The last month or so has been an absolute insane process of attempting to evaluate prospect talent. Between postponed and cancelled games in all major leagues across North America and Europe and the abrupt cancellation of the World Junior Championship, there have been few opportunities to evaluate talent well.
That being said, some players took advantage of limited World Junior games and league play. Here are a few thoughts on some of those players and my top 32 for January.
Shane Wright
Wright played a pre-tournament game for Canada and two round-robin games before the tournament ended. Wright was fairly quiet in a support role for Canada. He was considered an under-age player in the tournament, so a “quiet” three games aren’t a red flag. It didn’t help matters that 2023 Draft front-runner Connor Bedard took the tournament by storm and caused fans and scouts alike to compare the two. Regardless, Wright is still the undisputed number one prospect in this draft in my books.
Brad Lambert
Unlike Wright, Lambert had a lot to prove at the World Juniors. He has struggled this year and was a question mark to even make the team. However, in limited games, Lambert showed why he is still in consideration as a top 10 prospect. Lambert put up 5 points in 2 games and showed amazing playmaking prowess. He remains in my top 10 for January.
Juraj Slafkovsky
Slafkovsky has been hyped all season and affirmed the hype with a strong World Juniors, though he had no points in two games. Slafkovsky showed a very mature game, using his size well and showed excellent hands and overall skill. His ability to make plays in tight and use his reach to break-up plays defensively stood out. He solidified himself in my top 10 with a strong showing.
Here are my top 32 Prospects for the 2022 NHL Draft for January.
| Rank | Position and Name | Height and Weight | Team and League |
| 1. | C Shane Wright | 6’1 188 | Kingston (OHL) |
| 2. | C Matthew Savoie | 5’9 180 | Winnipeg (WHL) |
| 3. | C Brad Lambert | 6’0 180 | JYP (FIN) |
| 4. | C Logan Cooley | 5’10 174 | US NTDP (USHL) |
| 5. | W Joakim Kemell | 5’11 180 | JYP (FIN) |
| 6. | W Juraj Slafkovsky | 6’4 225 | TPS (FIN) |
| 7. | D Simon Nemec | 6’1 192 | HK Nitra (SLO) |
| 8. | C Conor Geekie | 6’4 205 | Winnipeg (WHL) |
| 9. | W Danila Yurov | 6’1 172 | Magnitogorsk (KHL) |
| 10. | W Ivan Miroshnichenko | 6’1 185 | MHL (Russia) |
| 11. | D David Jiricek | 6’4 176 | HC Plzn (CZE) |
| 12. | D Seamus Casey | 5’10 162 | US NTDP (USHL) |
| 13. | D Ryan Chesney | 6’0 194 | US NTDP (USHL) |
| 14. | C/W Frank Nazar | 5’10 174 | US NTDP (USHL) |
| 15. | C Jack Hughes | 6’0 165 | Northeastern (NCAA) |
| 16. | D Dante Mateychuk | 5’11 192 | Moose Jaw (WHL) |
| 17. | D Ty Nelson | 5’8 172 | North Bay (OHL) |
| 18. | W Isaac Howard | 5’10 183 | US NTDP (USHL) |
| 19. | W Cutter Gauthier | 6’3 190 | US NTDP (USHL) |
| 20. | C/W Rutger McGroarty | 6’1 204 | US NTDP (USHL) |
| 21. | W Marco Kasper | 5’10 176 | Rogle (SWE) |
| 22. | C/W Jonathan Lekkerimaki | 5’11 172 | Djurgardens (SWE) |
| 23. | C/W Noah Ostlund | 5’10 160 | Djurgardens (SWE) |
| 24. | W Filip Mesar | 5’9 165 | SLO |
| 25. | W Gleb Trikozov | 6’1 185 | MHL (RUS) |
| 26. | D Lane Hutson | 5’8 150 | US NDTP (USHL) |
| 27. | D Owen Pickering | 6’5 180 | Swift Current (WHL) |
| 28. | C/W Nathan Gaucher | 6’3 207 | Quebec (QMJHL) |
| 29. | W Liam Ohgren | 6’0 190 | Djurgardens (SWE) |
| 30. | D Tristan Luneua | 6’2 174 | Gatineau (QMJHL) |
| 31. | D Elias Salomonsson | 6’1 161 | Skelleftea (SWE) |
| 32. | D Mattias Havelid | 5’10 172 | Linkoping (SWE) |
