In todays links, Martin St-Louis talks about how to evaluate his new arrivals, the evergreen Jaromir Jagr, and catching ones breath after a tumultuous trading Tuesday. There are no slam dunks. On bad days, you have a hard time finding him. Hes also a better skater. Sidelined in late October by a shoulder injury, his production has declined since his return, sitting with 15 goals and 23 points in 39 games. Gaucher has 24 goals and 40 points in 49 games this season with the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts. He is one of the best skaters available in this draft. 23 Liam hgren Djurgardens (SWE J-20) The Kingston Frontenacs centre is the unanimous No. 2, as well as the ordering for the top 5 and top 10. By all accounts, his treatments went well, and hes been cleared to resume both on and off ice training, but team doctors and/or team owners could have as much say on Miroshnichenkos draft status as the scouts or general managers. TSNs top 10 is rounded out by Winnipeg Ice forward Conor Geekie, a 6-foot-3 centre who can play a heavy, hard-driving game but also has a high skill level. Beyond Wright, or even including him for that matter, its not so much welcome to the (2022 draft) jungle as much as it welcome to the jumble. There is a wide divergence of opinion from the scouting community on who should be No. 33 to around 50 on TSNs list got enough consideration as first-round picks from scouts that they could move into the Top 32. He had seven points in 11 games with their junior club and three points in 29 games skating with their pro squad. 5. Here is a sampling of comments from some scouts who still have Wright at No. 69 Isaiah George London (OHL) Hes hoping a recent mid-season transfer from JYP to the Pelicans will pay dividends for him in the second half of the season. The 18-year-old also has 11 points in 14 games with their junior squad in the USHL. This is our seventh year doing this. He's also third on the USNTDP junior squad with 27 points in 18 United States Hockey League (USHL) contests. Hes viewed by some scouts as limited offensively, but in a draft filled with sub-6-foot puck movers, Jiriceks size and physical approach stand out. The 17-year-old right winger had 20 goals and 35 points in 26 games with Djurgardens' U20 team and seven goals and nine points in 26 games with their SHL squad. The young center sits third among Frontenacs scorers with 77 points in 52 games. As for Wrights competition for No. 66 Aleksanteri Kaskimaki HIFK (SM Liiga Jr.) Our projected second overall selection in our previous mock draft, Logan Cooley is enjoying a fine performance this season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. 35. 1 pivot. He also liked the young winger's ability to shake off opposition checking to put himself in prime scoring areas. [Wright] was great coming out of the U-18s last year but it was a really small sample size, the scout said. With Scott Wheeler's prospect rankings showing them with a lack of skilled right-handed defensemen, the USNTDP's Seamus Casey could be someone on their radar at this year's draft. After tallying 10 points in 23 games last season with the Thunderbirds, the 6'2", 185-pounder leads all WHL rookie defensemen with 51 points in 58 contests, sitting eighth among all blueliners in the league. And not every player was ranked by each source. 1 spot on TSNs 2022 NHL Draft Final Rankingand, by the slimmest of margins, its Juraj Slafkovsky over Shane Wright. He also cited how well he uses his size and reach in defensive situations. The top defenceman in this years draft, so far anyway, is 6-foot-3 blueliner David Jiricek, who recently underwent surgery for a knee injury suffered at the World Junior Championship. 11 Kevin Korchinski Seattle (WHL) The war with Ukraine and resulting sanctions have some NHL clubs unsure of how to proceed with Russian prospects, especially those who are playing and living in Russia. The five scouts who put Slafkovsky at No. Highest ranks: 9th (Central Scouting European Final Rankings), 25th (Future Considerations) Lowest ranks: 64th (TSNs Craig Button), 59th (Dobber Prospects) The The lowdown: While a vast majority of the scouting world has Beck as a solid second rounder, there is some belief that he could be a late first rounder. 7 on TSNs mid-season ranking, is a two-way threat, who can play a punishing shutdown defender role but skilled enough to contribute on offence, too. 2 and as low as No. Nevertheless, NHL Central Scouting selected Kemell as their top player among international skaters. NHL Central Scouting ranked him third among international skaters. {{ video.Name 7 in our survey of scouts. 