2022 VHL Mock Draft
Jun 2, 2022 14:04:21 GMT -5
Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and 12 more like this
Post by Florida Panthers on Jun 2, 2022 14:04:21 GMT -5
Another VHL season is in the books and the most exciting part of the year is about to begin! That's right we're not talking playoffs, we're talking about the 2022 VHL Entry Draft! Los Angeles Kings was the lucky winner of the draft lottery this year moving up from the 8th pick to 1st overall, Nashville Predators won the 2nd overall pick while Chicago Blackhawks dropped 2 spots to 3rd overall. Let's not waste any more time and get this thing going!!!
1. Los Angeles Kings - Shane Wright
The Kings are the big winners of the draft lottery, rocketing up the board all the way to number 1. With the top pick comes a difficult decision in this year's draft. Shane Wright has been the odds on favourite to go #1 ever since he was granted exceptional status to enter the OHL as a 15 year old. Some might even say he's been tagged as the #1 pick for longer, dating back to his performance at the Quebec Peewee Tournament and the Brick Invitational. But over the past few months, Juraj Slafkovsky has emerged as a serious challenger. Slafkovsky doesn't have the same track record, but his high end athleticism and NHL toolkit stand out. Los Angeles is in the infancy of what could be a lengthy rebuild, and with a new GM at the helm they are essentially kicking off a new chapter with this pick. LA needs everything, and that is why we feel they will take the centre to build around. For a more established team, Slafkovsky may be the sexier pick - a star winger to complement an existing core. But in drafting Shane Wright, the Kings get a responsible, two-way centre that safely projects as a perfect complement to Kent Johnson.
2. Nashville Predators - Logan Cooley
Slafkovsky is a tempting pick for the Preds here but they already have Guenther, Holtz, and Kaliyev in their ever growing prospect pool. One thing they lack is a legit high end centre prospect and that's exactly what Cooley is. Cooley boasts high end hockey skills and IQ, which he used to tear up the USDP, USHL and the U-18's. I see him meshing very well with the scoring wingers listed above. Nashville might be hoping that LA passes on Wright for Slafkovsky but don't be shocked if in a few years we're talking about Logan Cooley as the most talented player coming out of the 2022 draft.
3. Chicago Blackhawks - Juraj Slafkovsky
With Slafkovsky making a push for first overall, this feels like a no brainer for Chicago after Los Angeles and Nashville both opt for the top centre prospects. I'm sure some consideration would be given the two high-end defensemen. But with the luxury of having two can't-miss prospects at premium positions in Owen Power and Matthew Beniers, GM Matt Sullivan can afford to take a risk on a physical specimen and hope for the best. If the rangy winger hits, we could be looking at a fantastic core here.
4. Vancouver Canucks - David Jiricek
With the 3 top forwards of the draft off the board Monty has a big decision here, he could really go any number of ways as his prospect pool isn't necessarily deep in any position. Jiricek will give him a very very solid defensive prospect that has real upside as a legit #1 D man. Jiricek spent the year in the Czech mens league and did not look out of place, he boasts a strong two-way game and can play a very punishing physical style of hockey when needed. A safe bet to be a regular NHLer while still having high end potential, he instantly becomes Vancouver's best prospect.
5. Ottawa Senators - Simon Nemec
At #5 we get to another team with another relatively new GM that is still early in the rebuild process. The Sens have amassed some great prospects, and have a large number of guys that will likely contribute in the middle of the lineup. But they lack true top of the lineup type players. Simon Nemec could very well be that guy. With his hockey sense, flawless skating stride, and calming presence, he has the ability to develop into a top pair defenseman in the NHL. That has tremendous value, and will be harder to find than any other player remaining on the board at the fifth pick.
6. Where Did Max Go? via San Jose Sharks - Joakim Kemell
Everyone in the VHL gasps! A Finnish GM passes on Finnish stud and the best goal scorer of the draft, Joakim Kemell. But he won’t drop any further as his upside is just too much for Detroit to pass up. Kemell had 15 goals in the Finnish mens league and has done nothing but impress in international competition. We have heard some whispers from Lundek that this pick could be traded by Detroit for a young roster player to help them push for playoffs next season!
7. Philadelphia Flyers - Ivan Miroshnichenko
This is where the draft can really start to go sideways. Not only do we have a wild card GM in Eric Wolf, we also have a wide open draft board at this point with very little consensus. Not to mention that team needs get complicated here as well. Very few teams picking this high in the draft can truly say they don't need a centre, but it's hard to imagine Jack Hughes or Cole Sillinger moving to wing any time soon. GM Wolf has also surrounded his top centres with Matt Boldy, Vasiliy Podkolzin, and Tim Stutzle. So the Flyers could certainly go for a defenceman and I absolutely believe that they will if Jiricek or Nemec are available. But given the players available here, they may opt to target a D with Anaheim's pick instead. All of this leads us back to Miroshnichenko. When you have five elite forward prospects and Simon Edvinsson to lead the back end, you can afford to take a big swing on the biggest risk/reward player in the 2022 draft. And no one like to swing big more than Eric Wolf.
8. Boston Bruins - Cutter Gauthier
The draft has gone sideways with wildcard Wolf's pick, and while this pick may be seen as continuing the sideways trend to some there are many in the scouting community who truly believe that Gauthier will be an impact player in the NHL/VHL. Boston is poised to take another step in the VHL sooner rather than later and Cutter is one of the most NHL ready players available in the draft. If he can make the leap to the NHL soon, this pick looks brilliant for Boston. A rare mix of size and skill, with the ability to play up and down a lineup not only as a winger but as a centre, he will be coveted by NHL and VHL GM's alike.
