2022 NHL Draft: Top 10 left wings

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, a look at the top eligible left wings. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Juraj Slafkovsky
is expected to join Marian Gaborik as the only Slovakia-born players chosen among the top five picks in the NHL Draft.
Slafkovsky (6-foot-4, 229 pounds), a left wing with TPS in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league, is No. 1 in
NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters
.

Gaborik, who was chosen by the Minnesota Wild with the No. 3 pick of the 2000 NHL Draft, played 17 NHL seasons with five teams. The next highest Slovakia-born player was forward Robert Petrovicky, who was chosen by the Hartford Whalers at No. 9 in the 1992 NHL Draft.
Slafkovsky had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 31 regular-season games and seven points (two goals, five assists) in 18 Liiga playoff games. He also was one of the top players for Slovakia at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 IIHF World Championship.
"He reminds me a little bit of Clark Gillies, who played for the New York Islanders on that great line with Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy," Slovakia men's national team coach Craig Ramsay said. "He's a powerful guy who can score goals and was a presence every time he was on the ice."
Here are NHL.com's top 10 left wings available for the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft:
1. Juraj Slafkovsky, TPS (FIN)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 1 (International skaters)
Slafkovsky was named the most valuable player at the 2022 Olympics after scoring a tournament-best seven goals in seven games to help Slovakia win the bronze medal, its first men's Olympic hockey medal. His seven points tied for the tournament lead, and he led Slovakia with 24 shots on goal and averaged 15:50 of ice time despite being, at 17-years-old (he turned 18 on March 30) the youngest player in the tournament. At the World Championship, he led eighth-place Slovakia with nine points (three goals, six assists) and 27 shots on goal, and his 20:32 average ice time led Slovakia forwards. He puts his size and reach to good use, acting as an effective checker in the offensive and defensive zone, according to NHL director of European Scouting Goran Stubb.
2. Cutter Gauthier, USA U-18 (NTDP)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 3 (North American skaters)
The 18-year-old (6-2, 200), committed to Boston College for next season, climbed three spots in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking from No. 6 in the midterm release in January. He had 65 points (34 goals, 31 assists) and five power-play goals in 54 games for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team, including 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 18 games against NCAA competition, and nine points (three goals, six assists) in six games for the United States the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. He is considered a prototypical power forward with deceiving speed and a big shot.

3. Liam Ohgren, Djurgarden Jr. (SWE)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 8 (International skaters)
An explosive skater with great acceleration and intensity, Ohgren (6-1, 201) had nine points (three goals, six assists) in six games as captain for first place Sweden at the World U-18s. The 18-year-old had 58 points (33 goals, 25 assists) in 30 games with Djurgarden in Sweden's junior league and two points (one goal, one assist) in 25 games in the Swedish Hockey League.
4. Isaac Howard, USA U-18 (NTDP)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 9 (North American skaters)
Howard (5-10, 180) led the NTDP Under-18 team with 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) in 60 games, including a United States-best 11 points (six goals, five assists) to help the U.S. finish second at the World U-18s. Committed to play at the University of Minnesota Duluth next season, the 18-year-old is a goal-scorer who is most effective when he gets to the inside and is able to use his quick release on his shot.
5. Rieger Lorenz, Okotoks (AJHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 17 (North American skaters)
Lorenz (6-2, 194) was fifth in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with 85 points (38 goals, 47 assists) in 60 games, led the league with five shorthanded goals and was tied for 12th with nine power-play goals. The 18-year-old, committed to NCAA champion University of Denver next season, also had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 14 AJHL playoff games. He's a power forward with plenty of skill and a shooter's mentality.
6. Ivan Miroshnichenko, Omsk Krylia (RUS-2)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 11 (International skaters)
The right-handed shot (6-1, 185) was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in February after he had 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 31 games in Russia's second division. The 18-year-old has been cleared to resume his hockey training, according to Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr. He received his cancer treatment in Germany and was able to meet with NHL teams when they were in the country in April to watch the World U-18s; he did not attend the NHL Scouting Combine. Originally born in Siberia, he moved to Moscow at a young age to play youth hockey. Miroshnichenko's shot, which many scouts believe is NHL ready, is his greatest asset.
7. Alexander Perevalov, Yaroslavl 2 (RUS-JR)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 14 (International skaters)
The right-hand shot is a good skater with speed and balance and considered to be an all-around forward with good hockey sense and a good work ethic, according to Stubb. The 18-year-old played five games with Lokomotiv in the Kontinental Hockey League and had 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 42 games in Russia's junior league. He also had five points (three goals, two assists) in five games to help Russia win the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
8. Gleb Trikozov, Omsk 2 (RUS-JR)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 15 (International skaters)
Trikozov (6-1, 185) is a smooth skater with a good wrist shot and vision, and he knows where to go with and without the puck. The 17-year-old right-hand shot had 45 points (23 goals, 22 assists) in 35 regular-season games in Russia's junior league and 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 13 playoff games.
9. Reid Schaefer, Seattle (WHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking:No. 31 (North American skaters)
Schaefer (6-3, 213) took advantage of greater responsibility and more ice time this season, and had 58 points (32 goals, 26 assists) in 66 regular-season games and 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 24 WHL playoff games; he had three assists in 25 games the previous two seasons. The 18-year-old plays a power-forward game and is capable of playing right or left wing, and in all situations.
10. Dylan James, Sioux City (USHL)
NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 37 (North American skaters)
The 18-year-old left-handed shot was named United States Hockey League Rookie of the Year after leading all first-year USHL players in goals (28), assists (33), points (61), power-play goals (10) and game-winning goals (five) in 62 games. He's the first USHL rookie with 60 points since 2015-16. James (6-0, 177) is a strong skater and tough to handle in the contact areas, according to Greg Rajanen of Central Scouting. Compared by some scouts to Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman, James will play at the University of North Dakota next season. James also had eight points (five goals, three assists) in 10 USHL playoff games to help Sioux City win the Clark Cup championship.
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