How to create a list of draft tables

With the arrival of the 2022 draft week, the team headed to hotels and conference rooms scattered in the heart of downtown Montreal. Scouts in the last two seasons have caused confusion for both players and scout staff.

It was appropriate for the draft to be held in Montreal, and Habs won the lottery and wouldn’t have been able to write a better script. They are ready to make the first historic overall choice under the guidance of a new management group.

This will be my 19^th NHL draft. It never gets old. It’s like Christmas in July.

Most readers may now be tweaking their knowledge of potential prospects to be selected by their favorite NHL team.

What I’m trying to present is mine Personal Draft order for the first round.this is No Simulated draft. I haven’t talked to any of my former colleagues to get inside information about their thoughts and potential strategies.

I present this as if I were still on the scout staff and preparing to be at the draft table.

Here’s what’s inside my process:

1.1. After analyzing cumulative reports of players around the world, we categorize each region and list prospects in descending order of interest.

2.2. Each region is analyzed with each other. The final list begins to take shape as players are pulled from the regional list and placed in descending order on the global list. Not all regions are created the same. There are years when all the top five picks come from the North American league. Conversely, there are years when at least three of the top five companies are very likely to come from Europe. Creating a list is fluid year by year and can be done thoroughly and without prejudice.

3.3. After the final list is complete, strategies to target players in trade-ups, trade-downs, or “pick” scenarios will begin to materialize.

Note 1: The average NHL Scout displays 175-200 games per year and sends over 1,500 game reports. Analysis adds another layer to the process and plays a role in list preparation and strategic planning.

We’ve provided a Coles Note version of the process, so here’s the final list of 2022 NHL drafts.

1st place: Logan Cooley

2nd place: Shane Wright

3rd place: Yurai Slavkovsky

4th place: Simon Nemec

5th place: David Jiricek

6th place: Cutter Gautier

7th place: Matthew Savoie

8th place: Joa Kim Kemel

9th place: Marco Kasper

10th place: Jonathan Lekkeri Maki

11th place: Danilla Yurov

12th place: Kevin Kortinsky

13th place: Denton Mateichuk

14th place: Pavel Minchukov

15th place: Frank Nazar

No. 16: Isaac Howard

No. 17: Jimmy Snaguldo

18th place: Noah Ostrund

No. 19: Connor Otaku

20th place: Ivan Miloshnicenko

21st place: Liam Ogren

22nd place: Ryan Chezley

23rd place: Owen Pickering

24th place: Lane Hutson

25th place: Jiri Klichi

26th place: Luca del Bell Bells

27th place: Nathan Gocher

28th place: Lutger McGroty

No. 29: Shamus Casey

30th place: Matthias Haverid

No. 31: Calle Odelius

32nd place: Alexander Perevalov

33rd place: Owen Beck

34th place: Brad Lambert

35th place: Lian Bixel

36th place: Jaguar Filx

Strategy notes

• I chose Logan Cooley over Shane Wright because I believe his ceiling is aggressively high. I was also impressed with the competitive level of Cooley presented in all viewings. This doesn’t mean that Wright won’t be a great pro. He has all the attributes to be a great NHL player. The lights are on a higher floor than Cooley, but in my opinion Cooley is more elite.

• I rate Denton Mateichuk at number 13 and believe he’s available in that slot (my colleague Sam Cosentino had him) 26th in the simulated draft). I also have the feeling that other teams don’t have him as high as I do. This is a scenario where you pick up the phone, measure the interests of the next five teams behind you, and see if they are interested in the trade-up. You may be able to win additional picks in the second round of the transaction and still get the players you need.

Note: Risks / rewards are always associated with this type of transaction. Another reason I’m not interested in this proposed deal is the level of comfort with the players ranked 14-18 on my list. Even if the team I traded chooses Mateychuk, I will receive high quality players and additional picks.

• Before anyone points out, there are only 32 picks in the first round … I know!

The fact of the matter is that this draft could be one of the most unpredictable first rounds since I entered the league. I really believe that any of the names on my list could be in the first round. When monitoring trade-up and trade-back scenarios on the floor, it is important to ensure that the value system is functioning properly in case the phone rings.

• Scouting techniques are not an accurate science. No one knows what this draft class will look like in the future. This process always leads to sound discussions (and sometimes angry passions!).

Discuss with yourself or provide feedback on why you are passionate about the player and where he deserves to be on the final list of the year.