2022 NHL Draft Rankings

[Taro T]

@LGR4GM,

Echoing others' thoughts for your dad.  Hope he recovers from whatever ails him quickly.

[Flashsabre]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Liger's List, top 10

Due to some health issues with my father, I havent had as much time to devote to the draft as I usually do. However I am working on a list and do have the top 10 done. This has been the hardest top 10 I have completed and in the end it differs a lot from most public lists.

1) Shane Wright C, he missed all of last year and I think the teams talking themselves out of him at #1 are forgetting that. Recency bias with Slafskovsky has run rampant at this point but in Wright you are getting a Bergeron type of player with a strong 200ft game and I think more offense than he is currently given credit for. Not writing more because he won't be available but he should go back to the OHL for 1 more season.

2) Logan Cooley C, he might have the most skills of anyone in this draft and if you watch his game the amount of plays that run through him is impressive. He has everything you want in a C except great size and only 5'10.5" but I think his overall skills and skating really make that a non issue. He is very smart and his passing might be the best in the class. Let him bake in college 2 years.

3) Juraj Slafkovsky LW, I love Juraj even if it sounded like I did not. He is very good at a lot of things and this ends the top tier of this draft. His size and shooting allow him to do a lot of different things in the offensive zone making him dynamic. His ability to maintain possession is going to payoff big time once he is fully mature and the only real question is can he increase his quickness to really take advantage of his size. Either get him to NA in the AHL or leave him for another year in Slovakia.

 

4) David Jiricek RHD, I put a break here because we now enter the 2nd tier of players. Jiricek lost some of this year to injury which sucked because there is a rawness to parts of his game that a full season would have continued to fix. His short WJC though was nothing short of breathtaking and part of why he ranks above Nemec for me. Jiricek has the will, speed, and attitude to try and take over games defensively with enough offense to factor in there too. He is a hardnose physical beast in his own end and that really appeals to me. Needs another year overseas and then an AHL year IMPO.

5) Simon Nemec RHD, I do love what Nemec brings but he is more of a smooth skating playmaker as opposed to the in your face Jiricek style. There were times this year where scouting reports talked about Nemec being less noticable and that is because he doesn't have that "impose my will" on you attitude that really keeps him a step below Jiricek. He is still really good and may even outproduce Jirieck but it comes down to style. Same timeline as Jiricek.

 

6) Frank Nazar III C/RW, Idk if he will stick at center but worst case scenario you have a really annoying rw charging up and down the ice. If Nazar were 2 inches taller, this ranking wouldn't surprise anyone. I debated who to put at the start of the 3rd tier and I kept coming back to Nazar the more I did research on him. His skating is really good, his hands are good, his shot is good, his deception is good and improving. He is very relentless at times and I think a few years in college (2) will really round out his game and allow him to access that next level. His floor is probably a 3rd line speedy grinder type who plays with 2 bigger players, but his ceiling is legitimately a 1st line player with a 30g, 40a type of threshold. He is a lot of fun to watch and the counting stats and microstats back up what you see. I would let him sit 2 years in the NCAA to make sure he really rounds out that game.

7) Pavel Mintyukov LHD, yes I am ranking a lhd at 7 because holy crap is he good. First, he played on a trash junior team and yet managed to still be an absolute force of nature for them. He was tops on his team in pts... as a defender with 62 (just behind him at 61 was Josh Bloom) and idk what to even say about that. He had 17 goals and 45 assists. There is a bunch of secondary assists and some pp noise in those numbers but still, just watch him. He has everything I want in a defender, he is physical, smart, aggressive, with high end puck skills. His puck skills are in that Power/Dahlin level of holy crap. He is almost 6'2" and uses that to his advantage in the offensive zone. His defensive game needs some work but... I don't care because my lord is everything else fantastic. His bday means 1 more OHL season and then you can put him in the AHL, I would go that route and do all I could to make sure he doesn't ever go back to russia.

8. Liam Ohgren LW, this should probably be Savoie but I can't ignore Ohgren's production because NO ONE produces the way he did at even strength in the SWE u20. He has a super high floor IMPO of a 2nd/3rd line winger and a ceiling of a first line Okposo in his prime type of winger. His shot is excellent although not the best in the class, his ability to be the link on his line where he just facilitates getting the puck to teammates in great spots is really good. He lacks some deception at times when it comes to rushes, he won't weave in and out but the talk of him having bad skating is 100% bs. He has average to above average speed and he actually has good edges. He can produce however you want and is basically Gauthier but IMPO better. He needs to work on his pace a little as there were times he needed to make quicker decisions but overall he is clever where how he navigates the offensive and neutral zones. Defense is okay but can improve. All in all there is just too much offense there for me to rank him lower, it is the Seth Jarvis effect but he isn't as good as Jarvis.... yet. He will be in the Allsveskan next year and then should be brought over to the AHL.

