NHL

The 2024 NHL Draft is still two years away. Lots can change. But here are 22 players to watch between now and then.

There are a number of prep school or Midget players waiting in the wings to take that next step and raise their stock. However, as many players before have proven, development is a marathon and not a sprint. While a lot can happen in two years, there are a lot of good players in this draft class whose size is a possible deterrent to pro upside.

The Blue Jackets hold two first-round picks going into the July 7-8 selection process.

What to know: Casey isn't a terribly different player than Hutson, as both are USNTDP players who are a bit on the smallish size but have excellent hockey sense, great skating ability and a lot of promise in the offensive zone. Stats: The big defenseman moved from his native Switzerland to Sweden this year, showing some offensive ability at the U-20 level (3-4-7 in 11 games) but spending most of his time with the senior SHL squad. Stats: Up to seven USNTDP players are projected as potential first-round picks when all is said and done at the 2022 draft, but none had as productive a season as Howard, who led the team with 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) in 60 games. Stats: Geekie combined with Savoie to make one of the top one-two punches in the WHL this past season when it comes to draft-eligible prospects, posting a 24-46-70 line in 63 games. Stats: The Austrian made it to Sweden's top level in 2021-22, playing 46 games and posting a 7-4-11 line in a defensive league and adding a 3-3-6 mark in 13 playoff games. He might be one of the best skaters in the draft while his vision and passing ability stand out on the offensive end, and defensively he's able to use his solid frame to play a physical style. What to know: Lekkerimaki has proven himself in juniors, dominating competition in his age group, and acquitted himself well in the SHL this year in his first crack at the senior level. What to know: Kemell is an intriguing prospect, and the winger stood out at the NHL Scouting Combine for his results in the Wingate Test and force plate tests. He recovered in time to join Czechia at the World Championships, notching a goal and an assist in five games. Slafkovsky has cemented himself at the top of the draft with his international performances this year, as he boasts both size and scoring ability as evidenced by his production in tournaments against senior national teams. What to know: The Pittsburgh native and University of Minnesota commit has steadily moved up this past season and seems cemented as the top American player in the draft. Wright's status as the presumed No. 1 overall pick has hit some bumps of late -- he had what was viewed as a very good but not great 2021-22 season, and three of our 13 analysts dropped him from the top spot -- but the talented forward with an excellent shot and a standout two-way game is still No. 1 in most peoples' books.

Danny Zhilkin - a young center who could bring some speed to the Blackhawks' offense.

Zhilkin is ranked fairly consistently in a range where the Blackhawks’ first selection (No. 38) could see him available. “Zhilkin is a “do-it-all” style of player, meaning he can be relied upon to play in any area of the ice, in basically any situation that is presented. As his game has developed over the past few seasons, Zhilkin’s became much more dominant in all three zones of the ice and can be relied upon to play a 200ft game. This allows him to carry the puck through the neutral zone and make plays off the rush. “A competitive forward who flashes quality skill on the regular, Zhilkin didn’t quite live up to expectations this season, though that could be partially attributed to his not playing anywhere the previous season. But he’s also a December 2003 and I would have liked to see him make finishing plays a little more consistently (whether that’s by putting the puck in himself more consistently on the chances he gets, or making that final pass that sets up a goal more regularly) this year knowing that and his athletic advantages.

With the draft fast approaching, we here at Last Word put together a 2022 NHL Mock Draft. What players did your favorite team take?

Outstanding playmaker with high-end awareness and offensive IQ. Effective transitional player thanks to skating and stickhandling. He may be a passenger in that area at the next level. Can get pushed around in net-front battles and board battles, so he needs to bulk up. With wingers like Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Lucas Raymond, Filip Zadina, and Cross Hanas in the system, it would make sense. Cons: Similar to Cooley, consistency in effort level can be an issue at times. He fits the bill for the Senators as well, with Brady Tkachuk and Colin White both flexible between center and wing. One of the best transitional players in the class. He is the second off the board here. Outstanding understanding of his size and how to use it effectively, especially on the forecheck. But if the draft plays out this way, they should jump at the option. Won’t get away with his style of skating circles and out-skilling competition at a higher level. Part of that group included another LWOS writer, Ben Kerr. Let’s get into the picks!

