NHL DRAFT PREVIEW - PICKS 11-16

Jared Rotenberg

Now, with the top 10 prospects off the board, the remainder of the lottery teams are hungry to select one of the phenomenal draft eligible players still remaining. Who will be taken in the 11-16 range? Stick with us to hear all of my draft day predictions.

San Jose Sharks - Frank Nazar - Right Wing / Center

The San Jose Sharks currently have a plethora of forward prospects, with a striking lack of defensive talent in the prospect pipeline. This has led several scouts to predict that the Sharks will be eyeing a defenseman with their first round pick in this year's draft. However, if USDP forward Frank Nazar is still available with the 11th overall pick in this year's draft, I simply don’t see a way that they pass on him. Frank Nazar is somewhat undersized, standing at only 5’10”, however he has incredible skill as a two-way forward that should make him an incredibly desirable prospect, likely to be selected just outside of the top 10. Nazar is a phenomenal skater and one of the fastest in this draft.

As well, he is very talented offensively, with strong playmaking ability and a quick release on his spectacular wrist shot. He doesn’t quite have the same high upside or ceiling that the prospects above him have. However, he does have one of the highest floors of any prospect in the draft, based on his talent and skill right now, and this should help him transition smoothly into the National Hockey League. This season for the USDP U18 team, Nazar put up 28 goals and 42 assists, for a total of 70 points in the 56 games he played. The San Jose draft pick should be an interesting one, as they have several options based on whether or not they want to select a forward or defenseman. However, if Frank Nazar is still available at the 11th overall position, I would not be surprised to see him called up on stage to don the San Jose Sharks teal jersey.

Columbus Blue Jackets - Filip Mešár - Right Wing / Center

With the Columbus Blue Jackets second pick in the first round of this year’s NHL draft, I believe they will select highly creative forward Filip Mešár, to add to their offense-heavy prospect pool. Slovakian forward Filip Mešár is certainly not the biggest in size, standing at only 5’10”, however he possesses phenomenal skating ability and incredible foot speed, as well as spectacular playmaking ability, and some of the best hands in the entire draft, wowing scouts at every turn. He thrives when carrying the puck up the ice, and his shot is strong as well, despite not always being the most accurate. He certainly has areas to improve in, including in his strength and shot selection. For these reasons he is likely to end up being selected in the middle of the first round, as opposed to any earlier.

However, for the Columbus Blue Jackets, this would be perfect as their 12th overall pick should present them with an opportunity to snatch up Mešár. His offensive upside isn’t as high as the others in his draft class, but being one of the fastest and most skilled players eligible for the 2022 draft, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a team take a chance on Filip Mešár. This season, playing for HK Poprad of the Tipos Extraliga, Mešár put up 16 points in the 37 games he played. Similarly to other European players in this year's draft class, he is a young player in a mens league, so these numbers are very much acceptable.

In the international tournaments he participated in, he dazzled scouts with his ability, despite not putting up the most impressive point totals, which has led to his steady rise up the draft rankings. He is a player that certainly isn’t expected to jump right into an NHL role right away, as he still has a ways to go in his development, however a rebuilding team like the Blue Jackets would certainly be encouraged to select a prospect oozing skill and talent, such as Filip Mešár.

New York Islanders - Kevin Korchinski - Defense

With the 13th overall pick, my prediction is that the defensive New York Islanders will draft a player who fits within their play style, with the selection of big body, two-way defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Now there is certainly the possibility that the Islanders will work to improve their scoring ability in this draft, and this would mean they would pass on a defenseman such as this. However, with an offensively gifted and big body defenseman right there available to them, I do believe there is a very good possibility that Korchinski will become an Islander. Standing at 6’2”, Korchinski is certainly a player who already possesses NHL size, even at only 17 years old.

On top of his impressive height, he is an incredible skater who has great vision and puck handling ability. These skillsets help him to thrive offensively, an area in which he is very strong. But, as well, his large reach allows him to be a dangerous defensive player, which would be very much valued by a team who plays a defensive system, such as the New York Islanders. This season with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, Korchinski put up 4 goals and 61 assists, for a total of 65 points in the 67 games he played.

Some extra muscle and strength, as well as an improvement in his decision-making are certainly things that will help his defensive ability, and thus get him closer to being NHL ready. But at this position of the draft, a few positions outside of the top 10, I very much believe that two-way defenseman Kevin Korchinski would be a phenomenal pick for the New York Islanders.

