Chicago Blackhawks: Top 6 players they should target in 2020 NHL Draft

The suspension of the NHL season amid the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted hockey fans’ attention towards what is next, which is the 2020 NHL Draft. Let’s take a look at who the Chicago Blackhawks should go after.

The Chicago Blackhawks, entering 2019-20, had some people projecting them as a playoff team, while others had them remain in the basement of the league. Though they haven’t been bad, they’re still not quite a playoff team, heading into the season’s pause with a 32-30-8 record. Because of that record, the Blackhawks are projected to land the ninth overall pick.

The Blackhawks have recently developed a really nice pool of prospects. At the forward positions, they have young NHLers in Kirby Dach, Dominik Kubalik, Alex Nylander, Dylan Strome, and Alex DeBrincat. In their pipeline, they have Michal Teply, Andrei Altybarmakyan, and Philipp Kurashev.

Meanwhile, on defense, they employ Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin on the NHL, while also having Alec Regula in the pipeline. The Blackhawks have Corey Crawford as their starting goalie, and he’s 35 with a long injury list, with no future starter waiting in the shadows. Unless, of course, Malcolm Subban breaks out if and when he ends up as the starter.

Their current general manager Stan Bowman has been in office since the 2009 NHL Draft. That being said, there is a strong sample size of Blackhawks draftees that I was able to look at. Using every Blackhawks draft pick from 2009, I gathered their heights, weights and nationalities to see if there were any patterns that developed over time, in terms of whether they have preferences in the aforementioned categories.

Since 2009, Bowman has drafted 48 forwards, 33 defensemen, and nine goalies, for a grand total of 90 selections. Let’s start with the forwards.

Forwards

Of the 48 drafted forwards, 17 are American, 13 are Canadian, six are Swedish, four are Finnish, three are Russian, one is Slovakian, one is Danish, one is Czech, one is Swiss, and one is German. Of those forwards, 36 fell between 5’11” and 6’3” and 25 fell between 175 and 200 pounds.

With the above parameters, the top fit for Chicago at forward is Connor Zary. Zary is a Canadian forward who stands at 6’0” and 181 pounds. Zary has been ranked as early as ninth (McKeen’s hockey) and as late as 24th (Elite Prospects), but for the most part, he is considered a top-15 prospect. I have him as my 11th ranked prospect.

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He put up 38 goals and 48 assists for 86 points in 57 games this season with the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL. His well-balanced two-way game is what earns him the most praise, while his skating needs a bit of refinement before he is able to make the jump to the NHL.

The second-best fit for the Blackhawks in the first round is Dawson Mercer. Mercer is another Canadian forward, standing at 6’0” and 179 pounds. He has been ranked as early as 12th by three expert sites (HockeyProspect.com, Future Considerations, and ISS Hockey) and as late as 15th by McKeen’s Hockey. I have him as my 15th ranked prospect.

Mercer recorded 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 42 games this season, split between the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL. He doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses in his game, as he is a natural goal-scorer who can also be a solid playmaker. Mercer is also responsible in all situations, allowing him to play on both special teams units. He’s also an excellent skater. All that combined, and you have an all-around solid prospect, who has a safe floor and a potentially high ceiling.

Finally, the third-best fit for the Blackhawks is Alexander Holtz. Holtz is a Swedish forward who stands at 6’0” and 183 pounds. Holtz has been ranked as early as fifth by two expert sites (McKeen’s Hockey and Future Considerations) and as late as ninth by two other expert sites (HockeyProspect.com and ISS Hockey). He is my fifth ranked prospect.

Holtz recorded 9 goals and 7 assists for 16 points in 35 games with Djurgardens IF in the SHL. Holtz has been praised for his incredible shooting ability and hockey IQ. He has immense skill-level throughout his game, while also possessing the ability to out-smart opponents and stay one play ahead. One of my favorite draft prospects this year, Holtz may not be available when the Blackhawks are on the clock, but if he is, they should snag him up.