There has been a lot of debate in recent weeks, but the choice at first overall is clear.

That decision is sure to be more of a debate, one we’ll hold once the Toronto Maple Leafs make their choice at 25. As for us, we are perfectly content to deem him the best player in the draft class and the one we’d select first. It’s less worrying that he didn’t pile up more points when his underlying stats like shot-creation and transition play are both at the top of the class. There were several quality options on the board, as you’d expect when having the choice of any draft-eligible player in the entire class. Leading up to the NHL Draft Lottery, we polled our community to see which player they wanted to take among a group of the top prospects available. It’s the first time we’ve made the opening selection in the mock draft in SB Nation’s history, which dates back to 2009.

Soft-spoken, polite, and respectful are characteristics that could be used to describe 2022 Draft Prospect Frank Nazar.

Blain is a regular contributor as a THW Writer. For over 7 years he has been a part time journalist and podcaster covering the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens and its affiliates. If that were to happen, he would get a crash course on one of the most rabid fanbases in the NHL, when asked if he is prepared for the glare of the media spotlight in that market he stated: “I’m not really too much of an outgoing person, I guess I’m kind of an introvert. Nazar is a sure-fire bet to be selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft. For this reason, he was interviewed by many teams. But most of all, he has a work ethic and no-nonsense intensity that will endear him to his coaches. He has the awareness that he will be required to play many roles, and joining one of the NCAA’s top hockey programs will only help to reinforce that. It is also why expectations for Nazar are he is to grow into a top-six offensive player in the NHL. I think he’s a great coach and he’s going to help me get better. And the Bergeron aspect is, is I’m kinda new to the center. Nazar faced a choice many players his age in the USA do, to choose to play for a major junior team in Canada, or, to play in the NCAA. In his case, he had to decide between the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) who chose him in the fifth round, and several university offers.“London is a great organization. At the high points, he avoids being a showboat, preferring to keep his celebrations subdued. He pairs his ability to play at top speed with strong offensive instincts, using his passing to feed an open teammate for a or to use an accurate shot to finish the play himself. As a member of the United States National Training and Development Program (USNTDP), Nazar is no stranger to attention.

If you've been reading along with my draft work the past few years, you'll likely have noticed that I like looking at prospects who seem like potential ...

I can see the combination of his smaller height, more obscure league and lower offensive ceiling lead to him falling into the third round. He goes to the dirty areas, he fights for the puck and positioning in front, he executes on the simple but effective plays. He’s never really been used in a top offensive role — that went to the likes of Martin Chromiak, Juraj Slafkovský, Filip Mešár, Dalibor Dvorsky, and others. He won’t be able to get to the net for a deflection when defenders can so easily shove him out of the way. But Sýkora is often the one actively engaging physically as part of his playstyle, and against bigger, stronger and better competition in the NHL it won’t be as effective as it is without him making some improvements. Because if Sýkora had the effort and the smarts AND higher end offensive skills, he’d be a lock for the first round. When he has the puck he will take it to the net when he sees an opportunity, or pass it to another teammate in a better position. The one caveat to everything I said in this section is to keep in mind I am talking a lot about his projection. If there is a knock on Sýkora, it is that his offensive skills do not seem to project at a high level. He wants to attack the net, or dish it off to a teammate in a better position. He was also on the ice to defend a one goal lead with the goalie pulled. But if he does fall to Toronto in the third round, or if they acquire a second round pick or two through trades, he would make for an interesting pick.

There are tons of intriguing storylines to monitor for every team. Here are seven of the most interesting ones.