9) Matthew Savoie C/W, idk if he sticks at center and that is a concern because I think he can be pushed out of the way on the wall at times. I like Savoie but don't love him because I felt at times he wasn't aggressive enough. Yes size matters and for a player his size, I want what Nazar brings which is ruggedness that Savoie can do but doesn't always. The good stuff is his shot, passing, and skating. They all are really good and help him to navigate the 3 zones with deception and good not great speed. He is good at finding soft ice and getting open for shots and passing plays. If you watch his tape you will see a player that at times is very dynamic. In the end I wonder if the lack of elite speed coupled with the difficulty he will have playing against defenders that can force him outside will impact his total offense in the NHL. We shall see. 2 more years of juniors and then an AHL year.

10) Marco Kasper C, this was almost someone else but then I watched some highlights of Kasper from the Worlds and I started to see that there is more to Kasper in terms of skill. I think what happened with Marco is he was tasked with playing a very mature defensive game against men and so he did that. An entire season in the SHL as a DY guy is impressive and he managed to produce some points. Further he learned to speak Swedish in 6 months (he is Austrian) and now I am really intrigued. He is one of these guys that just seems to continually work at being better in all aspects of the game. Kasper is an absolute terror of a player, he will eat you. He hits, he backchecks, forechecks, crosschecks, whatever (he is a clean player don't worry) in order to get the puck. If you think he isn't coming for you, that's because he already has the puck. There is no player with a higher motor in the draft and I think because of that he can fix his deficiencies which revolve around poor timing (he doesn't sit in the soft spot or will engage a defender instead of fading from coverage) and there is some question about his overall skill. I think his stickhandling and skills will improve because he is that type of player and I think it is telling that reports outside of the SHL game really paint a different picture. The concern here is is Kasper going to be ROR or is he going to be Tyler Boucher. Honestly, Boucher is probably more likely but I like him better than Gauthier (just a little) so here he stits. Kasper needs refinement and needs another year in the SHL and then at least 1 full if not 2 AHL seasons if you really want to develop him offensively. Physically, he can be NHL ready as early as next spring.

Sorry to hear about your father. Hope for good health.

Nice work. I think in reality Gauthier replaces Nazar at 6th or even higher come draft day.

I think Kasper will be in the conversation at #9. One of  Savoie, Kasper or  Nazar might be the pick depending on how the board falls.

[French Collection]

I am always intrigued by the players that draft prospects are compared to. I have tried to find a ceiling and floor comparable player for a few of the projected first rounders. I may be off in either direction or there may be a closer option so feel free to weigh in.

Shane Wright.  P.Bergeron, S.Monaghan

Logan Cooley   J.Hughes, A.Turcotte

Juraj Slafkovsky   B.Tkachuk V.Nichushkin

Simon Nemec    J.Klingberg, T.Liljegren

David Jiricek     A.Ekblad, A.Stralman

Matthew Savoie    B.Point, A.Ruotsalainen

Joakim Kemell    F.Forsberg, M.Amadio 

Brad Lambert     R.Thomas, N.Yakupov

Frank Nazar     J.Pavelski, N.Petan 

Jonathan Lekkerimaki   W.Nylander, A.Nylander

Connor Geekie   D.Strome, M.McCarron

Cutter Gauthier   B.Horvat, M.Comtois

Pavel Mintyukov   T.Chabot, C.Miller

Marco Kasper   R.O’Reilly, J.Larsson

Rutger McGroarty   J.Staal, R.Sheahan 

Jimmy Snuggerud   B.Saad, W.Carrier

Kevin Korchinski     S.Theodore, T.Harley

 

[Buffalonill]

2 hours ago, French Collection said:

I am always intrigued by the players that draft prospects are compared to. I have tried to find a ceiling and floor comparable player for a few of the projected first rounders. I may be off in either direction or there may be a closer option so feel free to weigh in.

