Craig's List: Wright remains No. 1 in Lottery Day ranking

Kingston Frontenacs centre Shane Wright remains the top-ranked prospect for TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft lottery. 

Wright finished the 2021-22 regular season with 32 goals and 94 points in 63 games, but Button said there’s a lot more than offence to his game, comparing the Frontenacs captain to current Boston Bruin Patrice Bergeron. 

“I continuously come back to Shane Wright as the clear-cut guy because I just see such a thoroughness in his play,” said Button. “There’s not a situation in the game that I wouldn’t throw Shane Wright into and not feel confident that he can excel. And that’s Bergeron.”

Remaining at No. 2 is centre Logan Cooley from USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team. The University of Minnesota commit had 27 goals and 75 points in 51 games this season and had three goals and 10 points at the U18 championship in a silver-medal effort for the United States. 

Button has Wright and Cooley as the best centres in the draft. 

“They’re really good centremen but very different,” said Button. “And when I do the comparables, Bergeron and Sebastian Aho, I think that’s how Logan plays the game, more like Sebastian Aho. Shane Wright plays it like Bergeron.”

Next up on Craig’s List is a pair of SM Liiga wingers in Joakim Kemell (No. 3) followed by Juraj Slafkovsky at No. 4. 

Kemell had 12 goals and 18 points in 16 games to start the season, but a shoulder injury in November and cold streak in the second half of the season had him end the year with 15 goals and 23 points in 39 games. At the U18s, he had six goals and eight points in five games as Finland won bronze. 

“I think Kemell has a more dynamic offensive upside,” said Button. “He’s dynamic, he’s fast. When