Hawks hoping to load up on talent this weekend at NHL draft

The Blackhawks landed the NHL's top rookie by selecting Connor Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023.

Now with the second pick in Friday's NHL draft, they just need to add a Jonathan Toews to Bedard's Patrick Kane and they'll be on their way to more Stanley Cups. No pressure or anything.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson can only wish it were that easy. Besides the no-brainer Bedard pick, the Hawks haven't really hit a home run in the draft since probably Alex DeBrincat in 2016, a player they traded away two years ago.

But the plan is to load up on talent. The Hawks also have the No. 18 pick in the first round and all told, they'll have six of top 72 selections. A talent influx is sorely needed.

“I believe it's going to leave us in a really strong spot from a prospect and young player standpoint,” Davidson told reporters Thursday in Las Vegas. “That's extremely exciting. Given what we set out to do a couple years ago, this is where we wanted to be.

“We want to be in this position where we feel really good about … a collection of players that we could really see coming up and forming something special. I strongly believe we'll leave Vegas feeling that way. That's really exciting.”

The No. 1 pick is likely a lock. San Jose will take Boston University freshman center Macklin Celebrini, who played for the Geneva-based Chicago Steel before college.

The second pick is thought to be a two-man race between defenseman Artyom Levshunov and left wing Ivan Demidov. Maybe they can't go wrong with either, but the Hawks have to pick one.

Levshunov is a Belarus native who spent a year playing in the minors in Green Bay, then moved onto Michigan State, where he was Big Ten freshman and defensive player of the year. Some see him as a potential defensive anchor in the NHL.

Demidov is a skilled wing who piled up 60 points in 30 games for SKA St. Petersburg, and could potentially play alongside Bedard.

Davidson seemed to suggest the Blackhawks have made up their mind, but of course, he didn't spill the beans.

“I think we feel pretty confident with where we're going to go,” he said.

The sportsbooks also think they know what the Hawks are thinking. Levshunov is a heavy favorite to be chosen No. 2.

It's possible Levshunov will return for a second season at MSU. Demidov is still under contract in Russia, so he'll for sure spend another season in St. Petersburg.

But waiting for prospects is routine in the NHL. Two recent Blackhawks first-round picks — center Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel — are planning to play their sophomore seasons for Minnesota this winter.

Meanwhile, the Hawks made a trade to add some depth, getting forwards Sam Lafferty and Ilya Mikheyev, plus a 2027 second-round pick from Vancouver for this year's fourth-round pick. The Canucks were looking to clear some cap space.

Mikheyev was Vancouver's ninth-leading scorer last season, while Lafferty, 28, played for the Hawks from 2021-23.

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