Pastrnak is UFA eligible at the end of next season — is he willing to sign a long-term extension this summer or does he like the idea of testing the open market next offseason? Could he be a 2C option if the Rangers want to go cheap there and allocate the rest to keeping the likes of Vatrano and Tyler Motte? He’s still an important offensive piece though, and his trade value’s probably at a low ebb considering his performance and QO, so it’ll be interesting to see if the two sides can compromise on an extension or whether the end result will be a trade. It’s been widely reported that the Rangers and Canucks engaged in trade talks regarding Miller prior to the deadline. Why? Well, in the long run, the Canucks can’t afford to retain them all while surrounding the core with elite, contender-quality depth anyway — Brock Boeser is an arbitration-eligible RFA with a steep $7.5 million qualifying offer, J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat are due for significant raises at the end of next season and Elias Pettersson will be up for a new deal at the end of the 2023-24 season. Ville Husso was excellent in the regular season but he comes with a very limited track record and struggled in the playoffs. Toronto’s first-round failures are a result of a lot more than just goaltending, but it’s never worked in their favor in the postseason either. It definitely wouldn’t need to be a long one considering their strong prospect pool featuring the likes of Cole Perfetti, Ville Heinola and Chaz Lucius already gives them a significant head start. Paul Stastny had blunt comments at the end of the year about the players needing to have more respect for one another. But if the goal is to legitimately contend for a Stanley Cup, Winnipeg’s far away. Winnipeg’s frustratingly regressed over the years, culminating in a playoff miss last season, and is now staring at a fork in the road. The Blackhawks’ current roster lacks promising young talent, their prospect pool was ranked 25th in the league by colleague Scott Wheeler this year and the club is already without its first-round pick in June because of a poorly timed trade for Jones. It’s likely going to be a long time before we see Chicago emerge from the NHL’s basement.

That sound you hear in Denver can only mean one thing. The NHL season is over, and the Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup champions.

That said, Blake has a lot of free-agency work to do with the likes of Adrian Kempe (restricted), Sean Durzi (restricted), Lias Andersson (restricted) and Gabriel Vilardi (restricted), among others. He's indicated he'd like to stay in Calgary, but David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on the Upper Deck spotlight that the 28-year-old forward wants to at least get a feel for the free-agency process. Their 16-4 mark in the playoffs is tied for the second-best record for a Cup champion since the 1987-88 Oilers went 16-2. They'll get back at it in October with a new coach, Paul Maurice, who was hired to replace interim boss Andrew Brunette. "I felt the fit here," Maurice told reporters. The Oilers finally played in relevant postseason games with Connor McDavid this season, advancing to the Western Conference title round after beating Los Angeles and Calgary. As mentioned earlier, the status of Kane's grievance with the Sharks may impact the situation. He's due to become an unrestricted free agent after completing a six-year, $36 million deal, and the team has offered him an eight-year contract to stick around. The organization will be in catch-up mode for the time being after word that Manitoba native Barry Trotz, a Stanley Cup winner with Washington in 2017-18, turned down Winnipeg's head coaching job to take some time away from the game. It's a question of which version of the Ducks from 2021-22 is closer to reality. Alternate captain Filip Forsberg became a point-per-game player for the first time in 2021-22 after producing 42 goals and 84 points in 69 games. "Our main thought is we want to make everything fit so that we can build a championship team," Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Getting restricted free-agent winger Victor Olofsson signed is a high agenda item, as is bringing in a goaltender to share the full-time role next season with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who has 13 career starts. Making prudent decisions to address those areas is certainly high on the list for GM Ron Francis, who has nearly $23 million in cap room to work with.

The NHL handed the Stanley Cup out to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night after the Avs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six by a score of 2-1 to ...

There are plenty of free agents to keep an eye on going into this summer. It really does feel like not a lot of time from now till then and that has to do with getting the league back on track to their normal schedule next season. The Avs are now the champions.

With names like Shane Wright, Brad Lambert, and Matthew Savoie all headlining favorites for the top-ranked player in what was shaping up to be a strong draft ...