33 to around 50 on TSNs list got enough consideration as first-round picks from scouts that they could move into the Top 32. The lowdown: Its easy to see why there is a lot of excitement for Pickering. The top-ranked in fact, the only ranked goalie is Prince George Cougars netminder Tyler Brennan, who is No. In time, he could develop into a solid top-six NHL right winger. "He went into this season being projected as a bona fide No. He also noted the young Slovak plays a solid game without the puck. His skating is good but not great, and he projects as solid top-four defenceman who, like Nemec, could be a 2-3. Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino notedKorchinski's improvement this season has him rising on many NHL teams' scouting lists. 37-ranked Mississauga Steelhead forward Luca Del Bel Belluz, who aside from having one of the best handles in this draft is rocketing up the draft charts. Its a photo finish for the No. Shane Wright of the Ontario Hockey League's Kingston Frontenacs remains the favorite to be chosen first overall in this year's draft. HM Quinn Finley Madison (USHL) They could choose Northeastern University's Jack Hughes. The 17-year-old should be a good fit with the Arizona Coyotes given the lack of skilled centers among Scott Wheeler's ranking of theirtop five prospects. In addition to the shadow of sanctions due to the war with Ukraine, Miroshnichenko had to overcome a series of injuries that slowed him, and then was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. In time, his size, skating ability and two-way skills should make him a solid addition to the Canucks' defense corps. Those that rank him in the first round believe his offensive game is coming and will be a dependable top-four, two-way defenseman. Some teams may proceed as they usually do, but there is a sense some others may shy away from taking Russians. All of which has come as a rather notable surprise. Perhaps they'll give consideration to Pavel Mintyukov of the OHL's Saginaw Spirit as a potential long-term solution. 18 Ryan Chesley USA U-18 (USHL) What did you think of this list? Theres just not as much separation and fewer defined tiers of talent this year compared to others. 50 Ty Nelson North Bay (OHL) 1 of his QMJHL top-10 prospects for this year's draft, calling the youngster an "intelligent defender" and a "skilled all-around player.". There are, however, two points worth noting. 1 but are expressing some reservations: His engagement has been good, his production underwhelming given the expectations, one said. A natural scorer, he has 24 goals and 62 points with their under-18 team as well as 31 points in 21 games with the junior team in the USHL. The newest Hab missed a few chances on Tuesday, but he was very hard to miss on the ice. The Arizona Coyotes got their third pick in this round as part of the return from the Colorado Avalanche in last summer's Darcy Kuemper trade. 88 Vladimir Grudinin Moskva (MHL) 14 in our survey and one suggested hes a candidate to develop into the best player in the entire draft because of a high offensive ceiling. 28 Maverick Lamoreux Drummondville (QMJHL) , OHL Images. He led the tournament in goals showing off his ability to finish. On March 4, NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale cited Savoie's coach, James Patrick, suggesting he could have more success at the NHL level as a winger. We previously had the Arizona Coyotes selecting Nathan Gaucher with this pick, which was received from the Montreal Canadiens as part of the return in last summer's Christian Dvorak trade. 6 on TSNs list. In 2019, we eliminated the top two and bottom two scores from the average. He didnt disappoint either, scoring 39 goals and 66 points in 58 games as a rookie. That tournament was the only hockey Wright played in 2020-21 because of COVID-19. Cooley is No. HM David Goyette Sudbury (OHL) Still, scouts say Cooley plays hard and goes into heavy traffic and high-danger zones to make plays and score goals, elevating the players he plays alongside. Daily Faceoff's Chris Peters cited the 18-year-old Gauthier's combination of size, skating and puck skills among the young forward's notable skills. 14 and forward Ivan Miroshnichenko at No. We previously predicted the New Jersey Devils could select a left wing such as Juraj Slafkovsky, citing their need for a scoring winger to skate alongside young centers Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. 81 Jorian Donovan Hamilton (OHL) 14 Frank Nazar USA U-18 (USHL) 1 NHL centre, though many scouts have since downgraded that projection to no better than a No. On Thursday, TSN's Bob McKenzie released his pre-season rankings for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft after surveying 10 National Hockey League scouts. 