Shane Wright.  P.Bergeron, S.Monaghan

Logan Cooley   J.Hughes, A.Turcotte

Juraj Slafkovsky   B.Tkachuk V.Nichushkin

Simon Nemec    J.Klingberg, T.Liljegren

David Jiricek     A.Ekblad, A.Stralman

Matthew Savoie    B.Point, A.Ruotsalainen

Joakim Kemell    F.Forsberg, M.Amadio 

Brad Lambert     R.Thomas, N.Yakupov

Frank Nazar     J.Pavelski, N.Petan 

Jonathan Lekkerimaki   W.Nylander, A.Nylander

Connor Geekie   D.Strome, M.McCarron

Cutter Gauthier   B.Horvat, M.Comtois

Pavel Mintyukov   T.Chabot, C.Miller

Marco Kasper   R.O’Reilly, J.Larsson

Rutger McGroarty   J.Staal, R.Sheahan 

Jimmy Snuggerud   B.Saad, W.Carrier

Kevin Korchinski     S.Theodore, T.Harley

 

[French Collection]

 

[DarthEbriate]

4 hours ago, French Collection said:

I am always intrigued by the players that draft prospects are compared to. I have tried to find a ceiling and floor comparable player for a few of the projected first rounders. I may be off in either direction or there may be a closer option so feel free to weigh in.

Shane Wright.  P.Bergeron, S.Monaghan

Logan Cooley   J.Hughes, A.Turcotte

Juraj Slafkovsky   B.Tkachuk V.Nichushkin

Simon Nemec    J.Klingberg, T.Liljegren

David Jiricek     A.Ekblad, A.Stralman

Matthew Savoie    B.Point, A.Ruotsalainen

Joakim Kemell    F.Forsberg, M.Amadio 

Brad Lambert     R.Thomas, N.Yakupov

Frank Nazar     J.Pavelski, N.Petan 

Jonathan Lekkerimaki   W.Nylander, A.Nylander

Connor Geekie   D.Strome, M.McCarron

Cutter Gauthier   B.Horvat, M.Comtois

Pavel Mintyukov   T.Chabot, C.Miller

Marco Kasper   R.O’Reilly, J.Larsson

Rutger McGroarty   J.Staal, R.Sheahan 

Jimmy Snuggerud   B.Saad, W.Carrier

Kevin Korchinski     S.Theodore, T.Harley

Excellent crosswise comparisons and reminders.

[DarthEbriate]

9 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Liger's List, top 10

Due to some health issues with my father, I havent had as much time to devote to the draft as I usually do. However I am working on a list and do have the top 10 done. This has been the hardest top 10 I have completed and in the end it differs a lot from most public lists.

1) Shane Wright C, he missed all of last year and I think the teams talking themselves out of him at #1 are forgetting that. Recency bias with Slafskovsky has run rampant at this point but in Wright you are getting a Bergeron type of player with a strong 200ft game and I think more offense than he is currently given credit for. Not writing more because he won't be available but he should go back to the OHL for 1 more season.

2) Logan Cooley C, he might have the most skills of anyone in this draft and if you watch his game the amount of plays that run through him is impressive. He has everything you want in a C except great size and only 5'10.5" but I think his overall skills and skating really make that a non issue. He is very smart and his passing might be the best in the class. Let him bake in college 2 years.

3) Juraj Slafkovsky LW, I love Juraj even if it sounded like I did not. He is very good at a lot of things and this ends the top tier of this draft. His size and shooting allow him to do a lot of different things in the offensive zone making him dynamic. His ability to maintain possession is going to payoff big time once he is fully mature and the only real question is can he increase his quickness to really take advantage of his size. Either get him to NA in the AHL or leave him for another year in Slovakia.

 

4) David Jiricek RHD, I put a break here because we now enter the 2nd tier of players. Jiricek lost some of this year to injury which sucked because there is a rawness to parts of his game that a full season would have continued to fix. His short WJC though was nothing short of breathtaking and part of why he ranks above Nemec for me. Jiricek has the will, speed, and attitude to try and take over games defensively with enough offense to factor in there too. He is a hardnose physical beast in his own end and that really appeals to me. Needs another year overseas and then an AHL year IMPO.

5) Simon Nemec RHD, I do love what Nemec brings but he is more of a smooth skating playmaker as opposed to the in your face Jiricek style. There were times this year where scouting reports talked about Nemec being less noticable and that is because he doesn't have that "impose my will" on you attitude that really keeps him a step below Jiricek. He is still really good and may even outproduce Jirieck but it comes down to style. Same timeline as Jiricek.

 

6) Frank Nazar III C/RW, Idk if he will stick at center but worst case scenario you have a really annoying rw charging up and down the ice. If Nazar were 2 inches taller, this ranking wouldn't surprise anyone. I debated who to put at the start of the 3rd tier and I kept coming back to Nazar the more I did research on him. His skating is really good, his hands are good, his shot is good, his deception is good and improving. He is very relentless at times and I think a few years in college (2) will really round out his game and allow him to access that next level. His floor is probably a 3rd line speedy grinder type who plays with 2 bigger players, but his ceiling is legitimately a 1st line player with a 30g, 40a type of threshold. He is a lot of fun to watch and the counting stats and microstats back up what you see. I would let him sit 2 years in the NCAA to make sure he really rounds out that game.

