It’s the most exciting part of the NHL offseason, as the ice hockey fans get ready to watch the NHL Draft to see which teams their favourite prospects and college hockey players will join for the next season. Like any year before, the 2022 NHL Draft promises to be an exciting sporting event and, most of all, a big thing in online sports betting.
So without further ado, here is our free betting preview, with expert predictions for the 2022 NHL draft lottery and top odds courtesy of the top-rated ice hockey bookmakers.
You can check the official NHL 2022 Draft order and rankings on the official website.
The 2022 NHL Draft betting odds are our, and according to the bookies, Shane Wright is the clear favourite to get picked up in the first round. Although the bookies are giving Juray Slafkovsky a slight chance to go first, the 2 players seem to be all but guaranteed to go as no.1 and no.2.
Many sportsIn-play modeLive streaming25+ sportsSuperb bonusesEasy to useVIP programLive gamesMany bonusesMany bonuses24/7 supportMobile appsLive bettingMany sportsFast payoutsIce hockey sportsbooks have priced Shane Wright at just 1/3 on the first round outright betting markets, which sounds fair despite the absurdly low piece. The 18-year-old Canadian enters the NHL Draft as one of the top prospects the NHL has ever seen, boasting incredible stats, and is undeniably in an excellent position to land at Montreal Canadiens.
The 18-year-old centre is not only a player every NHL team would want to have, but he is also a perfect fit for the Canadiens. He had an incredible season in the OHL, scoring 94 points in 63 games, which is insanely good.
We’re not here to talk about how Juraj Slafkovsky has a chance to get picked up before Wright – even though there is a slight chance it might happen – but rather about Slafkovsky himself and why he is almost certainly going to get picked up as one of the first players of the NHL Draft.
Slafkovsky is a phenomenal hockey player who played a crucial role in Slovakia, helping his national team earn bronze at the 2022 Olympics while winning the MVP with 7 goals in 7 games. Yes, it’s been 2 years since, but that only gave Slafkovsky more time to improve, and he has.
The left-winger has been playing in the Finnish Liiga for TPS, proving himself as one of the top players in the league and the best young player in the Finnish hockey league. His only real weakness is that Slafkovsky isn’t exactly a physical player. Still, he is swift and has superb puck skills, making him a valuable asset to any HLF team.
Having praised him so much, you might wonder why his betting odds for NHL Draft 2022 are higher than Wright’s. The simplest way to answer that is to confirm that while Slafkovsky is good, he is not quite Wright.
Logan Cooley might be an interesting pick for those looking for a 2022 NHL Draft betting 1st pick at high odds, but we would tame our expectations. He might go second, but we don’t see him getting picked up first.
Still, Cooley is one of the top talents in the NHL Draft and one of the biggest prospects from the U.S. National Team Development Program. The 17-year-old is a highly-skilled centre and a player any team would like to have, but perhaps some teams more than others – we will touch on that below.
Cooley scored 54 points in 37 games with the U.S. national team and is third on the USNTDP junior squad with 27 points from 18 USHL fixtures. Moreover, the NHL Central Scouting placed him second among NA skaters in the midseason rankings, which are all incredible stats, perhaps fit for someone who will get picked up second in the first round.
Betting on the NHL Draft is fairly simple and the same thing as betting on the NBA Draft or the NFL Draft. The bet types and betting odds for the NHL Draft 2022 are also very straightforward, so even if you’re new to betting on the NHL Draft, you should get the hang of it quickly.
The main thing to know is all the betting markets available to you. The most popular way people approach betting on the NHL Draft and the most common bet type you’ll find while searching through the NFL entry Draft betting odds 2022 is the first overall pick, but know that there are way more markets to explore, including:
All the bet types are self-explanatory, but some are tougher to predict, especially if you decide to wager on the exact draft position. Others, such as the head-to-heads, are a bit more exciting, while the over/under is a very useful tool if you believe a certain player will get picked as one of the first 5 players but aren’t sure his exact position.
There are many ways to make your NHL Draft predictions 2022, and the NHL sportsbook offers enough options so you can find the value you’re looking for.
Every player we know of in the NHL has had to go through the NHL Draft at some point in their career – with some exceptions – and usually, the players who get picked up first tend to grow into future superstars. Admittedly, that is not always the case, but there were plenty of rounds one picks who achieved stardom and here we will take a look at some of the most notable ones.
The 2015 NHL Draft was pretty good. Twelve first-round picks from that year have appeared in an All-Star Game, but Connor McDavid stands out even from that impressive list of NHL stars.
The Oilers won the predraft lottery to acquire him in 2015 and made him the team captain after a single season. Since then, McDavid has stockpiled individual awards and has emerged as one of the franchise’s legends.
He has won the first 3 Ted Lindsay Awards, 4 scoring titles, and 2 MVPs. Moreover, he led the Oilers to the Western Conference final with 33 points in 16 games and has emerged as one of the top NHL players in history.
When it comes to the ability to score goals, just a few players in the history of the NFL can compare to the 2016 first-round pick, Auston Matthews. The California native arrived in the NFL in 2016 and instantly proved he had the touch to score 40 goals in 82 games as a rookie.
