In his final year of draft eligibility, Lucas Edmonds exploded for his team and finished third in the OHL in points. This extreme jump in production was not expected for him, but he really proved that he was able to grow his game and be one of the best players in the entire league this past year. He has a heavy shot that displays very good accuracy, making him appear to be a goal-scorer at times even though he had gaudy assist numbers. His ability to find shooting lanes and get the puck on net helps him create many scoring chances off of rebounds. Where his game really grew this past season was using his excellent vision to set up teammates. Whether that was threading passes through sticks or finding teammates back door, he showed elite level vision and playmaking ability to execute. He is able to use his speed selectively to find open ice in the offensive zone, creating opportunities to facilitate both for himself and teammates. Because of how dominant he was when he was on the ice his defensive game did not need to be elite, but he did find ways to turn the puck up ice in transition. There’s a lot to like about where his game has developed over the past few seasons and it’s a testament to his commitment in improving his on-ice play in a lot of different aspects. It’s likely he has his name called at the draft but it will be interesting to see how he can continue to grow. He has the added advantage of going directly into the pro ranks because he’s a double overaged player, so it will be interesting to see when and if a team calls his name in the draft, and what their immediate development plan is for him after adding him to the organization’s prospect pool given the influence they could have.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide