Looking at the noteworthy OHL players who were passed up in the 2022 NHL Draft, and what their future holds

It didn't come as much of a shock when the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft came to a close with just a pair of OHLers walking the stage. Many in the industry viewed this year's crop as a little bit light at the top once you got past Shane Wright and Pavel Mintyukov.

Turns out, the lost 2020-21 season negatively impacted many players' development, and when they struggled to find their footing in their draft year, their stock took a tumble.

Still, some OHLers showed enough to hear their name called at the Centre Bell on Day 2, highlighted by eight players from that league going in the second round alone.

By the time the draft was all said and done, 35 OHL players found NHL homes, the most out of all three CHL leagues (the WHL was next with 28, followed by the QMJHL with 19).

Five of those 35 OHL players were late '03-born players, most notably Mintyukov, the Anaheim Ducks 10th overall pick. Six more were in their second year of draft eligibility, and Lucas Edmonds was the lone player chosen who was born in 2001.

The Seattle Kraken were clearly fans of the OHL this season, drafting five players out of the league. The Montréal Canadiens were next with three. All told, 21 of the NHL’s 32 teams drafted at least one player from the OHL.

Despite all of that, though, there were still several OHLers who were surprising slides as the draft played out. The names were big enough that while the last rounds were still ongoing, many NHL fans were imploring their teams on Twitter to take flyers on them.

But after 225 picks, there were more than a few notable players that went undrafted, including six OHL players who were ranked on Elite Prospects’ final draft board.

Let’s dive into those players now, speculate on why they were passed over, and what they could do next season to hopefully get selected as an overage prospect.