2022 NHL DRAFT- GRADING THE CANADIAN TEAMS

NHL / Hockey

Written by Joel Lefevre

As with every draft, the 2022 edition in Montreal had intrigue, surprises, plenty of deals and fans with varying opinions on their teams’ selections.

Here is my assessment of how each Canadian team fared in the draft, moving from West to East.

Source (Background Photo & Logos): NHL

Vancouver Canucks - B minus

This was the first time in two years that the Vancouver Canucks had a first-round pick, which was an all too familiar feeling in the years before.

Choosing Jonathan Lekkerimaki at #15 seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up.

He is a highly-skilled offensive machine who can put up points, and even though it doesn’t address their pressing need on the blue line, he’s such a sleek and smooth offensive generator who can provide them with some more goals.

They did add a defenseman who generated a lot of conversations more so for his name than what he brings to the table when selecting Elias Pettersson, not to be confused with their superstar centreman of the same name.

Besides that, one name to keep an eye out for would be goaltender Ty Young, who was taken in the fifth round from the Prince George Cougars.

He did not exactly have earth-shattering numbers last season, though he did not have a great team in front of him either, possessing an .899 save percentage and a 3.50 goals-against average. Maybe he will have better help around him, or the front office saw him as someone who had the potential to be better than his numbers suggested but still probably the biggest surprise from their standpoint.

The full list of players the Canucks chose is below:

• Round 1, Pick No. 15: Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW (Sweden)

• Round 3, Pick No. 80: Elias Pettersson, D, Orebro (Sweden)

• Round 4, Pick No. 112: Daimon Gardner, C, Warroad (High School-MN)

• Round 5, Pick No. 144: Ty Young, G, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

• Round 6, Pick No. 176: Jackson Dorrington, D, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)

• Round 7, Pick No. 208: Kirill Kudryavtsev, D, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

Calgary Flames - C minus

The Flames only had three selections and none until the second round at #59, so it is hard to look at who joined them and say that player will immediately fill a void.

Their first selection, as you would expect, probably has the most significant potential as Topi Ronni has good size and speed, plus he is a solid two-way player, capable of winning his share of 50/50 battles.

Calgary’s primary focus is to find a way to re-sign Johnny Gaudreau. That will be the story over the coming months, which could be suitable for the players coming to Calgary, who could be under the radar.

Here is the complete list of draft picks for the Flames:

• Round 2, Pick No. 59: Topi Ronni, C, Tappara (Liiga)

• Round 5, Pick No. 155: Parker Bell, LW, Tri-City Americans (WHL)

• Round 7, Pick No. 219: Cade Littler, C, Wenatchee (BCHL)

Edmonton Oilers - C plus

It must have been a breath of fresh air for Oiler fans to see them draft much lower in the table, signifying the kind of success they achieved last season.

Despite the grit and hard-nosed effort that a guy like Zach Kassian brought to the table, losing his $3.2 million cap hit off the books to move down and pick at #32 might not be so bad.

In Reid Schaefer, Edmonton should be getting a strong power forward, who was key to the Seattle Thunderbirds' success last season.

Beyond him, though there was not much as the remaining players which Ken Holland chose was good, but it is hard to tell if they will be able to punch above their weight in the NHL, however, one player to keep in mind is Joel Maata, who they believe could be an effective two-way centre.

Here’s the list of Oiler selections:

• Round 1, Pick No. 32: Reid Schaefer, LW, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

• Round 5, Pick No. 158: Samuel Jonsson, G, Brynas J20 (J20 Nationell)

• Round 6, Pick No. 190: Nikita Yevseyev, D, Bars Kazan (VHL)

• Round 7, Pick No. 222: Joel Maatta, C, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL

Winnipeg Jets - A

The Jets had five selections in the top 100, and there is a lot of excitement about what their new crop of prospects will bring to the table in future seasons.

Rutger McGroarty is a strong power forward with similar qualities to Tyler Toffoli, with excellent scoring touch and difficult to knock off the puck.

Then there’s the speed and finesse of Brad Lambert, who was much higher up in the draft prospects before a tough performance in the Finnish league.

Danil Zhilkin could be a risk, but he could also be quite the steal. He’s great in offensive zone sequences and can manipulate defenders out of passing and shooting lanes, though he can be a little streaky.

