GDT: 2024 NHL Draft Talk - Picked 2nd, 18th, 27th, 67th, 72nd, 92nd, 138th, & 163rd Overall

[HeisenBaez]

Its poor asset management.

It's only poor asset management if neither of the picks hits.

 

[Sarava]

I think the trade up to #27 was probably poor value. But if it came down to that Carolina won't do the trade without an overpay, and they really wanted Vanacker...then screw it, just do it.

That's a benefit of acquiring all these picks, both this year and the other surrounding years.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Looking at 4 of the rankings (Button/Ellis/Wheeler/Pronman) here.

Boisvert was in the 24-27 range on all of them. Vanacker mid 30's.

KD probably gambled away the later picks on maybe a 5-10% chance that those guys could be gone. I don't think moving those picks is a big loss but we also likely didn't gain much.

Really wish he got the Demidov deal done though.

 

[Sarava]

Can you imagine the heart attacks and whining by the anti-Demidov crowd if the Hawks moved an unprotected 25 1st for him? Holy s#!t...

 

[Castle8130]

Probably would've drafted:

2. Demidov
20. Solberg/Surin/Hage (in that order)
34. Miettinen/Badinka
54. Linus Eriksson/Stiga
61. Battaglia

I would much prefer the above. I'm fine with the 3rd round picks as is.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Its poor asset management.

It honestly felt to me like trading up just to trade up. The one occurred before draft day with no idea how the board was gonna shake out and the other seems like an overpay to draft someone that wasn’t a faller or anything like that. Hate to be overly cynical but it felt like the hawks were just feeling overburdened with picks and felt like they wanted to offload rather than manage through a crowded group in a couple years. It’s not that late seconds are the end all be all, but still feels like two were thrown away without a bigger purpose in mind.

 

[Castle8130]

Just curious. If the Hawks are sitting at 3rd oa for the 2025 draft and Martone/Hagens are gone, do we have to pick a forward even if they arent the best player? Like what if Hensler, Boudimienne, and another defenseman just crush their draft year and project as #1 defensemen. Would you still force yourself to trade down?

 

[EddieTheEagle]

Just curious. If the Hawks are sitting at 3rd oa for the 2025 draft and Martone/Hagens are gone, do we have to pick a forward even if they arent the best player? Like what if Hensler, Boudimienne, and another defenseman just crush their draft year and project as #1 defensemen. Would you still force yourself to trade down?

I think the current management has consistently shown that they’ll just take “their guy” somewhat regardless of where they are at. They seem to really like certain players and then do everything in their power to get them.

 

[ColbyChaos]

Styles is based af at 2am

Probably would've drafted:

2. Demidov
20. Solberg/Surin/Hage (in that order)
34. Miettinen/Badinka
54. Linus Eriksson/Stiga
61. Battaglia

I would much prefer the above. I'm fine with the 3rd round picks as is.

Hell just give up 2 seconds from 18 to move up higher

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

2024 NHL Draft winners and losers: Scott Wheeler ranks all 32 teams' selections

Scott Wheeler reviews how all 32 teams did at the 2024 NHL Draft, with thoughts on almost every pick.

www.nytimes.com

Chicago Blackhawks​

After making a lot of picks over the last couple of drafts, the Blackhawks now clearly have moved from a quantity to quality approach and I think it paid off on Day 1. I thought they got the best defensive prospect in the draft at No. 2 with Artyom Levshunov, and they were the only team to make three first-round picks, trading up twice to grab Sacha Boisvert and Marek Vanacker, two players I’m high on and who fit in within the identity they covet — while also looking different than Frank Nazaror Oliver Moore.

They like speed, too, eh? It came as no surprise to me, or anyone who has been paying attention to the players they’ve drafted over the years, when they took John Mustard, AJ Spellacy and Jack Pridham, three of the best skaters and fastest players in the class, all in the third round. Mustard gets after it and puts defensemen on their heels, and I think he’s got a chance to become an up-tempo NHLer who can play up and down a lineup in time. Spellacy is a physical, imposing, big, strong, athletic kid who is very raw but who could make an excellent fourth-liner someday. And Pridham is another great athlete.

