Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Blackhawks will know where they are picking in this year’s NHL Draft on May 7th. That is when the NHL Draft Lottery takes place.
The Blackhawks hold the second-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. The Hawks are going to need all the luck they can get if they hope lightning figuratively strikes again and are awarded the top pick for the second straight year. Last year, the Hawks had the third-best odds and wound up winning the right to draft Connor Bedard.
This year’s draft has a talent whose overall game is not exactly generational, but man can this guy score goals at a generational clip. If the odds are not in the Hawks’ favor, they will draft no lower than four in the first round.
That is still a chance to add a very good prospect to a team that enters year three in the young talent acquisition phase of a massive rebuild. This year’s draft is supposed to have a mix of good forward and blue line talent whereas last year it was a great year for forwards at the top of the draft.
The Hawks could always use both in their system and five players seem to be among the consensus top five based on mock drafts from Tankathon.com or ESPN.com along with the Athletic’s midseason consensus big board
Depending on where the Hawks pick, these five prospects will impact the team’s rebuild in different ways that are worth exploring…
Macklin Celebrini
He is the consensus prospect to go No. 1 overall in the NHL Draft. His joining the Chicago Blackhawks would dramatically alter the rebuild’s timeline.
What another NHL Draft Lottery win would mean for the Blackhawks https://t.co/qiE3lor5Pm
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) May 2, 2024
Celebrini won the Hobey Baker Award after he scored 32 goals and 32 assists for Boston University. He will also be 18 when the 2024-25 season NHL starts. Imagine having Bedard and Celebrini on the same team together. That is a lot of goal scoring and playmaking potential.
It also gives the Hawks a chance to improve one of the worst-scoring teams in the NHL. He might not be the draw-at-the-gate prospect like Bedard, but he has the opportunity to form a duo with Bedard like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
Artyom Levshunov
It is not every day a top European prospect goes the NCAA route in their development, but that is what Levshunov did. The Belarusian was outstanding for Michigan State during his freshman season.
B1G Freshman and Defensive POTY Artyom Levshunov and @MSU_Hockey are just getting started. 😏 pic.twitter.com/1xy6PZldlW
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 29, 2024
He is considered the best defensive prospect in the draft according to the Athletic’s midseason rankings.Although, Corey Pronman, one of the Athletic’s three draft experts, has him ranked as the fifth-best prospect in the draft Pronman does project Levshunov to be an All-Star defenseman.
ESPN’s Rachel Doerrire mocks him going to the Hawks with the No. 2 pick
He has developed at light speed, leading scouts to believe that he could be an impactful two-way defenseman at the NHL level. He makes a good first pass, finds shooting lanes and is a dominant force. Defensively, he’s quite raw but shows a ton of upside with his physical tools, excellent skating ability and puck battle success rate in the defensive zone. In the right development environment, Levshunov could be a top-pairing defenseman who dictates play from the back end.
If the Hawks take him, it would not be a shock if they have him return to Michigan State for two more seasons. Yes, Kevin Korchinski showed up this season at 18. The Hawks only had nine games to get him some professional experience in his development before they would have had to send him back to the juniors. He showed in those nine games that the juniors would be a waste of time, since he could not go to the AHL, the Hawks kept him in the NHL.
That was an exception. The rule is the Hawks prefer to bring their defenseman along slowly. Think about how patient they were with Alex Vlasic. Levshunov may be a few inches shorter than Vlasic, but he has great size for a defenseman.
He had 26 assists for the Spartans this season. If he needs work on the job’s main objective–playing defense–it would make sense if he is the pick, that he spends another year in college or plays for the Rockford IceHogs.
Taking him would bolster the blue line’s future as the Hawks have Vlasic and Korchinski at the NHL level. Ethan Del Mastro was very good for the IceHogs. Sam Rinzel played just as good as Levshunov in Big Ten play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Adding Levshunov helps the rebuild down the road, but it might not have an immediate impact.
Cayden Lindstrom
The Blackhawks could use some size at forward. That is why Lindstrom could be the perfect prospect for the Blackhawks.
Lindstrom has amazing skating ability and skill to go along with his big frame. The youngster is considered a force of nature.
Cayden Lindstrom is such a force of nature. It's rare to see a player who can leave such an impact with both his skill and his physical play
Watch how he totally obliterates an opponent, takes the puck, and drives it from the DZ all the way to the NZ (#28 black)@mckeenshockey pic.twitter.com/oKXJ1OAf8u
— Derek Neumeier (@Derek_N_NHL) November 12, 2023
His game is sort of like Marian Hossa’s. Think about the Hawks having a young version of Hossa that they can mold.
The Athletic’s midseason report has him as possibly being the second-best forward prospect. Although, Scott Wheeler thinks he is the 11th-best prospect. There are some concerns about his game.
Drafting him at say, No. 4, would help the Hawks add a prospect with size. He will also take some time to develop, so he is not going to push up the timeline.
Ivan Demidov
Tankathon has the Hawks taking the Russian forward at two. He is skilled but he is also on a KHL contract. However, he is signed through next season, so he can come over sooner than Matvei Michkov, last year’s top Russian draft prospect.
There is the risk that Demidov decides to stay in the KHL for another deal before coming over. He played at the MHL level. That is like playing in the juniors in the States and Canada.
Ivan Demidov celebrates the MHL Championship on crutches.
He completes his draft eligible season with 34 goals and 88 points in 47 games.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) April 25, 2024
So on one hand, the Hawks could get a very skilled forward at a young age as soon as 2025-26. On the flip side, he could stay overseas for who knows when.
The Athletic has him tied with Lindstrom as the second-best forward prospect. His selection would not move up the rebuild’s timeline, but it can help the team score goals as soon as October 2025.
Anton Silayev
The Russian is a left-handed defenseman. He is considered the second-best blue liner prospect in the draft according to the Athletic.
He is signed with KHL through the 2025-26 season.
This would be a pick that would fit with the Hawks’ preference to bring along defensemen slowly. Kevin Korchinski would be starting his second contract in the 2026-27 season. Plus, Bedard and Frank Nazar will be in the final year of their entry-level deal.
Cap space will start to get precious in 2026, so the Hawks can add a potential elite defender at an ELC price. Plus, Rinzel should be in the fold by that time, so the Blackhawks could add another young defenseman with high upside at the same time.
