TLN’s 2022 Consolidated Draft Rankings

The 2022 NHL Entry Draft is nearly here. In just over a week, Montreal will host the first in-person draft in three years, setting up for an event to remember. Not only do the Canadiens hold the first overall pick, but there is also uncertainty as to who will be the first name off the board, in addition to plenty of intriguing storylines down the order.
22 rankings currently have been compiled for this consolidated ranking. Lists from the following outlets have been included, as well as rankings from individual scouts from these outlets:
Daily Faceoff
Dobber Prospects
Draft Prospects Hockey
Elite Prospects
Future Considerations
Hockey Prospecting
McKeen’s
Recruit Scouting
Smaht Scouting
Sportsnet
The Athletic
The Hockey News
The Hockey Writers
TSN
For more information on many of the prospects on this list, be sure to check out Nick Richard’s top 100 list here on The Leafs Nation.
Also, note that all of the rankings included are exclusively those that are final lists from the respective outlet or scout. Rankings that are recent but not final, such as Corey Pronman’s, have not been included.
Here are the rankings:
First Round

RANK
PLAYER
POSITION
REGION
HIGH RANK
LOW RANK
1
Shane Wright
C
OHL
1
2
2
Logan Cooley
C
USNTDP
1
6
3
Juraj Slafkovský
LW
Finland
1
16
4
Šimon Nemec
RD
Slovakia
2
9
5
David Jiříček
RD
Czechia
2
9
6
Matt Savoie
C
WHL
3
19
7
Joakim Kemell
RW
Finland
3
13
8
Frank Nazar
C
USNTDP
2
25
9
Cutter Gauthier
LW
USNTDP
5
22
10
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
RW
Sweden
6
18
11
Danila Yurov
RW
Russia
4
26
12
Kevin Korchinski
LD
WHL
6
40
13
Denton Mateychuk
LD
WHL
5
25
14
Pavel Mintyukov
LD
OHL
7
26
15
Brad Lambert
RW
Finland
5
42
16
Marco Kasper
C
Sweden
8
31
17
Liam Öhgren
LW
Sweden
11
25
18
Conor Geekie
C
WHL
8
31
19
Isaac Howard
LW
USNTDP
10
43
20
Noah Östlund
C
Sweden
10
NR (Top 32)
21
Rutger McGroarty
C
USNTDP
15
40
22
Jiří Kulich
C
Czechia
14
NR (Top 32)
23
Jagger Firkus
RW
WHL
14
34
24
Filip Mešár
RW
Czechia
10
59
25
Owen Pickering
LD
WHL
13
53
26
Ivan Miroshnichenko
RW
Russia
12
40
27
Jimmy Snuggerud
RW
USNTDP
8
53
28
Ryan Chesley
RD
USNTDP
12
72
29
Calle Odelius
LD
Sweden
15
52
30
Gleb Trikozov
C
Russia
8
82
31
Owen Beck
C
OHL
21
61
32
Nathan Gaucher
C
QMJHL
22
58
Second Round

RANK
PLAYER
POSITION
REGION
HIGH RANK
LOW RANK
33
Lian Bichsel
LD
Sweden
19
55
34
Lane Hutson
LD
USNTDP
8
NR (Top 64)
35
Mattias Hävelid
RD
Sweden
26
66
36
Tristan Luneau
RD
QMJHL
27
71
37
Seamus Casey
RD
USNTDP
24
54
38
David Goyette
C
OHL
20
53
39
Luca Del B …

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Author: Kyle Cushman / The Leafs Nation

The Blue Jays have apparently signed RHP Sergio Romo

We wanted bullpen help and here it is!

According to Jon Heyman, Sergio Romo is close to signing a deal with the Blue Jays. Also, according to Heyman, this is a big league deal, so Romo will be added to the 40-man roster and will join the team immediately…

Sergio Romo close to signing an MLB deal with Blue Jays
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 27, 2022

We all know the Blue Jays need some reinforcements in their bullpen but it’s difficult to say if the 39-year-old Romo is that guy. You’ll likely recognize Romo’s name from when he was the key arm for the World Series-winning San Fransisco Giants, but a lot of time has passed between then and now.
He signed a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners and posted an 8.16 ERA across 17 outings for them before getting released last week. Romo also pitched one inning for Seattle’s Triple-A team this year and allowed one run.
Romo was pretty effective last season, posting a 4.05 ERA and striking out 10.4 batters per nine over 24 appearances for the Twins. The hope is that he can start to look more like the pitcher he was last season and less like the one who struggled this year with the Mariners. I mean, even if he can catch fire during this eight-game stretch against the Red Sox and Rays, that would be great.
If the experiment doesn’t work out, the Blue Jays can cut it quickly because the Mariners are on the hook for the majority of Romo’s salary this year.
POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO
…

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Big bats and a strong start from Ross Stripling help the Blue Jays avoid a sweep to the White Sox

Here we are again, feeling good after avoiding a sweep.