The Blackhawks don’t have the fastest team in the NHL right now, but they have the fastest prospect pool in hockey by a wide margin. Another strong draft for that group.

 

[Space umpire]

Lots of value available to Chicago. Kyle is gonna somehow ignore them all for random unranked Euros.

That is a special kind of stupid. Bitching about picks even before they got made.

 

[Kevin Musto]

That is a special kind of stupid. Bitching about picks even before they got made.

Jiri Felcman

 

[jls24]

Not the picks I would have made but a good draft still.

We obviously don't know how things would have played out but it seems like they could have kept their original picks and probably got their guys + a Stiga and someone else. So even though it's a good draft, it feels like they left a lot of value on the table.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

2024 NHL Draft winners and losers: Scott Wheeler ranks all 32 teams' selections

Scott Wheeler reviews how all 32 teams did at the 2024 NHL Draft, with thoughts on almost every pick.

www.nytimes.com

It seems like most people outside this board like this draft overall.

 

[Praetorian Caps]

 

[Kevin Musto]

What could've been...

 

[BHawks77]

What could've been...

But you said it yourself no more "smurfs" for Hawks top 6 and now you are saying Hawks should have drafted Artamonov??? And looking your picture at 18oa too when he was take at 50oa?? Does not make sense?

 

[Kevin Musto]

But you said it yourself no more "smurfs" for Hawks top 6 and now you are saying Hawks should have drafted Artamonov??? And looking your picture at 18oa too when he was take at 50oa?? Does not make sense?

BPA

 

[BHawks77]

BPA

I know it might be nice to have "EGO" the size of a planet earth but its not always good for you!! Great power comes with great responsibility!

 

[statswatcher]

I know it might be nice to have "EGO" the size of a planet earth but its not always good for you!! Great power comes with great responsibility!

musto is one of the best examples of the dunning-kruger effect i’ve ever personally interacted with.

 

[Kevin Musto]

musto is one of the best examples of the dunning-kruger effect i’ve ever personally interacted with.

@DiqHed

 

[statswatcher]

@DiqHed

you can keep telling yourself that was me if you like. doesn’t bother me to be associated with a good post. just speaks to your dual arrogance and ignorance that you cannot grasp that you are so unpopular someone would make an account just to call you stupid.

 

[Space umpire]

What could've been...

I prefer who they took at 18 to YOUR choice. Evidently most hockey insiders do as well.
Taking your player evaluation history into account I like the draft more now than I did yesterday.
You and BWC not liking him is a major plus.

you can keep telling yourself that was me if you like. doesn’t bother me to be associated with a good post. just speaks to your dual arrogance and ignorance that you cannot grasp that you are so unpopular someone would make an account just to call you stupid.

He lives large … in his small mind.

 

[newmanager]

2024 NHL Draft Summary​

The Chicago Blackhawks went into the draft holding 2-1st round picks along with 2-2nd, 2-3rd, 1-5th and 1-6th rounder at their disposal. After a flurry of wheeling and dealing the Hawks managed to add another 1st rounder as well as another 3rd at the expense of their 2024 2nd round picks and another 3rd round pick in the 2025 draft.

# 2 Artyom Levshunov - Defense - 6′2″ 205 lbs

# 18 Sacha Boisvert - Center - 6′2″ 183 lbs

# 27 Marek Vanacker - Left Wing 6′1″ 178 lbs

# 67 John Mustard - Center - 6′1″ 186 lbs

# 72 A J Spellacy - Center - 6′3″ 200 lbs

# 92 Jack Pridham - Right Wing - 6′2″ 177 lbs

# 138 Joel Svensson - Center - 6′2″ 185 lbs

# 163 Ty Henry - Defense - 6′4″ 198 lbs

With the first pick at #2 in the first round the Hawks selected, what they hope will be a cornerstone all situation defender, in Artyom Levshunov. The hulking defender had a fantastic season at Michigan State and had the Hawk scouts drooling over him all year. Levshunov had a stat line of 9 goals and 26 assists for 35 points in 38 games, good for second place in team scoring. He also led the squad with an astounding +27 in those 38 games. The big fella is an excellent skater and puck handler who is always in attack mode. He plays physical when needed and is built like an ox but will no doubt fill out a bit more and gain strength as he ages. Levshunov will be given every opportunity to make the big squad to start the year but he may need a bit of seasoning in the AHL to gain some pro habits, and with him appearing to be an ultra-fast learner, his time in the AHL may be short. The addition of Levshunov gives the Hawks the strongest defensemen pipeline in the league.

