Draft Preview Part 2
A look at the players the Blackhawks could/might draft.
It’s about time.
If you’ve been hanging around on r/hawks or Twitter, you’re probably already sick and tired of the Levshunov/Demidov debate.
Too bad.
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT (BLUF):
Assuming pick 18 is not traded.
If the Hawks draft Levshunov at pick 2, the Hawks will draft Trever Connelly (or another skilled winger) at 18.
If Demidov is drafted at 2, I think the Hawks will try to go for Carter Yakemchuk (he will either fall or the Hawks trade up)
I won’t be diving too deep in the draft. I’ll look at the Hawks’ first-round options and who I think are good fits. For both picks, I put players that fit the Hawks plan the best. For the 2nd round and beyond, there are so many ways the Hawks can go that I won’t be going there.
Look, prospects are generally a crap shoot and I don’t like being that guy who’s hoping the Hawks pick some obscure prospect in the 6th round just to sound like I know what I'm talking about.
Additionally, I also think it’s a little weird to geek out about teenagers… but hey, it’s cool to get excited about the future of the team and that’s what this is about.
I’d also make a terrible GM.
Without further ado, here is Part 2 of my Draft Preview.
Enjoy.
Davidson’s Arsenal
The Hawks are loaded with draft picks this year. With two 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks, and sprinkle in two picks in the 3rd and 5th rounds too, you can thank KD for packing the Hawks with draft capital.
What exactly does that mean for Chicago? This year, our 2nd round picks could be used as trade chips to move up in the 1st round, which they already did to move up from 20 to 18. Down the road, like in 2026, draft picks are more likely going to be used as trade chips. KD has and is doing an excellent job of spreading his draft capital across all rounds. It’s creating flexibility.
Besides potential trade chips, the boatload of 2nd round picks also increases the chances of hitting on an NHL player. Below is a chart that shows how likely someone is to play in the NHL based on where they are picked. Players picked in the 2nd round have a 34% chance to play over 99 games in the NHL. A considerable dropoff from 1st rounders, who have a 74% chance of becoming an NHL player.
I show that just to remind everyone that we really don’t know where these kids will end up. They could be a bust or a late-round wonder. We just don’t know. And if you aren’t a hockey fan, remember that what Bedard did is very rare. 18-year-olds don’t just show up in the NHL very often and then proceed to play up to any surrounding hype.
Oh, and one last thing before we dive into the players. Kyle Davidson will not trade down with the 2OVA
Round 1
Pick 2
The Blackhawks first pick of the draft isn’t so clear-cut as it was last year. The discussion is primarily between forward Ivan Demidov and defenseman Artyom Levshunov. Cayden Lindstrom occasionally makes his way into the discussion as has Anton Silayev.
Davidson’s choice will come down to whomever he sees as the most talented player. A lot of the discussion focuses on specific positions that the Hawks need to improve in, and Davidson has made it clear isn’t their driving philosophy in the draft.
Below are the most likely players who are going to be taken by the Hawks at 2OA. Realistically, it comes down to Demidov and Levshunov, but I’ve added a couple of other realistic ideas to keep it interesting.
Ivan Demidov - 18 - RW
Ivan Demidov has my vote for the most likely candidate to get picked by the Hawks as well as the best fit.
The Good
After Macklin Celebrini, Demidov is the most talented player in this year’s draft. He’s also the most purely skilled played in the draft, even over Celebrini. He has amazing handling and passing abilities and outstanding hockey sense. He’s a playmaker who fools his opponents with his hands and sets up teammates for incredible scoring chances.
Doesn’t Bedard need a pass-first winger?
Demidov, at best, will be a point-per-game winger. If he turns out to be the star some project him to be, he would be lethal with Bedard on the top-line or the power play.
The Bad
The reason why he isn’t on top of everyone’s list is mostly because of his skating and the “Russian-factor” (is that what we’re calling it?).
He has an interesting skating stance, to put it politely. While some list this as a non-issue, others are concerned enough to drop him down to the 8th spot.
The Russian-factor has to do with the unknown of when he will play in the US. That can be mostly ignored. Demidov has expressed his desire to play in the NHL and only has one year left on his KHL contract. He refused to extend said contract and was punished for it by playing mostly in the KHL’s junior league, the MHL.
Which brings us to our next point. Another worry (and a valid one) is that because of his time in a junior league, he’s unproven (aren’t all prospects?). He should be playing in the KHL, but that’s out of his control. The unknown here is that we don’t know how he’ll play against men and if his skill and habits transfer over to the NHL.
In the MHL, he put up 28 points in 17 post-season games and that’s despite a knee injury. His 2 point-per-game pace was the highest by an 18 year-old since, well, ever. Nikita Kucherov put up a 1.87 pace at the age of 18.
Artyom Levshunov - 17 - RD
Levshunov also makes sense if the Hawks should choose this giant.
The Hawks need a solid right-handed defenseman in their pipeline. More importantly, they need a bona fide No. 1 defenseman.
