The 2022 NHL Draft, which was held July 7-8 in Montreal, Quebec, featured the selection of ten Minnesotans and 49 Americans.

The first round was highlighted by a pair of Chaska High School and Chaska Chanhassen Hockey Association teammates being selected only two picks apart. The St. Louis Blues drafted Jimmy Snuggerud with the 23rd pick and then Sam Rinzel was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks with the 25th selection. The last pair of youth and high school teammates to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft were Ryan Poehling and Jake Oettinger from Lakeville North in 2017.  

Ryan Chesley, who played his youth hockey in Mahtomedi before playing at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP), was taken in the second round by the Washington Capitals.

After a quiet third round, at least two Minnesotans were selected in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. Daimon Gardner was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks after a standout season at Warroad High School in which he potted 45 goals and 83 points en route to a runner-up finish at the Class A state tournament.  Cruz Lucius became the third member of the USA Hockey NTDP selected when he was chosen by the Carolina Hurricanes later in the fourth round.

Two more high school standouts were taken in the fifth round as Prior Lake star Alex Bump was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers and Hermantown native Zam Plante was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bump and Plante helped make the 2022 Minnesota Boys State High School Hockey Tournament one to remember. Plante scored the game winning goal for Hermantown’s State Class A title over Gardner’s Warroad squad and Bump had a legendary five-goal and six-point game in Prior Lake’s first-ever state tournament game.

The Seattle Kraken selected a Minnesotan for the second consecutive year, taking Apple Valley native Barrett Hall in the sixth round. A few picks later former St. Thomas Academy captain and Burnsville native Jared Wright was picked by the Los Angeles Kings. Connor Kurth, who grew up in Elk River, Minn. and was named USA Hockey’s Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year, was also chosen in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Minnesota led all U.S. states with 10 selections each, followed by Massachusets (9), Michigan (5), California (3) and Illinois (3). Minnesota has led or tied for the lead among U.S. states in 19 of the past 20 drafts dating back to 2003.

NOTES: This was the fourth year in a row that five or more Minnesotans have been drafted after playing for their high school team… The players represent nine different communities.