The 2022 BSH Community Draft Board

Well would you look at that! We’ve made it through the first round of the playoffs, the draft lottery is behind us, and before you know it, the 2022 NHL Draft will be here! The Flyers are set to pick fifth overall this year, but we’ll see if that ends up happening—they did trade their first last year, and Chuck Fletcher has made reference to the 2019 draft a few times, wherein they moved back in the first round to pick up a second round pick, so we can’t rule out a similar move being out of play this time around. We’re on our toes, that’s for sure, and preparing for whatever may happen in this draft, and wherever the Flyers end up picking.

Which means, of course, for us the 2022 Community Draft Board is here! Many of you probably know the drill by now, but for those who are new to the series, we’ll be working our way through the whole of the first round, profiling one player per day, and you, fine readers, get to choose the order they come in.

We’re kicking things off with our first overall pick tomorrow, so let’s take a look at your names to choose from.

Shane Wright

“Wright is the top prospect in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s a very well-rounded center who has no noticeable flaw in his skill set but also does not have a ton about his game that gets you overly excited. He can skate and handle the puck like an NHLer. Wright’s game translates because of his compete and direct style of play. He takes pucks to the net and plays with pace. He can pull up to make a tough pass but he prefers to take pucks to the interior or shoot. His shot is his main weapon and the main reason I think he can become an NHL star, showing the ability to pick corners from long range consistently. Off the puck he’s competitive and responsible, showing maturity beyond his years. He projects as a No. 1 center in the NHL due to his all-around play but probably won’t be an elite scorer in the league.” – Corey Pronman, The Athletic

Juraj Slafkovsky

“Juraj Slafkovsky is a very, very special player. Incredible hands and mobility for a guy that’s as enormous as he is. I’ll be shocked if he’s not one of the first five players picked in the 2022 draft. He’s raw now, but the best-case scenario with him is sky-high.” –  Derek Neumeier, Future Considerations

Logan Cooley

“When it comes to Cooley his strengths aren’t hard to identify. The American centre is one of the premiere two-way pivots in this draft class, rivaling Wright in the eyes of some in the scouting community. Cooley reads the game extremely well, allowing him to run the show in the offensive zone, but also drop back and cover for his defencemen if they choose to activate into the play with the puck. His vision allows him to see plays develop with ease and execute clean zone exits.” – Scott Matla, Habs Eyes On The Prize

Matthew Savoie

“Savoie is a creative player that seeks the best possible way to create offense and get the puck into the back of the net. He’ll analyze all possible options and make the best possible play within a split second, creating offense before most defenders get a chance to react. Savoie’s hockey sense and skill with the puck make him the most dangerous player on the ice at any given moment. He’ll exploit the tiniest mistake in the defense’s coverage and make the defense pay, creating high danger scoring chances in the process. Everything Savoie does is calculated and you’ll rarely see him make a mistake or put himself out of position in the offensive zone, making him one of the smartest players available in this draft class.” – Matthew Somma, Smaht Scouting

Simon Nemec

“Statistically speaking, Nemec’s profile indicates he’s clearly the No. 1 defenceman in this draft class. He has made history with stellar age-adjusted results in Slovakia’s top-flight Tipos Extraliga over the last two seasons. My evaluation of his game reflects that just as clearly, too. But a poll of NHL scouts still slots him in the 5-10 range more than this one and NHL Central Scouting ranked him sixth among European skaters in their midseason list. And while I can understand the cases for and against every other player being considered near the top of the 2022 class, I don’t see the case against Nemec as anything but a top-five guy.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

And there we have it! And all that’s left is for you to cast your vote. First overall pick, who’ve you got?

Who should be no. 1 on the 2022 BSH Community Draft Board?