The second pick in the 1st round at 18 overall managed to get the Hawks a highly coveted player in USHL center-man Sacha Boisvert. Boisvert banged home 36 goals and added 32 assists for 68 points in 61 games. Those stats put him in 11th place in the USHL points race. He also spent 86 minutes cooling off in the sin-bin. The scrappy center has good size and brings a complete game to the table. He has good puck skills, an above average shot, plays on the defensive side of the puck, has a high compete level and is physical. He will also drop the mitts to protect himself as well as his team-mates as he has a boxing background. The center will head to North Dakota of the NCAA in the fall to hone his skills, gain strength and solidify his two way game. This is one guy to keep tabs on as he has been one of the best 2006 born prospects in Canada for a number of years.

With the third pick in the 1st round at 27 overall the Hawks selected the versatile winger Marek Vanacker from the OHL Brantford Bulldogs. Vanacker had 36 goals and 46 assists for 82 points in 68 games which was good enough for 17th place in the OHL points race. These are excellent totals for a player of his age. Vanacker has good size, is a real good skater with a sneaky good shot and is a dog on a bone type of player. His compete level is almost off the charts, he goes hard both offensively and defensively and finishes his checks. Vanacker picked up the slack in scoring for Brantford when team-mate and future Blackhawk, Nick Lardis, went down with an injury. Despite very little ice-time, Vanacker had a decent 2024 U18 WJC tournament and helped Canada bring home the gold. Look for Vanacker to challenge for the OHL scoring title this year.

Hawks first pick of the 3rd round was used on the speedy John Mustard of the Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL. Another pick with good size and high compete who plays physical and is probably the fastest skater in the USHL. Mr Mustard had 29 goals and 27 assists for 56 points in 62 games and sat out for 71 minutes in the sin bin. Pretty good totals as he is fairly young with an August birthday. Mustard plays a somewhat similar game to Paul Ludwinski and Oliver Moore which is based on speed. Like Ludwinski and Moore he can sometimes get tunnel vision while attacking with the puck. He does seem to have a bit more offense in him than either of those two players though. I believe Mustard will spend the 2024/25 season in the USHL and will head to Providence College for the 2025/26 season.

Hawks second 3rd round pick, at #72 overall, was used on the tall, lanky, and heavy hitting A J Spellacy of the OHL Windsor Spitfires. This guy hits HARD…..real hard. He is more than likely the fastest skater in the OHL. Spellacy had 21 goals and 17 assists for 38 points in 67 games. He accumulated 59 penalty minutes in those 67 games. Those scoring totals do not look too impressive at first glance but one has to realize that this kid brings a lot more to the table than offense. His skating and physical play opens up a lot of space for his line-mates and he creates a heck of a lot of turnovers. He is super strong on the face-off dot and back-checks hard. His favorite NHL player is Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals. Hawks could certainly use their own version of Tom Wilson. As this kid fills out he is going to be a handful for opposition defensemen. Look for his scoring totals to improve over the next 2 years in the OHL.

With the #92 overall pick the Hawks selected Winger Jack Pridham from the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL. Pridham scored 23 goals and added 25 assists for 48 points in 54 games. Another player with wheels who is considered by some to be the fastest skater in the entire 2024 NHL Draft, Pridham is another pick with decent size, high compete and room to grow. He was a member of the Boston University 2024 recruiting class but there are some indications that he may spend another year in the BCHL before heading to Boston University in the fall of 2025. Probably a good choice for him as he should gain weight and strength to better prepare himself for the NCAA grind.