Levshunov is the most likely to develop into that. And a 1-2 punch of Korchinski and Levshunov would be fun.
The Good
At 209 pounds and 6’2’’, this dude can move. He has solid skating and he is fast, which allows him to add to the rush. His offensive skills are notable with a decent wrist shot and solid passing. On the OZ blueline, he lures opponents with fakes and creates open space for teammates to take advantage of.
He played an impressive season at Michigan State with 38 points in 35 games. There’s a lot of player comps to Brent Burns, which would be pretty amazing if Levshunov does turn into that.
The Bad
There’s no such thing as a for-sure No. 1 defenseman in the draft. He has work to do in the DZ. The main issue is he tends to wander from his assignment and play with loose gaps. Tightening up those gaps and playing tighter defense would solidify him as a No. 1 defenseman.
The thing with Levshunov, however, is that he has a very high floor. He might be the safer of the two picks.
Cayden Lindstrom - 17- C
I think Lindstrom getting drafted by the Hawks is pretty unlikely given the amount of potential centers in the pipeline. But I’ll humor it.
The Good
What Lindstrom has going for him is his size. He’s a 6’4’’ center at 216lbs. While the Hawks certainly would benefit from adding size to their small and speedy forward core, I'm still not sold on them needing to focus on size (which they’re getting in their D).
But the kid is fast. He scores on the rush and has an impressive shot, which he’s known for. He shoots and finishes from a distance and isn’t afraid to get close and personal. He’s also a solid two-way forward. With his size and speed, he’s effective on the back check. So, while I don’t think the Hawks will pick Lindstrom, there’s certainly a lot to like about this kid.
The Bad
There’s nothing that really sticks out as a concern. He’s a very solid all-around power forward. What’s holding him back from the other two is that Lindstrom isn’t as talented. To be fair, he did miss some time due to an injury last year.
Anyone Else?
Those are the three most likely to get taken at No. 2 by the Blackhawks with Demidov and Levshunov being the most probable.
But anything can happen.
Some prospects that might get picked are the following:
Anton Silayev was the topic of Scott Powers’ recent article. He’s a lefthanded defenseman who was once touted as a contender for the 1 OVA pick. The Hawks certainly are loaded with lefthanded defensemen and don’t need another. Silayev is one of the best skaters in the draft and is great on the rush. Elite Prospects has him at best as a No. 1 defenseman and at worst a top-4 d-man.
Zayne Parekh is a highly skilled right-handed defenseman that I see fitting better than Silayev for the Hawks. He’s a strong skater who is skilled at the OZ blue line and has impressive stick-handling abilities. Parekh is also solid in the DZ. An area of improvement is his work in the neutral zone. He tends to give the middle of the ice to attacking opponents.
Tij Ignilia. Of course, a lot of people are assuming that he follows his father’s footsteps and heads over to Calgary. Ignilia is a goal-scoring winger who is also known for his playmaking ability. At the start of the season, Ignilia was ranked lower in the draft, projected to be a late-first-rounder. Ignilia has now jumped up to being top-10 candidate with some saying don’t be surprised if he’s gone at 5. What hurts him is how often he tries low-value plays and relies too much on dekeing. Demidov is the puck handler that Ignilia isn’t.
Pick 18
The Hawks second 1st round pick is harder to nail down. There’s a wide range of players who could be picked here. Also, there’s the possibility that this pick is part of a bigger trade package.
The Hawks obtained this pick from the Islanders in their trade on May 24 which saw the Hawks give up pick 61, 54, and 20 to move up to 18 and 50. If this pick isn’t a sweetener in a trade, that must mean that whoever Davidson is eyeing he believes won’t be there at 20.
This pick will depend on who the Hawks pick at 2. If they pick a defenseman, they’re probably going to draft a forward, and vice versa.
Carter Yakemchuk - This right-handed defenseman is a scoring machine in the OZ. A big concern is his off-puck awareness, which isn’t good. He’s projected to be picked around 15-10, so he would have to fall a little far to be available here.
Trever Connelly - This forward is one of the most talented wingers in the draft. He’s known for his scoring ability and hockey IQ. The concern here is that he turns the puck over a lot. Also, I just don’t think the Hawks need to draft a scoring forward. I would like to see a playmaker.
Beckett Sennecke - A creative playmaker with great hands, this winger would be a steal at pick 18. He’s a vicious forechecker and is a dual-threat talent. If the Hawks draft a defenseman at 2 and somehow either trade up or get lucky, this is their guy.
Cole Eiserman - This winger was once in the conversation for being a top-3 pick. He’s fallen to the range of 15-10 now. He’s a great shooter who scores goals. And that’s about it. Nothing else stands out. He’s not a great skater and is average in every other department.
In Closing
So there you have it. A lot of typing for stuff that probably won’t happen about players that I’m most likely wrong about.
The draft begins Friday, June 28.
Let’s Go Hawks.