Top OHL prospects discussed ahead of 2022 NHL Draft

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 some of the top skaters in the Ontario Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Shane Wright
with Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League has proven himself to be not only the best forward in the OHL, but perhaps the No. 1 pick in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
The right-shot center (6-foot, 199 pounds) has been No. 1 in
NHL Central Scouting's ranking of North American skaters
all season.
"When I look at Shane, he's an elite skater, great elite hockey talent, elite hockey IQ, he's a leader, he's the captain of his team and he's been on the scene for a long time and always delivered," Joey Tenute of NHL Central Scouting said. "I think whoever gets Shane Wright is going to sleep like a baby the night of the draft. I think he's a great prospect and think he's going to have an excellent career."

Wright is one of four OHL players among the top 10 North American skaters on Central Scouting's final ranking. Defenseman
Pavel Mintyukov
(6-1, 194) of Saginaw is No. 6, center
Luca Del Bel Belluz
(6-0, 179) of Mississauga is No. 8 and center
Owen Beck
(5-11, 187) of Mississauga is No. 10.
The OHL, one of the top suppliers of talent for the NHL Draft, returned in 2021-22 after canceling last season due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
Two players from the OHL were among the top 10 selections of the 2021 NHL Draft: Peterborough forward
Mason McTavish
(No. 3, Anaheim Ducks) and Barrie defenseman
Brandt Clarke
(No. 8, Los Angeles Kings).
The OHL had 63 players recognized in Central Scouting's final rankings. To break it down, here are five questions with Tenute:
Wright has been talked about and scrutinized since he was 15 years old. You've been following him closely the past three years. Is this not as clear-cut a decision at No. 1 than we think?
"Since I've been doing this, Shane's been the most highly touted prospect that I've scouted. Look at his career: He's gone from an exceptional talent, Canadian Hockey League Rookie of the Year, then COVID-19 hits and after not even playing hockey all season, he goes and tears up the IIHF 2021 World Under-18 Championship. Shane's an excellent prospect and I don't think it's as much as, 'Let's criticize Shane's season,' as opposed to, 'I don't think it's a clear cut No. 1 draft pick,' this year. I think that's more other guys playing themselves into the conversation. It's very easy to label a draft the summer before a season, but keep in mind this was a fully scouted season, following a crazy COVID-19 year where most scouting was done on video. I think it's very easy to focus on any type of negative you can find in any player, but there's players who obviously had elite seasons and really put themselves in this conversation. I know the Montreal Canadiens have the No. 1 pick right now, but whoever picks from this top-tier group of guys, is getting an unbelievable prospect for their franchise. All of them have the potential to have excellent NHL careers."

Del Bel Belluz seems to be coming in at so many different positions on mock draft boards. Why did NHL Central Scouting have him No. 8 among North American skaters and what's his upside?
"I feel he's got a very high ceiling. Part of my mentality going into this season was, we're really going to see the kids that put in the work and did the right things during the off time and COVID-19, and we're going to see the kids that may have slacked. I think Luca was probably champing at the bit to get the season going and improved without even having a season of hockey. That's impressive. I just think Luca has exceptional offensive skills. He's a player that creates himself, makes his teammates better, and has an underrated two-way game and habits. I think he's more of an all-around player than just a guy that puts up numbers. He's got top-six upside at the next level, a long runway and a high ceiling. He's a very exciting prospect."

Beck appears to be an attractive prospect but we're still wondering what type of player he'll become at the next level. He's been a key guy on face-offs and has shown consistency, but what have you seen and liked about him?
"I think that Owen's got a ton of pro potential. He's so strong on his feet, plays a firm game and is just a well-rounded player. He doesn't overcomplicate things, is responsible, does his job and I think is a guy that his coach really relied on in so many situations. For a rookie coming in, that's very impressive to really earn the trust of your coach and your team to be put in those situations and really excel at it. He provided offense so he's a player that a team is going to welcome into their organization and fill a heavy role. Owen's the type of guy who is going to help carry teams deep into seasons."
Sudbury center David Goyette made a big jump in the final North American rankings to No. 13 from No. 35 at the midterm. What did you see in his game that enabled Central to move him up that much?
"I think we were very prepared this year to give kids some time. And there's many kids in the OHL this year that needed time. We saw the high-end talent very early with David; it was recognized immediately. He's an exceptional skater, has a pull-away gear, and I think he just started to get comfortable and was thrust into a heavy role on a young team in Sudbury. He really took that role on extremely well. He was a top-line guy, power play, penalty kill, and played heavy minutes against other teams, and against top-pair defensemen and shut down lines night in and night out. He still put up numbers and performed. He can do things with the puck at a high pace and in tight and he's got very good hands and instincts. He's not just a one-dimensional player either; he's got a well-rounded game."
Are there a few other OHL players you feel should be on our radar with their potential?
"Defenseman
Michael Buchinger
(No. 30; Guelph) and (center)
Vinzenz Rohrer
(No. 42; Ottawa) are two guys who really had very good rookie seasons. I think they're two players that improved on a high trajectory all season long and both players have long runways. I think there's a lot more to come for both of them. In interacting with the two of them at the at the Combine they seem like really good kids and I think that it was nice kind of putting a face and a personality to a couple of kids like that. I think they're going to be excellent prospects with great futures."
Photo: Charles Warburton, Mississauga (OHL)
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