Who should the Chicago Blackhawks select 2nd overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft?

[Kevin Musto]

Tij Iginla at #2
Nikita Artamonov at #20

Solid building blocks for the future top 6.

Iginla-Bedard-?
Moore-Nazar-Artamonov

That big 1RW could easily come from the 2025 draft. Martone? McQueen? Ihs-Wozniak?

Then we've got an abundance of guys that can and will slot in the bottom 6 so no concerns on that front.

 

[TLEH]

I really don’t think size is the thing that gets you through the playoffs. It’s mentality. Do you have the mentality that you’re going to do what it takes to win? Marchand, Kane, Marchy, these guys were all great playoff guys and they’re not big.

 

[Faceboner]

The difference is that Silayev actually is a unique prospect.

The last prospect of his ilk was Hedman.

There's a Demidov in every draft class.

Demimedov is a unique prospect as well dynamic skill powerful edges, impeccable vision and a sublime iq. The Datsyuk comparisons are overblown but he isn't shabby on defense but at the mhl level. He has a willingness to play 200 feet which is good enough to work with. He is like a malkin and kucherov hybrid with a defensive edge. If you pick him you get an offensive juggernaut to play with bedard or drive his oen line he becomes the number one prospect not named celebrini or michkov. Silayev is interesting and boasts top pairing potential but demidov has a much higher impact ceiling while silayev is a safe bet to be a number 3/4 just using his size and skating ability. Demimedov is riskier but he has top 5 winger potential

 

[Kevin Musto]

I really don’t think size is the thing that gets you through the playoffs. It’s mentality. Do you have the mentality that you’re going to do what it takes to win? Marchand, Kane, Marchy, these guys were all great playoff guys and they’re not big.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

theres no doubt that Tij is probably going to be cut from the same cloth as his dad and will bring that playoff edge when this team is ready, whats his floor floor...Brandon Hagel type? which is what, 6-7m player or whatever Hagel signed for with TB

 

[clydesdale line]

they should go with the player that has the highest expected value and that could be Iginla if his floor is super high and his ceiling is only a bit off from the others...theres nothing wrong with a we just got Marchand/Brady Tkachuk type to play with Bedard for the next 10 years if its a super safe bet, they don't HAVE to take the very boom/bust profiles if they want to sacrifice a little bit of theoretical upside to make sure they walk away with a valuable piece at a high rate....

If Tij played like Brady, hell if he played like his dad, he would be an unanimous top 3-5 pick in this draft. Is it in his DNA? sure, but that doesn't mean he's cut from that same cloth. Matthew is more of the agitator for example. Brady on the other hand plays just like his dad. He's a lunatic. If anything, the youngest Iginla plays like his father the most... and he's probably the most talented one.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

If Tij played like Brady, hell if he played like his dad, he would be an unanimous top 3-5 pick in this draft. Is it in his DNA? sure, but that doesn't mean he's cut from that same cloth. Matthew is more of the agitator for example. Brady on the other hand plays just like his dad. He's a lunatic. If anything, the youngest Iginla plays like his father the most... and he's probably the most talented one.

Didn't realize there is another Iginla kid in the prospect pool, just thought whenever it was said Iggy kid played like him it was Tij they were talking about, but its hard to say where Tij will go, in the 2018 draft the Hawks were pretty fond of Brady and wanted him at 8, Kotkaniemi as well was on their radar, next thing you know they go 3 and 4 IIRC and the defensemen slid more than expected, presumably Tij could slide up closer to the draft, but he seems to be in that 6-10 range that Brady was in the earlier mocks leading up to that draft

 

[Cubs2024wildcard]

Just finished up my first pre draft stream.

It's Demidov. I am now a believer.

When two people are saying he's "a better Panarin" and there's videos of him schooling grown ass men in practices, you tend to take notice.

Full report later.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Just finished up my first pre draft stream.

It's Demidov. I am now a believer.

When two people are saying he's "a better Panarin" and there's videos of him schooling grown ass men in practices, you tend to take notice.

Full report later.

Not Cole Eiserman?!?

 

[Pez68]

Just finished up my first pre draft stream.

It's Demidov. I am now a believer.

When two people are saying he's "a better Panarin" and there's videos of him schooling grown ass men in practices, you tend to take notice.

Full report later.

Nobody cares.

 

[Darkstar]

Just finished up my first pre draft stream.

It's Demidov. I am now a believer.

When two people are saying he's "a better Panarin" and there's videos of him schooling grown ass men in practices, you tend to take notice.

Full report later.

 

[Darkstar]

Let's pump the brakes on Iginla being a power forward. Maybe he grows into that but that's not really his game right now. If he's going to play the heavy game or be a Rat at this level, he'd damn will better learn how to throw em, cause getting worked by the likes of Catton ain't it. Right now, Lindstrom has a much better chance of being this type of player.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Let's pump the brakes on Iginla being a power forward. Maybe he grows into that but that's not really his game right now. If he's going to play the heavy game or be a Rat at this level, he'd damn will better learn how to throw em, cause getting worked by the likes of Catton ain't it. Right now, Lindstrom has a much better chance of being this type of player.

