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The Montreal Canadiens Win the NHL Draft Lottery

2022 nhl draft lottery

The Montreal Canadiens win the 2022 NHL draft lottery and will pick first overall at home on July 7 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. This is the first time since 1985 that the team hosting the draft picks first. The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Wendel Clark in 1985. The New Jersey Devils won the lottery for the second pick.

The Montreal Canadiens Win the NHL Draft Lottery

This is the first time since 1980 that the Montreal Canadiens will pick first overall.

Last Word on Sports’s prospect expert, Ben Kerr, has Kingston Frontenacs centre Shane Wright ranked first and USNTDP centre Logan Cooley ranked second.

Wright was granted exceptional status to play in the OHL at 15-years-old. This season, Wright scored 32 goals, and 62 assists for 94 points in 63 games. Kerr writes that Wright is a complete centreman that can play in all situations and stylistically compares to Patrice Bergeron. Kerr calls him, “a franchise leading centre.”

Cooley has scored 27 goals and 48 assists for 75 points in 51 games for the USNTDP. Kerr writes that he has the potential to be a first-line complete centre. Stylistically, he compares to Brayden Point.

Here is the draft order among the non-playoff teams

  1. Montreal Canadiens
  2. New Jersey Devils
  3. Arizona Coyotes
  4. Seattle Kraken
  5. Philadelphia Flyers
  6. Columbus Blue Jackets (from the Chicago Blackhawks)
  7. Ottawa Senators
  8. Detroit Red Wings
  9. Buffalo Sabres
  10. Anaheim Ducks
  11. San Jose Sharks
  12. Columbus Blue Jackets
  13. New York Islanders
  14. Winnipeg Jets
  15. Vancouver Canucks
  16. Buffalo Sabres (from the Vegas Golden Knights)

What This Means for the Future

Montreal has the potential to add a complete top centre to complement Nick Suzuki down the middle for years to come. The New Jersey Devils have two young top two centremen in  Jack Hughes and  Nico Hischier. There is a strong possibility they will take a winger or a defenceman instead of a centre.

Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images

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