At the NHL Entry Draft, team executives excitedly step up to the microphone to name their Entry Draft picks, hopefully mostly correctly. Some names, however, are more fun to say than others. That means it’s time for the most important draft rankings of all: the top-20 best 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 lists, such as Jack Rathbone, Jett Woo and Nils Höglander. Clearly, someone in the Canucks organization is giving me the job, which is understandable enough: it’s a lot more fun to cheer for a player with a fun name. Some of the best names available in last year’s draft were not selected, so they are still available, such as Bogdans Hodass, Lorenzo Canonica and Jimi Suomi aka. Jimmy Finland. But the draft is all about new blood, so we’re focusing on new names. And there are some beauties in this year’s draft class. So, let’s start with the honorable mentions and then jump right into the top 20 names in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Honorable mentions: Grayson Badger, Zach Bookman, Boston Buckberger, Alex Bump, Aidan Castle, Blake Dangos, Domenic DiVincentiis, Conor Geekie, Hunter Haight, Gibson Homer, Taos Jordan, Karlis Mezsargs, Fraser Minten, Lukas Swedin, Livio Curdin Uchacz, Zaccharya Wisdom
20 | Jack Hughes
That’s right, there’s another Jack Hughes. There are many Jack Hugheses. Or Jacks Hughes. Either one. This Jack Hughes isn’t the brother of Quinn Hughes and Luke Hughes, but he’s also an American center out of the US National Team Development Program and a legitimate prospect in his own right. This Hughes isn’t a candidate to go first overall, but he’s still expected to be a second-round pick. This is 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 showing dramatically: J’accuse!
19 | Jimmy Snuggerud
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 Entry Draft? The elder Snuggerud was selected first overall in the 1987 supplemental draft after an outstanding college career at the University of Minnesota. After a few years in the NHL, however, he retired to return to finish his degree and became 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. Snuggerud scored 63 points in 59 games in the USA National Team Development Program and is expected 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, it would be easy to catch him, but some cowards are actually very fast.
OK, it might be hard to get fans to buy a jersey with “Coward” on the back, but here’s how you do it: convince people that only those who are comfortable with themselves and their lack of cowardice would be willing to buy a jersey. So only the truly brave would buy and wear a “Coward” jersey.
Coward swapped starts with Connor Ungar for the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL last season and then got the bulk 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 watching.
17 | Brady Stonehouse
She may be a brick house, but he is a stone house. The one thing the 5’9″ Stonehouse stacks up against is toughness and determination. The winger is one of the youngest players in the draft class and plays a pesky, physical game despite his smaller size. Stonehouse has flashes of skill and game that combined with being a pest could make him a late-round draft pick.
16 | Topi Rönni
“Topi Rönni, the Hausjärvi treat” * ding ding *
Topi Rönni may sound like a delicious new pasta dish, but it’s best known for its dishes. He is a solid two-way center with a mature defensive game with his deceptive playmaking and excellent hands.
Rönni is likely to be picked in the middle rounds of the draft and give an NHL team a great sidekick for their crowd.
15 | Adrian Rebelo
Rebelo is an elite surname that elevates the relatively common name of Adrian. Rebelo is a Portuguese last name that literally translates to “rebel,” which would also be a pretty sick last name, but sounds a lot more dramatic and cool with that extra “o” at the end of it. It also definitely sounds like a name George Lucas would have used in his Star Wars sequels had he not sold the franchise to Disney. Adrian Rebelo is definitely an X-Wing pilot in one of the script drafts for Episode XI.
14 | Calle Odelius
Tell me, does this name ever roll off the tongue beautifully. For some reason, I want to say “Calle Odelius” with an Irish accident: “Top of the Mornin’, Calle Odelius!” Odelius is actually Swedish and one of the top defensemen in the draft, ranked 15th overall by Elite Prospects and expected to go late in the first round. He is a fantastic skater, who is dynamite at moving the ice either with his feet or his passing. Ah, one day I will take your charms, Calle Odellius.
13 | Croix Kochendorfer
Sorry, maybe you didn’t understand this name: Croix. Kochendorfer. Incredible. If Kochendorfer ever makes it to the NHL, he better get a La Croix sponsorship. He was literally born for it. Croix is also a pretty decent goaltender, though he might not get drafted. The 6’4″ Kochendorfer was ranked 27th among North American goaltenders in Central Scouting’s interim rankings, but fell short of his final rankings.
12 | Cruz Lucious
Yes, he is the brother of one of our top picks from last year’s draft, Chaz Lucius. This family knows how to name kids. Cruz Lucius has some additional internal rhyming going on, arguably elevating his name above his brother’s. It’s just a delicious name to say, and you can predict that the play-by-play announcers will take every opportunity to say his full name whenever possible. It’s a good thing he has the 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, though a strong An under-18 world tournament might have elevated him in the estimation of some teams.
11 | Jake Furlong
People named Jacob often go by Jake for short, but this prospect goes by Jake Furlong. One Furlong is not much 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 a dog’s breakfast. Jake Furlong can shoot the puck about a furlong. He is a well-rounded defender with decent mobility and a good level of combat. With 42 points in 67 QMJHL games, he was also decently productive and could be drafted in the later rounds.
10 | Michael Mastrodomeniko
This is an absolute beast of a name that probably gives equipment managers their best efforts to fit it into a name line. This is a name that goes completely shoulder to shoulder, if not wrapped up to the shoulders. Mastrodomenico sounds like someone who should be conducting an orchestra in a particularly dramatic way. He is the master of his field and his field is coaxing the best possible performance out of a bunch of classical musicians. Mastrodomenico is certainly dramatic on the ice. He is a natural defender who is excellent in passing and likes to jump into the attack. The issue for Mastrodomenico is his skating, with major mechanical flaws limiting his four-way mobility. He may need to be completely rebuilt off the ice to make it to the NHL. However, one can take a chance on Mastrodomenico in the later rounds. Honestly, it would be a shame if the NHL was deprived of such a great name.
9 | Cedricson Okitundu
I love everything about this name. Okitundu is almost percussive in the way it dances off the tongue and Cédricson is such a satisfying first name with its inner feel. Okitundu isn’t likely to get drafted this year after just 5 points in 43 games, but there are some elements in the defenseman’s game that suggest there’s more to Okitundu than meets the eye. He has some size, toughness and defense, but there’s also some skill and skating under the surface that could come out in the next few years.
8 | Dylan Godbout
Dylan is not the most famous Godbout. Jacob had a really good fight with God in Genesis 32, Diomedes fought with Venus and Mars, Hercules tangled with all sorts of gods, and the entire plot of the God of War game series is a sequence of God-periods. Godbout could be a late-round pick after a strong season in Minnesota high school hockey, but he’s more likely to end up a coveted college free agent after a few years at the University of Wisconsin. His two-way power-forward game could make him a standout in the NCAA.
7 | Plant Jam
I like to think of Zam Plante as the factory of sorts. Like, “I’m on my shift at the zam factory. 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 entire first name. It is not short for “Zamir” which is a relatively more common name. It may even come from Zoroastrianism, where “Zam” is the concept of “earth” as a primordial, spiritual element. Or maybe…
