The 2022 NHL Entry Draft was full of surprises, for better and/or worse depending upon your rooting interests. Still, the return of an in-person format and the desire of some teams to put on a show through the first round of the draft made for an exciting affair.
In this team-by-team review of the draft, we will judge selections based on both the relative value of the pick and the value added to the team’s farm system, with more subjective weight given to the first component.
This means that a team with only five picks in the later rounds might receive a higher grade in this exercise than another one that made multiple first-round selections. We aim to grade each team’s scouting acumen, especially when looking at the early parts of the draft where the information gap is smaller due to the accumulated viewings and data.
We will only truly know the results of the draft five years from now, but as many elements can affect the development of these prospects, this kind of outside perspective and immediate review, one that is not influenced by outside factors, has merit. We are constantly questioning our rankings based on NHL feedback both at the draft and throughout the season.
