Inside Scott Wheeler’s Bold 2022 NHL Draft Shake-Up: Which Stars Rise and Fall?

While three years obviously isn’t the finish line for these prospects, I believe it’s the earliest point of re-entry for some takeaways. These players are almost all now 21 or 22 and either established as NHLers or approaching the end of their prospect lifecycle.

This piece — along with my guide to scouting and my annual players I got wrong column (out earlier this week) — is one of several I produce each year to audit my work, my process and my results.

It has never been lost on me how different my job is from that of an NHL scout. Theirs is an unenviable one done under an internal and external microscope, where review and criticism of their choices determine their livelihood. When they stick their neck out on a prospect, it can come with real-world consequences if that player doesn’t pan out. It’s a cutthroat business where most prospects’ odds of not making it are greater than their odds of NHL success, and where most scouts live under the constant pressures of short contracts.

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