With the CHL Top Prospects Game in the rearview mirror and Future Watch available now, it felt like a good time to get into some 2022 draft rankings. Perilous as always, this year has now been complicated further by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has severed many ties between the Big Red Machine and the rest of the hockey world. It's hard to say yet how that will impact Russian draft prospects, but I think it's fair to assume that kids who stayed in Russia will be affected, while those who came over to North America will likely be questioned by NHL teams about their commitment to stay over here. And of course, there is the case of Ivan Miroschnichenko who has been battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. Needless to say, his first priority is to get healthy, but his standing in the draft (already complicated) will be a big X-factor. To give you a general sense of my thought process here, it's my understanding that Shane Wright is in a tier of his own. My big challenge was the next tier, as it doesn't seem like there is much separating the next five picks (though I like Cooley, the center at No. 2). And while it may be surprising for some to see Geekie ahead of his dynamic teammate Savoie, I always go back to the last-second nerves that NHL teams seem to get in the top 10 when it comes to a player 5-foot-10 and under. To use the best/worst sports cliche, it is what it is.
The Athletic
The Hockey Writers