NHL Draft Grades 2022: Grading the Draft Class of All 32 Teams

NHL Draft Grades 2022: Grading the Draft Class of All 32 Teams

The 2022 NHL Draft is now complete. The surprise picks began immediately, with Juraj Slakfovsky being taken as Slovakia's first-ever No. 1 overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, Shane Wright, the betting favorite entering Thursday's opening round, slid outside the top three and landed with the Seattle Kraken. Which NHL teams are in the best position moving forward?

Some general managers were a bit more aggressive than others, which caused several high-caliber players to fall down draft boards, filling a need on a team that previously thought they'd have no chance of selecting a high-end prospect. Here's a complete review of the draft haul from each NHL franchise and what type of grade each front office deserves.

NHL Draft Grades 2022

ANAHEIM DUCKS Draft Grade: B

The Ducks had a solid draft overall, loading up on defensemen, most notably Pavel Mintyukov. Nathan Gaucher and Ben King are a pair of quality centers that should help add depth to Anaheim's lower line attack in 2023. Unfortunately, the Ducks did not acquire any elite talent, but Mintyukov has enough talent and size to be a big-time contributor next season.

ARIZONA COYOTES Draft Grade: A-

Arizona had a slew of first-round draft picks and hit on all three. Logan Cooley and Conor Geekie will generate endless scoring possessions, especially Cooley, selected as the third overall pick, who scored 27 goals and 48 assists for the US U-18 NTDP in 2022. Maveric Lamoureux is a towering 6-7, 200-pound defenseman, the Coyotes, secured with the 29th overall pick to shore up their presence in the defensive zone. Immediate impact players all around for Arizona heading into 2023.

BOSTON BRUINS Draft Grade: C+

Boston had to wait a while before making their first selection at 54th overall, using it on center Matthew Poitras out of the OHL. The Bruins also drafted goaltender Reid Dyck, as their goaltending depth has recently been volatile.

BUFFALO SABRES Draft Grade: A-

Another team with massive first-round draft capital, Buffalo, nailed their selections, gaining Matt Savoie, Noah Oslund, and Jiri Kulich to strengthen a weakness at center. Other selections included a couple of defensemen, a goaltender, and several wingers in the later rounds to build depth. Expect all three first-round prospects to contribute big minutes and production for the Sabres in 2023.

CALGARY FLAMES Draft Grade: C-

Outside of Toppi Ronni, selected 59th overall by the Flames, there isn't much else to be excited about as a Calgary fan. Granted, their front office only had three draft picks to utilize, so the low grade is more of an indictment on the lack of compensation and talent available in the back of the second round.

CAROLINA HURRICANES Draft Grade: B

The 'Canes were another team forced to load up on Day 2 picks, resulting in Gleb Tikozov and Alexander Perevalov being selected as skilled wingers who will diversify scoring within Carolina's depth chart in 2023. Cruz Lucius is another prospect who slid down draft boards due to a wrist injury and poor skating. However, he has elite scoring and aggression to be an asset for the Hurricanes.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS Draft Grade: A-

Trades were the staple of Chicago's draft, as they used their compensation to trade up for three first-round prospects, including defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel. Frank Nazar was the biggest gain of the draft for the Blackhawks, as he's a talented center who is a shifty, high-motor player that can generate scoring opportunities.

COLORADO AVALANCHE Draft Grade: C-

Fresh off of winning the Stanley Cup Finals, Colorado was not a winner in the 2022 draft, making only two selections on defenseman Chris Romaine and goaltender Ivan Zhigalov. Neither prospect is going to be an immediate contributor for the Avs in 2023, but their depth chart remains phenomenal, even if they do wind up losing Nazem Kadri or Darcy Kuemper as unrestricted free agents next week.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Draft Grade: A

Columbus used both of their top 12 draft picks to improve their defensive woes from 2022, selecting defensemen David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk. They both offer different skillsets due to their size and experience. The Blue Jackets also nailed their Day 2 picks, most notably acquiring center Luca Del Bel Belluz, who has innate vision and a high hockey IQ to be a solid contributor in 2023.

