HockeyProspect.com is pleased to release our first 2022 NHL Draft Ranking of the season. While we always release our very early list for the following year's draft in the previous drafts edition of our NHL Draft Black Book, the first release of the season arrives in late September or October.

Our first list is usually released slightly earlier but with the OHL not playing last season and starting a few weeks later this season, we decided to slightly delay this initial list.

Shane Wright is off to a bit of a slow start this season but he is still the player sitting at the top of our first ranking of the season. Wright was outstanding two years ago in his rookie season, posting 39 goals and 27 assists in just 58 games.  Sitting second overall on our ranking is Conor Geekie from the Winnipeg Ice. Geekie had 23 points in 24 games in last year's shortened WHL season. This year he has 3 goals and 5 assists in 9 games so far. Filling out the rest of our top five on our ranking are Logan Cooley from the USNTDP, Danila Yurov, from Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL and Owen Pickering from the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL. Pickering was not included in our top 32 ranking that we released back in June in our 2021 NHL Draft Black Book.

The number of viewings can range widely from one prospect to another on these early lists but this early ranking gives an idea of where player grades are trending with us in the early going.

We'll be releasing more audio this week to talk about some of the players on our initial list.

Audio- Mark Edwards talk's about the ranking release and scouting in the early season. https://hpwebmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/2022/10/25112534/2022NHLDraft_October25.mp3

HockeyProspect.com 2022 NHL Draft Ranking Top 32 - October 25th, 2021

RankLASTFIRSTTEAMLEAGUEPOSHEIGHTWEIGHT 

1WrightShaneKingstonOHLRC6'01"185

2GeekieConorWinnipegWHLLC6'03"193

3CooleyLoganUSNTDP U-18NTDPLC5'10"174

4YurovDanilaMetallurg MagnitogorskKHLLW/LC6'01"178

5PickeringOwenSwift CurrentWHLD6'04"179

6SlafkovskyJurajTPSLiigaLW6'04"225

7NazarFrankUSNTDP U-18NTDPRC/RW5'10"175

8HowardIsaacUSNTDP U-18NTDPLW5'10"182

9SavoieMatthewWinnipegWHLRC5'09"179

10KemellJoakimJYPLiigaRW5'11"171

11SalomonssonEliasSkelleftea J20J20 NationellRD6'00"172

12JiricekDavidHC PlzenCZERD6'03"189

13PerevalovAlexanderLoko YaroslavlMHLRW6'00"191

14NymanJaniIlvesLiigaLW6'03"212

15MesarFilipHK PropadSVKRC/RW5'10"167

16OstlundNoahDjurgardens IF J20J20 NationellLC5'09"143

17LekkerimakiJonathanDjurgardens IF J20J20 NationellRW5'11"165

18ChesleyRyanUSNTDP U-18NTDPRD6'00"187

19NemecSimonHK NitraSVKRD6'00"190

20LambertBradJYPLiigaRC/RW6'00"175

21SnuggerudJimmyUSNTDP U-18NTDPRW6'01"186

22NeuchevViktorAvto YekaterinburgMHLRW6'02"165

23DudaArtyomKrasnaya Armiya MoskvaMHLLD6'01"180

24MiroshnichenkoIvanOmskie KryliaVHLLW/RW6'01"185

25LuneauTristanGatineauQMJHLRD6'02"175

26KulichJiriHC Karlovy VaryCZEC/LW6'00"172

27KasperMarcoRogleSHLLW6'01"183

28HughesJackNortheasternNCAALC5'11"165

29GauthierCutterUSNTDP U-18NTDPLW6'02"189

30LutzJulianEHC MunchenDELLW6'02"185

31KorchinskiKevinSeattleWHLLD6'01"185

32GaucherNathanQuebecQMJHLRC/RW6'03"208

Members can click here to see the FULL TOP 64 RANKING. 

Shane Wright of the KIngston Frontenacs. Photo by Robert Lefebvre/OHL Images.