NHL 2022 Draft Players to Watch
The NHL regular season is coming to a close. Despite trying to play Cap Gymnastics with the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) the Vegas Golden Knights are still outside the playoff spots as of writing. Trey is trying to compensate for this lost with another Fantasy Hockey League win that realistically means nothing in the grand scheme of things but alas, no need to fret Knights fans because there is light at the end of the tunnel. With the playoffs inching closer (for those that make it or have already made it) it also means the NHL 2022 Draft is that much closer too. Maybe Vegas should focus their efforts there instead!?!
I was gonna start with a quip about the San Jose Sharks finally facing reality with the ‘retirement’ of Doug Wilson, but the Knights deserve the love just that little bit more. Can you imagine if they missed the playoffs!?! After all they did to get Jack Eichel!?! After poor Mark Stone played through a boo boo on his back!?! At least they’d have the Draft to fall back on. It’d be heartbreaking if they didn’t land in the top ten and get to keep this year’s first which they conditionally sent to Buffalo in the Eichel trade. Luckily for the Knights there are a number of good options available if they are to be so lucky. Here are four.
David Jiricek (D, Czechia – HC Plzen)
Jiricek is as high as second on some NHL 2022 draft boards, but I’m just not sold on the Czech Defenseman. The eighteen year old is talented and has all the tools a team would want. Size, Skill, IQ, it’s all there in some degree. In the games I viewed he had a hard time getting his shot through from the blue line and also didn’t pick the best options, firing on net when no teammate in front to tip or act as a distraction. But then he’d make an opponent overcommit and cause a breakout or read an opponent’s play and win possession. The IQ is definitely there but I’m just not sure it doesn’t need serious work at times too. My other concern is his skating and again this confuses me. There were times his edge work was fantastic and looked effortless, but then there were times he looked like he was hauling a trailer behind him and it made me wonder. The positive for Jiricek is he currently plays for HC Plzen in the Czech league and is holding his own against men. At 6’3” and 190 lbs an NHL team will definitely call his name in the first round. Add the fact he is a right handed defenseman and the likelihood that he’d come straight to North America and slide into your AHL affiliates top four, there’s every possibility Jiricek goes directly after Shane Wright, despite injuries hampering his season. I’m just not sure I would pass up on Matthew Savoie or Logan Cooley at number two considering some of the inconsistencies in Jiricek’s game.
Joakim Kemell (RW, Liiga – JYP)
Whereas Jiricek could be the one who falls , Kemell could be the one who rises. Shane Wright is going first overall, but if Kemell goes second or third I’m not yelling at the screen like I was last year when everyone was passing up on William Eklund. In fact, Dobbers Prospects agree with me and in their March mock draft had him going directly after Logan Cooley in third. Four other serious mock drafts including TSN’s Bob McKenzie and Craig Button have him in the top five, while only two have him outside the top ten. The Finnish forward is elusive, speedy, and skillful. He is the type of player who will put bums in seats and when has that ever been bad!?! This is despite his skating still needing work and his defense game needing a huge jump. His hockey IQ is there but some of the plays he makes you just know won’t fly in the NHL. Some time in North American would definitely do his development good although another season in the Finnish Liiga might be the preferred option. While it looked like earlier in the season that wouldn’t be necessary with 15 points in 12 games, 5 points in his last 10 shows there’s still room for improvement, although with 4 in his last 5 games Kemell could be heating up again just at the right time.
Seamus Casey (D, USDP)
I’m just going to come out and say it, I love this kid! I wish the Avalanche had a first round pick for this reason alone. Damn needing a goaltender for a cup run! Despite TSN’s McKenzie or Button not being high on the Miami, Florida native, most other NHL 2022 Draft outlets are in agreement that Casey’s name will be called during the first round. Maybe it’s because of the very Irish name (always a bonus) or maybe it’s his electric game that pulls the attention. Whatever it is I have no doubts in saying this kid will be a star. His stick handling, reading the game, breakouts, skating skills, and positioning already make him a standout and will only get better as he takes the NCAA route with the University of Michigan. At 5’10” 161lbs he’s another of the recent so called undersized Defenseman that have been taking the league by storm and while his NHL selector could choose the four year college option I would be shocked if he makes it into his third. His defensive play will continue to get better as he gets stronger and the few bad habits that are in his game should be eradicated pretty quickly.
Jordan Dumais (RW, QMJHL – Halifax Mooseheads)
This is the one I’m baffled by. Most NHL 2022 Draft rankings have Dumais going late in the second or early in the third round. The forward has 77 points in 58 games with 50 assists. The kid is a point making machine. Yet he was left out of the Top Prospect game earlier this year and is slipping on most boards. If this guy falls to the Colorado Avalanche in the third round I am beyond ecstatic. Even teammate Zachary L’Heureux, 2021 first round draft pick of the Nashville Predators, was baffled by the omittance of his teammate tweeting out:
The diminutive forward (please don’t let this be the reason he’s falling NHL Scouts) has amazing handwork, a quick release, decent shot that will get better with work and reads the game at as high a level as his teammate L’Heureux. His defense needs a lot of work but at 17 years old another two seasons in the QMJHL should help with that. Everything I’ve seen baffles me that he is dropping. Is there a character flaw that scouts have picked up on!?! Is it because he’s with high end players like L’Heureux that he’s overlooked!?! Either way if Dumais continues to drop someone is going to get an absolute bargain in this year’s draft.
