2022 NHL Draft sleepers: Hugo Havelid, Lucas Edmonds among the most intriguing

Every single year, regardless of how many players I’ve listed – usually 80 to 100 – there are a lot more I’d like to include, but you’ve got to cut it off somewhere. That’s why every year I’ve been doing draft rankings, I write about players that may not have made the list for one reason or another, but that I liked enough to feel that they should be drafted.

This year’s list was 100 players long, but 225 players will be selected. So I wanted to cover some more bases and talk a little bit about a number of other players that I liked this season.

In the later stages of the draft this year, I think you’re going to see a number of second- and third-year eligible players selected. There are also a number of teams that ascribe to the strategy that in the later rounds, they should focus a bit less on players from major junior in Canada and more on Europeans or players that are on track for college. The biggest reason for that is because drafted major junior players need to be signed within two years or they can go back into the draft pool. Drafting a player that is either in college or about to attend college buys four years of draft rights. It gives those players and the teams a way longer runway to determine if that player deserves one of the 50 contracts a team is allowed to distribute in a given year.

So it’s not a mistake to see more Europeans and college-bound players on this list. Here is my look at a number of players I think will go in the mid to late rounds of the draft that stood out in some way to me this year or offer enough intrigue to entice teams later on.

Connor Kurth, RW, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)

Kurth was the last cut from my Top 100 and even still I wonder if I should have gotten him on there. It’s unlikely he’d be drafted that high, but he’s been a player I’ve been high on all season and even considered listing in his first draft-eligible season in 2020-21. This season, Kurth showed great progression from his rookie campaign as he put up 81 points in 62 games for Dubuque. He was a driver on his line and plays the game with strength. He protects pucks well and is dogged in puck pursuit. He’ll be headed to the University of Minnesota next season as part of a pretty stacked incoming class of freshmen. His skating is going to need some work, but he scored 35 goals this season in the USHL and I could see him being an impact rookie in the NCAA next season. He should be drafted if a team doesn’t want to have to line up in three years to sign him as an undrafted free agent. I’d recommend they get him locked down now with a draft pick and avoid the rush later.

Hugo Havelid, G, Linkoping U20 (Sweden U20)

I considered Havelid for the Top 100, but already had one goalie under six-foot on there in Sergei Ivanov who I have liked a little better in terms of the entire body of work. That said, no goaltender left a better last impression than Havelid, who backstopped Sweden to the gold medal at the U18 Worlds in the spring. He was spectacular against the U.S. in that game and Sweden doesn’t win it without him. But he’s a 5-foot-10 goalie and I think a lot of teams will have already written him off for that fact. It’s hard to blame them.

Juuse Saros may be one of the best goalies in the NHL over the last few seasons at 5-foot-10 himself, but he’s a bit of a unicorn. I think he opens the door to believe in smaller goalies, but it’s still hard for teams not to see the risk. Most players with Havelid’s size profile do not make it, so the odds are against him to being the next Saros.

That said, he’s an aggressive, quick and competitive goaltender who will battle to make every save within his physical abilities and still has the technique to limit second chances. In 28 games in Sweden’s top U20 league, he had a .920 save percentage and upped that to .925 in the playoffs. He was at .929 in the U18 Worlds in five starts. He showed he could put a team on his back. There is so much intrigue in his late-season performances and in a weak year for goalies, he might be worth taking a chance on. I’m not certain he will be drafted, but I would not be opposed to a late-round swing on the smaller goalie.

Dominic James, C, Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC)

Passed over in the last two drafts, James made the U.S. World Junior team kind of out of nowhere this year. He’s a quick skater with an unrelenting motor. The jump he plays with is infectious and his line at Minnesota Duluth became one of the Bulldogs’ most impactful trios. James’ ability to play in just about any situation you need and play with max effort every shift stands out. I don’t think his production was indicative of his play this year because he ended up with just 18 points in 39 games. His versatility and pace are attractive qualities that he was able to showcase with enough regularity this year to land on some teams’ radars. Like Kurth, I see him playing his way into signing an NHL deal as an undrafted UFA if he’s not picked.

Kirill Dolzhenkov, LW, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (Russia U20)

A 6-foot-6 forward with hands, Dolzhenkov is one of those guys you kind of have to see to believe. He doesn’t skate all that well, but he has devastating shot and tremendous offensive sense. He anticipates well, puts himself in good spots and he’s pretty much impossible to move off the puck. The reason I didn’t list him is that I worry as the pace of games quickens, he won’t be able to keep up. On the other hand, at his size, he may not have to. Just go stand in front of the net and make some plays. He is probably one of the most fascinating players in this class due to that size and skill profile. Watching some of the games he played against U18 competition this season was downright comical.