7) Pavel Mintyukov LHD, yes I am ranking a lhd at 7 because holy crap is he good. First, he played on a trash junior team and yet managed to still be an absolute force of nature for them. He was tops on his team in pts... as a defender with 62 (just behind him at 61 was Josh Bloom) and idk what to even say about that. He had 17 goals and 45 assists. There is a bunch of secondary assists and some pp noise in those numbers but still, just watch him. He has everything I want in a defender, he is physical, smart, aggressive, with high end puck skills. His puck skills are in that Power/Dahlin level of holy crap. He is almost 6'2" and uses that to his advantage in the offensive zone. His defensive game needs some work but... I don't care because my lord is everything else fantastic. His bday means 1 more OHL season and then you can put him in the AHL, I would go that route and do all I could to make sure he doesn't ever go back to russia.

8. Liam Ohgren LW, this should probably be Savoie but I can't ignore Ohgren's production because NO ONE produces the way he did at even strength in the SWE u20. He has a super high floor IMPO of a 2nd/3rd line winger and a ceiling of a first line Okposo in his prime type of winger. His shot is excellent although not the best in the class, his ability to be the link on his line where he just facilitates getting the puck to teammates in great spots is really good. He lacks some deception at times when it comes to rushes, he won't weave in and out but the talk of him having bad skating is 100% bs. He has average to above average speed and he actually has good edges. He can produce however you want and is basically Gauthier but IMPO better. He needs to work on his pace a little as there were times he needed to make quicker decisions but overall he is clever where how he navigates the offensive and neutral zones. Defense is okay but can improve. All in all there is just too much offense there for me to rank him lower, it is the Seth Jarvis effect but he isn't as good as Jarvis.... yet. He will be in the Allsveskan next year and then should be brought over to the AHL.

9) Matthew Savoie C/W, idk if he sticks at center and that is a concern because I think he can be pushed out of the way on the wall at times. I like Savoie but don't love him because I felt at times he wasn't aggressive enough. Yes size matters and for a player his size, I want what Nazar brings which is ruggedness that Savoie can do but doesn't always. The good stuff is his shot, passing, and skating. They all are really good and help him to navigate the 3 zones with deception and good not great speed. He is good at finding soft ice and getting open for shots and passing plays. If you watch his tape you will see a player that at times is very dynamic. In the end I wonder if the lack of elite speed coupled with the difficulty he will have playing against defenders that can force him outside will impact his total offense in the NHL. We shall see. 2 more years of juniors and then an AHL year.

10) Marco Kasper C, this was almost someone else but then I watched some highlights of Kasper from the Worlds and I started to see that there is more to Kasper in terms of skill. I think what happened with Marco is he was tasked with playing a very mature defensive game against men and so he did that. An entire season in the SHL as a DY guy is impressive and he managed to produce some points. Further he learned to speak Swedish in 6 months (he is Austrian) and now I am really intrigued. He is one of these guys that just seems to continually work at being better in all aspects of the game. Kasper is an absolute terror of a player, he will eat you. He hits, he backchecks, forechecks, crosschecks, whatever (he is a clean player don't worry) in order to get the puck. If you think he isn't coming for you, that's because he already has the puck. There is no player with a higher motor in the draft and I think because of that he can fix his deficiencies which revolve around poor timing (he doesn't sit in the soft spot or will engage a defender instead of fading from coverage) and there is some question about his overall skill. I think his stickhandling and skills will improve because he is that type of player and I think it is telling that reports outside of the SHL game really paint a different picture. The concern here is is Kasper going to be ROR or is he going to be Tyler Boucher. Honestly, Boucher is probably more likely but I like him better than Gauthier (just a little) so here he stits. Kasper needs refinement and needs another year in the SHL and then at least 1 full if not 2 AHL seasons if you really want to develop him offensively. Physically, he can be NHL ready as early as next spring.

All the best to your dad and you and yours. 
As to the list, I can dig it. And I think there’s an excellent chance to get 2 of them with either Ohgren or Mintyukov available at #16.

[Curt]

39 minutes ago, French Collection said:

 

I know everyone can have their own opinion but that list looks like doggy doodoo to me.

[French Collection]

6 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

Is that too low of a floor for you?

Monahan has played 656 games scoring 462 points. Best season was 34 goals and 82 points. Still only 27 so he can add some more.

