Where do Jimmy Snuggerud, Jagger Firkus and Cruz Lucius rank among the top names available in the draft?
At the NHL Entry Draft, team managers excitedly step up to the microphone to say the names of their Entry Draft selections, hopefully mostly correctly.
However, some names are more fun to pronounce than others. That means it’s time for the most important draft rankings of all: the top 20 names in the draft.
This has become an annual tradition at PITB, with the Vancouver Canucks even selecting some of the top names on previous rosters, such as Jack Rathbone, Jet Wu and Nils Hoeglander. It’s clear that someone in the Canucks organization described my job, which is quite understandable: it’s a lot more fun to cheer for a player with a funny name.
Some of the top names available in last year’s draft were not selected so they are still available, such as Bogdans Hodas, Lorenzo Canonica and Jimmy Suomi aka. Jimmy Finland. But the project is about new blood, so we are focusing on new names.
And there are some beauties in this year’s prize class. So let’s start with the honorable mentions, then jump right into the top 20 names in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Honorable Mentions: Grayson Badger, Zach Bookman, Boston Buckburger, Alex Bump, Aidan Castle, Blake Dangos, Domenic DiVincentis, Connor Jickey, Hunter Haight, Gibson Homer, Taos Jordan, Carlys Messargs, Fraser Minten, Lucas Swedin, Livio Curdin Truog, Kai Uhatz, Zachariah Wisdom
20 | Jack Hughes
That’s right, there’s another Jack Hughes. There are several Jack Hughes. Or Jack Hughes. One of the two.
This Jack Hughes is not the brother of Quinn Hughes and Luke Hughes, but he is also an American center out of the US National Team Development Program and a legitimate prospect on his own merits. This Hughes is not a candidate to go first, but is still expected to be a second round pick.
It’s a great name not only because it’s funny that there are two of them, but also because it’s fun to say his name with an exaggerated French accent while pointing dramatically: J’accuse!
19 | Jimmy Snuggerudd
Dave Snuggerud has one of the best names in NHL history, so how could I deny his son a spot in the top 20 names of the 2022 NHL Draft?
The elder Snuggerud was selected first overall in the 1987 supplemental draft after a standout college career at the University of Minnesota. After a few years in the NHL, however, he retired to return to finish his degree and become a sixth grade teacher.
The younger Snuggerud has the potential to be even better than his father, who was primarily a defensive forward and penalty killer in the NHL. Snugerud has 63 points in 59 games in the USA National Team Development Program and is projected to be a first-round pick.
Also, it’s really fun to say Snuggerud. Snuggerud, Snuggerud, Snuggerud!
18 | Chase Coward
You would think that if you chased a coward, he would be easily caught, but some cowards are really, really fast.
OK, it might be hard to get fans to buy a shirt with “Coward” on the back, but here’s how to do it: convince people that only those who are happy with themselves and their lack of cowardice would want to buy one . Thus, only the truly brave would buy and wear the “Coward” shirt.
Coward traded starts with Connor Ungar for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels this past season, then got the majority of the starts in the playoffs, where he posted a .925 save percentage. The 19-year-old is unlikely to be drafted this year, but the 6’2” netminder is worth keeping an eye on.
17 | Brady Stonehouse
She may be a brick house, but he is a stone house.
The one thing the 5’9” Stonehouse has going for him is grit and determination. The wing is one of the youngest players in the draft class and plays a gritty, physical game despite his smaller size.
Stonehouse has flashes of skill and playmaking that, combined with being a pest, could make him a late-round draft pick.
16 | Topi Rhyoni
“Topi Rönni, the Hausjärvi delicacy” *ding ding*
Topi Rönni may sound like a delicious new pasta dish, but he’s better known for cooking pucks. He is a solid two-way center with a mature defensive game to go with his deceptive playmaking and excellent hands.
Rönni will likely be picked in the middle rounds of the draft and would give an NHL team an excellent addition to their potential reserve.
15 | Adrian Rebelo
Rebello is an elite surname that elevates the relatively ordinary name of Hadrian.
Rebelo is a Portuguese last name that literally translates to “rebel,” which would also be a pretty sick last name, but it just sounds a lot more dramatic and cool with that extra “o” on the end of it.
It also definitely sounds like a name George Lucas would use in his Star Wars sequels if he didn’t sell the franchise to Disney. Adrian Rebelo is definitely an X-Wing pilot in one of his scenarios for Episode XI.
