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

And the 2022 draft was a good test because of both the impacts of the pandemic on the 2003 and 2004 age groups and there not being a consensus No. 1 prospect then or now.

Let’s look back at how I did and how it would change today.

1. Montreal Canadiens: C Logan Cooley

Actual draft pick: No. 3 (change: +2) to Arizona 
My final ranking: No. 3 (change: +2)

Cooley leads the 2022 class in goals (45) and goals per game (0.29), and leads its forwards in assists per game (0.41) and points per game (0.69, or 57 points per 82 games through his first two seasons). He’s also the only player in the class who is his team’s first-line center, the only player in the class who has a 25-goal season and one of only two players in the class with a 60-point season after registering 65 points in 75 games last year (second to Clayton Keller in team scoring). He has skill and pace as a playmaker, but he’s also a driver who plays a competitive game that includes the guts of the ice and he played to positive on-ice and relative results with Utah last year.

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