17 CHL players listed in TSN’s 2022 NHL Draft Preseason Rankings

It is never too early to look ahead to the upcoming NHL Draft class.

On Thursday, TSN’s Director of Scouting Craig Button did just that, releasing his annual preseason projections of the top-32 players who could be chosen in the opening round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

The CHL was the most represented league amongst that group, with 17 skaters from coast to coast earning recognition:

1 – C Shane Wright, Kingston (OHL)

The undisputed favourite to be selected atop the 2022 NHL Draft class, the Frontenacs centre is a dominant offensive presence up the middle who now looks to follow up on a dazzling freshman campaign in 2019-20 in which his 66 points in 58 games outpaced Connor McDavid’s 66 points coming in a 63-game rookie season with Erie in 2012-13.

8 – RW Matt Savoie, Winnipeg (WHL)

The first-overall selection from the 2019 WHL Draft, Savoie is set to return to the ICE following a 22-game trial run with the club in 2019-20 that saw him pick up seven helpers, all part of a year in which he also joined Team Canada White at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he recorded six points in as many appearances. 

9 – D Kevin Korchinski, Seattle (WHL)

A modern defenceman, Korchinski brings adequate size to the back end mixed with a keen ability to move the puck up the ice as shown in his 23 games with the Thunderbirds last season in which he registered 10 assists. The coming season will see Korchinski continue to further refine his offensive skill set while also working to add bulk to his frame.

11 – D Ty Nelson, North Bay (OHL)

Chosen by the Battalion with the top pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, Nelson’s long-awaited OHL debut will soon become a reality this fall. Sidelined last season with the OHL shuttered, Nelson last skated with the under-16 Toronto Jr. Canadiens in 2019-20 where the budding blue-liner finished just shy of point-per-game production in coming up with 11 goals and 21 assists through 33 appearances.

13 – C Nathan Gaucher, Quebec (QMJHL)

Not only does the Remparts pivot bring plenty of scoring touch as evidenced by his 31 points through 30 showings last season, but he is also strong at both ends of the ice as last year saw him finish as a finalist for the Guy Carbonneau Trophy as the QMJHL’s top defensive forward. Another strong season could see Gaucher become the first member of the Remparts to be taken in the opening round of the NHL Draft since 2012.

14 – C Hunter Haight, Barrie (OHL)

The ninth-overall pick from the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, it is no doubt why the Colts called upon Haight early after the talented centre was a top producer for the under-16 Elgin Middlesex Chiefs in 2019-20 in which he finished second in team scoring with 58 points in 33 games.

17 – LW Antonin Verreault, Gatineau (QMJHL)

Part of the latest wave of undersized but uber-skilled wingers, Verreault flashed his high offensive potential with the Olympiques last season where despite the abbreviated campaign he still approached a point-per-game pace in coming up with six goals and 23 assists through 31 contests, and he is only just scratching the surface.

18 – C Conor Geekie, Winnipeg (WHL)

The second-overall pick from the 2019 WHL Draft, Geekie is a key cog of a burgeoning young core in the Manitoba capital. Bringing always desirable size down the middle, Geekie uses his strength to manufacture offensive opportunities as he did last season with the ICE when he produced 23 points counting nine goals and 14 assists in 24 outings. 

19 – D Tristan Luneau, Gatineau (QMJHL)

Chosen atop the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft, Luneau provided exciting early returns for the Olympiques last season as part of a successful freshman year where he was entrusted with key minutes all while putting up 18 points through 31 games, helping him to earn a spot on the QMJHL All-Rookie Team in addition to the Raymond Lagace Trophy as the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.

20 – D Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville (QMJHL)

A big-time blue-liner, the hulking Lamoureux brings no shortage of size to the back end in standing 6-foot-7 and nearly 200 pounds, an increasingly rare element in today’s game. Debuting with the Voltigeurs in 2020-21, the Hawkesbury, Ont., native found the scoresheet seven times, while the coming campaign will see him work to continue growing the offensive side of his game.

21 – C Bryce McConnell-Barker, Soo (OHL)

Hearing his name called by the Soo at the No. 4 slot in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, McConnell-Barker is an industrious, relentless centre who offers intriguing upside and brings solid vision and playmaking abilities as evidenced by his under-16 season with the London Jr. Knights in 2019-20 that saw him lead his squad in scoring with 48 points in 33 games.

22 – D Spencer Sova, Erie (OHL)

Another early pick from the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, Sova brings speed, hockey IQ, and eye-popping puck-moving abilities from the back end. A strong skater who plays with plenty of pace, Sova was a part of the under-15 Honeybaked program in 2019-20 in which he finished second among team rearguards with 57 points in as many outings.

23 – C Jordan Gustafson, Seattle (WHL)

Debuting with the Thunderbirds in 2020-21, Gustafson put together a modest first season that saw him finish with four goals and seven assists for 11 points through 23 games, while the coming campaign will see him take on an expanded role. A native of Ardrossan, Alta., Gustafson was originally chosen eighth overall in the 2019 WHL Draft.

28 – LW Brandon Lisowsky, Saskatoon (WHL)

Lisowsky excels at hockey’s most critical aspect – finding the back of the net – as he showed last season with the Blades, tallying eight times and adding nine assists as part of a successful 24-game rookie season showing with the club. Key to Lisowsky’s success is his willingness to shoot the puck with regularity as he averaged more than two shots a game last season.

30 – D Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw (WHL)

A mobile, two-way defenceman, Mateychuk first debuted with the Warriors in 2019-20, seeing a seven-game trial in which he picked up two assists and got a more complete idea of what to expect when he joined the squad full-time in the ensuing season, a busy year in which he registered nine points in 16 games and also helped Canada to a gold-medal finish at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship.

31 – LW Samuel Savoie, Gatineau (QMJHL)

Another aspiring star on a rebuilt Olympiques roster, Savoie brings a key willingness to play in traffic and go to the difficult areas of the ice to earn his scoring chances. The fourth-overall selection from the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft, Savoie made the jump to Gatineau last season where through 27 showings he tallied two goals and seven assists.

32 – C Danny Zhilkin, Guelph (OHL)

Bringing ample skill and offensive creativity, the Storm centre was originally chosen 14th overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection, then put together a modest first season in which he netted 15 points in 60 games. Although born in Russia, Zhilkin moved to Canada at an early age and has represented the Great White North on multiple occasions including the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as well as the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship.