Kraken vs. Utah Draftees
Much was made of some surprise moves at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, particularly when Shane Wright dropped from his projected 1st-overall slot (Montreal Canadiens) to Seattle at 4th-overall.
One of the players ultimately chosen ahead of Wright was Logan Cooley of the Arizona Coyotes, now the Utah Hockey Club (UHC).
The 3rd-overall pick, Cooley is presently the most productive player from that draft two-and-a-half seasons down the road. Although the Habs pick Juraj Slafkovsky has 80 NHL points to Cooley’s 75, the UHC forward has compiled his offense in 37 fewer games.
Make that 76 points; Cooley scored the opening goal of the game on Monday night against the Kraken. The Pittsburgh native extended his road point streak to ten consecutive games, while also not backing down from a very feisty interaction with Kraken veteran D-man Vince Dunn later in the 1st period.
Meanwhile, Wright has improved. He had a glaring turnover in the D-zone in the 1st period on Monday night, but overall his game has stepped up over the last four weeks. Everyone operates on a different learning curve and Wright is still finding his overall game, especially in defensive zone match-ups.
The Kraken center has 23 points in 51 NHL games. His points-per-game average would be .46. Cooley is at .65 PPG, while Slafkovsky stands at .52.
By the way, 2nd-overall pick Simon Nemec, a defenseman for the New Jersey Devils, has suffered though injuries and scratches early in his young career. That said, he’s a good one, and D-men generally develop more slowly. He has 20 points in 69 NHL games from the blueline (.29).
Five years after the draft is the first true benchmark. We’ll check back in 2027.
