Tbh and the hawks draft history could attest to this during their run — every year there’s power forwards but how many of them are worth their salt? I’m not saying draft iginla at 2, but are sennecke/yakemchuk(understand he’s a D) going to be producers worth a 10OA(which is really a 20OA, 54OA, 61OA, and then even more additional picks)?
First of all, it's a weak draft class. I don't have much faith in the possible selections at #20, #54, #61, etc. There are some guys I'm high on, but I also can't guarantee that the Blackhawks will select them.
So as far as I'm concerned, moving up for a near surefire hit is the right move. At #10, the Blackhawks basically can't mess up unless they do something really stupid and pick a guy that would've been available at 18 anyway. They're not going to do that. If they move up, they're taking a consensus top 10 player.
As for Sennecke and Yakemchuk, both players received top 5 votes on Bob's latest list from NHL scouts. Yakemchuk even had a 4th place rating. Montreal is supposedly strongly considering Sennecke at #5.
So professionals in the industry certainly think highly of them.
Sennecke improved a lot throughout the season. He had a massive growth spurt in the last year. I think he was like 5'10 last season, now he's potentially 6'3" (we'll wait for the combine measurement). Took a lot of adjusting, but by the end of the season he started to become really comfortable in his body and gained a ton of confidence. He was a force in the playoffs and was pulling off some really high level plays. A good fit for Bedard's RW.
Yakemchuk is a big RHD, physical, has a bomb from the point, could actually be a legit PPQB in addition to playing the right side. Fills two big holes for the Blackhawks. Should be noted that both of these kids are good skaters. Unfortunately Calgary didn't make it into the playoffs (they were close) so we didn't get to see Yakemchuk on the big stage, but he's very competitive. I think he would've been a menace. Potentially could have boosted his stock some more.
So yeah if they move up to #10, I hope it's because Iginla is there, but Yakemchuk and Sennecke are solid alternatives otherwise. And a big step up over whoever they'd take at 18 and whatever other picks they'd have to throw in to make the move. There's always fallers too. Buium could make his way to #10 too. It's always possible.