Probably not what you expect from Wright if you pick him 1st but it could be his floor.

[dudacek]

I’m becoming a big fan of Ohgren at 16 and not really wanting Lekkerimaki at 9.

But a player to watch is their centre, Noah Ostlund. Kid’s not big, but he’s got game.

Im reminded of a few years back when the sniper Laine and the bull Puljujarvi got all the hype while no one paid too much attention to the skinny kid in the middle for Team Finland.

Sebastian Aho turned out the best of the 3. 

Ostlund probably won’t be there at 28, but I’d grab him there if he was.

Edited June 17, 2022 by dudacek

[sabresparaavida]

6 hours ago, French Collection said:

Is that too low of a floor for you?

Monahan has played 656 games scoring 462 points. Best season was 34 goals and 82 points. Still only 27 so he can add some more.

Probably not what you expect from Wright if you pick him 1st but it could be his floor.

Imo, offensively it’s too high of a floor. Lafreniere was hyped up more than Wright as being an elite #1 W, and has really not done much yet. There’s still time for him to develop, but his floor is certainly below monahan. I think it’s definitely possible that Wright isn’t as good as monahan (preinjuries).

[rakish]

The excitement builds for Year 9 of Mom's Basement Stakes. Get your picks in, the stakes are really small. If you are new here, which I don't think is true for anyone, I take a purely mathematical approach to the draft, comparing my results to the usual suspects, the previous years can be found over at hfboards. https://hfboards.mandatory.com/tads/2020-moms-basement-stakes.2769630/

First we'll look at year 8. It's obviously early in the competition, so there's no judgements here. I no longer value all the players because it's too time consuming, so I only valued the players that were selected in Mom's last season, plus a couple, because I just had to see. A handful of players didn't get valued because they are in a league that pick 224 doesn't cover, like the VHL.
*** means he hasn't be drafted. Goaltenders? Who knows?  The number is a valuation based on scoring in context.
Forwards
1 Aatu Räty Liiga 1079
2 Matthew Beniers NCAA 777
3 William Eklund SHL 756
4 Joshua Roy QMJHL 671
5 Logan Stankoven WHL 642
6 Chaz Lucius NCAA 624
7 Matvei Petrov OHL 620
8 Dylan Guenther WHL 612
9 Mikey Milne*** WHL 585
10 Francesco Arcuri OHL 581
11 Ty Voit OHL 538
12 Niko Huuhtanen WHL 504
13 James Stefan *** WHL 476
14 Connor Kurth *** USHL 471
15 Sasha Pastujov OHL 454
16 Riley Kidney QMJHL 444
17 Eric Alarie*** WHL 424
18 Conner Roulette WHL 416
19 Jeremy Wilmer***  USHL 386
20 Collin Graf *** NCAA 376
21 Tyson Kozak WHL 357
22 Kent Johnson USHL 334
23 Justin Robidas QMJHL 328
24 Trevor Wong overager*** WHL 324
25 Dylan Duke NCAA 315
26 Olivier Nadeau QMJHL 314
27 Sean Tschigerl WHL 313
28 Peter Reynolds *** QMJHL 312
29 James Malatesta USHL 312
30 Alexander Kisakov MHL 301
31 Connor Lockhart OHL 293
32 Hunter Strand*** NCAA 274
33 Robert Orr QMJHL 267
34 Joshua Bloom OHL 266
35 Simon Robertsson SuperElit 251
36 William von Barnekow SuperElit 250
37 Jack O!Brien WHL 248
38 Stiven Sardaryan USHL 247
39 Isak Rosén SHL 208
40 Viljami Marjala QMJHL 182
41 Elias Stenman overage*** SuperElit 176
42 Lorenzo Canonica overage*** QMJHL 165
43 Prokhor Poltapov MHL 157
44 William Strömgren SuperElit 157
45 Daniil Lazutin overage*** MHL 152
46 Zack Stringer WHL 152
47 Dmitri Zugan*** MHL 145

Defensemen
1 Owen Power NCAA 673
2 Luke Hughes USHL 619
3 Ty Gallagher NCAA 336
4 Olen Zellweger WHL 324
5 Guillaume Richard NCAA 299
6 Carson Lambos WHL 291
7 Sean Behrens NCAA 279
8 Bogdans Hodass *** USHL 191
9 Jack Peart NCAA 138
10 Anton Olsson SHL 116
11 Aidan Hreschuk NCAA 106
12 Simon Motew *** OHL 96
13 Kalle Ervasti U20 SM-sarja 83
14 Vladislav Lukashevich MHL 16