9. Florida Panthers - Matthew Savoie
The Panthers have a luxury that we haven't seen from any other teams to this point in the draft. With a strong prospect pool at every position, Florida is looking at a wide open draft board, and can take a riskier player. Enter Matthew Savoie. Savoie is one of the most talented players in the draft, and perhaps even the most adept at handling the puck. His creativity and shiftiness allow him to create something out of nothing, and that's a talent that is unique to this draft class. The concerns around him relate to his size and athleticism. For a 5'9" centre, he's not the fastest skater out there either, so there are question marks about how much of his game will translate to the NHLer. In particular it seems unlikely he will be able to stay at centre. However, with Zibanejad and Cirelli in the lineup and Shane Pinto on his way, maybe that's okay in the Sunshine State.
10. Vegas Golden Knights via Edmonton Oilers - Brad Lambert
Vegas is another team with a very solid prospect pool so this pick could really go in any direction, my guess is they choose potential and they're getting sky high potential with Brad Lambert. An electrifying skater and playmaker, Lambert is one of the most skilled players of the drat and was slated to go top 3 early in the year. Poor production and a lack of high end hockey IQ have caused him so drop many scouts lists, including all the way down to #35 on Craig Button's list. But that doesn't matter in the VHL, GM's here drool over the type of potential Lambert has and Vegas can take a risk here. I suspect this pick could also be dangled as trade bait to improve their current roster to compete with fellow expansion team Seattle.
11. Where Did Max Go? - Marco Kasper
As we move past the top ten we start getting to team that maybe aren't necessarily rebuilding, but have decent rosters and would like to compete. In Detroit we see a unique case where they've also had a pick already, and went with goal score Joakim Kemell. They could certainly be a team that looks to trade a high pick or two, but if they keep it, we see them taking a long look at Marco Kasper. Marco may not rank this highly on most draft boards, but has the all-around game to stick at centre in the NHL. Don't be surprised to see him go even higher than this in the NHL Draft.
12. San Jose Sharks via Bryan Hull - Frank Nazar III
The stench of twisted tea can be smelt....through a thick cloud of cigar smoke Crazy Joe emerges to announce the Sharks first pick of the 2022 VHL entry draft, and that's Frank Nazar. Nazar is an all situations player that plays with high end speed and hockey sense. He produces everywhere he goes and was stuck behind Logan Cooley at the USDP, will he flourish at the University of Michigan as a top 6 centre? Only time will tell, there are still some question marks to his game as an undersized forward but his blend of skill and speed should translate to the next level. We have no idea if this pick will still be property of Crazy Joe by the time the draft rolls around, no one knows what his next move will be and that's the beauty of Crazy Joe.
13. Calgary Flames - Danila Yurov
Another team with a strong young core, the Flames are loaded with young wingers including Marner, Boeser, and Laine. They're also strong down the middle and on the back end with Pettersson, Dahlin, Sergachev, and Slavin. They could use another centre to complement Pettersson, but centres have come at a premium so far in the draft. They could very well get Kasper in this slot, but if he's gone we could also see them take a swing on Danila Yurov. Yurov is a clear top 10 talent, but signability concerns have bubbled to the surface for Russian prospects. With a strong young core, the Flames can be patient and wait for the political hurricane to resolve itself while their talented winger develops overseas.
14. Zoran - Jonathan Lekkerimäki
A Swedish GM selecting a Swedish player, we must keep our biases going strong in these mock drafts! Lekkerimäki challenges Kemell as the best pure goal scorer of the 2022 draft class. He absolutely tore up the U-18’s with 15 points in 6 games and added 7 goals in the SHL this season as well, something that is far from easy as a draft eligible player. Defensively there’s work to be done but you’re not drafting him for defence, with his goal scoring potential don’t be surprised if in 5 years we’re wondering how he dropped so far.
15. Jussi Kalmi via @hurricanesgm - Denton Mateychuk
The ghost of Trade Rape Joe lurks in the corner. The Stars acquired this pick (and another first) in exchange for Alexander Radulov in 2020. Now they get to use this pick almost as a free bonus. The Stars have everything, so they could go in any direction. It seems unlikely that we will get to pick 15 with only two defensemen being selected, but it's hard to say who the third best defenseman in this draft really is. The Stars will opt for Mateychuk, a D with no shortage of talent and leadership abilities.
16. Toronto Maple Leafs - Conor Geekie
The Maple Leafs season ended in disappointment just missing out on playoffs, we’re getting word that GM Mat Fargas could be on the hot seat. Trying to avoid getting canned he makes a safe pick here by selecting Geekie. Geekie projects as a middle of the lineup two way Centre with loads of skill. The Leafs like their big boys and at 6’4 & 205 lbs that’s exactly what Geekie is. If he can reach his full potential, him and Brady Tkachuk would make a ferocious pair that rival GM’s would envy. Rumours are Geekie also possesses the biggest wrench out of the 2022 draft class, so don’t be surprised if Buffalo Sabres GM Scott Davidson makes a move to get into the first round to select Geekie.
I want to give a special thank you to @brad for helping me out with the mock draft as always, and a thank you to the rest of the staff for keeping the best sim league running strong!
Cheers!