DALLAS STARS Draft Grade: C+

Lian Bischel was a solid pick for Dallas, who needed to build a stronger defensive corps, resulting in their lone first-round draft pick being used on Lian Bischel. He's a 6-5, 216-pound bruiser who can be used as an enforcer due to his size, mobility, and reach. The rest of Dallas' draft was much less impressive, resulting in a C+ grade that would be lower if not for Bischel.

DETROIT RED WINGS Draft Grade: B

Detroit instilled youth behind the center position by selecting Marco Kasper out of Sweden. His puck handling, speed, and powerful shot will be nice additions to the Red Wings' lower attack lines. Detroit hammered offense throughout the draft, securing two good wingers on Day 2 in Dylan James and Dmitri Buchelnikov.

EDMONTON OILERS Draft Grade: C+

Reid Schaefer was a great value pick at the end of the first round for Edmonton. Schaefer's selection makes sense when looking at how top-heavy the Oilers were at winger in 2022. Only three other draft picks were available to use, so the front office also chose to invest in goaltender Samuel Jonsson to challenge a struggling goaltending tandem in 2023.

FLORIDA PANTHERS Draft Grade: C

Teams with talent without opening-round draft compensation, such as the Panthers, wound up with underwhelming prospects. However, Sandis Vilmanis and Jack Devine were late-round offensive players who could add depth to Florida's lower lines. It all hinges on player development for the Panthers, who already have a winning roster intact.

LOS ANGELES KINGS Draft Grade: B

Jack Hughes, Kenny Connors, and Otto Salin were the most notable prospects that wound up being taken by the Los Angeles Kings. Even Jack Sparkes, a 6-8 defenseman from the OHL, was a late pick on Day 2 and could provide value in the defensive zone for the Kings in 2023. This was an impressive draft for Los Angeles, especially considering their lack of Day 1 draft compensation.

MINNESOTA WILD Draft Grade: B+

Minnesota needed to address their defensive woes the most in my opinion, but they shifted to the offense with two first-round picks, selecting Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov as a pair of sturdy, high-scoring wingers. Ryan Healey and David Spacek were the late defensemen drafted on Day 2, but Ohgren and Yurov combined to score dozens of goals during their tenure in overseas junior leagues last season.

MONTREAL CANADIENS Draft Grade: A+

Montreal was the host team and also had 11 draft picks, turning their compensation into maximum value by selecting Juraj Slafkovsky with the surprise first overall pick, followed by winger Filip Mesar near the end of the first round. The Canadiens needed to overload their roster with young talent at all levels, and they did just that, selecting Owen Beck and Lane Hutson as high-value players during their slew of second-day draft picks.

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NASHVILLE PREDATORS Draft Grade: B-

Joakim Kemell was the top prospect targeted by Nashville, who landed him in the middle of the first round as a value pick. The Finnish winger has a strong shot, speed, and puck handles to insert himself into the Predators' top-three attack lines quickly. Kasper Kulonummi was drafted on Day 2 to add another competent scoring defenseman alongside star veteran Roman Josi.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS Draft Grade: B

The Devils were the victims of Juraj Slafkovsky being Montreal's surprise No. 1 overall pick, leaving them scrambling for their next best prospect, defenseman Simon Nemec. Nemec offers a mixture of speed and skating to be a force on both ends of the rink, finishing with 17 points in 19 games in Slovakia's professional league last season. Goaltender Tyler Brennan was a necessary addition, but some of the rest of New Jersey's picks felt like projects rather than immediate contributors.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS Draft Grade: C

The Islanders were left without a first-round pick, so they gravitated towards defenseman Calle Odelius at 65th overall. He's a quick two-way defenseman with an offensive skill set that will immensely help the depleted position for the Islanders in 2023. Isaiah George was another defenseman who has the size and skating ability also to shore up a leaky New York defense.

NEW YORK RANGERS Draft Grade: C

No first-round draft capital was possessed by either New York team, so the Rangers opted to draft center/winger Adam Sykora. He was a stud on Slovakia's national team and has the speed and handles to earn minutes o the Rangers' lower-line attack in 2023. The remainder of this draft class is mostly developmental prospects who need to refine certain areas of their game to earn significant minutes moving forward.

