All three players listed in the preliminary rankings retained their positions -- Denton Mateychuk with an ‘A’ ranking (first-round draft pick), Eric Alarie and Jagger Firkus with ‘C’ rankings (fourth-to-sixth round selection).
Mateychuk has found himself off to a wildly impressive start this season, with six goals and 16 points through the Warriors’ first 16 games. That’s good enough for third in defenceman scoring in the Western Hockey League and fourth in team scoring.
Moreover, he’s locked down a position on the team’s top defensive pair alongside captain and Minnesota Wild prospect Daemon Hunt and has looked every part like a top-two WHL defenceman with his puck movement and creativity.
He’s ranked to go as high as 18th overall (Sportsnet) in the 2022 Draft.
Firkus has picked up right where he left off last season, putting up seven goals and 17 points in 16 games to sit third in team scoring and 28th overall in the WHL. He’s played the majority of the season on a line alongside 2023 certain first-rounder Brayden Yager, with Firkus’ creativity with the puck and ability to find space creating a ton of chances for both players.
Alarie has underachieved a touch offensively in the early going with four goals and 11 points in 16 games after scoring at a point-a-game pace in the East Division Hub, but has found some recent magic alongside linemates Martin Rysavy and Atley Calvert as the trio have become the team’s bona fide second-line stalwarts.
The 2022 NHL Entry Draft is set for Thursday, July 7 for the first round and Friday, July 8 for the remaining rounds at Bell Centre in Montreal.
