2022 NHL Draft – First Round Facts & Figures

The first round of the 2022 NHL Draft is slated for Thursday evening (5 p.m. MT) at the Bell Centre in Montreal, and several WHL stars wait in anticipation, hoping to hear their names called in the early going.

This marks the first time the NHL will have hosted an in-person draft since 2019 in Vancouver. The NHL Draft was hosted virtually in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winnipeg ICE playmaker Matthew Savoie is the top-ranked WHL skater ahead of the NHL Draft. The product of St. Albert, Alta., is ranked fourth among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.

Savoie’s ICE teammate, forward Conor Geekie, rounds out the top-five North American skaters.

In total, the WHL boasts seven skaters in the top 30 of the NHL Central Scouting final rankings, including Savoie, Geekie, Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman Kevin Korchinski (seven), Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus (14), Swift Current Broncos defenceman Owen Pickering (15), and Kamloops Blazers forward Fraser Minten (28). Seattle Thunderbirds forward Reid Schaefer, who was a late riser in the rankings, sits just outside the top 30, ranked 31st among North American skaters.

Between the pipes, it’s Tyler Brennan of the Prince George Cougars who ranks best among all North American goaltenders, while Mason Beaupit of the Spokane Chiefs is ranked fifth.

The WHL has done some damage during the first round of the NHL Draft in recent years.

The 2021 NHL Draft was highlighted by five WHL players selected in the first round, led by Edmonton Oil Kings star Dylan Guenther, who was selected ninth overall by the Arizona Coyotes. Guenther went on to play a vital role with the Oil Kings in 2021-22, leading the team in scoring during the regular season as well as during the 2022 WHL Playoffs and the Oil Kings march to the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

The 2020 NHL Draft featured seven WHL players selected in the first round, including another star Oil King in Kaiden Guhle – then a member of the Prince Albert Raiders – who was selected 16th overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Guhle, of course, was the backbone of the Oil Kings run to the 2022 WHL Championship, being named WHL Playoff MVP for his efforts.

The 2019 NHL Draft – the last to be conducted in-person – was a fruitful one for the WHL, and it took place in WHL territory at Rogers Place in Vancouver, B.C. That summer, the WHL celebrated a total seven first-round selections, including three in the top 10: Kirby Dach (third overall), Bowen Byram (fourth overall), and Dylan Cozens (seventh overall). All three have since gone on to play vital roles for their respective NHL Clubs, with Byram serving in a top-four role on the blueline for the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.

The 19 WHL players selected in the first rounds of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 NHL Drafts are the most among the three leagues that comprise the Canadian Hockey League, and the WHL has produced five or more first-round selections in eight of the past 10 NHL Drafts.

In 2021, 33 of 87 CHL selections (37.9%) came from the WHL. In 2020, 28 of 78 CHL selections (35.9%) came from the WHL. In 2019, 28 of 71 CHL selections (39.4%) came from the WHL.

Overall, 327 WHL players have been taken in the first round of the NHL Draft dating back to 1967.