He followed that up with 34 and 37 goals in the next 2 seasons, playing 62 and 68 games, respectively, and then went back to +40 (47) goals across 70 games in 2019/20 and 41 in 52 games in 2020/21.
Most notably, Matthews became the first American hockey player to reach 50 since John LeClair in 1997/98 and the first Toronto player to pass 50 since Dave Andreychuk in 1993/94.
And if that’s not enough, Matthews is the first player ever to score 60 since Steven Stamkos. Interestingly, Alex Ovechkin, who is set to become the NHL’s top goal scorer of all time, has had just 17 more goals (276) in his first 407 games in the NHL than Matthews.
The speedy forward, who joined Colorado Avalanche as the round one pick in 2013, has helped his team lift the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 2001. Even though many round-one choices ended up lifting the trophy, there is no denying that Nathan MacKinnon deserves to be on the list as one of the best round-one picks in recent history.
Admittedly, he had a rough start in the first couple of seasons, but he found his stride in 2017/18 when he scored 39 goals and 97 points. Since MacKinnon learned the ropes, the Avalanche have been a force to be reckoned with, largely thanks to the 26-year-old, averaging more than a point per game for 5 straight seasons.
MacKinnon has more points than any other player drafted in 2013 and is currently one of the top 6 scorers on the franchise’s all-time list.
Lastly, we have to talk about one of the latest additions to the league, the 6’3″, 207-pound defender, Rasmus Dahlin, who got picked up by the Buffalo Sabres in 2018. He arrived in the NHL from the Swedish Hockey League as one of the most promising players entering the big leagues, and he did not disappoint.
Rasmus Dahlin became the first Swede to be picked no.1 overall since 1989 and has been one of the most reliable performers for the Sabres ever since, producing 40 points or more in 3 of 4 seasons. That includes 13 goals and 53 points in 2021/22.
Among other 2018 draftees, only Brad Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes have equalled Dahlin’s achievement of playing in the All-Star game.
The 2022 NHL Draft is set to commence on Thursday, July 7 and concludes a day later, on July 8. Although the Draft will span 2 days, the first round and the most exciting part of the Draft will start and end on Thursday, leaving Friday for Rounds 2-7.
The 2022 NHL Draft will take place at Bell Center in Montreal, Canada, the home of the Montreal Canadiens. It will mark the first time since 2009 that Montreal has hosted the event, and the 27th time the city will be the home of the NHL Draft.
Interestingly, Montreal was supposed to host the 2020 NHL Draft, but it got cancelled due to COVID-19. So instead, the event was held virtually.
With all the basic information out of the way, let’s focus on our NHL Draft predictions 2022, where we provide you with 3 betting tips and predictions for you to follow.
Logan Cooley is priced as high as 40/1 to go in the first round, which is quite a big number but fair. So by the logic of higher to lower, Cooley should go after Slafkovsky, right? Well, that’s not necessarily the case.
Despite the high betting odds for NHL Draft 2022 offered on Cooley, we believe that there is a good chance he might get picked up second in the Draft. That’s not necessarily because Cooley is better than Slafkovsky, but mainly because the Devils need a skilled centre to help elevate the team to new heights.
At the offered 2022 NHL Draft betting odds, we can’t pass on Cooley to land at New Jersey Devils.
David Jiricek is priced as high as 100/1 to go first in the NHL 2022 draft and is not one of the players people expect to get picked up inside the top 5, which is fair.
Jiricek to the Senators is the most likely outcome, and there is a very good chance it might happen, mainly because the Senators are not even close to being done with the roster rebuild. They could use a player like the Czech defenseman.
If the Senators are serious about creating a more stable roster, they need to bolster their blue line, and there are not many players in the NHL Draft that could fit the position as well as Jiricek. He has to work on discipline (49 penalty infraction minutes), but perhaps the Senators can appreciate his aggression.
At the offered odds, we have to add Jiricek to our NHL draft predictions 2022 list as a player that will get picked up after the first 5 players.
Assuming our first 2 predictions come true, Juraj Slafkovsky will not get picked as one of the top 3 players in the NHL Draft. Although many expect Slafkovsky to go second, there is a good chance that doesn’t happen, and since the Coyotes likely won’t want to pick him up, Slafkovsky is guaranteed to get picked third or lower.
Realistically, only one thing must happen for this pick to hit. Devils need to settle for Cooley, and there is a higher chance that will happen than the offered NHL Entry draft betting odds 2022 suggest.
We end our NHL 2022 Draft betting preview with a final prediction on Cutter Gauthier to get picked up as one of the first 6 players on 4/6. The odds are not very high, but this pick makes a lot of sense at the offered price. He’s an excellent player with a deadly shot, perfect for any team looking to bolster their PK; hence there are many teams Gauthier could end up in.
Prediction: Cutter Gauthier draft position under 6.5 – 9/4
And like that, we end our free NHL betting preview, providing you with all the information you’ll need for betting on the NHL Draft 2022 and 4 excellent predictions for the 2022 NHL Draft lottery. Always visit the top-rated NHL bookies and bet with the best odds!