Returning to the SHL for his D+1 year but could be one of the more NHL ready players in the draft. Good upside, but a long-term prospect, and the Russian factor is at play here. There are big questions about when if ever he comes to North America, but the skill and upside demand he is a first-round pick regardless. He drops the gloves but can also score with his hard shot and drive to the net. The biggest concern in his game is hit size – 5-9 and 179 pounds. The Michigan commit has size, skill, hockey sense, is a net front presence, plays a physical and two-way game. His usage in the KHL was limited and it would have been nice to see him play more minutes in another league. Thinks the game fast and has the hands and feet to match. Big, skilled, and mobile he is perhaps the most NHL-ready player in the draft. Has the upside to be the biggest impact defenseman in this draft class. His shot is quick, accurate and the release is very sneaky. The pandemic all but eliminated an entire season of development for the 2021 Draft Class, and there is still some fallout from that impact.

When the Detroit Red Wings signed Filip Hronek to a three-year contract extension on Sept. 3, 2021, he was expected to continue playing an important role on ...

Hronek, Detroit's 53rd overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, spent just one-plus season with the Red Wings' AHL-affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins before earning a spot on Detroit's 2018-19 opening night roster. Hronek embraced top-two blueliner responsibilities in the 2019-20 season by pacing Red Wings defensemen in points (26), assists (24), power-play points (11) and average ice time (23:23). The following season, the Czech native again made the Red Wings' roster out of training camp and skated in 65 of Detroit's 71 games while leading the club in average ice time (23:54).

The Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres each have three first-round picks, and the Canadiens, Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks each have two. In addition to ...

In addition to Colorado's pick, Arizona has the No. 3 selection, and No. 27 pick, which it acquired from the Canadiens in a trade for forward Christian Dvorak on Sept. 4. The Winnipeg Jets have the No. 30 pick, which they acquired from the New York Rangers in a trade for forward Andrew Copp on March 21. The Sabres have the No. 9, No. 16 and No. 28 choices. The Montreal Canadiens won the lottery and have the No. 1 pick. The 12 teams that lost in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have picks 17-28. The Ducks have the No. 10 and No. 22 selections, the latter acquired from the Boston Bruins in a trade for defenseman Hampus Lindholm on March 19. The New Jersey Devils won the No. 2 selection. The Blue Jackets have the No. 6 pick, which they got in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Seth Jones on July 23, as well as the No. 12 pick. The No. 16 pick was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in a trade for forward Jack Eichel on Nov. 4, and the No. 28 pick came from the Florida Panthers in a trade for forward Sam Reinhart on July 24. The Canadiens select No. 1 and No. 26, which they acquired from the Calgary Flames in a trade for forward Tyler Toffoli on Feb. 14. The Jets have the No. 14 pick as well as the Rangers' pick. The Edmonton Oilers, who lost in the Western Conference Final, have the No. 29 pick.

It marked the first time since 2002 that a player led the playoffs in scoring, but didn't play in the cup finals.

No matter how interesting the stat may be, McDavid and Draisaitl are driven for one thing and one thing only: a Stanley Cup ring. That year it was Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg, who in 20 games scored nine goals and 27 points. But no matter how much offence they produced, nobody could knock Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl from atop the playoff scoring ranks.

1. Montreal Canadiens · 2. New Jersey Devils · 3. Arizona Coyotes · 4. Seattle Kraken · 5. Philadelphia Flyers · 6. Columbus Blue Jackets (CHI Pick) · 7. Ottawa ...

The draft has also seen some big trades made in past years. 28. Buffalo Sabres (FLA Pick) 27. Arizona Coyotes (CAR Pick) 16. Buffalo Sabres (VGK Pick) Let’s go over what the first round looks like. The draft will feature stars like Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky, Logan Cooley and Simon Nemec expected to go in the top four.

Les Maple Leafs de Toronto ont offert une prolongation contrat de 2 ans, d'une valeur de USD 2,8 millions, au défenseur Timothy Liljegren.

Greg Rajanen will retire as a full-time scout for NHL Central Scouting at the end of this scouting season after 10 years of service.

"He was recommended by former Central Scouting evaluator Jack Barzee and fulfilled his role and responsibilities for scouting coverage and networking in the USHL and midwestern high school leagues with the highest degree of professionalism. "He was involving all of his teammates in the game, and then in the third period of a close game he just took over. "There are things we want to do with our grandkids," Rajanen said. You could just tell the leadership skills he had as a young player and how respectful he was of his teammates. Rajanen said he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife of 42 years, Nancy, and their three grandchildren. "It was kind of a dream job for me to be a full-time scout with Central Scouting," Rajanen said.

