2022 NHL Mock Draft: Montreal Canadiens Get It Right With Shane Wright

Often stylistically compared to Roman Hamrlik, there’s almost no doubt that with the right and proper development, Jiricek will become a number one defenceman in the NHL. He has the size, speed and skill to exceed at all levels of the game and has always played at levels above his age level, thus accelerating his learning curve. The Blue Jackets have some pretty “ho-hum” players and prospects playing behind Zach Werenski who’s going to be carrying the Jacket’s blue line for the next 6 years with his new contract starting next season. Columbus having Jiricek fall in their lap would be a smart pick, as it would allow them to develop Jiricek properly and not have to rush him over to North American ice. Then once ready, the Jackets will have some luxury on the blue line. Patrick Lortie

For a minute there, it looked like Ottawa was going to be able to put a defensive pairing of Jake Sanderson and David Jiricek. Instead, the Sens will settle for Cutter Gauthier a big winger who will bring a physical edge to an already loaded offensive unit in Ottawa. Standing at 6 foot 3, Gauthier is not just a bruiser, as he has great finishing ability and is a solid skater at his size. He’d fit really nicely into Ottawa’s top six, especially in a more secondary role, creating space for Tim Stützle and Josh Norris to do their thing. The Sens took Tyler Boucher last year, who is also physical but lacks the tools that Gauthier has, and this is the Sens’ chance to rectify that with a better player at #7. Ryan Praught

The Red Wings have little depth in their talent pool down the middle, and Frank Nazar would be a tremendous fit in an organization striving to build a modern high-skill and high-intensity team, both of which Nazar has a ton of. No player in the class attacks the middle with the ability and determination of Nazar, which makes his game very projectable to the NHL. He’s equal parts playmaker as he is a goalscorer, and he’s one of the quickest players in the class as well as a technically refined skater. He also brings more defensive value than his teammate Logan Cooley, mainly due to his intense style of play carrying over to the defensive side of the puck. Nazar’s upside is among the very highest in the draft and seeing Yzerman swinging on his combination of skill, intensity, and position wouldn’t surprise me whatsoever. Sebastian High

The best part of Danila Yurov’s game is his mind, which I love in a prospect. He is one of those players that just seems like they are in the right place at the right time to receive a pass from a teammate or intercept an opponent’s pass in the neutral zone. His mental strength makes him a great puck control and puck possession player. The question with Yurov is whether his skill is high-end enough to become a full-on offensive threat in the NHL. He isn’t afraid to play physically and chip in in the defensive zone. Yurov right now is in limbo between the MHL and KHL, but if he finds a home in North America, I think he is a very safe bet to become a middle-six, puck controlling forward in the future. Joshua Rosa

Mintyukov is honestly my favorite prospect of my selections, and his solid frame, impressive offensive numbers on a weak and overall lacking Saginaw Spirits team, and general excellent awareness, skillset, and potential as a true offensive defenseman, give me brief flashes of well, the previously mentioned Cale Makar, or at the very least, an Ivan Provorov with, hopefully, improved consistency. While the defensive aspects of his game still leave a lot to be desired, Mintyukov would fit perfectly into an organization like Anaheim’s that has, in my opinion, been picking up some top-notch rookie talent over the last while. While the sample size is small (Mintyukov had previously struggled in Russia’s MHL) and there’s noticeable flaws in his overall game, Mintyukov’s ceiling is high and honestly too intriguing to pass up at 10th overall, and in a league like the AHL, a player of his type would undoubtedly flourish. Scott Cowan