Here’s the list of all of the Jets' draft picks:

• Round 1, Pick No.14: Rutget McGroarty, RW, University of Michigan (NCAA)

• Round 1, Pick No.30: Brad Lambert, RW, Pelicans (Liiga)

• Round 2, Pick No.55: Elias Salomonsson, D, Skelleftea (AIK/SHL)

• Round 3, Pick No.77: Danny Zhilkin, C, Guelph Storm (OHL)

• Round 4, Pick No. 99: Garrett Brown, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)

• Round 6, Pick No. 177: Fabian Wagner, RW/C, Linkoping (J20Nationell)

• Round 7, Pick No. 207: Domenic DiVincentiis, G, North Bay Battalions (OHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs- A minus

Despite not having a first-round selection for the third time in four years, there were many good things to like about the Leafs’ performance at the draft.

Fraser Minten was not the most captivating figure on the board when Toronto chose him at #38, but he has the potential to be a solid third-line centre who can contribute.

Nicholas Moldenhauer is a highly-skilled winger who can provide some secondary scoring, while Dennis Hildeby is an athletic goaltender who is great at tracking the puck and, by all accounts, has all the tools to be a solution for them in between the pipes in the near future.

Here’s the full list of the players Toronto selected:

• Round 2, Pick No. 38: Fraser Minten, C, Kamloops (WHL)

• Round 3, Pick No. 95: Nicholas Moldenhauer, RW, Chicago (USHL)

• Round 4, Pick No. 122: Dennis Hildeby, G, Farjestad (Sweden)

• Round 5, Pick No. 135: Nikita Grebenkin, RW, Magnitogorsk 2 (MHL)

• Round 7, Pick No. 218: Brandon Lisowsky, LW, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

Ottawa Senators - B plus

In the nation’s capital, the Sens made nine selections in all, and despite trading their first pick to Chicago for Alex Debrincat, there is a reason for optimism in the prospects they got.

They have size, speed, and skill in Oskar Pettersson; they got a slick skater, and an excellent puck-moving defenceman in Tomas Hamara, plus a high-end blue liner in Jorion Donovan, who was a big part of the Hamilton Bulldogs OHL triumph this season.

Here’s a look at the players Ottawa chose:

• Round 2, Pick No. 64: Filip Nordberg, D, Sodertalje Jr. (J20 Nationell)

• Round 3, Pick No. 72: Oskar Pettersson, RW, Rogle Jr. (J20 Nationell)

• Round 3, Pick No. 87: Tomas Hamara, D, Tappara (Finland)

• Round 4, Pick No. 104: Stephen Halliday, C, Dubuque (USHL)

• Round 5, Pick No. 136: Jorian Donovan, D, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)

• Round 5, Pick No. 143: Cameron O’Neil, RW, Mount St. Charles (USHS-RI)

• Round 5, Pick No. 151: Kevin Reidler, G, AIK J20 (J20 Nationell)

• Round 6, Pick No. 168: Theo Wallberg, D, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)

• Round 7, Pick No. 206: Tyson Dyck, C, Cranbrook (BCHL)

Montreal Canadiens- A plus

When you win the draft lottery, there is a ton of pressure and expectation for you to get it right.

We will not know if the Habs managed to do that until years down the road; however, by all accounts, it seems like Kent Hughes and the team have lots of great pieces for Martin St. Louis to work with.

Hughes made a splash when he did not choose Shane Wright with the top pick, perhaps a sign that this GM is not about to play it safe.

That being said, it does not appear that Jaraj Slafkovsky is, by any means, a risk, as he seems to be NHL ready, with size and strength with few flaws if any to his game, not to mention the fact that he was the Olympics MVP, so he knows how to handle a big stage.

Besides the big Slovakian, Montreal got the skilled Filip Mesar at #26, Owen Beck could be a great centre in a couple of years, and Lane Hutson is a leader and a solid power play quarterback.

Hughes should feel very good about the players he’s added, and now it is up to St. Louis and his fellow coaches to take these prospects to that next level.

Here’s a list of all the players the Habs chose:

• Round 1, Pick No. 1: Juraj Slafkovsky, LW (Slovakia)

• Round 1, Pick No. 26: Filip Mesar, RW, Poprad (Slovak Extraliga)

• Round 2, Pick No. 33: Owen Beck, C, Mississauga (OHL)

• Round 2, Pick No. 62: Lane Hutson, D, USA U-18 (NTDP)

• Round 3, Pick No. 75: Vinzenz Rohrer, C, Ottawa (OHL)

• Round 3, Pick No. 92: Adam Engstrom, D, Rogle Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)

• Round 4, Pick No. 128: Cedrick Guindon, LW, Owen Sound (OHL)

• Round 5, Pick No. 130: Jared Davidson, C, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

• Round 6, Pick No. 162: Emmett Croteau, G, Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)

• Round 7, Pick No. 194: Petteri Nurmi, D, HPK (Liiga)

• Round 7, Pick No. 216: Miguel Tourigny, D, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)