New England prospects were shut out of the first round at the 2022 NHL Draft Thursday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The lack of locals among the first 32 picks wasn’t all that surprising, although Northeastern center Jack Hughes (Westwood, Mass.) was once considered a potential first-round pick.
Hughes’ father, longtime NHL agent Kent Hughes, was able to soak up some of the spotlight as he made the first overall pick in his first year as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, the host of the draft. Hughes and the Canadiens selected Slovakian left wing Juraj Slafkovsky with the first pick. He was the top-rated European skater, according to NHL Central Scouting. Fellow countryman Simon Nemec, a defenseman, went second to the New Jersey Devils.
The first American taken was NTDP U18 center Logan Cooley, a Pittsburgh, Pa., native committed to play college hockey at Minnesota. Cooley, picked third overall by the Arizona Coyotes, was the first of five players from USA Hockey’s NTDP to hear their names called in the first round.
The Seattle Kraken at No. 4 selected Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright, who had been projected as the first overall pick in this draft class for a few years now. His slide would have been unexpected a few months ago, but there had been rumblings in recent weeks. Wright gives Seattle a nice one-two punch of youngsters down the middle that also includes Matt Beniers, the Hingham, Mass., native selected second overall in 2021.
With the fifth overall pick, the Philadelphia Flyers plucked NTDP left wing Cutter Gauthier, a Boston College commit. The Northville, Mich., native is a goal-scoring power forward who has always been at the top of the American '04 class, but his draft stock soared considerably this past season. In 54 games with the NTDP he scored 34 goals and 31 assists.
In total, seven Americans were selected in the draft. The only U.S. player drafted outside of the NTDP roster was Sam Rinzel, a big right shot defenseman from Chaska (Minn.) High School. He was one of three Minnesota commits alongside Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud. Michigan had two commits, forwards Frank Nazar and Rutger McGroarty. Minnesota Duluth joined Boston College with one commit drafted as Tampa Bay Lightning selected Isaac Howard with the 31st overall pick.
The hometown Boston Bruins did not have a selection in the first round. Barring general manager Don Sweeney and crew trading up or down, Boston will make its first selection in the second round with the 54th overall pick.
New Englanders were left out of the first round a year after Beniers and Mackie Samoskevich (Sandy Hook, Conn.) went off the board in the first 24 picks. Looking ahead to Friday, rounds two through seven were scheduled to commence at 11 a.m. ET. Hughes, a rising sophomore for coach Jerry Keefe’s Huskies, will likely be the first local player to hear his name called. A pair of Northeastern commits are likely next with Green Bay center Cam Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.) and St. Mark’s defenseman Michael Fisher (Westboro, Mass.) lurking.