OTTAWA SENATORS Draft Grade: C

It was not a great draft for Ottawa, but they did wind up with defenseman Tomas Hamara to represent the Senators' first pick off of the draft board. Three other defensemen were taken off of the board after Hamara, so it's clear Ottawa knew their weakness lies behind an underrated attack and in front of their goaltending.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Draft Grade: B

Cutter Gauthier is a solid get for the Flyers during their rebuild under new head coach, John Tortorella. The 6-2, 200-pound winger is a versatile player in the offensive zone and has an aggressive shot to strengthen Philadelphia's anemic attack in 2023. Devin Kaplan and Alex Bump are a pair of additional wingers who could also see quality minutes if they develop quickly.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS Draft Grade: C+

Owen Pickering headlined Pittsburgh's draft class and will be a good prospect to develop to fortify their defense. Other picks like goaltender Sergey Murashov and centers Zam Plante and Luke Devlin make it evident that the Penguins are expecting to lose a few veterans during the upcoming free-agent market.

SAN JOSE SHARKS Draft Grade: B-

The Sharks need scoring outside of Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl, so they drafted center Filip Bystedt as their lone first-round selection. Cameron Lund and Mattias Havelid are also skilled players who will use their playmaking abilities, speed, and size to be contributors on San Jose's lower lines in 2023.

SEATTLE KRAKEN Draft Grade: A-

How can you not grade Seattle's draft with an A? They landed top overall center, Shane Wright, at the fourth overall pick in the draft, immediately improving their anemic offense. That's not all, as the Kraken continued to hammer offense on Day 2, beginning with Jagger Firkus and Jani Nyman as a pair of strong right-wingers. Overall, the Kraken had 13 draft picks to burn, and they appear to have nailed their draft based on addressing weaknesses and landing high-value prospects.

ST. LOUIS BLUES Draft Grade: B

Jimmy Snuggerud wound up going to St. Louis and will add youthful scoring in bunches beginning in the 2023-24 season. Other prospects such as Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Michael Buchinger also possess talent in other areas of the ice, adding tremendous depth and value to a depth chart that struggled with injuries during their 2022 playoff run.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Draft Grade: B+

Isaac Howard is a skilled winger who fell to Tampa Bay at 31st overall, adding talent to a roster already filled with it at every level of the depth chart. Day 2 selections included Lucas Edmonds and Connor Kurth, two wingers who went undervalued, and goaltender Nick Malik, who was a prominent netminder in Finland this past season.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Draft Grade: C

The Maple Leafs were without a first-round draft pick, so they had to wait until center Fraser Mitten fell to them in the middle of the second day. Toronto has tons of talent throughout their roster, but early-round playoff exits remain a concern, so perhaps their wingers and center selections will pay dividends to get over that hump in 2023.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS Draft Grade: B-

Vancouver secured value by drafting Jonathan Lekkerimaki at 15th overall, adding a scorer with elite vision and playmaking ability to rejuvenate a top-heavy roster in 2023. Defensemen were hammered on Day 2, including a new Elias Pettersson, who shares the same name as a current defenseman for the Canucks. Overall, Lekkerimaki was the biggest steal for the Canucks, who were underwhelming with their draft decisions outside of the first round.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS Draft Grade: C-

Three of Vegas' draft picks on Day 2 were centers, showing their vulnerability at the position. Matyas Sapovaliv was the headliner, but Jordan Gustafson and Cameron Whitehead showed enough late to be intriguing prospects with untapped upside in 2023 and beyond.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS Draft Grade: B-

The Washington Capitals went heavy on their offense, beginning with a first-round left-wing prospect, Ivan Miroschnichenko. Defenseman Ryan Chesley was another solid addition for the Caps, who have one of the older rosters in the league and needed to replenish it with youthful speed and scoring ability. Miroschnichenko checks these boxes, but he did not look flawless during his campaign in Russia, so there could be some growing pains in his development.

WINNIPEG JETS Draft Grade: B+

Rutger McGroarty and Brad Lambert were both great additions to Winnipeg's first-round haul, improving their offensive outlook in 2023. While McGroarty has a high motor and scoring skillset, Lambert offers the untapped upside that leaves Jets fans excited about their future. Not an overwhelming draft class but certainly enough to return value in the form of production from their top two draft picks in the next couple of seasons.

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