2022 NHL Draft Odds, Props and Best Bets – Shane Wright Favored to Be Selected 1st Overall by Canadiens
- Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright is the -270 favorite to be selected first overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft on Thursday, July 7
- Slovakian forward Juraj Slafkovsky is the -210 betting favorite to be the second overall pick
- There are also numerous over/under draft props involving several players that offer value to bettors
There seems to be some late debate developing over who will be the top pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. For the longest time, Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright was the consensus pick to be chosen first overall. Lately, though, some scouting services are suggesting that Slovak left-winger Juraj Slafkovsky might pip Wright at the post.
This is vital information to take into consideration while pondering the plethora of prop plays being offered on the NHL Entry Draft, which is slated to get underway at 7pm ET on Thursday, July 7 at the Bell Center.
Who will go first? Who will go second? Should you bet the over or the under on a series of player draft props? Play a few of these wagers and you can sit there on pins and needles watching the draft unfold, just like those kids waiting to hear some NHL team call their name.
2022 NHL Draft First Pick Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Shane Wright | -270 |
| Juraj Slafkovsky | +140 |
| Logan Cooley | +2100 |
| Simon Nemec | +10000 |
| Joakim Kemell | +10000 |
| Matthew Savoie | +10000 |
| David Jiricek | +10000 |
| Cutter Gauthier | +10000 |
Odds as of July 6 at FanDuel Sportsbook. See available FanDuel Sportsbook promo codes.
Wright Heavily Favored in NHL Draft First Pick Odds
There’s an age-old theory that’s often applied to NHL entry draft strategy. When there’s two players of equal value, and one of them is a center, you take the center.
Centers are the center of attention in hockey. In today’s NHL top players such as Hart Trophy winners Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are centers. Nathan MacKinnon, who took the Colorado Avalanche from favorites in the Stanley Cup odds to Cup champs, is a center.
WRIGHT ON THE BUTTON: #TSNHockey Director of Scouting @CraigJButton has the Montreal Canadiens taking Shane Wright No. 1 overall in his final Mock Draft…
ICYMI, Craig's First Round – https://t.co/MzzOajnWkC#DraftCentre pic.twitter.com/bRFGtBZi85
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) July 5, 2022
Wright is that slick center. Slafkovsky is a power forward and a big scorer but like all scoring wingers, needs a center to get him the puck in those scoring areas and set his productivity in motion.
Don’t listen to the noise. Pay heed to the experts with long-held draft experience. The likes of TSN’s Craig Button and Kyle Woodlief of Red Line Report, who are as plugged in to the movers and shakers of the game as anyone in the industry, haven’t wavered from their opinion that it’s Wright who is going first overall to the Montreal Canadiens. He’ll be a top contender in the Calder Trophy odds.
Pick: Shane Wright (-270).
2022 NHL Draft Second Overall Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Juraj Slafkovsky | -200 |
| Shane Wright | +210 |
| David Jiricek | +540 |
| Logan Cooley | +1120 |
| Simon Nemec | +1300 |
| Cutter Gauthier | +3000 |
| Joakim Kemell | +10000 |
| Matthew Savoie | +10000 |
Slafkovsky Favored in NHL Draft Second Overall Odds
Just as Wright is a lock to go at #1, you can use ink to slot Slafkovsky into the second slot of your draft list. He’s a pure scorer and at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, already has NHL size.
Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec won a bronze medal with @HockeySlovakia in the 2022 Winter Olympics at Beijing, which marked the country’s first-ever Olympic medal for ice hockey. 🥉#NHLStats: https://t.co/bxcroocP6K #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/MevOxPRiVz
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 4, 2022
Slafkovsky won an Olympic bronze medal with Slovakia last season, scoring seven goals in seven games while earning tournament MVP. He also played with men in the pros for TPS Turku in Finland’s SM-liiga.
Pick: Juraj Slafkovsky (-200).
2022 NHL Draft Position Odds
| Player | Pick | Over Odds | Under Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conor Geekie | 11.5 | -330 | +250 |
| Cutter Gauthier | 6.5 | -380 | +290 |
| David Jiricek | 5.5 | -155 | +125 |
| Frank Nazar | 15.5 | -175 | +145 |
| Joakim Kemell | 7.5 | -210 | +175 |
| Kevin Korchinski | 11.5 | -175 | +145 |
| Lian Bichsel | 19.5 | -130 | +100 |
| Matthew Savoie | 8.5 | -135 | +105 |
| Owen Pickering | 18.5 | -130 | +100 |
| Pavel Mintyukov | 12.5 | -145 | +115 |
| Simon Nemec | 4.5 | -200 | +160 |
Odds as of July 6 at DraftKings Sportsbook. See available DraftKings Sportsbook promo codes.
Kemell Among Best NHL Draft Over/Under Bets
Here’s where the NHL odds on the draft get really fascinating. Hockey people agree that this is a very deep draft. After the top 3-4 picks, there figures to be a lot of juggling of positions in terms of where players are going to be selected.
Joakim Kemell is one of if not the #2022NHLDraft's best finisher, but he could be so much more than that.@LassiAlanen takes you into the Film Room™️ to look at where the Finnish wingers game is now & what it could be in the NHL.@JYPJyvaskyla
🔗: https://t.co/qIBGQHY2H5 pic.twitter.com/WRwj4hatSG
— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) June 30, 2022
One of those players who is charging up the rankings is Finnish right-winger Joakim Kemell. He was originally penciled in around 10th spot. Lately, though, Kemmel is situated anywhere from 3-7 in the mock drafts of those who earn their living by knowing the NHL Draft like the back of their hand.
He’s a pure scorer who loves to shoot the puck and is always dangerous when he has the puck in the attacking zone. At +175 to go under 7.5, Kemell is bringing stellar value.
Pick: Joakim Kemell Under 7.5 (+175).
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An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
