2022 NHL entry draft


The 2022 NHL entry draft was the 60th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was held on July 7–8, 2022, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Montreal were originally scheduled to host the 2020 draft but were unable to do so due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since 1985, the team hosting the draft selected first overall.
The first three selections were Juraj Slafkovsky by the hosting Montreal Canadiens, Simon Nemec by the New Jersey Devils, and Logan Cooley by the Arizona Coyotes. The selections of Slovak players Slafkovsky and Nemec made this the second time that the top two draftees came from a single European country, after Russians Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in 2004.

Eligibility

Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2002, and September 15, 2004, were eligible for selection in the 2022 NHL entry draft. Additionally, un-drafted, non-North American players born in 2001 were eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2020 NHL entry draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 2002, were also eligible to re-enter the draft.

Draft lottery

Beginning with the 2014–15 NHL season the NHL changed the weighting system that was used in previous years. Under the new system the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the league decreased, while the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased. As the league reduced the number of lottery drawings before the 2021–22 season, this resulted in two lotteries being held for this draft. Beginning with this lottery and continuing onward, the teams winning one of the two drawings are allowed to move up a maximum of ten spots in the draft order and a team is only allowed to win the lottery twice in a five-year period. As a result only the eleven lowest finishing teams were eligible to win the first overall selection. The team that won the first drawing would move up to the first selection if they were seeded 1–11, teams seeded 12–16 would move up ten spots. For example, If the team seeded 12 won the first draw they would secure the second overall pick and the team seeded first would secure the first overall pick by default. For the second draw, the fifteen remaining teams were re-seeded and the teams seeded 1–12 could move up to the second overall pick if it was still available after the end of the first draw, teams seeded 13–15 could move up a maximum of ten spots. If the second overall pick was not available to the winner of the second draw that team would be awarded the next highest available selection. After the two draws were complete, all remaining draft picks were assigned to the remaining teams in inverse order of regular season finish.
The Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils won the two draft lotteries that took place on May 10, 2022, giving them the first and second picks overall. Montreal retained the first pick, while New Jersey moved up three spots. Arizona, Seattle and Philadelphia each dropped one spot to third, fourth and fifth overall, respectively.
Indicates team won first overall
Indicates team won second overall
Indicates teams that did not win a lottery

Team1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th
Montreal25.5%18.8%55.7%
Arizona13.5%14.4%30.7%41.7%
Seattle11.5%11.2%7.8%39.7%29.8%
Philadelphia9.5%9.5%0.3%15.4%44.6%20.8%
New Jersey8.5%8.6%0.3%24.5%44.0%14.2%
Chicago7.5%7.7%0.2%34.1%41.4%9.1%
Ottawa6.5%6.7%0.2%44.4%36.5%5.6%
Detroit6.0%6.2%0.2%54.4%30.0%3.2%
Buffalo5.0%5.2%0.2%64.4%23.5%1.7%
Anaheim3.5%3.7%0.1%73.3%18.4%0.9%
San Jose3.0%3.2%0.1%79.9%13.4%0.5%
Columbus5.3%85.7%8.9%0.2%
NY Islanders4.3%90.7%5.1%>0.0%
Winnipeg3.1%94.7%2.1%>0.0%
Vancouver1.1%97.9%1.1%
Vegas1.0%98.9%

Top prospects

RankingNorth American skatersEuropean skaters
1

Selections by round

The order of the 2022 entry draft is listed below.

Round one

#PlayerNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
1Juraj Slafkovsky

Round two

#PlayerNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
33Owen Beck

Round three

#PlayerNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
66Gavin Hayes

Round four

#PlayerNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
98Isaiah George

Round five

;Notes
  1. The Seattle Kraken's fifth-round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a trade on July 8, 2022, that sent Calgary's third-round pick in 2022 to Seattle in exchange for Washington's fourth-round pick in 2022 and this pick.
  2. The New Jersey Devils' fifth-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on July 28, 2021, that sent future considerations to New Jersey in exchange for Will Butcher and this pick.
  3. The Chicago Blackhawks' fifth-round pick went to the Toronto Maple Leafs as the result of a trade on July 8, 2022, that sent Winnipeg's third-round pick in 2022 to Vegas in exchange for the Rangers' third-round pick in 2022 and this pick.
  4. :Vegas previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on April 12, 2021, that sent a second-round pick in 2021 and a third-round pick in 2022 to Chicago in exchange for Nick DeSimone and this pick.
  5. The Buffalo Sabres' fifth-round pick went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on July 8, 2022, that sent a fifth-round pick in 2023 to San Jose in exchange for this pick.
  6. :San Jose previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on April 12, 2021, that sent Mattias Janmark to Vegas in exchange for this pick.
  7. :Vegas previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on June 28, 2019, that sent Colin Miller to Buffalo in exchange for St. Louis' second-round pick in 2021 and this pick.
  8. The San Jose Sharks' fifth-round pick was re-acquired as the result of a trade on March 21, 2022, that sent Jake Middleton to Minnesota in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen and this pick.
  9. :Minnesota previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on October 5, 2020, that sent Devan Dubnyk and a seventh-round pick in 2022 to San Jose in exchange for this pick.
  10. The Columbus Blue Jackets' fifth-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 25, 2019, that sent Keith Kinkaid to Columbus in exchange for this pick.
  11. The Winnipeg Jets' fifth-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on March 21, 2022, that sent Zach Sanford to Winnipeg in exchange for this pick.
  12. The Boston Bruins' fifth-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on March 21, 2022, that sent Josh Brown and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2022 to Boston in exchange for Zach Senyshyn and this pick.
  13. The Toronto Maple Leafs' fifth-round pick went to the Anaheim Ducks as the result of a trade on April 12, 2021, that sent Ben Hutton to Toronto in exchange for this pick.
  14. The Colorado Avalanche's fifth-round pick went to the New York Rangers as the result of a trade on July 7, 2022, that sent Alexandar Georgiev to Colorado in exchange for a third-round pick in both 2022 and 2023 and this pick.

Round six

#PlayerNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
162Emmett Croteau

Round seven

#PlayerNationalityNHL teamCollege/junior/club team
194Petteri Nurmi

Broadcasting

In Canada, coverage of every round of the draft was televised on Sportsnet.
In United States, coverage of the opening round of the draft was televised on ESPN and ESPN+. Coverage of the second day of the draft was televised on NHLN and ESPN+.