2022 MOCK DRAFT: VANCOUVER CANUCKS

This is a mock draft of the 2022 NHL draft with the Vancouver Canucks, who have just 7 picks in the draft, and no 2nd round pick either. It is likely for Vancouver to trade some of their current roster players in order to add some picks at the draft.

Related: Chicago Blackhawks

Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made

Vancouver Canucks trade JT Miller, Conor Garland to the New York Rangers for Kappk Kakko, Nils Lundkvist, 2nd round pick ’23. If the Rangers make the Conference Finals, the 2nd round pick becomes a 1st round pick. The Canucks retain 1 million of Garland’s annual cap hit until 2025.

The Canucks get a good haul for JT Miller and Conor Garland; Kakko Kakko was a former 2nd overall pick and still has tons of upside, Nils Lundkvist has top 4 upside and they could end up with a 2023 1st round pick if the Ranger make the Conference Finals.

The Canucks also trade Brock Boeser to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, 2022 2nd round pick.
If Boeser scores 30 or more goals next season, the Canucks get an additional 2023 2nd-round pick.

The Hurricanes need a Right Winger to play on the top line alongside Aho and Teravainen; for the Canucks they get two good young players in Martin Necas and Jack Drury,
and draft picks.

Tyler Myers and Tanner Pearson are traded to the Nashville Predators for Eeli Tolvanen, Jeremy Lauzon, 1st round pick ’22. Vancouver retains 1.5 million of Tyler Myers’ annual cap hit.

This trade gives Nashville better defensive depth and Tanner Pearson is given a chance for a fresh start. For Vancouver, they get Eeli Tolvanen, a talented young player, that has struggled with the Predators, Jeremy Lauzon, a physical defender, who fits well on the 3rd pair, and a 1st round pick.

2022 Draft

15-Isaac Howard
17-Marco Kasper
60-Samuel Rinzel
80-Jordan Dumais
112-David Spacek
144-Arseni Koromyslov
176-Kent Anderson
208-Braden Holt

The Vancouver Canucks kicked off the 2022 Draft by selecting former USNTDP standout, Isaac Howard with the 15th pick. Isaac Howard is an offensively gifted forward, a natural scorer who is developing into an excellent playmaker as well. He scored 54 goals in 91 games spread over two seasons with United States National Team Development Program Juniors, but his 71 assists have earned him a reputation for being a versatile player who can both score and set up plays.
Despite being an undersized forward, his ability to score goals should make him a top 6 goal-scoring forward at the NHL level. After making a trade with the Nashville Predators to land the 17th overall pick, the Canucks selected Austrian-born center, Marco Kasper with that pick.
Kasper has drawn comparisons to fellow Austrian center Marco Rossi, who was a very elite two-way center during his draft year as well, the difference is that Kasper is bigger at 6’1, but he isn’t nearly as explosive as Rossi was in his draft year. Kasper is already a very well-round player and could be in the NHL sooner rather than later.

In the 2nd round, the Vancouver Canucks draft a towering 6-foot-4 defenseman, Samuel Rinzel from Chaska High School in Minnesota. Rinzel is by far the most NHL-ready player coming out of high school; he couples his big frame with good skating ability. Despite being a defenseman, he is known for jumping into the rush and playing a creative offensive game. Being one of the younger players in this draft, he has so much room for development, and he has already managed to make a name for himself in the eyes of scouts. His upside is that of a top-four defenseman who can contribute to special teams. He can reach his potential by continuing to improve his defensive game while filling out his 6-foot-4 frame. The Canucks followed the Rinzel pick by selecting Halifax Mooseheads forward, Jordan Dumais, who could end up being a steal in this draft. Because he is only 5’9/165, he will definitely be looked over in the draft, but his offensive numbers are impossible to ignore, as he led all first-time draft-eligible players with 109 points in just 68 games, surpassing Shane Wright by 15 points and Matthew Savoie by 19. His incredible total set a franchise record in points and surpassed players such as Jonathan Drouin, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Nico Hischier, all top ten picks. Jordan Dumais is a dynamic playmaker, who has arguably the best set of hands in this entire draft and could be the best playmaker period in this draft. Couple his playmaking ability, with his work ethic and relentless aggression on forechecks, and his potential is limitless. Dumais has produced like a superstar this year, but because many scouts and NHL teams still judge players based on their physical stature, he will likely fall in the draft, similar to Johnny Gaudreau, who has set an example of how to be a star being an undersized player
in the NHL.

The Canucks drafted three defensemen, in the next three rounds: David Spacek, Arseni Koromyslov, and Kent Anderson. David Spacek is the son of former NHL defenseman, Jaroslav; he plays for the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL and has registered 12 goals and 50 points in 57 games in the regular season then 13 points in 11 games in the playoffs. Spacek definitely needs improvement on the defensive side of the puck, but he already is a very good offensive defenseman, who is already a potent threat on the powerplay. Arseni Korosmylov is a Russian defenseman who primarily played for SKA-1946 St. Petersburg in the MHL, where he finished with 4 goals and 19 points in 42 games. Korosmylov is a two-way defenseman who relies on his positioning and instincts to make his mark in games. His ability to defend the rush stands out the most. He is always certain to shut down passing lanes and then begin making moves on the puck carrier. He can also use his large frame to impose himself on junior opponents, although I’m not sure that aspect of his game can project to higher levels. Arseni has the potential to be a third-pair defenseman who plays on the penalty kill. Kent Anderson is a big Right-Handed shooting defenseman that has a pretty well-rounded game. While he doesn’t really have any attribute that stands out other than size, he still has value as a late-round pick.

The Vancouver Canucks ended the 2022 draft with the Everett Silvertips Goaltender, Braden Holt, who led Everett to the best record in the Western Conference in the WHL. Holt started 37 games in the regular season, and had a 24-6-4 record, with a 2.56 GAA, .909 SV%, and 4 shutouts. Unfortunately, Holt did not play well in the playoffs, which resulted in a first-round exit for Everett. Braden was already overlooked in the 2021 draft, and with the 2022 class of goaltenders being so weak, he is not a bad selection for a 7th-round pick. Even if he doesn’t pan out, they still have Demko, Spencer Martin, and Michael DiPietro ahead of him.

Vancouver Canucks re-sign a few players:

Kakko Kakko-3yrs/3.5M per
Martin Necas-3yrs/3.5M per
Juho Lammikko-2yrs/1M per
Jack Rathbone-2yrs/950k per

Vancouver re-signs All Non-Roster RFAs

The Canucks re-sign the following players:

Frank Vatrano-3yrs/3.5M per

This is how the Lineup looks like next season

2022-23 Vancouver Canucks

N.Hoglander-E.Pettersson-K.Kakko
A.Kuzmenko-B.Horvat-V.Podkolzin
F.Vatrano-J.Drury-M.Necas
J.Lammikko-J.Dickinson-E.Tolvanen

Q.Hughes-J.Lauzon
O.Ekman-Larsson-T.Poolman
J.Rathbone-N.Lundkvist

T.Demko
S.Martin

Top Prospects:
F: I.Howard, M.Kasper, D.Klimovich, L.Karlsson, J.Dumais
D: J.Woo, S.Rinzel, D.Spacek, A.Koromyslov, K.Andersen
G: M.DiPietro, B.Holt