Winnipeg Jets - Jonathan Lekkerimäki - Right Wing

Now, the Winnipeg Jets are a team that I believe should work to improve their defensive core throughout this offseason, given that this is one of their major flaws. However, at 14th overall, with pure goal-scorer Jonathan Lekkerimäki staring them right in the face, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jets go against their needs, in order to select the best player available. The Swedish sniper will be a hard player to pass on, and for this reason I am predicting that he will wind up in a Winnipeg Jets jersey at this year’s draft.

Without a doubt, Lekkerimäki’s main strength comes in terms of his shooting ability. He is a player that can score in multiple different ways, be it his deceptive wrist shot, booming slap shot, or terrifying one-timer. This ability to score has made Lekkerimäki a prospect to keep an eye on in the mid-first round portion of this year’s NHL draft. Despite his phenomenal scoring ability, he is not a flawless player, and there are areas in his game that he needs to improve. Primarily, his skating speed, size, and strength, as well as his defensive ability do need some work.

Still however, with the 20 goals, 15 assists, and 35 points he put up in 26 games with Djurgårdens IF’s J20 junior team, as well as the 7 goals and 9 points he put up with the Djurgårdens IF’s SHL men’s team, there are certainly reasons to believe that Lekkerimäki will be off the board by the middle of the first round. Despite the risks associated with this prospect, if he can polish out these kinks in his game, improve defensively, and put on some extra muscle, Jonathan Lekkerimäki has the potential to be a future NHL calibre sniper, and a player that the Winnipeg Jets will likely seek to add into their prospect pipeline.

Vancouver Canucks - Pavel Mintyukov - Defence

Similarly to the team who picked before the Canucks, Vancouver’s biggest need is to improve their defensive core. While an available sniper lead Winnipeg astray from this mission, I don’t see anyone who will get in the way of Vancouver selecting a defenseman with this 15th overall pick. For this reason, at this position in the NHL draft, I see 6’1” Russian defenseman Pavel Mintyukov being selected.

Mintyukov is a left handed, puck moving, offensive-defenseman with phenomenal speed and ability. His offensive skill set and point totals, as well as his impressive size and strength should make for a seamless transition into the NHL one day, while he does still have a few flaws in his game to work on. Primarily, the main things that Mintyukov needs to work on are his positioning, as well as his habit of occasionally overcarrying the puck to the point where he gives it away.

These problems shouldn’t be too difficult to fix, as they are simply issues that can be corrected by a coach, who will explain where he should be positioned and how he can improve. Despite these flaws, with his offensive ability, I still believe the Canucks, a defensively lacking team, would take a flyer on this offensive dynamo. Speaking of offense, this season for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, Mintyukov scored 17 goals, 45 assists, for a total of 62 points in the 67 games he played. With his size and offensive ability, as well as his flaws, which are correctable, I definitely believe that if still available with the 15th overall pick, the Vancouver Canucks would happily select defenseman Pavel Mintyukov.

Buffalo Sabres - Danila Yurov - Right Wing

With the 16th overall pick, rounding out the 2022 draft lottery selections, the Buffalo Sabres have several options in order to further their rebuild. Given that this is their second pick in this year’s draft, they have several options as to which positions they want to fill. It certainly is possible they will aim to select a defenseman with this draft pick, considering their first pick was used up on a forward. However, given their already strong defensive prospects, I believe the Sabres will simply utilize the strategy of selecting the best player available, which in my opinion is Russian winger Danila Yurov. Yurov is a 6’1” forward who is incredibly skilled, quick and speedy, with some of the fastest skating ability in this entire draft class.

He would definitely benefit from gaining some extra muscle strength, however his speed and hands with the puck make him one of the most exciting prospects in the entire draft, and a player that the Sabres should certainly look to select if he happens to be available at this position. This season, in 23 games for the Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk of the MHL, Yurov put up 13 goals, 23 assists for a total of 36 points. Out of all the prospects in this year’s NHL draft, he is one of only a few players that can amaze you every single time he’s on the ice, with his quick hands and phenomenal foot speed.

He, much like all young players, has some room for improvement in terms of his decision making and overall strength, and these are things he will need to work on before he can adequately step into an NHL lineup. Given the risk associated with Yurov, I can see him falling to the middle of the first round. However, a rebuilding team such as the Buffalo Sabres should absolutely pick up Danila Yurov if he is available by the time their 16th overall pick comes around.