The 2022 NHL entry draft was the 60th draft for the National Hockey League. It was held on July 7–8, 2022, at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Montreal was originally scheduled to host the 2020 draft but was 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 overallIndicates team won second overallIndicates teams that did not win a lottery
{| class="wikitable" |+ Complete draft position odds ! Team ! 1st ! 2nd ! 3rd ! 4th ! 5th ! 6th ! 7th ! 8th ! 9th ! 10th ! 11th ! 12th ! 13th ! 14th ! 15th ! 16th |- ! Montreal |style="background:#A9D0F5;"| 25.5% || 18.8% || 55.7% || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- ! Arizona | 13.5% || 14.4% ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 30.7% || 41.7% || || || || || || || || || || || || |- ! Seattle | 11.5% || 11.2% || 7.8% ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 39.7% || 29.8% || || || || || || || || || || || |- ! Philadelphia | 9.5% || 9.5% || 0.3% || 15.4% ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 44.6% || 20.8% || || || || || || || || || || |- ! New Jersey | 8.5% ||style="background:#F5A9BC;"| 8.6% || 0.3% || || 24.5% || 44.0% || 14.2% || || || || || || || || || |- ! Chicago | 7.5% || 7.7% || 0.2% || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 34.1% || 41.4% || 9.1% || || || || || || || || |- ! Ottawa | 6.5% || 6.7% || 0.2% || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 44.4% || 36.5% || 5.6% || || || || || || || |- ! Detroit | 6.0% || 6.2% || 0.2% || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 54.4% || 30.0% || 3.2% || || || || || || |- ! Buffalo | 5.0% || 5.2% || 0.2% || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 64.4% || 23.5% || 1.7% || || || || || |- ! Anaheim | 3.5% || 3.7% || 0.1% || || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 73.3% || 18.4% || 0.9% || || || || |- ! San Jose | 3.0% || 3.2% || 0.1% || || || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 79.9% || 13.4% || 0.5% || || || |- ! Columbus | || 5.3% || || || || || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 85.7% || 8.9% || 0.2% || || |- ! NY Islanders | || || 4.3% || || || || || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 90.7% || 5.1% || >0.0% || |- ! Winnipeg | || || || 3.1% || || || || || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 94.7% || 2.1% || >0.0% |- ! Vancouver | || || || || 1.1% || || || || || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 97.9% || 1.1% |- ! Vegas | || || || || || 1.0% || || || || || || || || || ||style="background:#DDDDDD;"| 98.9%
Top prospects Source: NHL Central Scouting (May 5, 2022) ranking.
Ranking North American skaters European skaters 1 Shane Wright (C) Juraj Slafkovsky (LW) 2 Logan Cooley (C) Joakim Kemell (RW) 3 Cutter Gauthier (LW) Simon Nemec (D) 4 Matthew Savoie (C) David Jiricek (D) 5 Conor Geekie (C) Marco Kasper (C) 6 Pavel Mintyukov (D) Jonathan Lekkerimaki (RW) 7 Kevin Korchinski (D) Danila Yurov (RW) 8 Luca Del Bel Belluz (C) Liam Ohgren (LW) 9 Isaac Howard (LW) Lian Bichsel (D) 10 Owen Beck (C) Brad Lambert (C) Ranking North American goalies European goalies 1 Tyler Brennan Topias Leinonen 2 Ivan Zhigalov Hugo Havelid 3 Dylan Silverstein Jan Spunar
Selections by round The order of the 2022 entry draft is listed below.
