NHL 22 Ratings: Best Young Snipers

A necessary and crucial part of your team, Sniper forwards can be the difference between a win or loss. The ability to find the small pockets for the puck to cross the crease is a remarkable skill to possess. 

If you want a fresh young face to build a line around, then this list is for you. 

Choosing NHL 22’s best young snipers

The parameters are that each name is a forward with the Sniper player type, 21-years-old or younger and sorted by highest potential. This list is reflective of the high potential each player contains. 

Andrei Svechnikov (87 OVR, Elite med) 

Age: 21
Team: Carolina Hurricanes
Contract Details: $7.525M, Eight Years Left, One-Way
Position: Right Wing / Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Best Attributes: 93 Slap Shot Power, 92 Wrist Shot Power, 91 Puck Control

Already a fantastic player, Svechnikov makes this list as he is still just 21-years-old. The former number two draft pick has lived up to the hype, rewarded with a one-way contract that lasts another eight years. If anything, acquiring him means your first line sniper is set for almost a decade.

There are very few attributes he needs to improve. His shooting ratings are all over 90. His puck skills are 89 (deking), 90 (passing), and 91 (hand-eye and puck control). His skating ratings are 85 (endurance), 88 (agility, balance, and speed), and 89 (acceleration). 

Where does he lack? Faceoffs is a paltry 65, and his fighting skill is at 75. Other than that, for Scechnikov at this point, he just needs to work on refining some skills.

Whether you run an expansion draft or choose a team to rebuild, Svechnikov is one player that can help bring you success.

Dylan Guenther (73 OVR, Elite med) 

Age: 18
Team: Arizona Coyotes
Contract Details: $0.925M, Three Years Left, Two-Way
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Best Attributes: 85 Durability, 85 Discipline, 84 Wrist Shot Power

The ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Dylan Guenther might not boast the highest overall rating, but he can develop into one of the best in NHL 22 should you give him the time.

Just 18-years-old, Guenther has plenty of time to channel that Elite potential grade. His durability means he should be able to play often while avoiding injuries, crucial for any young player’s development. 

His ratings on offence, puck skills, and especially defence are all indicative of a player still developing who could become a huge star in the future. Of note are his lacklustre 60 in faceoffs, 72 in shot blocking, 78 in defensive awareness, 70 in endurance, 76 in hand-eye (the 60 in fighting skill is dependent upon your style). While he improves those skills, ensure his line has players that help offset his weaknesses. 

Cole Caufield (83 OVR, Elite med) 

Age: 20
Team: Montreal Canadiens
Contract Details: $0.775M, Two Years Left, Two-Way
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Best Attributes: 93 Deking, 92 Agility, 92 Acceleration

Cole Caufield is already a good player with an overall rating of 83. The 20-year-old Montreal draftee could prove to be your sniper of the future.

His high ratings in deking, agility, and acceleration make him a fiend with the puck or getting open for a pass. His balance (80) could be better, considering he has such high speed (91) and acceleration (92) stats. If he does get open, he has high ratings in both slap and wrist shot power (89/87) and accuracies (88/88), making him well worthy of the sniper label.

Like most names on this list, his contract is also great regardless of if you are rebuilding or retooling for another run. His two-way status gives you the option of having him develop a little more at your affiliate before placing him on the ice for the main club.

Filip Zadina (82 OVR, Elite med) 

Age: 21
Team: Detroit Red Wings
Contract Details: $0.895M, One Year Left, Two-Way
Position: Right Wing / Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Best Attributes: 90 Speed, 90 Acceleration, 89 Deking

The second left-handed shooter on the list, Filip Zadina has ratings indicative of someone bestowed with the sniper player type. His wrist and slap shot power is 88 with accuracies of 88 and 87. He has great puck skills to boot, with 89 in deking, 88 in passing and puck control, and 87 in hand-eye. 

He has great skating attributes with 85 in balance and endurance, 88 in agility, and 90 in acceleration and speed. He also has strong durability and strength at 85 each, so he should avoid injury if you keep playing him.

Where he does need improvement are in faceoffs, shot blocking, and – depending on your style – fighting skill. 

Lucas Raymond (77 OVR, Elite med) 

Age: 19
Team: New York Islanders
Contract Details: $0.925M, Three Years Left, Two-Way
Position: Right Wing / Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Best Attributes: 86 Speed, 85 Wrist Shot Power, 85 Discipline

The fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft, Lucas Raymond already boasts good ratings in most skills as evidenced by his 81 overall. He is also the fourth consecutive right-handed shooter on this list when seemingly so many players of the previous generation were left-handed shooters.

Raymond shines with the puck, boasting 80+ in all four attributes. He has an impressive 85 in deking, 84 in passing and puck control, and 81 in hand-eye. He pairs that with wrist and slap shot power of 85/83 and accuracies of 82/79.

Where he can improve is strength (77), poise (75), faceoffs (75), balance (70), and endurance (70). For a speedy player like Raymond, having better balance and endurance will help him stay on the ice for longer periods of time. 

Alexander Holtz (77 OVR, Elite med) 

Age: 19
Team: New Jersey Devils
Contract Details: $0.925M, Three Years Left, Two-Way
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Best Attributes: 88 Slap Shot Power, 87 Wrist Shot Power, 85 Durability

Like Guenther, Alexander Holtz needs a bit of time to become the before he can fulfil his potential. Having a year under his belt of pro hockey has helped him have a higher overall rating than Guenther at 77.

Where the 19-year-old excels already is shooting the puck. He couples his shot power with accuracies of 85 for both wrist and slap shots. He is a strong and accurate shooter, a true sniper. He boasts good puck skills too, with 83 in deking, 84 in hand-eye, 82 in passing, and 82 in puck control. He is already formidable on offence.

He is decent on defence but can improve his 75 in faceoffs, 79 in shot blocking, and 81 in defensive awareness. His poise and endurance are at a solid 75 but need improving before he can become a top-line wing. 

Use his two-way status to help him develop in those areas before placing him on a line with your franchise. Once he develops, he should become a star for your team.

Oliver Wahlstrom (81 OVR, Top 6 F high)

Age: 21
Team: New York Islanders
Contract Details: $0.895M, Two Years Left, Two-Way
Position: Right Wing / Center
Shoots: Right
Best Attributes: 88 Wrist Shot Power, 88 Slap Shot Power, 88 Deking

The only player on this list not rated with an Elite potential is Wahlstrom. However, he still has some strong across-the-board ratings.

The 21-year-old sniper excels at shooting and puck skills with no attribute lower than 86 – although no attribute is higher than 88. His physical attributes – aside from fighting skills – are 83 or 85, and his skating ratings are either 85 or 87. Where he lacks is faceoffs at 65, fighting skill at 65, and shot blocking at 75.

Wahlstrom may not have an Elite potential because these ratings could be close to his ceiling. You should still be able to get a good few years of high-end production from Wahlstrom, but his overall may top out around 85. His cheap contract and two-way status make him appealing. 

All of the best young snipers on NHL 22

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