Lucas Edmonds, RW, Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)

Shane Wright did not lead Kingston in scoring this season. That was actually Edmonds, an overage who had played the previous four seasons in Sweden. He finished with 113 points in 68 games. Edmonds is not a huge driver of play, but he showed he could finish and often put himself in good positions to do so. During the 2020-21 season, Edmonds played at the pro level, but struggled to produce in the second division Allsvenskan. Playing his first season in the OHL this year, he found a way to make an impact on just about every game. He has a quick release, makes smart reads and knew how to pick apart junior defenses this year. As an older player, you get a little bit more of an idea of what he is now and that may give teams a better feel for drafting him. It will still probably be late because he’s average sized and only an OK skater, but this season certainly did not look like a fluke.

Charlie Leddy, D, U.S. National Under-18 Team (NTDP)

Leddy was a late cut from the Top 100, but I still believe he will be drafted. That’s even though defensemen who don’t produce at a particularly high level have a much harder time hearing their names called. Leddy is a highly mobile, right-shot, defensive-minded defenseman. He played often in more of a depth role for Team USA this season, but handled himself well. He had 17 assists, but no goals this season. His ice time dwindled a little bit in the bigger games, but I still saw a number of pro qualities in his game including his defensive sense, competitiveness and mobility. He will likely have to play a fairly big role at Boston College as soon as next season and has a lot of runway to round out his game more and build off a pretty sturdy foundation.

Cole Knuble, RW, Fargo Force (USHL)

An all-rookie selection in the USHL this season, Knuble made an impressive jump from triple-A to the USHL, which is not always easy. He had 20 goals and 49 points in 62 games for Fargo, fishing second on his team in total points. The son of longtime NHLer Mike Knuble hasn’t inherited his dad’s size quite yet, but he’s got some very good elements of his game. Knuble is a good competitor and has pretty solid puck skills. He skates well, too, and has a knack for scoring. Committed to play at Notre Dame star in 2023, he should get another year of the USHL under his belt and could be a dominant player in that league.

Samu Bau, C/W, HIFK U20 (Finland U20)

Sometimes you just get a feeling about a player. Watching Bau at the U18 Worlds this spring, I saw a player who hadn’t put it all together yet, but was starting to scratch the surface. He’s a lanky 6-foot-4 who appears to still be growing into his frame and figuring out how to use it. I thought he showed pretty good quickness for a big man and there were little flashes of good puck skills. He only had one assist in that tournament and just 18 points in 36 games in Finland’s top junior league. He’s a pure project, but I wonder if there’s a team who sees that challenge and uses a late-round pick to give him that chance.

Zaccharya Wisdom, RW, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)

The RoughRiders are the team I get to see the most as they’re in my back yard. Every single game I watched of them when Wisdom was in the lineup, he always jumped out at me. His point totals won’t catch your eye, but he played every game with aggression and monster forechecking ability. He’s the younger brother of Flyers prospect Zayde Wisdom and while he lacks his brother’s offensive prowess, the effort level is unmistakable. He’s another one of those guys you just get the feeling he’s going to find a way to make it. He’ll fit a role down the lineup and not every team wants to draft players like that, but every team does need those kinds of players. Wisdom is committed to play at Colorado College, but will likely spend another year in the USHL. It’s not a sexy pick, but I think it will be a rewarding one down the line.

Zam Plante, C, Hermantown H.S./Chicago Steel (MN-HS; USHL)

The son of former Buffalo Sabre Derek Plante, Zam is a smaller forward but he has a boatload of skill. One of the younger players in this draft with a late August birthday, he split time between the Chicago Steel and Hermantown this season. He is expected to spend all of next season with Chicago, which should be good for his development and his confidence. Despite his stature, he competes and finds ways to create offense. He’ll be headed to play for Minnesota Duluth where Derek is an assistant coach and where players often become much more complete players. Zam is on a good path, so better to draft him now and not wait if he has a breakout season in the USHL in 2022-23.

Rayan Bettahar, D, Swift Current Broncos (WHL)

A 6-foot-2, 200-pound rearguard from Germany, Bettahar is a throwback. He hits just about everything in sight. There were a half dozen bone-crunching hits he delivered at the U18 World Championship that caught everyone’s attention. I like his mobility and the way he reads plays defensively. The offensive elements of his game are lacking, but you see a guy that plays that throwback style with some good mobility and it catches your attention. His footwork looked good to me. If he gets picked, it’s going to be late and it’s going to be by a team that sees the defensive and physical elements of his game translating well.

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2022 NHL Draft sleepers: Hugo Havelid, Lucas Edmonds among the most intriguing

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