Simon Nemec, HK Nitra.
The 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are at the Conference Semi-Final stage. Unfortunately, the Seattle Kraken‘s inaugural season brought them nowhere near the postseason. General Manager Ron Francis, his staff, and scouts are already deep in preparations to turn around the team’s fortunes in 2022-23 and beyond.
Pacific Northwest Sports has been monitoring the top NHL mock drafts. Our staff did the background work so our readers won’t have to search all over the web to determine who the Kraken will select with their first-round pick at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
We audited 15 different mock drafts this time around. Two of them went through two rounds. The sources we use for the mocks may vary from edition to edition, but they are all credible. This time we included The Athletic, Sportsnet, NHL.com, Bleacher Report, The Hockey News, TSN, and more. As Draft Day gets closer, we will increase the number of mock drafts we use.
Last year the Seattle Kraken used their first ever Entry Draft pick (second overall) on center Matty Beniers from the University of Michigan and the United States Olympic Team. It looks like they struck gold on this one.
After UM’s season ended with disappointment in the Frozen Four, Beniers signed an entry-level contract and joined the Kraken for their final 10 games. Even at the young age of 19, he proved he belonged on the ice with NHL players. Beniers scored 9 points (3 goals), including 4 on the power play. In a very short time, he should become the face of the franchise. Hopefully, this year’s pick can also make an immediate impact.
Based on their 2021-22, Seattle needs help everywhere. Of all the issues they need to address, defense is at the top of their list. That doesn’t take away from other needs, but with four second-round picks this year and three more in 2023, Francis can either start building organizational depth or trade back up to get another first round selection.
Many Kraken fans are concerned about goaltending after Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger had horrible seasons. There aren’t many highly rated goalies in this draft, but don’t rule out Francis selecting one in the late second or early third rounds.
Although they had the league’s third worst record last season, the Draft Lottery fates weren’t with the Seattle Kraken. They will select fourth overall. As mentioned above, Seattle has four picks in Round 2; 35th, 49th, 60th, and 64th overall. They also pick once in the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds, as well as three times in Round 4.
Just like other major sports, the National Hockey League has a process. They will hold their annual Draft Combine in Buffalo, New York, from May 29 through June 4. The 2022 NHL Entry Draft takes place in Montreal this year on June 7 and 8 and will be televised on the ESPN Networks.
According to the mock drafts, there is an overwhelming favorite to go to the Seattle Kraken with the fourth overall pick. Slovakian defenseman Simon Nemec was the choice on two-thirds of them (10 of 15).
Nemec has all the qualities of a potential top pairing defenseman. A smooth skater and adept puck handler, Nemec does a great job of drawing defenders to him before either making a nifty move to get around or distributing the puck to an open teammate.
His defense is on par with his offense. Rarely is Nemec out of position. Additionally, he uses an active stick to break up passes.
He possesses a maturity well beyond his years. Even though he’s young, Nemec still held his own against grown men in the Czech Extraliga last season. At times he looks unflappable on the ice. He doesn’t get pressured into mistakes. That was one of the reasons why he was a member of the Czech team at the Olympics despite just turning 18-years-old.
Age: 18
Height: 6”1”
Weight: 195-pounds
2021-22 Stats: Regular Season – 39 games, 1 goal, 25 assists, +13, 20 PIM. Playoffs – 19 games, 5 goals, 12 assists, +2, 14 PIM. All international – 33 games, 2 goals, 18 assists.
Central Scouting Rank: Third-ranked International Skater, First-ranked International Defenseman
If you follow football or basketball, you’ve surely heard a quarterback referred to as a “field general” or a point guard labeled a “floor general” and those terms come to mind when watching Šimon Nemec. He is a mature, intelligent defender who always looks to be in control of what is happening on the ice.
Nemec sees the ice incredibly well, pushing play from the back end and breaking down defensive coverages with efficient puck distribution in the offensive zone… The young Slovak maintains strong gap control in defensive transition, uses his stick effectively to take away time and space, and is rarely caught out of position in defensive zone coverage. – Nick Richard, Dobber Prospects
Also receiving consideration were center Logan Cooley, USA U-18 (2), right wing Joakim Kemell, JYP (Finland) (2), and defenseman David Jiricek, Plzen (Check Republic).
Right now, the second round is very up in the air. In fact, only two of the 15 mock drafts we audited go that far. There are a few local players to keep an eye on.
As good of a story as it might be, without a huge trade back into the early-mid first round, Conor Geekie, Morgan’s brother, will be long gone by pick 35. And Francis isn’t going to trade down. However, they have a very good shot at landing defenseman Kevin Korchinski, left wing Reid Shaffer, and/or center Jordan Gustafson from the Seattle Thunderbirds in Round 2.
Who do you think the Seattle Kraken will draft with the fourth overall pick? Let us know in the comments section below.