Round one
# Player Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team 1 Juraj Slafkovsky (LW) Slovakia Montreal Canadiens HC TPS (Liiga) 2 Simon Nemec (D) Slovakia New Jersey Devils HK Nitra (Tipos Extraliga) 3 Logan Cooley (C) United States Arizona Coyotes U.S. NTDP (USHL) 4 Shane Wright (C) Canada Seattle Kraken Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) 5 Cutter Gauthier (LW) United States Philadelphia Flyers U.S. NTDP (USHL) 6 David Jiricek (D) Czech Republic Columbus Blue Jackets (from Chicago)1 HC Skoda Plzen (Czech Extraliga) 7 Kevin Korchinski (D) Canada Chicago Blackhawks (from Ottawa)2 Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) 8 Marco Kasper (C) Austria Detroit Red Wings Rogle BK (SHL) 9 Matthew Savoie (C) Canada Buffalo Sabres Winnipeg Ice (WHL) 10 Pavel Mintyukov (D) Russia Anaheim Ducks Saginaw Spirit (OHL) 11 Conor Geekie (C) Canada Arizona Coyotes (from San Jose)3 Winnipeg Ice (WHL) 12 Denton Mateychuk (D) Canada Columbus Blue Jackets Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) 13 Frank Nazar (C) United States Chicago Blackhawks (from NY Islanders via Montreal)4 U.S. NTDP (USHL) 14 Rutger McGroarty (RW) United States Winnipeg Jets U.S. NTDP (USHL) 15 Jonathan Lekkerimaki (RW) Sweden Vancouver Canucks Djurgardens IF (SHL) 16 Noah Ostlund (C) Sweden Buffalo Sabres (from Vegas)5 Djurgardens IF (SHL) 17 Joakim Kemell (RW) Finland Nashville Predators JYP Jyvaskyla (Liiga) 18 Lian Bichsel (D) Switzerland Dallas Stars Leksands IF (SHL) 19 Liam Ohgren (LW) Sweden Minnesota Wild (from Los Angeles)6 Djurgardens IF (SHL) 20 Ivan Miroshnichenko (RW) Russia Washington Capitals Omskie Krylya (VHL) 21 Owen Pickering (D) Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Swift Current Broncos (WHL) 22 Nathan Gaucher (C) Canada Anaheim Ducks (from Boston)7 Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) 23 Jimmy Snuggerud (RW) United States St. Louis Blues U.S. NTDP (USHL) 24 Danila Yurov (RW) Russia Minnesota Wild Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) 25 Sam Rinzel (D) United States Chicago Blackhawks (from Toronto)8 Chaska Hawks (USHS-MN) 26 Filip Mesar (RW) Slovakia Montreal Canadiens (from Calgary)9 HK Poprad (Tipos Extraliga) 27 Filip Bystedt (C) Sweden San Jose Sharks (from Carolina via Montreal and Arizona)10 Linkoping HC (SHL) 28 Jiri Kulich (C) Czech Republic Buffalo Sabres (from Florida)11 Karlovy Vary (Czech Extraliga) 29 Maveric Lamoureux (D) Canada Arizona Coyotes (from Edmonton)12 Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) 30 Brad Lambert (C) Finland Winnipeg Jets (from NY Rangers)13 Lahti Pelicans (Liiga) 31 Isaac Howard (LW) United States Tampa Bay Lightning U.S. NTDP (USHL) 32 Reid Schaefer (LW) Canada Edmonton Oilers (from Colorado via Arizona)14 Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) Notes The Chicago Blackhawks' first-round pick went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on July 23, 2021, that sent Seth Jones, Tampa Bay's first-round pick in 2021 and a sixth-round pick in 2022 to Chicago in exchange for Adam Boqvist, a first and second-round pick both in 2021 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Columbus will receive a first-round pick in 2022 if Chicago does not win either of the two draws in the 2022 Draft Lottery – was converted when the Blackhawks did not win either draw in the 2022 draft lottery on May 10, 2022. The Ottawa Senators' first-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on July 7, 2022, that sent Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa in exchange for a second-round pick in 2022, a third-round pick in 2024 and this pick. The San Jose Sharks' first-round pick went to the Arizona Coyotes as the result of a trade on July 7, 2022, that sent Carolina's first-round-pick in 2022 (27th overall), a second-round pick in 2022 (34th overall) and the Islanders' second-round pick in 2022 (45th overall) to San Jose in exchange for this pick. The New York Islanders' first-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on July 7, 2022, that sent Kirby Dach to Montreal in exchange for a third-round pick in 2022 (66th overall) and this pick. Montreal previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 7, 2022, that sent Alexander Romanov and a fourth-round pick in 2022 (98th overall) to the Islanders in exchange for this pick. The Vegas Golden Knights' first-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on November 4, 2021, that sent Jack Eichel and a conditional third-round pick in 2023 to Vegas in exchange for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a conditional second-round pick in 2023 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Buffalo will receive a first-round pick in 2022 if Vegas' first-round pick is outside of the top ten selections – was converted when the Golden Knights did not win either draw in the 2022 draft lottery on May 10, 2022. The Los Angeles Kings' first-round pick went to the Minnesota Wild as the result of a trade on June 29, 2022, that sent Kevin Fiala to Los Angeles in exchange for Brock Faber and this pick. The Boston Bruins' first-round pick went to the Anaheim Ducks as the result of a trade on March 19, 2022, that sent Hampus Lindholm and Kodie Curran to Boston in exchange for Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore, a second-round pick in both 2023 and 2024 and this pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on July 7, 2022, that sent a second-round pick in 2022 (38th overall) to Toronto in exchange for Petr Mrazek and this pick. The Calgary Flames' first-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on February 14, 2022, that sent Tyler Toffoli to Calgary in exchange for Tyler Pitlick, Emil Heineman, a fifth-round pick in 2023, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Montreal will receive a first-round pick in 2022 if Calgary's first-round pick is outside of the top ten selections – was converted when the Flames qualified for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 16, 2022.