12-ranked Swedish winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki; No. 79 Artyom Duda Moskva (MHL) He followed up last season's 14-point performance in 36 games with 16 points in 37 games this season. A 6'5", 216-pounder, the 17-year-old Swiss-born Bichsel is in his first season playing for Leksands IF. You will see the averages get close together as you approach the bottom. His range in our survey was as high as No. With smaller puck-moving defensemen such as the Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar and the Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes becoming NHL stars, however, Casey has the potential to become an effective top-four blueliner in the big league. The lowdown: The question with Del Bel Belluz is twofold, his skating and his upside. Mind you, there seems to be a distinction being made between Russians who are already playing in North America versus the Russians playing in Russia. Many of the players ranked from Nos. }}. He's committed to playing for Boston College next season, giving him time to develop his offensive skills. His points per game have improved 1.14 as a 15-year-old to 1.24 as a now 17-year-old but so much more was expected in his draft year. The Winnipeg Jets have been lacking a talented puck-moving defenseman since injuries forced Dustin Byfuglien from the game in 2019. Born in Moscow, Mintyukov is enjoying a solid rookie campaign in his first season of North American hockey. The higher ranks of him show their belief in his overall skill set and that he can keep up with the pace of play. While not as big or physically punishing as Jiricek, Nemec still plays a solid game without the puck. They could set their sights on Joakim Kemell of JYP in Finland's Liiga. Those [Wrights first OHL season and U-18 performance] seem like such a long time ago, another scout said. Miro's description is perfect, he has that sky-high potential but so many flags, it gets reflected when some people have him top 5 just based on potential, then others have him in the 20-30 range due to the flags ( he was at 18 in my Early January but kind of pre-WJC rankings ). In our scout survey, Gauthier was as high as No. He also has 13 points in 12 games with their under-20 junior club. If he plays the way he did [at the U-18] in Texas las year, hell run away with No. 2, but two scouts had him at No. 60 Paul Ludwinski Kingston (OHL) Those not ranked were given 122, and so on. Some NHL clubs have created a separate list of Russian prospects. Should they end up at this position in the first round, they could forMatthew Savoie of the Winnipeg Ice in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Cooley has been dynamic with the puck, a scout said. 3 on TSNs mid-season rankings but did not get any No. Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino considers him to be a power forward in progress. 3 and two more at No. Saginaws Mintyukov, at No. Below are the 154 ranked players. 14 in our survey and one suggested hes a candidate to develop into the best player in the entire draft because of a high offensive ceiling. Every year, several prospects tend to cause disagreement amongst the scouting world. We returned to this method for the 2021 rankings, but the uncertainty of the draft meant the results werent as solid. HockeyProspect ranked 112 players. Their next pick is at 79th overall, and they have a seventh rounder as well. 52 Rieger Lorenz Okotoks (AJHL) 36 Calle Odelius Djurgardens (SWE J-20) All he appears to lack is being six feet or taller, which is the preferred size standard for an elite No. 4 and as low as No. ", C, Rogle (Sweden): "got some consideration as top 10 pick". It was more difficult to get consensus rankings on the Russians this year because not all teams are ranking Russians as they have in the past. Bring on the chaos. He also has 21 points in as many games with their junior club in the USHL. The young American could become a future NHL sniper. Some prospects who were thought to go in the lottery could go in the second round while others could slip into the first round. Two forces appear to be at work here Wrights so-so performance thus far this season combined with the other top prospects, who could conceivably challenge him for No. Born in Russia, Zhilkin's family moved to Canada when he was a child. 8. The 6'0", 192-pound left winger lit it up this season with Loko Yaroslavl, finishing with 25 goals and 50 points in 42 games and sitting fourth overall among MHL scorers. Nemec has enjoyed a solid season with HK Nitra, tallying 26 points in 39 games. Teams who like Wright at No. 30 Filip Mesar Poprad (SVK) Mind you, there seems to be a distinction being made between Russians who are already playing in North America versus the Russians playing in Russia. He projects as a top-six NHL scoring forward. HM Gavin Hayes Flint (OHL) 16 Brad Lambert JYP (SM Liiga) 5 among North American skaters. 1, not fully seizing the opportunity. Snuggerud's played well this season with the USNTDP's under-18 team and has 19 goals and 50 points in 46 games. 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