NHL Draft 2022: Start Time, Order, Prospects Guide and Mock Draft Predictions

It's almost time for another wave of young, talented players to take the next step in their hockey careers. The 2022 NHL draft is set to take place Thursday and Friday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

With plenty of their fans likely to be in attendance, the Montreal Canadiens are set to use the No. 1 overall pick, which they landed in the NHL draft lottery. It's the first time the Habs have owned the top selection in the draft since 1980.

The first round will take place on Thursday, starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The final six rounds will happen on Friday, starting at 11 a.m. ET on NHL Network.

Here's a mock for how the first round of the draft could unfold, followed by more on the top prospects in this year's class.

---

First-Round Order, Mock Draft

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

2. New Jersey Devils: Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS Turku (Liiga)

3. Arizona Coyotes: Logan Cooley, C, USA U-18 (NTDP)

4. Seattle Kraken: David Jiricek, D, HC Plzen (Extraliiga)

5. Philadelphia Flyers: Cutter Gauthier, LW, USA U-18 (NTDP)

6. Columbus Blue Jackets (via Chicago): Simon Nemec, D, HK Nitra (Slovakia)

7. Ottawa Senators: Matthew Savoie, C, Winnipeg (WHL)

8. Detroit Red Wings: Joakim Kemell, LW, JYP (Liiga)

9. Buffalo Sabres: Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, Djurgarden (SWE U20)

10. Anaheim Ducks: Kevin Korchinski, D, Seattle (WHL)

11. San Jose Sharks: Marco Kasper, C, Rogle (SHL)

12. Columbus Blue Jackets: Pavel Mintyukov, D, Saginaw (OHL)

13. New York Islanders: Conor Geekie, C, Winnipeg (WHL)

14. Winnipeg Jets: Nathan Gaucher, C, Quebec (QMJHL)

15. Vancouver Canucks: Noah Ostlund, C, Djurgarden Jr.

16. Buffalo Sabres (via Vegas): Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, USA U-18 (NTDP)

17. Nashville Predators: Lian Bichsel, D, Leksand (SHL)

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

19. Minnesota Wild (via Los Angeles): Frank Nazar, C, USA U-18 (NTDP)

20. Washington Capitals: Jiri Kulich, C, HC Karlovy Vary (CZE)

21. Pittsburgh Penguins: Rutger McGroarty, RW, USA U-18 (NTDP)

22. Anaheim Ducks (via Boston): Jagger Firkus, RW, Moose Jaw (WHL)

23. St. Louis Blues: Mattias Havelid, D, Linkoping Jr. (SWE)

24. Minnesota Wild: Liam Ohgren, LW, Djurgarden (SWE U20)

25. Toronto Maple Leafs: Denton Mateychuk, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)

26. Montreal Canadiens (via Calgary): Reid Schaefer, LW, Seattle (WHL)

27. Arizona Coyotes (via Carolina from Montreal): Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Omsk (VHL)

28. Buffalo Sabres (via Florida): Filip Bystedt, C, Linkoping Jr. (SWE)

29. Edmonton Oilers: Isaac Howard, LW, USA U-18 (NTDP)

30. Winnipeg Jets (via N.Y. Rangers): Brad Lambert, C, Pelicans (FIN)

31. Tampa Bay Lightning: Luca Del Bel Belluz, C, Mississauga (OHL)

32. Arizona Coyotes (via Colorado): Noah Warren, D, Gatineau (QMJHL)

---

Top Prospects Guide

There are likely two players who the Canadiens will be considering with the top pick in this year's draft: Shane Wright and Juraj Slafkovsky.

Wright, an 18-year-old center who plays for Kingston of the OHL, had been projected by many mocks to be the first player taken for months. And according to The Athletic's Corey Pronman, there's a chance that happens.

"There are quite a few people in the league who believe this pick will be Shane Wright," Pronman wrote.

But it could also be Slafkovsky, an 18-year-old forward who plays for TPS Turku of Liiga in Finland. In fact, Pronman seems to think Slafkovsky may be the favorite to go No. 1 overall, which is how he has the draft starting in his latest mock.

"Based on discussions with people in the league over the last few weeks, the winds seem to be blowing in the direction of Slafkovsky—to the point that I think this is the slightly more likely scenario at the No. 1 slot," Pronman wrote.

Either player could work out in the long term for Montreal, considering Wright and Slafkovsky are both talented offensive players. The Canadiens need strong, young players to build around moving forward, and both Wright and Slafkovsky should fit the bill.

Even though Pronman has Montreal drafting Slafkovsky, there are still plenty who think Wright will be the first player to come off the board. Bleacher Report's Lyle Richardson thinks the Habs will go with Wright over Slafkovsky.

"His two-way style has been compared to the Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron," Richardson recently wrote. "Wright should provide a significant boost to the Canadiens' depth at center."

It's highly likely that Wright and Slafkovsky are the first two players to come off the board, even if it's not yet clear in what order that will happen. After that, the best fit for the Coyotes at No. 3 should be Logan Cooley, an 18-year-old center from the U.S. National Team Development Program.

The two best defenseman in this year's class are David Jiricek and Simon Nemec. Either (or both) could be taken in the top five, but neither is a sure thing to be selected that early.

This year's draft has been difficult to project, because many of the top dozen or so prospects are grouped closely together in talent level. So it should be an entertaining draft to watch, as things could unfold in a number of different ways.