Hawks lone pick of the 4th round at #138 overall was used to select overage Swedish Center Joel Svensson. Svensson spent most of the year in the Sweden Junior League and had 24 goals, 9 assists and 33 points in 25 games. Those totals almost tripled his output from the previous season. He also played 7 SHL games and picked up 1 assist. This guy will hopefully play the 2024/25 season in the SHL with Vaxjo Lakers where he will be team-mates with fellow Hawk draftee Victor Stjernborg.

The Blackhawks final pick in the 2024 entry draft was in the 6th round at #163 overall and it was used to select lanky defenseman Ty Henry of the Erie Otters in the OHL. Primarily a defensive defenseman, this guy is a terrific skater, plays physical and is tough. Henry played 54 OHL games and had 0 goals and 7 assists in those games. He also spent 44 minutes in the box for playing too rough. He became a go to guy for the Otters as the season progressed and was counted upon to shut down the opponents best lines. He should get tons of ice-time this year and maybe he just might develop a bit more offense.

So looking back at the draft from a distance you can see some similarities with all our picks. They all have good size, are all plus skaters, and all have high compete levels.

Good strategy by Kyle moving lesser picks to move up in the draft. I agree with his quality over quantity approach.

Good draft for the Hawks. Grade A+

 

[giza]

2024 NHL Draft Summary​

The Chicago Blackhawks went into the draft holding 2-1st round picks along with 2-2nd, 2-3rd, 1-5th and 1-6th rounder at their disposal. After a flurry of wheeling and dealing the Hawks managed to add another 1st rounder as well as another 3rd at the expense of their 2024 2nd round picks and another 3rd round pick in the 2025 draft.

# 2 Artyom Levshunov - Defense - 6′2″ 205 lbs

# 18 Sacha Boisvert - Center - 6′2″ 183 lbs

# 27 Marek Vanacker - Left Wing 6′1″ 178 lbs

# 67 John Mustard - Center - 6′1″ 186 lbs

# 72 A J Spellacy - Center - 6′3″ 200 lbs

# 92 Jack Pridham - Right Wing - 6′2″ 177 lbs

# 138 Joel Svensson - Center - 6′2″ 185 lbs

# 163 Ty Henry - Defense - 6′4″ 198 lbs

With the first pick at #2 in the first round the Hawks selected, what they hope will be a cornerstone all situation defender, in Artyom Levshunov. The hulking defender had a fantastic season at Michigan State and had the Hawk scouts drooling over him all year. Levshunov had a stat line of 9 goals and 26 assists for 35 points in 38 games, good for second place in team scoring. He also led the squad with an astounding +27 in those 38 games. The big fella is an excellent skater and puck handler who is always in attack mode. He plays physical when needed and is built like an ox but will no doubt fill out a bit more and gain strength as he ages. Levshunov will be given every opportunity to make the big squad to start the year but he may need a bit of seasoning in the AHL to gain some pro habits, and with him appearing to be an ultra-fast learner, his time in the AHL may be short. The addition of Levshunov gives the Hawks the strongest defensemen pipeline in the league.

The second pick in the 1st round at 18 overall managed to get the Hawks a highly coveted player in USHL center-man Sacha Boisvert. Boisvert banged home 36 goals and added 32 assists for 68 points in 61 games. Those stats put him in 11th place in the USHL points race. He also spent 86 minutes cooling off in the sin-bin. The scrappy center has good size and brings a complete game to the table. He has good puck skills, an above average shot, plays on the defensive side of the puck, has a high compete level and is physical. He will also drop the mitts to protect himself as well as his team-mates as he has a boxing background. The center will head to North Dakota of the NCAA in the fall to hone his skills, gain strength and solidify his two way game. This is one guy to keep tabs on as he has been one of the best 2006 born prospects in Canada for a number of years.

