Canadiens set to host 2022 NHL Draft
The Montreal Canadiens will host the 2022 NHL Draft, the National Hockey League announced Friday.
The 2022 draft will be held over two days. The first round will commence on Thursday, July 7, and rounds 2-7 will be held on Friday, July 8.
“We are proud to announce that, once again, we are conducting our Draft in front of the great fans of the Montreal Canadiens,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release. “Montreal, the site of the first NHL Draft in 1963, is a wonderful place to bring the NHL family together and to focus on the future of our game as our Clubs call the names of top prospects from around the world. We also thank Geoff Molson and the entire Canadiens organization for their cooperation and support while we needed to conduct the Draft remotely the past two years.”
Montreal was set to host the 2020 NHL Draft, which was moved to a virtual event for health and safety precautions due to COVID-19. The 2022 event will mark the 27th time the City of Montreal will host the NHL Draft, and the first time since 2009.
Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs is the projected No. 1 pick for the 2022 NHL Draft.
Wright, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection of the Kingston Frontenacs, was granted exceptional status into the Ontario Hockey League by Hockey Canada as a 2004-born player two seasons ago. He set a Frontenacs record with 39 goals and led all OHL rookies with 66 points (39 goals, 27 assists) in 58 games, and was named recipient of the Emms Family Award as the league’s rookie of the year.
His only action in 2020-21 came in helping Canada to gold at the 2021 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.