The 2022 NHL Draft has produced some great players who are just starting their careers. A few of them are still working on turning pro and realizing their dreams.
There is still a lot to be determined when evaluating the results of this draft, but Scott Wheeler of The Athletic did a re-draft just three years later. The results make Kyle Davidson look great, which is becoming a theme for his drafting. 2022 was his first draft fully in charge with his staff behind him.
Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) on X2022 NHL Draft re-draft:
1. MTL: Logan Cooley
2. NJD: Lane Hutson
3. ARI: Juraj Slafkovsky
4-32 (plus honourable mentions, updated projections, a full review of my ranking, and more at @TheAthletic):
https://t.co/RS1uL5LsKx
In the 2022 NHL Draft, Chicago selected Kevin Korchinski 7th overall, Frank Nazar 13th overall, and Sam Rinzel 25th overall. All three players have had stints of different lengths in the NHL so far.
In Wheeler's re-draft, things go much differently for the Chicago selections. Out of their first three selections in real life, Korchinski ended up being the third pick of the three.
Nazar goes 6th to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Rinzel goes 9th to the Buffalo Sabres, and Korchinski goes 20th to the Washington Capitals. Although Korchinski falls well below the top ten, where he was originally picked, both Nazar and Rinzel move up into the top ten. Overall, if this proves to be correct over time, that would be a win for Davidson's first draft class.
This exercise only goes over the first round. Ryan Greene, who was selected in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft by Chicago, was an honorable mention by Scott Wheeler in his re-draft.
With their original picks of 7, 13, and 25, the Blackhawks selected Simon Nemec (New Jersey, 2nd overall), Pavel Mintyujov (Anaheim, 10th overall), and Conor Geekie (Arizona, 11th overall). That would still be a good haul for Chicago, but not quite the same as what they ended up with on the actual night of the draft three off-seasons ago.
Korchinski is an offensive talent who has a lot of work to do to round out his game. Some of the defensemen in the organization, including Rinzel, have passed him on the depth chart. There is still time for Korchinski to become an everyday contributor, but he has to get going soon. He could also be used as trade bait in the coming months.
Rinzel has looked like someone who could be a top-pair guy in short order. His development at Minnesota was incredible, and his short stint in the NHL didn't look out of place even once.
As for Nazar, the Blackhawks could have a core forward. It is unclear if he will be a center or a winger in the long term, but his speed, tenacity, and creativity will keep him in the top six for a long time.
Davidson has not been shy about landing multiple first-round picks in each draft. This first draft of his had three, and there have been 11 total over the four years that he's done this. Only time will tell if Scott Wheeler's re-draft series continues to make him look this smart as a GM.
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