Scout’s Honor: Flurry of Drafts Upcoming

It’s officially draft season.

As the Winterhawks prepare for tonight’s Game 6 in Seattle, behind the scenes, they’ve got one eye on a pair of Western Hockey League drafts coming up this week and the 2022 NHL Draft in July.

Last week, Central Scouting released its final rankings ahead of this summer’s NHL Draft, recognizing two current Winterhawks on the list. Throughout the series against Seattle, dozens of NHL scouts attended games in both Portland and Seattle to assess the influx of talent in the Pacific Northwest. According to Central Scouting, there is expected to be a plethora of Hawks and T-Birds selected by NHL Clubs in two months.

But before current players hear their names called and begin their pro journeys, hockey operations departments around the WHL have been busy evaluating the next generation ahead of the WHL U.S. Priority Draft on Wednesday, May 18, and the WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, May 19.

Sandwiched between the second and third rounds of the WHL playoffs, clubs will select players from the 2007-born class to fill out their respective Protected Player Lists over a 48-hour window. On Wednesday, the Hawks will select two top-end, American-born players with the 20th and 25th overall picks. In December, the Winterhawks added elite defensive prospects Garin Ludwig and Adam Kleber in the 2021 U.S. Priorty Draft.

Players eligible for the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft will be 2007-born players who reside in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Players not selected in the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft will remain eligible to be selected in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft or listed by a WHL Club at any time thereafter.

This brings us to the longer WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday morning. The cupboard is set to be stocked as Portland owns all its picks in the first six rounds of the Prospects Draft, and the Hawks are expected to select around a dozen players. Historically, Portland has done a tremendous job of locating talent through the draft. Gabe Klassen and Taylor Gauthier (from Prince George) are two former first-round selections and Marcus Nguyen is developing into a star forward as a former 11th-round pick.

Based on regular-season standings, the Winterhawks will make their first selection with the 18th overall pick. There’s plenty of talent available at 18, with star players like Cody Glass, Brayden Point, Dylan Cozens, Nic Petan, and Klassen having been selected with a pick in the teens over the last dozen years.

Players eligible for the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft will be 2007-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

As the Winterhawks continue their playoff run, keep an eye out for the next wave of prospects who will join the Hawks family.