Shane Wright – ? OVRĬurrently playing for the Kingston Kingston Frontenacs, in reality Wright’s expected to be picked very high in the 2022 entry draft. That means he’s a nightmare to trade for, but guarantees your franchise strength and skill for the next 10-15 years. Pettersson might be the single most valuable asset in the game.
The Canucks just need to figure out how to clone him, and they’ve got their new Sedins… And although the youngster looks like he’d shatter into a thousand pieces if he’d ever met a charging Dustin Bfuglien on the ice, Pettersson’s already proved he’s more than tough enough for the league. EA’s potential system remains ephemeral in its workings, but you can expect Cross to come good within three to four years and boast around an 85 OVR rating.Įven before the game starts, Swedish prodigy Pettersson can mesmerize broadcast teams with his puck skill. That means you can pick up Byron Cross after trading for some relatively inexpensive draft picks – 15th is about as high as you’ll need. Next up is a prospect to look out for in your franchise’s first draft in 2022 – a left-sided, defensive defenseman with elite med potential who generally goes towards the second half of the first round. Keep him around and don’t worry about that roster place for the next decade, or trade him away a few seasons later for two or three key pieces. But Jamie Drysdale is basically ready to top your defensive pairings already, while he’s still in his teens, and that offers incredible value to any Franchise Mode GM. The young Ducks defenseman is just 19 years old, 5’11” and some way leaner than the veteran defender build usually seen in the league. If you can make your roster suit him though, you basically get a fourth offensive player and a defenseman all in the same shift.
Like Makar above, he’s not an old-school enforcer by any means, and he’s best paired with a defensively-minded line partner. At just 21 he’s already been a must-have player in EA NHL for three games, and he’ll get you some great offensive production from the blue line with slapshot and wrist shot power and accuracy all above 85. If Elias Pettersson is the shining light of Vancouver’s bright future, soft-handed defense prodigy Quinn Hughes is the torch. Let’s just take him from them and use them as our own top-line defenseman, ideally paired with a grittier, stay-at-home archetype who can dole out the punishment and get in front of shots while Makar’s using that 93 deke rating to weave magic around his opponents. It’s just not fair, is it? How do the Avalanche manage to acquire so many Cale Makars? That’s worth a first liner or two.Īn offensive defenseman with incredible passing, pace and offensive awareness… at age 22. It’ll take a gigantic trade to prize him away from the pipes at the Wells Fargo Center, but if you can navigate that deal you’ve got god-tier goaltending sorted for the next decade. He’s not a sleeper hit, but just because everybody knows Carter Hart is the most exciting young goalie in the NHL, that shouldn’t stop you trying to secure his services for your franchise. Or go all out and play him as your starter – he’ll certainly get the game time to maximize his potential. With great speed, glove and five hole stats, he’s basically ready to start games in the NHL already, so he can serve as a backup in your franchise right away once you secure him. That’s pretty high who at the start of the season has yet to turn 21.
Is he the next Roberto Luongo? The Florida Panthers are hoping so, and NHL 22 buys that enthusiasm to the tune of an elite med potential rating and an 82 OVR rating. Here are the best young players to secure, regardless of your team. You’re doing it!Īnd then those star players you worked so hard to acquire get placed on the IR list. You see your team rising through the division standings. With a few trades or a handful of draft picks that work out, you can give yourself the tools on the ice to achieve what you couldn’t before. Goals need to be scored, snipers find the cracks to put the puck in.Īnd that makes Franchise Mode such a fascinating long-term activity. Your defense can’t slip up, and you can feel a great D-man’s defensive awareness keeping you in the game. Your passing needs to be precise, so you appreciate an elite passer who puts it exactly where you aim. It’s perfectly possible to lower the difficulty, take control of a weak team in Franchise Modes, proceed without making any staff changes and 82 games later – say hello to the Stanley Cup, Arizona.īut at higher difficulties, you really do feel the difference between a decent player and a great one. The great thing about EA NHL video games is that you get to set the exact nature and level of challenge for yourself.