Shane Wright no longer a lock to go first overall in 2022 NHL Draft

The Montreal Canadiens’ decision with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft might’ve gotten a little more interesting. 

Because Shane Wright is no longer the consensus top pick for the 2022 draft.

Juraj Slafkovsky, not Wright, topped Bob McKenzie’s annual scout survey for NHL Draft supremacy, with five of 10 scouts surveyed by the TSN hockey insider opting to go with the Slovak left winger over the Canadian centre who has sat atop draft rankings all season long and was seen as a virtual lock to go No. 1.

“The headline will be that it’s the first time this season — that includes pre-season rankings in September; mid-season rankings in January; draft lottery edition rankings in April; and now the final rankings in June — that someone other than Wright is No. 1,” McKenzie wrote Tuesday. 

Slafkovsky was fifth in McKenzie’s midterm poll. 

Since that survey, Slafkovsky, who plays for TPS in Finland’s top men’s league, earned MVP honours at the 2022 Beijing Olympics after pacing the tournament with seven goals in seven games. He also had a standout performance at the 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championship, leading Slovakia with nine points (three goals, six assists) in eight games.  

Slafkovsky is the top-ranked European skater for the 2022 draft by NHL Central Scouting.

Wright, who was granted exceptional status into the Ontario Hockey League as a 15-year-old in 2019, scored 94 points (32 goals, 62 assists) in 63 games as captain of the Kingston Frontenacs. He is the top-ranked skater on Central Scouting’s list of North American players.  

Four of the 10 scouts picked Wright as the No. 1. 

“Wright’s game left some scouts wanting more from him, especially in terms of competitiveness and goal scoring,” McKenzie continued. “But he’s still viewed as having a more mature, well-rounded game than Slafkovsky. He’s also a better skater.

Logan Cooley of the US National Team Development Program also received one first-place vote. 

The Canadiens won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 10, and hold the first pick in the 2022 draft. The club hasn’t selected No. 1 since picking Doug Wickenheiser with the first overall pick in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. 

The 2022 NHL Draft, fittingly enough, is being held at Bell Centre in Montreal on July 8 and 9. It’ll be the first time since 1985 that the host team has held the No. 1 pick in the draft.