The Montreal Canadiens passed the most unanimous prospective player Shane Wright to pick Slovak winger Juraj Slafkovsky with their first overall selection for the 2022 NHL Draft.
The 2022 NHL draft began on July 7, and the two-day event was hosted by Montreal, Quebec, Canada. And to make things even more perfect for Montreal, the Canadians held their first overall pick, which will undoubtedly make an exciting moment for the fan base.
During the preliminary draft process, Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright was named the best overall prospect of the entire class. The Canadians were certainly expecting him to be the first player off the board and hand the team’s signature red jacket on stage at Bell Center.
Instead, the Canadians announced they would opt for Slovak winger Juraj Slavkovsky, who gained the power to enter the event’s opening night. That almost certainly became a reality, while Wright sat in the audience waiting for his name to be named.
Canadians pass Shane Wright, pick Juraj Slavkowski with #1 pick in 2022 NHL Draft
As for Wright, he wasn’t picked right after the casting either.
The New Jersey Devils, who already have youth positions at Jack Hughes and Nico Hescher, passed him to Slovak defender Simon Nemec with the second overall pick. Well, then Wright would definitely go third overall to the Arizona Coyotes, right? No, the Coyotes decided to take US Center Logan Cooley instead.
Wright’s slip on the draft board ended up in fourth place, picked by the Seattle Kraken.
Here’s a collection of tweets that happened during the madness that was the first four picks of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Slafkovsky is a 6-foot-3, 218-pound winger who obviously liked the Canadians enough to pick him among the top players. He played in 31 games this season for TPS Turku in Finland, scoring five goals and making five assists. He starred at the 2022 Winter Olympics, scoring seven goals in seven matches to help Slovakia win the bronze medal.
Now, he’s heading to Montreal to help be an important part of their team for the foreseeable future.
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