With the third pick in the 1st round at 27 overall the Hawks selected the versatile winger Marek Vanacker from the OHL Brantford Bulldogs. Vanacker had 36 goals and 46 assists for 82 points in 68 games which was good enough for 17th place in the OHL points race. These are excellent totals for a player of his age. Vanacker has good size, is a real good skater with a sneaky good shot and is a dog on a bone type of player. His compete level is almost off the charts, he goes hard both offensively and defensively and finishes his checks. Vanacker picked up the slack in scoring for Brantford when team-mate and future Blackhawk, Nick Lardis, went down with an injury. Despite very little ice-time, Vanacker had a decent 2024 U18 WJC tournament and helped Canada bring home the gold. Look for Vanacker to challenge for the OHL scoring title this year.

Hawks first pick of the 3rd round was used on the speedy John Mustard of the Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL. Another pick with good size and high compete who plays physical and is probably the fastest skater in the USHL. Mr Mustard had 29 goals and 27 assists for 56 points in 62 games and sat out for 71 minutes in the sin bin. Pretty good totals as he is fairly young with an August birthday. Mustard plays a somewhat similar game to Paul Ludwinski and Oliver Moore which is based on speed. Like Ludwinski and Moore he can sometimes get tunnel vision while attacking with the puck. He does seem to have a bit more offense in him than either of those two players though. I believe Mustard will spend the 2024/25 season in the USHL and will head to Providence College for the 2025/26 season.

Hawks second 3rd round pick, at #72 overall, was used on the tall, lanky, and heavy hitting A J Spellacy of the OHL Windsor Spitfires. This guy hits HARD…..real hard. He is more than likely the fastest skater in the OHL. Spellacy had 21 goals and 17 assists for 38 points in 67 games. He accumulated 59 penalty minutes in those 67 games. Those scoring totals do not look too impressive at first glance but one has to realize that this kid brings a lot more to the table than offense. His skating and physical play opens up a lot of space for his line-mates and he creates a heck of a lot of turnovers. He is super strong on the face-off dot and back-checks hard. His favorite NHL player is Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals. Hawks could certainly use their own version of Tom Wilson. As this kid fills out he is going to be a handful for opposition defensemen. Look for his scoring totals to improve over the next 2 years in the OHL.

With the #92 overall pick the Hawks selected Winger Jack Pridham from the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL. Pridham scored 23 goals and added 25 assists for 48 points in 54 games. Another player with wheels who is considered by some to be the fastest skater in the entire 2024 NHL Draft, Pridham is another pick with decent size, high compete and room to grow. He was a member of the Boston University 2024 recruiting class but there are some indications that he may spend another year in the BCHL before heading to Boston University in the fall of 2025. Probably a good choice for him as he should gain weight and strength to better prepare himself for the NCAA grind.

Hawks lone pick of the 4th round at #138 overall was used to select overage Swedish Center Joel Svensson. Svensson spent most of the year in the Sweden Junior League and had 24 goals, 9 assists and 33 points in 25 games. Those totals almost tripled his output from the previous season. He also played 7 SHL games and picked up 1 assist. This guy will hopefully play the 2024/25 season in the SHL with Vaxjo Lakers where he will be team-mates with fellow Hawk draftee Victor Stjernborg.

The Blackhawks final pick in the 2024 entry draft was in the 6th round at #163 overall and it was used to select lanky defenseman Ty Henry of the Erie Otters in the OHL. Primarily a defensive defenseman, this guy is a terrific skater, plays physical and is tough. Henry played 54 OHL games and had 0 goals and 7 assists in those games. He also spent 44 minutes in the box for playing too rough. He became a go to guy for the Otters as the season progressed and was counted upon to shut down the opponents best lines. He should get tons of ice-time this year and maybe he just might develop a bit more offense.

So looking back at the draft from a distance you can see some similarities with all our picks. They all have good size, are all plus skaters, and all have high compete levels.

Good strategy by Kyle moving lesser picks to move up in the draft. I agree with his quality over quantity approach.

Good draft for the Hawks. Grade A+

Great summary. I have some issues with how they spent draft capital, but I love the physicality they've added---a much needed ingredient to their current prospect pool. I wouldn't be shocked to see at least 3 of these guys in the NHL at some point. Size, skills, wheels & motor!!!