and should be a pesky, offensively capable 2nd liner.
11	-	Jonathan Lekkerimäki	The sharks sprint to the draft podium to select The Swedish sniper, who would just so happen to fit on a line perfectly with fellow Swede William Eklund. Lekkerimaki scores goals in bunches, and the sharks can use any young talent they can get their hands on.
12	-	Kevin Korchinski	The Jackets were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last year. Thankfully, Korchinski, who is probably the 3rd best dman of the draft, is very defensively capable. He has a bit of a muffin shot, but the jackets have other dmen, like Werenski and Boqvist, to make up for that weakness.
13	-	Brad Lambert	As an isles fan, I am very torn on which player I’d rather, yurov or our new head coaches’ nephew, Brad Lambert. Lambert’s production in the liiga this year has left a lot to be desired, but he dominated against his age group. Lambert’s liiga teams have all been trash too. Is that enough, combined with his elite skating and playmaking skills, to overlook his production? After falling more and more in love with the player, I’d say yes.
14	-	Conor Geekie	Geekie is a player who has been met with a lot of criticism, but with Dubois the diva already wanting out, and Schiefele’s days in Winnipeg being numbered, center will soon be a position of weakness for the Jets. Geekie played right in their backyard, so if the jets do pick him, you can bet the jets scouted him enough.
15	-	Danila Yurov	The Canucks prospect pool is underrated, in a bad way. It’s terrible. Their NHL roster, while it certainly has some talented players, has holes in pretty much every position, which is why they should go BPA. Yurov has all the physical tools, and skills to be a star in the NHL. But there’s always that pesky Russian factor. This pick is a bit of a risk, but it could pay off big time.
16		Noah Östlund	With their 2nd 1st round pick, the Sabres continue to load up on center prospects, as their already loaded on the wing, defense and goalie positions prospect wise. The Sabres look to have a fantastic future.
17	-	Denton Mateychuk	The Preds start the 2nd half of the first round with a dman who slid a bit. Some people have Mateychuk in the top 10 of this draft. He’s very talented offensively, and projects to be a top 4 dman coincidentally at the time one of Josi/Ekholm inevitably start declining.
18	-	Seamus Casey	Dallas is loaded with forward prospects, so they elect to go D. Casey is a very good offensive dman, and with defensive stalwarts in Heiskanen and Lindell, a pp quarterback is all they’re missing on the backend.
19		Jiri Kulich	Minnesota takes the Czech product with the pick they just received for Fiala. His solid size combined with a toolkit that includes a solid shot and underrated playmaking ability makes him a coveted prospect.
20	-	Pavel Mintyukov	Orlov and Carlson won’t stay young forever. The caps continue to build an underrated and bright future on the defensive side of the puck with the likes of Fehevary, Iorio and Mintyukov.
21	-	Filip Mesar	The penguins will likely pick whoever they believe is the most NHL ready player in the draft, considering their window is closing quickly, if it’s not already shut. Mesar projects to be a good, offensive middle six forward, think Anthony Beauvillier.
22		Lian Bichsel	After taking a forward with their other first round pick, and their youngest dmen (Drysdale and Zellweger) being more offensive dmen, the ducks pick a big body in Bichsel, who is a riser in this draft.
23	-	Ryan Chesley	The blues have a bright future on the offensive side of the puck, so taking a dman is the correct move. Ryan chesley has fluctuated on many people’s draft boards, but he’s a talented player and posses offensive skill.
24	-	Gleb Trikozov	The wild take a Russian to keep the homesick Kaprizov happy. Trikizov posses elite playmaking skill. He’s a true boom or bust prospect.
25	-	Luca Del Bel Belluz	The Leafs take the best name in the draft, and is also a local boy. He has a good mixture of size and skill and he projects to be a middle six center.
26		Jack Hughes	Kent Hughes elects to select his extremely athletic son with his other first round pick. He’s a responsible player, and could play either wing or center in the future. He should be a very good third line player.
27		Owen Pickering	With a Chychrun trade likely on the horizon, the Yotes take another big bodied LHD in Pickering.
28		Elias Salomonsson	The Sabres, who have a wealth in LHD, balance it out a bit with the pick of Salomonsson, who would beef up the buffalo d even more.
29	-	Rutger McGroarty	Edmonton selects the pesky, all around player, who could go anywhere from top 15 to the end of the first round.Just because I have him falling a bit does not mean he’s a bad player at all.
30		Tristan Luneau	Chevy needs to beef up the Winnipeg blue line and he knows it. Luneau is the type of dman winnipeg has lacked. Big bodied and sound defensively.
31	-	Isaac Howard	Howard, who has also fallen a bit, is a playmaking winger who gives Tampa a much needed quality forward prospect.
32		Jimmy Snuggerud	The first round closes with the pick of Snuggerud, who is a natural goal scorer. He is a unique type of prospect that arizona does not currently have.

Jun. 29, 2022 at 7:08 p.m.

GoHabsGo99

Joined: Feb. 2021

Posts: 1,020

Likes: 477

i would be furious if we took Hughes over McGroarty/Luneau/Howard/Snuggerud and probably a few guys not on this list

Jun. 29, 2022 at 7:47 p.m.

Suzuki_Cup

Joined: Mar. 2020

Posts: 774

Likes: 301

KHughes has made it pretty clear that he does not want to put that kind of pressure on his son.
With CGY's pick, I would select Howard or Miroschnichenko in this scenario. Could be Snuggerud or Luneau too.

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Forums/Mock-Draft

1st round mock with explanations post Fiala trade

1st round mock with explanations post Fiala trade

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