14 | Calle Odelius
My word, does that name ever roll off the tongue well. For some reason I want to say “Calle Odelius” with an Irish swagger: “Top of the morning, Calle Odelius!”
Odelius is actually Swedish and one of the top linebacker prospects in the draft, ranked 15th overall by Elite Prospects, and is expected to go late in the first round. He is a fantastic skater who is dynamite at moving the puck up the ice with either his feet or his passing.
Ah, one day I’ll get your lucky charms, Calle Odelius.
13 | Croix Kochendorfer
Sorry, maybe you didn’t understand this name: Croix. Kochendorfer.
Amazing.
If Kochendorfer ever makes it to the NHL, he better get a sponsorship from La Croix. He was literally born for it.
Croix is also a pretty decent goalkeeper, although he may not get drafted. The 6’4” Kochendorfer was ranked No. 27 among North American goaltenders in Central Scouting’s interim rankings, but failed to make the cut in the final rankings.
12 | Cruz Lucius
Yes, he is the brother of one of our top picks from last year’s draft, Chaz Lucius. This family knows how to baptize children.
Crusius Lucius has some additional internal rhyming that perhaps elevates his name above that of his brother. It’s just a delicious name to say, and you can expect the play-by-play announcers to take every opportunity to say his full name whenever possible.
It’s a good thing he has a better name, because Cruz won’t be selected higher than his brother, who went 18th overall in the 2021 draft. The crafty playmaker is much more likely to be selected in the third round, although a strong World Under-18 tournament may have elevated him in some teams’ ratings.
11 | Jake Furlong
People named Jacob are often called Jake for short, but this prospect is called Jake Furlong.
The farlong is not often used as a unit of measurement these days, probably because it is extremely confusing. It’s equal to 220 yards, or one-eighth of a mile, because imperial units are dog food.
Jake Furlong can shoot the puck about a furlong. He is a well-rounded defender with decent mobility and good combat level. With 42 points in 67 QMJHL games, he’s also been decently productive and could end up being picked in the later rounds.
10 | Michael Mastrodomenico
It’s an absolute beast with a last name that probably has equipment managers scrambling to fit it into the name bar. It’s a name that goes all the way from shoulder to shoulder, if it doesn’t wrap all the way to the shoulders.
Mastrodomenico sounds like someone who should conduct an orchestra in a particularly dramatic way. He is the master of his domain and his domain wrings the best possible performance from a group of classical musicians.
Mastrodomenico is definitely dramatic on the ice. He is a physical defender who is excellent on the break and likes to jump on offense. The problem for Mastrodomenico is his skating with major mechanical deficiencies that limit his mobility in four directions. He may need to be fully recovered off the ice to make it to the NHL.
Still, one might take a chance on Mastrodomenico in the later rounds. Honestly, it would be a shame if the NHL was deprived of such a magnificent name.
9 | Cedricson Okitundu
I love everything about this name. Okitundu is almost hit with the way it dances off the tongue and Cédricson is such a satisfying name with its inner hiss.
Okitundu is unlikely to be drafted this year after just 5 points in 43 games, but there are some elements to the point guard’s game that suggest there is more to Okitundu than meets the eye. He has some size, toughness and defense, but he also has some skill and skating under the surface that could come to light in the coming years.
8 | Dylan Godbout
Dylan is not the most famous god-fighter. Jacob had a pretty good fight with God in Genesis 32, Diomedes got into a few spats with Aphrodite and Ares, Heracles messed with all sorts of gods, and the entire plot of the God of War game series is a series of God attacks.
Godbout could be a late-round pick after a strong season in Minnesota high school hockey, but he’s more likely to be a coveted free agent after a few years at the University of Wisconsin. His two-way, powerful game could make him a standout in the NCAA.
7 | Zam Plante
I like to think of Zam Plante as a factory kind of plant. For example, “I’m going to my shift at the plant for the deputy. If I don’t meet my zam quota this month, I could lose my zam job!”
Zam is one of the most amazing names I’ve ever heard because that’s his full name. It is not an abbreviation of “Zamir”, which is a comparatively more common name. It may even come from Zoroastrianism, where “Zam” is the concept of “earth” as a primordial, spiritual element.
Or maybe…
Add Comment