The 2022 NHL draft will be hosted in Montreal starting on Thursday, July 7th 2022.

Online sportsbooks offer several ways to bet on the action and there’s money to be made. However, this year we’ll need to dig a bit deeper into the props market to find value.

Where to Bet on the NHL Draft

The top three NHL prospects are Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky and Logan Cooley.

These three prospects are expected to be drafted in the top three on Thursday. The Montreal Canadiens have the #1 pick and have stated they remain uncommitted, but Wright is the overwhelming favorite.

Who Will Be Drafted 1st Overall in the 2022 NHL Draft?

Odds: Wright (-340) / Slafkovsky (+175) / Cooley (+1200)

Wright is a 6’1” (187 lbs) center who played for Kingston in the OHL. He finished eighth in points in the OHL last season with 94 (32 goals and 62 assists) and will likely be drafted by the Canadiens.

Montreal are trying to maintain some suspense, but it’d be shocking if they don’t draft Wright.

If there are no surprises, Wright will be drafted 1st overall (-340 odds), Slafkovsky will be drafted 2nd overall (–250) and Cooley will be drafted 3rd overall (-225). None of these picks offer any value.

NHL Betting Lines

2022 NHL Draft Props Picks

Here are our best bets for the 2022 NHL draft first round on Thursday:

Over 13.5 Players Selected in 1st Round From European Leagues (-130)

This will be close, but the majority of respected NHL mock drafts have 14-15 prospects from European leagues being drafted in the first round and we agree with those predictions.

A number of players are locks, including Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec, David Jiricek, Joakim Kemell, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Marco Kasper, These six are projected to all be top 10 picks.

A few players projected near the end of the first round are Lian Bichsel, Filip Mesar and Jiri Kulich.

David Jiricek Over 5.5 Draft Position (+125)

Jiricek is projected to be the second defenseman drafted in the 2022 NHL draft behind Nemec.

Most mock drafts have Nemec going 4th overall to the Seattle Kraken. The Philadelphia Flyers could draft Jiricek 5th overall, but with Cutter Gauthier likely available, they should go with the forward.

If things go as we expect, Jiricek will go 6th overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

NHL Predictions

Joakim Kemell Under 7.5 Draft Position (+175)

We’re not passing up the value here, as we expect Kemell to go to the Ottawa Senators at pick #7.

Kemell is projected to be a goal scoring right winger, which the Sens need badly. He’d pair well with the likes of Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle. He’s undersized, but has the skills to succeed in the NHL.

Draft Match-up: Danila Yurov (-210) vs. Brad Lambert (+170)

This is an interesting 2022 NHL draft match-up prop wager and we’re taking the plus money on Lambert.

Yurov is a Russian playing in the KHL and you have to wonder how many GMs will be looking to avoid him. Not because of talent, but due to potential issues obtaining work visas or potentially military service.

Yurov would likely be close to a top 10 pick most years, but he could slide into the 19-20 range.

Lambert is projected to be drafted in the 10-19 range with numerous mock drafts have him going to the New York Islanders at #13. Lambert has seen his draft stock drop after a lackluster season.

It wasn’t too long ago that Lambert was projected at #2, so I expect a team to jump on him before Yurov.

Learn how to bet on NHL player props to prepare yourself for the upcoming season.