Ottawa: (Pick by NHL Source): Marco Kasper, C, Rögle-SHL NTDP-USHLĬolumbus goes from having little young center depth a few years ago to acquiring Cole Sillinger, Kent Johnson and now the highly talented Gauthier in a span of two years.ħ. Columbus (Pick by Pronman): Cutter Gauthier, LW/C, U.S. He’s close to an NHL-ready right-shot defenseman with size, a bomb of a shot and big hit ability.Ħ. Jiricek is arguably the best defenseman in this class. Philadelphia (Pick by NHL Source): David Jiricek, RHD, Plzen-Czechia (Mario Hommes / DeFodi Images via Getty Images)ĥ. Nemec is a potential top-pair defenseman who can play at both ends of the rink, immediately becoming a cornerstone for the expansion-franchise Kraken to build around alongside potential first-line center Matty Beniers. Seattle (Pick by Pronman): Simon Nemec, RHD, Nitra-Slovakia Cooley’s fast-paced offense is unparalleled in this class and he should be NHL-ready by spring 2023.Ĥ. Positional value is a heavily weighed factor in these top picks so expect a run on centers and defensemen high in this draft. Arizona (Pick by NHL Source): Logan Cooley, C, U.S. He will be a force next to Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier for the next decade.ģ. New Jersey gets a huge winger with NHL speed and skill who can score and is arguably the best player in the draft. New Jersey (Pick by Corey Pronman): Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS-Liiga He’s handled the public spotlight well up to this point and seems equipped to handle the pressure that will come with this pick.Ģ. Wright is an advanced two-way center with scoring and playmaking ability, and is NHL-ready. This isn’t an easy decision but positional value wins out and building through the middle is a tried and true NHL blueprint. Montreal (Pick by NHL Source): Shane Wright, C, Kingston-OHL After a coin flip, the team source got the first pick of the draft, but we decided I would get the first pick of the second round so we could pick for some different teams.ġ. In terms of the ground rules for this draft, no trades were allowed and no discussions about who we were going to pick next were allowed between the two selectors. The goal was to predict what we think will actually happen on draft day, not who we personally would select at a given spot. We are bringing in an anonymous hockey ops source from an NHL team with knowledge of the player pool to provide a unique and distinct perspective.
This will be a two-round mock for the 2022 NHL Draft - however, I will not be the only one making picks.