Big surprise to come with the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 draft, according to Sportsnet

With the NHL Draft less than a month away, many experts are speaking out about their predictions for the first round at the Bell Centre on July 7th.

This exercise is called the Mock Draft and as reported by Raphaël Simard of Danslescoulisses.com, Sportsnet has lent itself to the game and not surprisingly, we find the top three prospects of the 2022 draft, namely Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky and Logan Cooley, coming out among the first three selections.


However, Sportsnet writer Sam Cosentino has broken a popular trend in recent weeks to take Slafkovsky out of the top two selections. According to him, Shane Wright will be drafted first overall and the team that drafts second will go for Cooley, while the Slovak winger will hear his name called at third overall.


That would be quite a surprise, but that's what they're predicting.

As for the rest of the top ten, it looks like this:

Simon Nemec (4th), David Jiricek (5th), Matthew Savoie (6th), Cutter Gauthier (7th), Marco Kasper (8th), Joakim Kemell (9th) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (10th).

But for Habs fans, there is also the 26th spot that intrigues them and for good reason, the Habs will have their second first round pick, the one obtained in the transaction that sent Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames last February.

Unfortunately for fans who would have liked to see Kent Hughes select Quebec defenseman Tristan Luneau, Cosentino predicted that prospect Luca Del Bel Belluz, a center for the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Junior League, will be selected 26th overall. Belluz has 76 points, including 30 goals, in 68 games this season.

As for Luneau, he is not even among the 32 prospects who will be selected in the first round. Only two QMJHL skaters will be selected in the first round, center Nathan Gaucher of the Quebec Remparts and defenseman Noah Warren of the Gatineau Olympiques.

But obviously, this is a list of Sportsnet's predictions for the first round and we are not immune to major surprises that could happen at any time on the evening of July 7th.

You can view the complete Sportsnet list by clicking below.