2022 NHL draft first round selection order: which teams select first?
With the Avs still celebrating their Stanley Cup win, other teams gear up to select NHL newest stars in this year’s Draft.
This year’s NHL Draft is taking place July 7th and 8th in Bell Centre, Montreal, and every team is hoping to land the missing piece to get them closer to the playoffs and, eventually, the Stanley Cup. The Colorado Avalanches may have just conquered the championship a week ago, but the teams who were among the worst this past NHL season also get their chance to shine by being able to select any of the top talents available in this Draft. Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2002, and September 15, 2004 are the ones eligible for NHL teams.
1. Montreal Canadiens
The top pick belongs to the team who will be at home during this draft. They may have had a horrendous season, going 22-49-11, the worst team in the league, but fortune favored them back in May when they were awarded the first selection, for which they only had a 18,5% chance. Shane Wright, a center from the OHL, is projected to be their choice among all the available talent, and Canadiens fans are already waiting for him. They will also pick at the 26th spot of the first round.
2. New Jersey Devils
The Devils finished with the fifth worst record in the NHL, but they jumped three spots on lottery night and will have a chance to replenish their roster with whomever they see as the best fit with the second pick of the draft. Any of Slafkovsky, Cooley or Wright, if Montreal does not go for him, should be their selection.
3. Arizona Coyotes
The team from the midwest desert will try and find a refreshing player with the third pick after a disappointing 25-50-7 season. Either a right winger or a defender, such as Slovakia’s Simon Nemek, could help them improve in the coming years.
4. Seattle Kraken
Just the second draft for the newest franchise in the NHL. The Kraken got their first taste of the NHL battles this season, going 27-49-6. After their expansion draft last year and acquiring C Matty Beniers with the second pick, they need another influx of talent with the fourth selection this year, which should be used on any of the remaining top four prospects already mentioned. They have five picks in the first two rounds.
5. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers only have the fifth selection in the first two rounds of this draft, so they will need to pick the right player to help them overcome their 25-46-11 record this past season. At this point the draft is wide open and Philadelphia could go any number of different ways, but most analysts expect them to address their needs at defense by acquiring David Jiricek from the Czech Republic.
The rest of the teams with a pick in the first round will make their selections in this order: