2022 NHL Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Top Prospects on the Rise

The 2022 NHL draft is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, though there remains a fair bit of uncertainty surrounding the early draft picture.

The Montreal Canadiens claimed the top selection in May's draft lottery, and there has been a serious debate over whether they should take Kingston center Shane Wright or Slovakian wing Juraj Slafkovsky with that selection.

Wright has long felt like the top choice in this draft—and the safe one—but Slafkovsky has surged during the lead-up.

TSN's Bob McKenzie recently bumped Wright from the top of his rankings for Slafkovsky, though his decision was incredibly close.

"Five of 10 scouts surveyed by TSN ranked the 6'4" Slovak left winger at No. 1, while four scouts slotted the Kingston Frontenac centre in the top spot," McKenzie wrote.

The Canadiens have a tough choice to make, and they won't be the only ones on draft day. Other rising prospects will spark similarly difficult decisions. We'll dive into a couple of those prospects here and run down a full first-round mock draft.

1. Montreal Canadiens - Shane Wright, C, Kingston (OHL)

2. New Jersey Devils - Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS (Finland)

3. Arizona Coyotes - Simon Nemec, D, Nitra (Slovakia)

4. Seattle Kraken - Logan Cooley, C, USA U-18

5. Philadelphia Flyers - Cutter Gauthier, C/W, USA U-18

6. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Chicago) - David Jiricek, D, Plzen (Czech Republic)

7. Ottawa Senators - Joakim Kemell, RW, Jyp (Finland)

8. Detroit Red Wings - Marco Kasper, C, Rogle (Sweden)

9. Buffalo Sabres - Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, Djurgardens (Sweden)

10. Anaheim Ducks - Matthew Savoie, C, Winnipeg (WHL)

11. San Jose Sharks - Kevin Korchinski, D, Seattle (WHL)

12. Columbus Blue Jackets - Conor Geekie, C, Winnipeg (WHL)

13. New York Islanders - Pavel Mintyukov, D, Saginaw (OHL)

14. Winnipeg Jets - Noah Ostlund, C, Djurgardens (Sweden)

15. Vancouver Canucks - Nathan Gaucher, C, Quebec (QMJHL)

16. Buffalo Sabres (from Vegas) - Danila Yurov, RW, Magnitogorsk (Russia)

17. Nashville Predators - Lian Bichsel, D, Leksand (Sweden)

18. Dallas Stars - Owen Pickering, D, Swift Current (WHL)

19. Minnesota Wild (from L.A.) - Jiri Kulich, C, Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic)

20. Washington Capitals - Denton Mateychuk, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)

21. Pittsburgh Penguins - Isaac Howard, LW, US U-18

22. Anaheim Ducks (from Boston) - Rutger McGroarty, RW, US U-18

23. St. Louis Blues - Frank Nazar, C, US U-18

24. Minnesota Wild - Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, US U-18

25. Toronto Maple Leafs - Ryan Chesley, D, US U-18

26. Montreal Canadiens (from Calgary) - Brad Lambert, C, Pelicans (Finland)

27. Arizona Coyotes (from Carolina) - Reid Schaefer, LW, Seattle (WHL)

28. Buffalo Sabres (from Florida) - Liam Ohgren, LW, Djurgardens (Sweden)

29. Edmonton Oilers - Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Omskie Krylya (Russia)

30. Winnipeg Jets (from Rangers) - Tristan Luneau, D, Gatineau (QMJHL)

31. Tampa Bay Lightning - Filip Bystedt, C, Linkoping (Sweden)

32. Arizona Coyotes (from Colorado) - Ty Nelson, D, North Bay (OHL)

It certainly seems like the top two picks will be some combination of Wright and Slafkovsky. After that, things could get very interesting.

A pair of U.S. U-18 prospects, Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier, will receive heavy consideration in the top five. However, Slovakian defenseman Simon Nemec has the potential to jump both of them.

In fact, the fast-riser recently jumped Slafkovsky on the rankings of The Hockey Writers' Matthew Zator.

"After standout performances internationally for Slovakia at the truncated World Juniors, U18s, World Championship and an MVP-like run in the playoffs where he accumulated five goals and 17 points in 19 games for HK Nitra, he’s impressed me enough to take the second spot on the podium," Zator wrote of Nemec.

While you won't find Nemec mocked ahead of Slafkovsky or Wright here, it happening in the actual draft is not an impossibility. While the top two choices appear clear, scouts are still torn on this draft class.

"Multiple scouts freely admitted that five years from now, the best player from the 2022 draft could be someone not named Slafkovsky or Wright," McKenzie wrote. "Some of them said they’re not necessarily convinced the top two picks in the draft will be Slafkovsky and Wright or vice versa."

There's a legitimate chance that Nemec's rise culminates with him being one of the first two prospects off the board.

Gauthier is another prospect who has had to surge to get into top-five consideration. As Zator noted, the relatively recent revelation of Gauthier's positional versatility has played a huge role.

"There weren't a lot of people pegging him as a top-10 pick throughout the season, not until the Scouting Combine when it was revealed that he could play center," Zator wrote. "In fact, when Cooley was trying out for Team USA’s World Juniors squad, he actually shifted from his left-wing position to play down the middle for a while. He, of course, excelled and is now considered a versatile power forward that can play two positions."

Gauthier's ability to play both wing and center will have some NHL decision-makers excited about his potential.

"What you'll see more is that players will play center and then end up playing wing in the NHL,” Seattle Kraken amateur scouting director Robert Kron said, per Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times. “Center is a difficult position to play. And there's value in centers because people build their teams through the middle."

Because of his upside, versatility and scoring ability—he had three goals and six assists in six games with the U-18 club at the world championship—Gauthier's rise should land him, at minimum, inside the top 10.