The SB Nation mock draft rolls on, and just like that, we've made it through the first four picks and the Flyers are on the clock.

This season was a pretty clear look at what happens, how quickly things can go sideways, when a team doesn’t have enough defensemen who are able to move the puck, so that’s a pretty clear and present stylistic need, and Jiricek would address that as well. His defensive game is already quite solid, he’s aggressive and forechecks well, he’s excellent at getting the puck moving up-ice in transition (using both his strong skating and an accurate first pass), and with a hard and accurate shot, he’s able to chip in a nice bit on the offensive side as well. The SB Nation mock draft rolls on, and just like that, we’ve made it through the first four picks and the Flyers are on the clock.

The National Hockey League Combine can be an intimidating event for prospects. Just think about it: meeting with NHL teams and answering questions about ...

"I'm looking forward to sharing the moment with people who have given me everything growing up and always been by my side." It got a little scary there for a while." "Shaking Cheveldayoff's hand was a special moment," Pickering said. Is that a typo?' They definitely managed to keep my head small," he laughed. We're both not taking it for granted, I know that for a fact." I know he's going to have a lot of success.

Here are the best players in NHL history at every number, #71-80, as we count down to the last few players that made a difference in the league.

Some of these players will never reach award status or win the Stanley Cup, but just stepping on NHL ice was something they wanted to achieve. Hockey players leave an impact on the sport, regardless of stats or championships. There are two goaltenders on this list, one current and one retired, both of which are underappreciated, because they did not lead the league in several categories.

Once again, we have gathered the SBN NHL sites together to put on our general manager caps and play pretend for the first round of the league's annual entry ...

Compared to the other notable draft eligible player out of Liiga this year, Kemell outproduced Juraj Slafkovsky in primary points per game with 0.49, relative to Slafkovsky’s 0.32. Kemell also was more productive than the Slovak winger at even strength. This season was a pretty clear look at what happens, how quickly things can go sideways, when a team doesn’t have enough defensemen who are able to move the puck, so that’s a pretty clear and present stylistic need, and Jiricek would address that as well. The common refrain around Nemec is that he is good at just about everything he does. Basically, he can be the next Pierre-Luc Dubois or the next Josh Anderson. Granted, Pavel Zacha, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Dawson Mercer jumped relatively quickly into the NHL. It is not a position with a lot of age on the squad. It’s safe to say that his game will translate well to the NHL. He is listed as 6’4”, 218 pounds, and is already an established power forward. There are teams who would spend a relatively high pick to select a guaranteed third-line player; Wright’s floor is that of a second-line centre with defensive prowess and offensive ability that will serve him well in the NHL. I do not worry about the position. There were several quality options on the board, as you’d expect when having the choice of any draft-eligible player in the entire class. Once again, we have gathered the SBN NHL sites together to put on our general manager caps and play pretend for the first round of the league’s annual entry draft. And there are two very good defencemen at the top in David Jiricek and Simon Nemec as well.

Goaltender Roberto Luongo and star forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin headline the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2022, alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Riikka ...

This marks the first time the Hall of Fame has elected a new class in two years. He is was named to the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada. Carnegie was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He collected 100 points in 124 playoff contests and led Ottawa to the 2007 Cup final, where they lost to Anaheim. Luongo, who was a teammate of the Sedins from 2006-14, is among the all-time leaders in a number of goaltending categories and a well-respected teammate by everyone he played with. The former Senators captain and face of the franchise won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year in 1996, despite being drafted 133rd overall.

The Hockey Hall of Fame, in a Monday afternoon announcement, welcomed forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin, and goaltender Roberto Luongo, all former Vancouver ...

