And unsurprisingly, there is one Shane Wright as the top North American prospect for the 2022 draft. The Kingston Frontenacs forward of the Ontario Junior League has 94 points in 63 games this season and even scored the game-winning goal to send his team to the second round of the playoffs.
Among the European skaters, Slovakian Juraj Slafkovsky tops the list, who was discovered last winter at the Beijing Olympics. He is followed by Finnish right-winger Joakim Kemell and Slovakian defenseman Simon Nemec.
As for the top three QMJHL prospects, forward Nathan Gaucher of the Quebec Remparts is ranked 16th, while defensemen Mavric Lamoureux of the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Tristan Luneau of the Gatineau Olympiques are ranked 20th and 24th, respectively, among the best skaters in North America.