Kraken Draft in Full

While Montreal Canadiens fans tend to think their town and team is the center of the hockey universe every day, there will be no disagreements July 7 and 8. That's when the 2022 NHL Draft will unfold in Quebec's largest city.
As hockey fate would have it, the Canadiens were awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the league's draft lottery in May. It's the first time since 1985 the host city (the event moves among NHL cities) will have the top selection. Expect "universal" excitement among the Montreal faithful, whether inside Bell Centre or around all parts in the city and province.
It's the first time since 2009 Montreal has welcomed the hockey world and dozens of top prospects for the draft. Plus, the 2022 draft will be the first conducted in person since 2019. Here are the answers to seven questions about the 2022 version of the NHL Draft that you need to know for next week's event.

How Can I Follow the Draft Live?
Hockey fans can watch the first round of the draft next Thursday on ESPN and/or stream on ESPN+. Kraken followers can listen on KJR-950. Another option: Check out our Draft Central to follow our live blog for all rounds Thursday and Friday. The first round starts at 4 p.m. Pacific Northwest. The second through seventh rounds commence at 8 a.m. Friday, July 8 on NHLN, ESPN+ and KJR-950.
Seattle supporters looking for an immersive experience can make their way to 32 Bar and Grill at Kraken Community Iceplex beginning at 10 a.m. KJR-950 personalities will be broadcasting live from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. before the Kraken radio duo of Everett Fitzhugh and Dave Tomlinson take the microphones for the draft itself.
Where the Kraken Will Pick?
The Kraken are picking fourth overall in the first round July 7 (4 p.m., ESPN, ESPN+, KJR-950). Two recent examples of No. 4 picks both just won a Stanley Cup together last weekend with the Colorado Avalanche.
Cale Makar (2017), just 23, was named MVP of the 2022 playoffs and won the Norris Trophy for the NHL's best defenseman. Fellow D-man Bowen Byram (2019), who turned 21 just before the Stanley Cup Final, averaged 22-plus minutes per game in the victorious final series over two-time defending champion Tampa Bay. Byram logged nine assists in 20 postseason games. These two standout players are Exhibit A for showing Cup-winning teams are built with a foundation of top draft choices plus successful picks who are developed after being picked in lower rounds.
There are lots of other big names and Hall of Famers picked fourth overall in NHL Draft history, including none other than Kraken GM and all-time great Ron Francis (1981, Hartford Whalers).
Along with recent and farther-back history of success, picking fourth is a promising development for the Kraken this summer. Every mock draft by hockey experts projects a future NHL regular either on a team's top two lines or first defensive pairing available to Seattle at No. 4 overall. Over a dozen years, nearly 100 percent of players picked in the top four spots became productive NHL players and 45 percent are stars in the league.
What's 'Draft Capital'?
Every NHL team is assigned one pick in each of seven rounds. General managers can trade away their 2022 draft picks or receive more picks (for this draft or future years) in deals. Seattle GM Ron Francis accrued 12 selections in this July's draft and another 13 next summer by trading Jeremy Lauzon (Nashville), Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell (Toronto), Marcus Johansson (Washington) and Calle Jarnkrok (Calgary). That's a lot of "draft capital." Only host Montreal has more picks with 13.
After drafting fourth overall, the Kraken will pick third in each Round 2 to 7 based on regular-season record. Seattle owns three more second-round slots at 49, 58 and 61 per the aforementioned trades. That's five picks in the first 61, plus one early in the third round, three more in the fourth round (two additional thanks to the Jarnkrok trade and a deal with Washington for Marcus Johansson) and single picks in rounds 5 to 7.
There is speculation Francis will package some of the 12 pending picks - he suggested the possibility himself in a season-end press conference - to acquire NHL players, prospects in another team's development pipeline, move up draft positions and/or collect additional picks for future years.
READ:Kraken Acquire 10 Draft Picks at Deadline -- Now What?
READ:Francis on Brighter Future
Who will the Kraken Select?
There are many variations of mock drafts projecting which prospect the Kraken will pick at No. 4. There is near consensus on the top five or six players in this year's draft class, but no clear agreement on how the top six will slot come draft night. What decision Seattle makes when on the clock next Thursday will not be final until Montreal picks first, followed by New Jersey (which moved up from No. 7 in the draft lottery) and Arizona.
The Kraken amateur scouting meetings in early June established a list of 300 some prospects, all ranked in order of preference. Francis and Robert Kron, the team's director of amateur scouting, have both said publicly the list will be tweaked right up until draft night.
Check back on the Kraken website and app for updates and information about the top prospects in the run-up to July 7.
What are Rules for Draft Eligibility?
Unlike the NFL and NBA drafts (the latter has some younger exceptions), NHL teams are selecting players who are in their late teens rather than early 20s. For North American prospects, eligible players need have turned 18 by Sept. 15 this year and not be age 20 by Dec. 31. European players can be drafted at any age if they are at least 18 by Sept. 15.
Some players are not selected in their draft-eligible 18-year-old birth year. Kraken 2021 second-rounder, promising defenseman Ryker Evans is one example. They can be eligible for their 19-year-old birth with same provisions about Sept. 15 and Dec. 31. If a prospect is not drafted by age 20, the athlete becomes an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any NHL team.
How and Why is the NHL Draft Different from the NFL and NBA?
Good question. The bottom line: The Kraken and NHL foes will be picking predominantly 18-year-olds. At that young age, NHL GMs and scouts are evaluating players much more on their longer-term potential to be NHLers rather than past performance. While a handful or two of the 2022 NHL draft class will be NHL-ready this season, most players require more development before debuting in the world's best hockey league.
Kraken colleague Alison Lukan authored an explanatory article about the differences between the NFL and NBA versus the NHL Draft. It's more than worth the read.
What is Ron Francis' Draft Record as a GM?
Francis's history in the draft from when he was the general manager for the NHL Carolina Hurricanes over four summers (2014-2017) is encouraging.
He selected 12 players of 33 total players who have already logged 100 NHL games or more, with two more players just games away from the mark and sure to break through next season. That's 42 percent or 15 percent higher than the average league percentage for selecting bonafide NHL contributors.
In fact, five of those players have already surpassed 200 games, the equivalent of three-plus NHL seasons. The 14 picks past or about to log at least 100 NHL games includes 10 forwards (the position that progresses fastest to the NHL), three defensemen (including Kraken D-man Haydn Fleury\) and a goalie.
In addition, last year's top pick for the Kraken, Matty Beniers, played 10 NHL games last season and scored points in nine of them. Second-rounder Ryker Evans was a leading offensive producer among Western Hockey League defensemen and third-round pick Ryan Winterton starred for his Ontario Hockey League Hamilton Tigers in run that ended just short of winning the Memorial Cup championship game this week. Scouts around the league are persuaded both Evans and Winterton are "steals" for the Kraken front office.