Sallinen played a total of 11 seasons in the Naisten SM-sarja, the elite league in Finland, and was a five-time champion. He won the Calder Trophy in 1995-96 and won Olympic gold along with the Sedins in 2006, plus a silver in 2014. She won Olympic bronze with Finland in 1998 and 2019. The Sedins' Hall of Fame selection is less about individual accomplishments than it is about the magic they made as linemates for Vancouver. Drafted second (Daniel) and third (Henrik) overall in 1999 by Vancouver, the duo often appeared to have an inherent awareness of where the other was on the ice at all times. Daniel Sedin won the NHL scoring title in 2010-11 with 104 points and captured the Pearson Award as the NHLPA player of the year. "It's nothing you think about when you play the game of hockey.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame 23 years after the twins were each drafted by the Vancouver Canucks and started NHL journey ...

To be able to make a living, to be able to play in front of thousands of fans and also to be recognized in this way, it's truly humbling." "So many people wanted this, and this is going to make a lot of people happy, honestly, because they so believed in everything my father has done for all these years. Sallinen, who will be the first female Finland-born player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, had 514 points (240 goals, 274 assists) in 227 Finnish Elite League games. He led the Quebec Aces to the Alexander Cup as Canadian semi-pro champions in 1952. Whether they had three goals, they would put the game on their shoulders in the media and they would take responsibility for it. His 393 goals are first in Canucks history, and he is second behind his brother in assists, points, plus-minus (plus-147), games played (1,306) and power-play points (367). The way he competed in practice and in games, but mostly in practice. Alfredsson was teammates with the Sedins on the Swedish national team. "He just wanted to get better each and every day. Luongo got 252 of his victories with Vancouver, the most he had with one team. Candidates had to receive at least 75 percent of the vote from the selection committee to be inducted. … I think we helped each other reach the fullest potential of what we could be."

There is a lot to like and not much to dislike about the Stanley Cup champions, unless you're a Canucks fan.

They fall in love with their core, they don’t do honest assessments, they draft poorly, they spend unwisely in free agency and well, just take a look at Travis Yost’s Twitter post of goal differential between the two teams since. Five years ago, prior to expansion, Vancouver finished 29th in the overall league standings. In 2016-17, Vancouver (29th) and Colorado (30th) brought up the rear of the NHL standings.

With one weird offseason left to get through before we get back to our regularly scheduled NHL calendar, there are a couple of different dates over the next few ...

Normally a Canada Day tradition, the COVID-pushed scheduled means that the NHL’s annual shopping day is delayed a couple of weeks again this year, and I’m honestly excited that I don’t have to spend the holiday hanging out at my laptop waiting for news to happen. As you’d expect with the first round happening on Thursday night, rounds 2-7 will take place on Friday and I’m curious how that will affect viewership since I know a lot of us would normally spend our Saturdays watching the remainder of the draft. Will he package the first-rounder up to try and improve the roster now?

The Colorado Avalanche are the Stanley Cup champions, bringing the trophy back to Denver for the first time since 2001 after winning the Stanley Cup Final ...

If he is, and Price wants to continue, he'll likely remain in Montreal. But the potential for Price to retire or have his contract bought out also remains. Ideally, they all have them in time for the draft July 7, but short of that July 13 would be the next deadline because that's when the free agent market opens. His agent told The Boston Globe on June 25 he will wait until September to make a decision. Price played five games this season, his first April 15 and his last April 29, when he made 37 saves in a 10-2 win against the Florida Panthers in Montreal's final game of the season. MacKinnon's $6.3 million salary-cap charge has been one of the best bargains in the NHL in the past six seasons. The Flames have said they want him back, with general manager Brad Treliving saying May 28 that Gaudreau has a chance to be one of the all-time greats in team history. The Penguins have never missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 16 seasons they've been on the team. Sidney Crosby has been the leader of that core, of course, and he's signed through the 2024-25 season. Johnny Gaudreau will cash in on the best season of his nine-year career. The Lightning will too, but a few days to decompress is required after losing their bid for a three-peat in a 2-1 loss in Game 6 at home. Wright, a center from Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League, is the No. 1 North American skater in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings. The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft is at Bell Centre in Montreal on July 7-8.