The Blue Jays pulled off a massive comeback on Sunday to save themselves from a sweep by the New York Yankees and they carried that momentum into back-to-back infuriating losses on Monday and Tuesday night in Chicago.
Tuesday night’s 13-inning game forced Charlie Montoyo to go deep into the team’s bullpen, but Ross Stripling stepped up on Wednesday afternoon and delivered a much-needed six innings with only one run earned. The bats also did their part as a homer from Alejandro Kirk, a grand slam from Bo Bichette, and a two-run bomb from Teoscar Hernandez resulted in nine runs scored.
That was important because Adam Cimber made things a little stressful in the bottom of the eighth inning. The final score was 9-5.
Guillermo Martinez needs to get tossed before every game!

Here’s hitting Coach Guillermo Martínez delivering the lineup card and immediately getting thrown out of the game, like a boss pic.twitter.com/yz5CEUgdyc
— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) June 22, 2022

While losing two out of three isn’t ideal and the pitching made this a frustrating series, it’s certainly encouraging to see the bats do what they did against a team that can pitch well. They scored 22 runs across the three games against Chicago, and 32 over four games if you include the comeback against New York.
Next up, the Blue Jays will be off on Thursday and then they’ll play three in Milwaukee before they return home for a crucial stretch of games against American League East opponents.
The Boston Red Sox are on fire lately and are now only a half game back of the Blue Jays in the standings while the Tampa Bay Rays sit one game behind Toronto. It’ll be Boston coming to town for three and then Tampa playing a rare five-game series that features a Saturday doubleheader to help make up fo …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

The lessons to learn from watching the Stanley Cup Finals

As we sit here watching another Stanley Cup final wondering why not the Leafs, or how the Leafs could be faring against the Avalanche, it feels necessary to splash a little cold water on the situation and explore the idea that there might be something that the Leafs can learn from the Lightning and Avalanche (beyond be located in a warm, low income tax state where the players don’t function in a pressure cooker and are allowed to have lives away from the rink. Also lock in Nathan MacKinnon cheap is a good lesson too.)
The exact question was: “What lesson do you want the Leafs to learn from the Lightning and Avs?”
Nick Barden:
Depth scoring matters. Yes, it’s important that Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander are scoring, but other players need to chip in too. When I look at Tampa right now, Nick Paul is doing wonders and I believe Toronto is one piece like that away from being a tough team to beat.
You put that together with strong goaltending and great defence like they had and it’s a recipe for a long run in the playoffs.
Dylan Murphy:
Just to be snarky, I want to say that the lesson to learn from the Lightning is that if you complain loud enough, you can get a pe …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Leaflets: Rumours vs. Speculation, a BPA rant, and the case for the goaltending cart before the horse

Here I am on a Sunday night polishing off a bottle of wine that needs finishing before it goes bad, and I’m feeling now is the time to rant about some offseason practices. Here we go:
Rumours vs. Speculation
The main thing that drew me to the online hockey community was having several hours worth of a desk job to fill and my desire to see the Leafs make moves to improve themselves. I’d scour the internet looking for any indication that Toronto would improve, and that became how I filled my workday. I went on from there, but still, I get the appeal the seeking out Leafs rumours and daydreaming about what happens next.
Still, I’d like to think that along the way I learned the difference between rumours and speculation and learned to treat them differently. I don’t often see that in the mess that is social media, and often that’s a product of the crappy game of telephone that goes on.
Rumours are generally provided by an insider or beat reporter citing someone from around the league sharing what they’ve heard or possibly what they are up to. Those are pretty straightforward.
Unfortunately, because people like me …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Another Maple Leafs Game 7: See you on the other side

Here we are. We’ve made it. Game Seven between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
How are you feeling?
Tonight can either be spent hugging your loved ones and people on the street as the seconds tick down to a Maple Leafs win, or it can end like the last nine elimination games have — in defeat.
The closer we get to puck drop on Saturday night, the larger the nerves get. This game won’t only be watched by Maple Leafs and Lightning fans, but every fan in across the hockey universe. This game is massive.
Every player on the Maple Leafs must be on the top of their game because the Lightning are going to come out just as hard. Tonight will be a tsunami of emotions for everyone — win or lose.
It’s the Maple Leafs’ biggest game in a very long time.
The lines
Both teams will enter Game Seven with the same lineups they had on Thursday night.
If you missed the game, or missed what the lineup looked like, here’s how the Maple Leafs’ lines shape up ahead of Saturday night’s do-or-die game.