After our first year, FC Hockey looks to be out in the lead.
#1 Owen Power, #14 Jesper Wallstedt, #33 Aatu Raty, #53 Simon Robertsson (F)
#88 Dylan Duke (F), #95 Ty Voit (F), #97 Vladislav Lukashevich (D), #159 Matvei Petrov (F)
#161 Connor Lockhart (F), #188 Dmitri Katelevsky, #193 Trevor Wong (not drafted)

A very close second place we'll give to HF Boards own 42jerks, or maybe Liger

42jerks
#1 Owen Power, #14 Jack Peart, #33 Aatu Raty, #53 Sasha Pastujov
#88 Aidan Hreschuk (D), #95 Conner Roulette (F), #97 Guillaume Richard (D), #159 Kelle Ervasti (not drafted)
#161 Francesco Arcuri (F), #188 Eric Alarie (not drafted), #193 Zack Stringer

A very close third is Sabrespace's own Liger.
#1 William Eklund, #14 Jesper Wallstedt, #33 Aatu Raty, #53 Simon Robertsson
#88 Dylan Duke, #95 Robert Orr #97 Sean Tschigerl, #159 Elias Stenman (not drafted)
#161 Trevor Wong (not drafted), #188 Simon Motew (not drafted), #193 xxxxxx

A very close fourth is Wheeler
#1 Owen Power, #14 Chaz Lucius, #33 Sasha Pastujov, #53 Sean Behrens (D)
#88 Dylan Duke (F) #95 Joshua Roy #97 Connor Roulette, #159 Peter Reynolds (not drafted)
#161 Jeremy Wilmer (not selected), #188 Trevor Wong (not drafted), #193 Kelle Ervasti (not drafted)

Fifth is Pronman
#1 Owen Power,#14 Chaz Lucius,#33 Nikita Chibrikov,#53 Kirill Kirsanov,
#88 Justin Robidas, #95 Olivier Nadeau, #97 Vladislav Lukashevich (D), #159 Lorenzo Canonica (not drafted)
#161 Daniil Lazutin (not drafted), #188 Ty Gallagher, #193 Daniil Pylenkov

I'm in 6th, or maybe Button
rakish
#1 Dylan Guenther, #14 Logan Stankoven, #33 Anton Olsson, #53 Connor Roulette
#88 Jack O'Brien (not drafted), #95 Victor Stjernborg, #97 Niko Huuhtanen (F), #159 Simon Knak (F)
#161 Mikey Milne (not drafted), #188 Eric Alarie (not drafted), #193 Rhett Rhinehart (not drafted)

Button
#1 Owen Power, #14 Fedor Svechkov, #33 Samu Tuomaala (F), #53 Benjamin Gaudreau (G)
#88 Dylan Duke #95 James Malatesta (F) #97 Robert Orr (F), #159 Hunter Strand (not drafted)
#161 Dmitri Zugan (not drafted), #188 Nikita V. Novikov (D), #193 xxxxxxxxx

The Sabres are last
#1 Owen Power (D),#14 Isak Rosén (F),#33 Prokhor Poltapov (F),#53 Alexander Kisakov (F)
#88 Stiven Sardaryan (F),#95 Joshua Bloom (F),#97 Olivier Nadeau (F),#159 Viljami Marjala (F)
#161 William von Barnekow (F),#188 Nikita V. Novikov (D),#193 Tyson Kozak (F)

For Year 9, we'll use the Sabres again, as they have a lot of picks. My board looks like this, though I often swap around things after I think about it for a while. While it's a weak draft at the top, it's not so bad for the picks Buffalo has.

Juraj Slafkovsky Fin20
Jonathan Lekkerimaki SuperElit
Liam Ohgren SuperElit
Denton Mateychuk
Marco Kasper
Conor Geekie WHL
Brad Lambert
Pavel Mintyukov
Danila Yurov
Rutger McGroarty
David Goyette
Frank Nazar
Isaac Howard
Kevin Korchinski
Lian Bichsel SHL
Christian Kyrou
Jagger Firkus WHL
Fraser Minten WHL
Mathew Seminoff wHL
Aleksanteri Kaskimaki Fin20
Alexander Suzdalev
Connor Kurth overage
James Stefan overager
Anton Johansson
Petr Hauser Czech20
Matias Rantonen Fin20
Otto Hokkanen Fin20
German Tochilkin MHL
Matyas Melovsky Czech20
Tnias Mathurin
Marek Alscher
Tyler Dunbar USHL
Niks Fenenko
Jeremy Langlois

 

[Flashsabre]

https://dobberprospects.com/2022/06/18/dp-scouting-teams-final-rankings-for-the-2022-nhl-draft/

[PerreaultForever]

I really hope we land McGroarty. Looking at final rankings around I doubt it though. Probably fall between our 2 later picks. Gauthier would be fine at 9. 

