2022 NHL Draft: Pacific Division needs

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, we examine draft needs for teams in the Pacific Division. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft provides an opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of young talent.
Here are what the eight teams in the Pacific Division could be looking to do at the draft (teams listed in alphabetical order):
ANAHEIM DUCKS
Top Priority: Defenseman
First pick: No. 10
The situation: Jamie Drysdale is on track to develop into a No. 1 defenseman, and
Olen Zellweger
, the Ducks' second-round pick (No. 34) in the 2021 NHL Draft, was named the best defenseman in the Western Hockey League this season. But with the trade of Hampus Lindholm, more depth is needed at the position, and there should be several talented defensemen at this point to choose from. Another option could be adding more skill on the wing, or they could do that with the No. 22 pick, acquired from the Boston Bruins in the Lindholm trade.
Possible fits:
Pavel Mintyukov
, D, Saginaw (OHL);
Kevin Korchinski
, D, Seattle (WHL);
Danila Yurov
, RW, Magnitogorsk (RUS)
CALGARY FLAMES
Top Priority: Defenseman
First pick: No. 59
The situation:The Flames' first selection will come in the second round after they traded their first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in the Tyler Toffoli deal. Calgary chose a forward with its first pick in the draft in 2021 (
Matt Coronato
, No. 13), 2020 (
Connor Zary
, No. 24) and 2019 (
Jakob Pelletier
, No. 26). Finding more skill at defenseman could be the best option here.
Possible fits:
Michael Fisher
, D, St. Mark's School (HIGH-MA);
David Spacek
, D, Sherbrooke (QMJHL);
Matyas Sapovaliv
, C, Saginaw (OHL)
EDMONTON OILERS
Top Priority: Defenseman
First pick: No. 29
The situation: Evan Bouchard became a full-time NHL player this season at age 23 and 20-year-old Philip Broberg could have a bigger role after making his NHL debut this season. But there is little prospect depth behind them; their best prospects at the position could be Dmitri Samorukov (2017, No. 84) and
Luca Munzenberger
(2021, No. 90). Another option could be finding a skilled wing that eventually could play next to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Possible fits:
Seamus Casey
, D, USA U-18 (NTDP);
Jagger Firkus
, RW, Moose Jaw (WHL);
Sam Rinzel
, D, Chaska (HIGH-MN)
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Top Priority: Playmaking wings
First pick: No. 51
The situation: The Kings will make their first selection in the second round after trading their first-round pick to the Minnesota Wild for forward Kevin Fiala. Los Angeles averaged 2.87 goals per game, the second fewest among teams to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the only wings who scored more than 18 goals were Adrian Kempe (35) and Viktor Arvidsson (20). Adding Fiala will help in the present but having some younger options for the future could be the focus at this spot. The Kings have built through the middle of the ice early in the draft the past few years with centers Quinton Byfield (2020, No. 2),
Alex Turcotte
(2019, No. 5) and Rasmus Kupari (No. 2018, No. 20), and defensemen
Brandt Clarke
(2021, No. 8) and Tobias Bjornfot (2019, No. 22). Finding more skill and scoring from the wings is one possibility. Another area they could purse is an offensive-minded defenseman.
Possible fits:
Alexander Perevalov
, LW, Yaroslavl 2 (RUS-JR);
Dylan James
, LW, Sioux City (USHL);
Christian Kyrou
, D, Erie (OHL)
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Top Priority: Defenseman
First pick:No. 11
The situation: Three of the Sharks' top six defensemen were 37-year-old Brent Burns, 35-year-old Marc-Edouard Vlasic and 32-year-old Erik Karlsson. Mario Ferraro, 23, earned a spot in the top four as the season went on, but there is a need to add more at the position. San Jose has used high picks on forwards
William Eklund
(2021, No. 7),
Ozzy Wiesblatt
(2020, No. 31) and Thomas Bordeleau (2020, No. 38) the past two years at the draft; now seems like a good time to find top-end defensemen.
Possible fits: Pavel Mintyukov, D, Saginaw (OHL); Kevin Korchinski, D, Seattle (WHL);
Denton Mateychuk
, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)
SEATTLE KRAKEN
Top Priority:Best player available
First pick: No. 4
The situation:The Kraken started to build their prospect group with seven selections at the 2021 draft and already have seen some of that class come to fruition with the arrival of center Matty Beniers, the No. 2 pick, who had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 10 games. Seattle has 12 selections, four in the second round. With Beniers projecting to be a foundational piece at forward, the choice with their first pick in the 2022 draft could be to find a similar building block at defenseman. Because the Kraken still are in the growth stage, taking the best player available regardless of position is the best option.
Possible fits:
Simon Nemec
, D, Nitra (SVK);
David Jiricek
, D, Plzen (CZREP);
Logan Cooley
, C, USA U-18 (NTDP)
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Top Priority:Defenseman
First pick: No. 15
The situation: Quinn Hughes, 22, and Travis Dermott, 25, are the only defensemen under 26 years old projected to be in the opening-day lineup next season, with
Jack Rathbone
, 23, having a chance. Other than Hughes, their first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, the only defenseman the Canucks have selected in the first two rounds since 2016 is
Jett Woo
(No. 37, 2018). Adding a top-end prospect at the position feels vital, especially with Oliver Ekman-Larsson (30) and Tyler Myers (32), two of the Canucks top ice time leaders, nearing the end of their prime seasons.
Possible fits:
Ryan Chesley
, D, USA U-18 (NTDP); Kevin Korchinski, D, Seattle (WHL);
Owen Pickering
, D, Swift Current (WHL)
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Top Priority: Forward
First pick: No. 48
The situation: The Golden Knights will make their first pick in the second round after trading their first-round selection to the Buffalo Sabres for center Jack Eichel. Vegas has depleted its group of top-end prospects over the years in the trades for forwards Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and Eichel, so building up that area of the development system could be where the Golden Knights look. Selecting a goalie also could be an option.
Possible fits:
Danil Zhilkin
, C, Guelph (OHL);
Adam Ingram
, C, Youngstown (USHL); Alexander Perevalov, LW, Yaroslavl 2 (RUS-JR)
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