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2022 NHL Draft Preview: Chicago Steel Forward Nicholas Moldenhauer

06/29/2022, 10:45am CDT
By USHL

Moldenhauer is NHL Central Scouting's 39th Ranked Skater

Ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft, the USHL will highlight each of its Member Clubs top NHL Draft prospects.

Nicholas Moldenhauer prepares for the 2022 NHL Draft after producing at just above a point-per-game clip last season, finishing the 2021-22 campaign with 45 points (19-26-45) in 44 games through the regular season and Clark Cup Playoffs. The forward from Mississauga, Ontario earned a spot on the USHL All-Rookie Second Team based on his performance. Moldenhauer made his USHL debut in the 2020-21 season with the Chicago Steel, where he appeared in nine total games and had a pair of assists in the regular season before playing in a trio of games during the Steel's run to the Clark Cup Championship. Most recently ranked 39th among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting on the Final Rankings, Moldenhauer first appeared on the service's list as the 48th-ranked skater on the Midseason Rankings and a B-Rated skater on the Preliminary List.

Fellow Mississauga native Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres - 1st Overall) led the way for the Steel at the 2021 NHL Draft as the Steel saw eight players total selected, including Matthew Coronato (Calgary Flames - 13th Overall), Mackie Samoskevich (Florida Panthers - 24th Overall), Josh Doan (Arizona Coyotes - 37th Overall), Jackson Blake (Carolina Hurricanes - 109th Overall), Ryan Ufko (Nashville Predators - 115th Overall), Jack Bar (Dallas Stars - 138th Overall) and Sam Lipkin (Arizona Coyotes - 223rd Overall). Power, Coronato and Samoskevich account for three of the four First Round picks from the Steel in the last two NHL Drafts. The Steel are currently one of four USHL Member Clubs with multiple NHL Draft picks in six-straight Drafts, with 33 total picks in that span, and the Steel have now had eight-straight Drafts with a selection, dating back to 2014.

Moldenhauer was joined by a trio of teammates, including defenseman Jake Livanavage and forwards Zam Plante and Jack Harvey, who were ranked 54th, 64th and 135th, respectively, on the Final Rankings. 2021 Clark Cup Champions Quinn Finley (forward) and Simon Latkoczy (goaltender) also appeared on Central Scouting's rankings throughout the year as Finley was 36th among skaters on the Final Rankings and Latkoczy was listed as 32nd among North American goaltenders in the Midseason Rankings. This year's Steel roster also featured Andon Cerbone (forward), Michael Emerson (forward), Lukas Gustafsson (defenseman) and Gibson Homer (goaltender), who were all C-Rated by the service in the Preliminary List.

The USHL has had 50-or-more players Drafted in each of the last four NHL Drafts, dating back to a league-best 57 players at the 2018 Draft. The League has seen 933 of its players selected in total, with at least one player taken in each Draft but one dating back to 1981.

All Draft-Eligible Steel

Simon Becar (Defenseman) - 2021-22 
Michael Bianconi (Defenseman) - 2021-22 
Connor Brown (Defenseman) - 2020-22 
Thor Byfuglien (Defenseman) - 2021-22 
Andon Cerbone (Forward) - 2020-22 
Anthony Dowd (Defenseman) - 2020-22 
Michael Emerson (Forward) - 2020-22 
Luca Fantilli (Defenseman) - 2020-22 
Quinn Finley (Forward) - 2020-21 
Lukas Gustafsson (Defenseman) - 2020-22 
Hunter Hady (Defenseman) - 2021-22 
Jack Harvey (Forward) - 2019-22 
Gibson Homer (Goaltender) - 2021-22 
Evan Hunter (Forward) - 2021-22 
Simon Latkoczy (Goaltender) - 2020-21 
Casy Laylin (Forward) - 2020-22 
Luke Levandowski (Forward) - 2020-22 
Jake Livanavage (Defenseman) - 2020-22 
Timothy Lovell * (Defenseman) - 2019-20 
David Ma * (Defenseman) - 2019-21 
Christian Manz (Goaltender) - 2021-22 
Austen May (Defenseman) - 2021-22 
Hunter McDonald (Defenseman) - 2021-22 
Nicholas Moldenhauer (Forward) - 2020-22 
Dawson Pasternak * (Forward) - 2019-21 
Zam Plante (Forward) - 2021-22 
Shawn Ramsey (Defenseman) - 2021-22 
Spencer Smith * (Forward) - 2018-19 
Jack Stark (Goaltender) - 2020-22 
Mick Thompson (Forward) - 2021-22 
Max Tobin * (Forward) - 2019-20 

Tag(s): Player News