Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Game 44 @ Red Wings

April 15, 2021, 3:00 AM ET [150 Comments]
Theo Fox
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT


Starting with the 2017 draft, the Blackhawks finally had a 1st round pick again after a few years of not having any due to dealing them at the TDL to upgrade the roster for Stanley Cup runs.

Like any draft class, there will be a few hits and a lot of misses. Looking at the 4 draft classes from 2017 to 2020, the Hawks have had more success at selecting budding talent to mold into impact players.

Let's take a look:

2017

Henri Jokiharju
Ian Mitchell
Andrei Altybarmakian
Evan Barratt
Tim Soderlund
Roope Laavainen
Parker Foo
Jakub Galvas
Joshua Ess

* Of the 9 picks, one is an NHL regular (Jokiharju) while another 5 (Mitchell, Altybarmakian, Barratt, Soderlund, Galvas) have potential to be in the mix for a job whether with the Hawks or another team.
* Mitchell has the greatest upside in this draft class as he could be on the Hawks 1st pair for years to come.
* Altybarmakian, Barratt, and Soderlund have formed a fairly formidable line for the IceHogs at times this season putting on display their tenacity, aggressiveness, and grit.
* Galvas should be inking his ELC this offseason to start his development in North America as a possible 3rd pair minute-munching defenseman who can play at both ends.
* Laavainen, Foo, and Ess haven't moved the needle one iota since being drafted so it would be expected that the Hawks formally part ways with them at some point or other.

2018

Adam Boqvist
Nicolas Beaudin
Jake Wise
Niklas Nordgren
Philipp Kurashev
Mikael Hakkarainen
Alexis Gravel
Josiah Slavin

* Of the 8 picks, 2 are NHL regulars (Boqvist and Kurashev) while another 2 (Beaudin and Slavin) have potential to be starting material.
* Similar to Mitchell, Beaudin has the upside to be at least a top 4 defender if not push for a 1st pair role.
* Slavin has burst out of the gate in his first 5 pro games with the Hogs demonstrating that he could be a power forward who can own the boards, win pucks, and provide secondary scoring.
* The stock of Wise and Nordgren continue to depreciate over time due to their injury histories and inability to be reliable at their current levels of hockey whenever they are healthy.
* Hakkarainen has graced the taxi squad a few times this season but hasn't been able to crack the Hogs lineup when he's back on the farm.
* Gravel wasn't retained by the Hawks a year ago when his draft rights lapsed.

2019

Kirby Dach
Alex Vlasic
Michal Teply
Antti Saarela
Dominic Basse
Cole Moberg

* Of the 6 picks, one is an NHL regular (Dach) while another 3 (Vlasic, Teply, Saarela) have potential to play meaningful roles in the big leagues.
* Vlasic has committed to his junior year at Boston University after tremendous growth as a sophomore getting him poised to hopefully live up to his billing as a big shutdown defender who can skate and move the puck.
* Although his calling card to the NHL will be as a goal scorer with underrated playmaking ability, Teply is a visual paradox on ice as he can look awkward yet somehow is effective at making plays in all zones.
* Saarela likely tops out as a 4th liner in the NHL but has the makeup of a Marcus Kruger or David Kampf.
* Basse started out of the gate strongly as a freshman goalie at Colorado College but struggled the rest of the season so expect him to play through his senior year then see where he's at.
* As for Moberg, he's a no-frills defender who just takes care of his end and may be a tweener who is reliable in the AHL but perhaps not talented enough to hold down an NHL job beyond being a reserve.

2020

Lukas Reichel
Drew Commesso
Landon Slaggert
Wyatt Kaiser
Michael Krutil
Isaak Phillips
Chad Yetman
Louis Crevier

* Of the 8 picks, none are in the NHL yet but 3 (Krutil, Phillips, Yetman) are already in the AHL while another 4 (Reichel, Commesso, Slaggert, Kaiser) have the highest potential to be future fixtures in Chicago.
* Reichel is impressing as an 18-year-old top 6 forward in all situations in the German elite league to the point where he could be in a Blackhawks uniform as early as next season.
* Commesso needs at least one more year in the NCAA but was drafted with the pedigree in mind to be a future #1 goalie.
* Slaggert and Kaiser have been two of the quickest risers in the prospect pipeline with phenomenal first years at the University of Notre Dame and University of Minnesota Duluth.
* Although he's on an AHL contract, Krutil is best served playing a few seasons in juniors (Kelowna Rockets) as he has been brutal as a pro.
* Phillips is one of the biggest surprises in the franchise going from a 2020 5th rounder to tracking to be a 3rd pair blueliner for the Hawks down the road.
* The issue with Yetman is that he simply blends in with the mediocre clutter in the AHL where he's not necessarily a liability but he doesn't stand out in any way either.
* It seems that Crevier is the furthest away from the NHL as far as development timeline and skill set to thrive in the pros.

Final Thoughts

Even if half of those with potential don't amount to much, then that's still a fairly reasonable return from those draft classes. Also, there may not be enough spots in Chicago when prospects are ripe so some may be traded for other needed assets.

--

Game Day

Game 44, April 15:
Blackhawks @ Red Wings
6:30pm CST

Records:
Blackhawks, 20-18-5, 45 Pts (5th)
Red Wings, 15-23-6, 36 Pts (8th)

Season Series:
5-1-0

Goals For/Game:
Blackhawks, 2.79 (17th)
Red Wings, 2.23 (31st)

Goals Against/Game:
Blackhawks, 3.09 (20th)
Red Wings, 3.16 (24th)

Power Play:
Blackhawks, 33-134, 24.6% (6th)
Red Wings, 15-125, 12.0% (30th)

Penalty Kill:
Blackhawks, 85-116, 73.3% (29th)
Red Wings, 96-126, 76.2% (25th)

For Detroit, Tyler Bertuzzi and Robby Fabrri are on IR while Bobby Ryan is out for the remainder of the season.

Also, neither the Hawks nor the Wings have any players on the NHL COVID-19 Protocol List.

The Wings projected lineup (per DailyFaceoff.com):

Svechnikov - Larkin - Zadina
Vrana - Rasmussen - Filppula
Panik - Namestnikov - Gagner
Helm - Glendening - Erne

Cholowski - Hronek
Staal - Stecher
DeKeyser - Lindstrom

Bernier
Greiss

Also available: Mathias Brome (W), Frans Nielsen (C), Givani Smith (W), Alex Biega (D), Christian Djoos (D), Calvin Pickard (G).

--

Roster Updates

Adding Nicolas Beaudin and Ian Mitchell to the taxi squad isn't surprising given that Adam Boqvist and Calvin de Haan are out with ailments. With their return to the Blackhawks, consider this blueline:

Keith - Mitchell
Zadorov - Kalynuk
Beaudin - Murphy
Stillman

However, what's peculiar is Matt Tomkins joining the taxi squad without Collin Delia going to Rockford. Is Delia headed towards waivers soon? Is either Kevin Lankinen or Malcolm Subban injured or ill?

--

See you on the boards!

Join the Discussion: » 150 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Theo Fox
» One Last Shift
» What's the Plan?
» Teaser Ad
» Power Source
» Cut the Mustard