If we landed Gauthier, Ohgren and McGroarty with the 3 picks I'd be ecstatic.

[DarthEbriate]

23 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I really hope we land McGroarty. Looking at final rankings around I doubt it though. Probably fall between our 2 later picks. Gauthier would be fine at 9. 

If we landed Gauthier, Ohgren and McGroarty with the 3 picks I'd be ecstatic.

Yup. I'd like him at 28... he won't (likely) be there at 28. A playoff-bound team will snap up him and his game in the 18-26 range.

[Curt]

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I really hope we land McGroarty. Looking at final rankings around I doubt it though. Probably fall between our 2 later picks. Gauthier would be fine at 9. 

If we landed Gauthier, Ohgren and McGroarty with the 3 picks I'd be ecstatic.

I really doubt Gauthier is there at 9.  Ohgren might be there at 16 if we are lucky.  I doubt McGroarty is still there at 28.

More realistic options for that profile of player might be Ohgren at 9, McGroarty at 16, and someone like Nathan Gaucher at 28.  If Sabres can grab Ohgren at 16, I’d be just thrilled, but I wouldn’t take all three guys like that.  With the 9, 16, 28, and 41 picks I’d ideally like to see 2 power forward types (Gauthier, Ohgren, Kasper, McGroarty, Miroshnichenko, Yurov, Beck, Gaucher, Del Bell Belluz, Schaefer, Lutz), 1 swing at a high upside, dynamic forward (Nazar, Savoie, Ostland, Firkus, Mesar, Howard, Trikozov, Lambert, Kulich, Goyette, Perevalov, Sykora) , and 1  defensively solid RD (Chesley, Luneau, Warren, Lamoureux)

 

[Dr. Who]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I really hope we land McGroarty. Looking at final rankings around I doubt it though. Probably fall between our 2 later picks. Gauthier would be fine at 9. 

If we landed Gauthier, Ohgren and McGroarty with the 3 picks I'd be ecstatic.

I like those players. Kasper and Nazar are two more I like. And I can't stop thinking about Mintyukov, though a lot of folks want Bichsel if we go defense.

[DarthEbriate]

54 minutes ago, Curt said:

I really doubt Gauthier is there at 9.  Ohgren might be there at 16 if we are lucky.  I doubt McGroarty is still there at 28.

More realistic options for that profile of player might be Ohgren at 9, McGroarty at 16, and someone like Nathan Gaucher at 28.  If Sabres can grab Ohgren at 16, I’d be just thrilled, but I wouldn’t take all three guys like that.  With the 9, 16, 28, and 41 picks I’d ideally like to see 2 power forward types (Gauthier, Ohgren, Kasper, McGroarty, Miroshnichenko, Yurov, Beck, Gaucher, Del Bell Belluz, Schaefer, Lutz), 1 swing at a high upside, dynamic forward (Nazar, Savoie, Ostland, Firkus, Mesar, Howard, Trikozov, Lambert, Kulich, Goyette, Perevalov, Sykora) , and 1  defensively solid RD (Chesley, Luneau, Warren, Lamoureux)

This is where I’m at as well. 2 NHL-caliber power forwards to replace Okposo and Tuch (in good time), one playmaker/attacker to be a Krebs/Mitts alternative, and one RHD. I’d add a Rinzel at the 28/41 just for rounding out the options list. The best part is in a few years any of these could end up being bottom 6 guys and that might be the best thing in the world because it means the other high-potential players on the roster reached their potential  

9 Nazar/Savoie, 16 Ohgren/McGroarty, 28 Miroshnichenko, 41 Chesley(gone by 28 or soon after)/Rinzel/Warren. 
Many thousands of other permutations — but I’d see a pretty well-rounded haul in 3 years with any 3 of those early. 

[Curt]

48 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

This is where I’m at as well. 2 NHL-caliber power forwards to replace Okposo and Tuch (in good time), one playmaker/attacker to be a Krebs/Mitts alternative, and one RHD. I’d add a Rinzel at the 28/41 just for rounding out the options list. The best part is in a few years any of these could end up being bottom 6 guys and that might be the best thing in the world because it means the other high-potential players on the roster reached their potential  

9 Nazar/Savoie, 16 Ohgren/McGroarty, 28 Miroshnichenko, 41 Chesley(gone by 28 or soon after)/Rinzel/Warren. 
Many thousands of other permutations — but I’d see a pretty well-rounded haul in 3 years with any 3 of those early. 