#Leafs line rushes during morning skate May 14/22
Bunting-Matthews-Marner Mikheyev-Tavares-KerfootNylander-Kampf-EngvallSpezza-Blackwell-Kase Extra: Clifford, Simmonds, Anderson
Rielly-LyubushkinMuzzin-BrodieGiordano-HollSandin-Liljegren
Campbell KallgrenMrazek
— David Alter (@dalter) May 14, 2022

If you’re wondering what any of the Maple Leafs had to say prior to Game Seven, it’s all very encouraging. Each of the players and Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe are exc …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Game #5 Recap: Maple Leafs are one win away from closing out series against Lightning

In all honesty, I didn’t think I’d be sitting here discussing a Maple Leafs 4-3 win over the Lightning, but here I am.
For the first time in this series there has finally been a lead change during a game and for Toronto fans, it luckily came at the right moment. And now, they’re one win away from moving onto the second round.
It felt different walking around downtown Toronto on Tuesday night. The Maple Leafs have a chance to close out the series against the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions on Thursday night.
As fans exited Scotiabank Arena and Maple Leaf Square, they were chanting “Leafs in Six!” The excitement around the city hasn’t been felt since before the pandemic and it honestly feels like the city is coming back to life.
Fans hugging and high-fiving each other, groups of people hugging and dancing in Maple Leaf Square — it feels normal — with a hint of excitement.
The Gifs
Let’s remember how we got here.
The game began with two unfortunate bounces going the Lightning’s way. The first came on a shot from Steven Stamkos which beat Jack Campbell over the blocker.

Steven Stamkos. 1-0 pic.twitter.com/EFD8wUXSOq
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 10, 2022

The puck bounces over a number of sticks before falling to Stamkos for his second goal of this series.
Under a minute later, Victor Hedman’s point shot somehow finds its way through all of the traffic in front of the net and past Campbell.

Victor Hed …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

21 Takes to close out the Leafs season and to usher in the playoffs

Here we are, the final 21 takes of the season for me. We started doing this back at the quarter mark and checked in again at the midpoint, and the trade deadline. Now the grand finale to give me 82 takes on the year. Personally closing out this series is as exciting as closing out the season for me, and it’s nice having a forward look to the playoffs. Now, let’s get to those takes.
1. No matter what, this team doesn’t need to be blown up
This season has been a good reminder of one thing that seems like a very cold take to start things off. It’s that the Leafs are incredibly good. They are a well-built team and the success they have had is earned and not lucked into. If the Leafs find themselves out after the first round there isn’t a need to “trade everyone” or “blow it up” or any of the other drastic things I will call for in my moments of peak hyperbole.
That’s not a plea to keep the band together, it’s just a reminder I’ll potentially want to look at later this spring to remind me that any changes made should be thoughtful ones that keep Toronto competitive.
2. There are plenty of reasons to have high expectations for the Leafs this spring
The Leafs have clinched the fourth best record in the NHL this year. That’s outstanding, especially when one of the teams in their division is the President’s Trophy winning team. Getting a record that good isn’t easy, and pretty much anyone other than Florida or Colorado, or C …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Bluelines: One more in the regular season

POWERED BY POINTSBET CANADA
Game #82 is finally here. The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Boston Bruins tonight to wrap up the regular season, and while Toronto has their seeding locked in, there are still big playoff implications from this matchup. With the Bruins win and Tampa’s loss last night, any result that sees Boston record one more point than the Lightning tonight will see the Maple Leafs face the Bruins rather than Tampa Bay in the first round.
A Leafs win (+105)
No Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, or Jack Campbell tonight sees the Toronto Maple Leafs as only a slight underdog.
This is a pretty big surprise to me given the Bruins appear to be dressing a full-strength lineup in hopes of picking up the #3 seed in the Atlantic. The Leafs have played Boston very well this season, winning 5-2 and 6-4 respectively, and will be going for the season sweep. That said, with such a depleted lineup and seven defencemen dressed for Toronto, a victory tonight is going to be a challenge going up against a seemingly full-strength Boston squad.
Islanders to beat Tampa Bay (+160)

Going to a different game to keep an eye on tonight, a result that sees Boston record one more point than Tampa Bay tonight will see the Leafs play the Bruins in the first round rather than the Lightning. If you want to avoid the Bruins for the obvious trau …

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Author: Kyle Cushman / The Leafs Nation

Farm Notes as the Blue Jays Minor League Season gets started

Just a quick rundown here of some notes and observations about the farm system teams’ opening weekend rosters and maneuvers. Very little of this will be about actual on-field results, for that I recommend the notebook published at Future Blue Jays, featuring much more insightful observations than I’d come up with. But given my series of roster predictions, it seemed worthwhile to comment particularly on the important bits I missed.

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
On the pitching staff, when one factors in the 40-man roster guys and the players who were traded, or are injured (specifically Jose De Leon and Fitz Stadler) the predictions look pretty solid. The big misses are Joey Murray getting squeezed out and the confidence in Nick Allgeyer as a starter even with many alternatives.
Before last year I was enthused about his future and if the organization sees enough in his progress to give him a prominent starting role, that’s encouraging. The Bisons, like the Fisher Cats, have a lot of good options at the back of the bullpen (Vazquez, Johnston, Eisert, and Spraker) which should help make them dangerous, even with Stadler out for an extended period.  Offensively, Gabby Moreno was just activated yesterday and will presumably make his debut Tuesday night.
Jordan Groshans opens with an injury and is possibly still in Florida. The only thing that really surprised me is they opened with a crowded bench of guys who probably aren’t ready for AAA. With Katoh demoted, someone like Nick Podkul may be in New Hampshire by the ti …

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Author: Tammy Rainey / Blue Jays Nation