Ranking the Blackhawks' First-Round Draft Picks From the Previous 10 Years
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The Chicago Blackhawks had three first-round picks in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday, adding defenseman Artyom Levshunov, plus forwards Sacha Boisvert and Marek Vanacker to the organization with the No. 2, No. 18 and No. 27 overall slots.
The Blackhawks have done well drafting in the first round over the previous 10 years, but there have also been some misses. Chicago has selected 12 players in the first round from 2014 through 2023, so the here are rankings from worst to best:
12. Nicolas Beaudin
There is no arguing that Nicolas Beaudin was the worst first-round pick by the Blackhawks in recent memory. The 24-year-old was taken 27th overall in 2018 and has played parts of three seasons in the NHL for the Blackhawks amounting to just 22 games. He wasn't too impressive or he would have been given more of a look, in Chicago or since.
Beaudin finally left the Blackhawks organization last summer and spent it in Laval of the AHL as well as in Czechia. It doesn't seem like any team is even going to give him a look for a potential NHL spot at this point. It's a good thing the defensemen in the prospect pool for the Blackhawks are very good right now.
11. Henri Jokiharju
Henri Jokiharju wasn't a miss in the first round of the 2017 draft at 29th overall by any means, but he also isn't a star. I would confidently place him as a fourth to fifth sixth defenseman on a team. His numbers aren't amazing and he only played 38 games for the Blackhawks before finding a solid role with the Buffalo Sabres.
Jokiharju may or may not get much better, but he is an NHLer. As he is a bit older than most of the Blackhawks' first-round picks in the last 10 years though, there is more potential in the younger group of players.
10. Adam Boqvist
Jokiharju may be more well-rounded, but Adam Boqvist is an offensive contributor. Unfortunately his stock went down this season due to the Columbus Blue Jackets packing their defensive group too much and limiting playing time.
Boqvist was drafted eighth overall in 2018 and the most games he's played in a season through five seasons is 52. He is only 23 years old and with a better opportunity or a fresh start on a new team, he can really put up numbers. In his first season with the Blue Jackets, Boqvist had a 17-goal pace, and in his second season with the team, he had a 43-point pace. This is as an early 20-year-old as well. There's potential waiting to be unleashed here.
9. Nolan Allan
Nolan Allan is the lowest player of this group that is still with the Blackhawks. Considering he may be able to steal a spot in training camp next season as a 21-year-old, it shows the first-round drafting ability if he is ranked this low.
Allan was drafted 32nd overall in 2021 and is a stay-at-home defenseman who had a strong season in the AHL. It is likely he will play most of next season in the AHL as it was just his rookie season, but it shows that he is well on his way to eventually making an impact in the NHL.
8. Lukas Reichel
While defensive defensemen aren't that flashy, Lukas Reichel has the potential to be a lot more than he is right now. The Blackhawks were hoping and expecting him to step into the second line center role this season, but that didn't work out the way they had planned. Instead, Reichel spent some time in the AHL before returning.
The Blackhawks have far from given up on Reichel as he was signed to a two-year deal at $1.2 million AAV. He should be playing somewhere in the middle-six next season, and even if he isn't going to be a full-time center for Chicago moving forward, his post-season play in the playoffs for the Rockford IceHogs and for Germany at the World Championship was impressive. The former 17th overall pick in 2020 still has a lot of hope that he can turn into a top contributor for the Blackhawks.
7. Sam Rinzel
Sam Rinzel is a defensive prospect to keep an eye on. He was drafted at 25th overall in the 2022 draft, so with a lot of talent in the organization and him still being in University, there is still some time before we will see him in the NHL. He is not a major point-producer, but he is mobile and has a good reach on him to defend.
Every team needs good puck-moving defensemen and Rinzel is that even though he is not overly physical. Depending on how next season goes for a few prospects, he could either rise a little bit or fall down a few spots on this ranking.
6. Frank Nazar
The 13th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Frank Nazar, stepped into the NHL at the end of the season and looked good in just three games. He is going to have to fight for a spot on the team in training camp, but he looks like a very promising piece for the future in Chicago.
Nazar is fast and able to produce offensively. He may be able to slide into the second line center role in time as he is a great rush player and physical despite his size. At just 20 years old, I think he may be able to have a similar impact as Reichel in 2024-25.
5. Oliver Moore
Another fast former first-round pick is Oliver Moore who was taken 19th overall in the 2023 draft as the Blackhawks' second pick in that draft. He is versatile in that he can fill a number of different roles from being able to shut opponents down, produce offensively, or kill penalties.
Moore spent this season at the University of Minnesota, so he's not going to be fast-tracked to the NHL either. His competitiveness should make him a great piece to have and a player that continues to strive to get better each season. He may climb even higher as his ceiling is pretty high if his points can eventually transfer over to the NHL level when he arrives.
4. Kirby Dach
Kirby Dach was taken 3rd overall in 2019 and there is still a lot of hope for him. The reason he hasn't broken out yet is due to the injuries the 23-year-old continues to unfortunately suffer. It has kept him out of action in the NHL more than he's played recently.
Dach missed all but 18 games in his second season and has only suited up for 60 games over the past two seasons since being traded to the Montreal Canadiens. He had a 54-point pace two seasons ago and if he can stay healthy and continue his upward trajectory, he may live up to somewhere close to a 3rd overall pick.
3. Nick Schmaltz
Nick Schmaltz was drafted 20th overall by the Blackhawks in 2014 and he has had a strong career. The 28-year-old has 122 goals and 360 points in 506 games.
He has had the time to develop and is currently in the prime of his career, but Schmaltz has recorded three consecutive 22+ goal, 58+ point seasons playing 63 games in a season twice and 79 games in 2023-24. He is a top line player and has proved it for multiple seasons. Schmaltz proved his ability at 21 years old with the Blackhawks, something all of the first-round draft picks below him in the rankings haven't done or done yet.
2. Kevin Korchinski
There are very high hopes for Kevin Korchinski as this seventh overall pick from the 2022 draft stepped into the NHL as a rookie this season at 19 years old and had a respectable season. The smooth skater was put right into a top-4 role right away and even though he has a lot of growing to do, showed a lot of positives.
Korchinski is going to produce at the NHL level as he improves and he has the ability to quarterback the top power-play unit and is a decent defender. He has a lot of upside and players who can produce on the back-end aren't all that easy to come by. There is a lot more to come for Korchinski.
1. Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard is the clear cut best first-round pick of the past 10 years. He is not only the only player taken first overall, but he is a generational talent that led the Blackhawks in his rookie season while missing a chunk of the season.
Bedard just took home the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year and is only going to get better with age. His shot is incredible and he showed a talent for setting up goals this season as well. As a number one center and face of the franchise, nobody drafted by Chicago in the last 10 years compares.
The Blackhawks are hoping to keep up the NHL-caliber talent flowing into their organization and onto their team.