Personally not a fan of Rinzel.  At least not in the 1st round or for Buffalo.  He is big and can skate, but seems more of an offensive defenseman.  Issue with him that he hasn’t really been any good at any level above high school hockey.  He struggled when he played in the USHL this season.  He is a bundle of physical potential that isn’t molded into much in the way of hockey skills yet.

I have an easier time picturing someone who has already shown aptitude to be solid defensively as a good fit with the Sabres current young Dmen.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Curt

[DarthEbriate]

18 minutes ago, Curt said:

Personally not a fan of Rinzel.  At least not in the 1st round or for Buffalo.  He is big and can skate, but seems more of an offensive defenseman.  Issue with him that he hasn’t really been any good at any level above high school hockey.  He struggled when he played in the USHL this season.  He is a bundle of physical potential that isn’t molded into much in the way of hockey skills yet.

That's fair --- I'm seeing him as a #41 and long-term potential player. I'd much rather have a Chesley at 28 if he makes it that far... which I feel with the recent runs on USNDTP in the 1st because it's such a safe and high-floor program.. he's likely gone at 28.

Rinzel is the typical US High school risk. When looking at those players you have to trust whatever program he's going to next and his interviews (if any), because the competition certainly won't give the indicator of how good he'll become. Will he be Ryan McDonagh/Tommy Cross/Nico Sacchetti/Will Weber/Alex Killorn? (I had to look up the McDonagh draft year to find them all... those are the top 5 US HS picks from 2007, rounds 1-3.)

[DarthEbriate]

Watching game 2...     or, you know, just draft the 4 fastest skaters at their positions who also possess top-end skill and hockey IQ. But mainly for speed. And go all-out attack all the time like the Avalanche.

As we used to be in the late '90s. Get a Hasek and 4 lines with all the speed. Speed kills.

Avalanche Edit: And continuing the posts for our draft this season --- get those 2 power forwards to be the fastest of the power forward/board-working guys available. No slow first steps, no "fast once he gets going" folks, no slow-pokes. Get the speed that drives the ability to play physical and grind teams down, not the physical but only if they can catch the other guy.

Edited June 19, 2022 by DarthEbriate

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, Curt said:

I really doubt Gauthier is there at 9.  Ohgren might be there at 16 if we are lucky.  I doubt McGroarty is still there at 28.

More realistic options for that profile of player might be Ohgren at 9, McGroarty at 16, and someone like Nathan Gaucher at 28.  If Sabres can grab Ohgren at 16, I’d be just thrilled, but I wouldn’t take all three guys like that.  With the 9, 16, 28, and 41 picks I’d ideally like to see 2 power forward types (Gauthier, Ohgren, Kasper, McGroarty, Miroshnichenko, Yurov, Beck, Gaucher, Del Bell Belluz, Schaefer, Lutz), 1 swing at a high upside, dynamic forward (Nazar, Savoie, Ostland, Firkus, Mesar, Howard, Trikozov, Lambert, Kulich, Goyette, Perevalov, Sykora) , and 1  defensively solid RD (Chesley, Luneau, Warren, Lamoureux)

 

Why don't you think Gautheir will be there at 9? That's generally around where he is ranked. Who are you dropping off (maybe I'd take that guy)?

Ohgren at 9 and McGroarty at 16 is likely too high for both of them BUT it's not a terrible idea. I'd be content with that plan. Ohgren MIGHT be there at 16, stress might. McGroarty almost definitely not there at 28. Trade down (just a little) at 16? Might work. Risky, but drafts always are. 

I really think McGroarty could be the sleeper pick in this draft (in that he will end up as a better player than several picks ahead of him in time) so I'd really like to see him in blue and gold so the more I think about it I'd say yes, take him at 16. 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

41 Chesley(gone by 28 or soon after)/Rinzel/Warren.  

If we could get Warren at 41 that'd be a steal. As I've said earlier I'd seriously consider him at 28. Admittedly high for him but I see solid potential in him in terms of filling a need (in time).

[Marvin]

@LGR4GM I hope your father is OK and that you and your family are well.

[Curt]

4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Why don't you think Gautheir will be there at 9? That's generally around where he is ranked. Who are you dropping off (maybe I'd take that guy)?

 

Essentially, all of the media types who cover the draft are hearing from their league/team sources that he will go very high.  NHL teams project him to be a C, so you are looking at a 6’3” 200lb C who skates well, is fairly physical, and has a great shot.  It’s the type of package that someone is going to draft high.

Savoie has seemed to drop and I expect him to be available at 9.  Beyond that it’s pretty unpredictable.