It's projection.

He's going to get bigger and stronger than he is now.

The puck protection, the way he engages physically, it's all there already. He plays the game that way. He has power forward instincts.

Lindstrom already is that player now, obviously.

 

[clydesdale line]

It's projection.

He's going to get bigger and stronger than he is now.

The puck protection, the way he engages physically, it's all there already. He plays the game that way. He has power forward instincts.

Lindstrom already is that player now, obviously.

You can't project nasty/grit. You either have it or you don't. His puck protection is so, so great already. I would love to see him be that Marian Hossa type elite protection with it. Hell, I'll even take Brandon Saad in that regard. I'll bet the house he'll never be the physical presence his dad was. If you're looking for that, the younger brother is the one who plays more like Jerome (similar to Brady Tkachuk playing more like his dad Keith than Matthew) than Tij does. I personally think he's more skilled than his father. He might not have the goal totals but he'll definitely have the better assist numbers cause of his passing.

I love Tij. One of my personal top 5 prospects in this draft.

 

[Chelios]

I have to chuckle at some of you talking about the Datsyuk comparison as if it is absolutely impossible. I mean, Datsyuk was great, but let’s not pretend he was a better prospect at the same age. He didn’t even make the NHL until he was, what, 23? I won’t pretend that I was following intently at the time, but I doubt he was a finished product defensively at 18 either. The fact that Demidov seems to have a high compete and is engaged all over the ice certainly at least presents the possibility he could become a Datsyuk-like player.

 

[ColbyChaos]

Just finished up my first pre draft stream.

It's Demidov. I am now a believer.

When two people are saying he's "a better Panarin" and there's videos of him schooling grown ass men in practices, you tend to take notice.

Full report later.

Post the stream

 

[Kevin Musto]

You can't project nasty/grit. You either have it or you don't. His puck protection is so, so great already. I would love to see him be that Marian Hossa type elite protection with it. Hell, I'll even take Brandon Saad in that regard. I'll bet the house he'll never be the physical presence his dad was. If you're looking for that, the younger brother is the one who plays more like Jerome (similar to Brady Tkachuk playing more like his dad Keith than Matthew) than Tij does. I personally think he's more skilled than his father. He might not have the goal totals but he'll definitely have the better assist numbers cause of his passing.

I love Tij. One of my personal top 5 prospects in this draft.

ppg Saad would be a nice addition to the roster

 

[x Tame Impala]

Too bad about Saad sort of fizzling out. He’s had a long NHL career but he could never take that next step offensively. I thought he was going to fill in for Hossa’s absence, being more of a 70pt two way monster than a 50 pt middle sixer

 

[hawksrule]

Too bad about Saad sort of fizzling out. He’s had a long NHL career but he could never take that next step offensively. I thought he was going to fill in for Hossa’s absence, being more of a 70pt two way monster than a 50 pt middle sixer

I hoped so too, but the guy just has the stoniest of stone hands.

 

[x Tame Impala]

I have to chuckle at some of you talking about the Datsyuk comparison as if it is absolutely impossible. I mean, Datsyuk was great, but let’s not pretend he was a better prospect at the same age. He didn’t even make the NHL until he was, what, 23? I won’t pretend that I was following intently at the time, but I doubt he was a finished product defensively at 18 either. The fact that Demidov seems to have a high compete and is engaged all over the ice certainly at least presents the possibility he could become a Datsyuk-like player.

Splitting hairs here but "could become" and "Datsyuk-like" are vague statements.

Demidov seems like a shifty and high-skilled guy active in all 3 zones, always looking to make a play. I just don't think the comparisons paint an accurate picture. Especially not in comparison to a player with a one in a million skill set. He was like a combo of Toews and Kane in the same body.

 

[Mjul Qvist]

Scott Powers talked to Russian scout about Ivan Demidov. Few interesting things from that article:

People seem to think he’s on the smaller side. I think he’s listed at 5 feet 10 inches, but I also heard an NHL scout say recently that he’s a little taller than Macklin Celebrini, coming in a little over six feet. Do you think his size may be an issue in the NHL?

No, that is wrong. I think he’s got to about 184 (centimeters or 6.04 feet) now, around that. He’s a little taller than me. I think he’ll grow further, too. People usually still grow until they’re 20. I think his father is about 185, something like that. I think he’ll grow.

What impresses me about him is his personality. He’s a great guy; everyone loves him. In the locker room, he’s a true leader. He’s a guy who wants to do everything to get success in hockey. His daily routine is like this: He comes to the rink and has a two-hour warmup, practices, then stays on the rink, maybe sleeps a bit, and then an hour in the gym. If they give it to him, he’ll spend additional time on the ice or he will go off ice and go to the shooting room. He’s very dedicated.

I’ve watched a lot of Demidov, and I watched the World Juniors to watch Celebrini. And I thought, who’s better, Celebrini or Demidov? I think Demidov is better just in terms of his creativity, in terms of his skating, in terms of how he thinks the game. He’s a great skater. He’ll have one-minute shifts and never stop, always moving. His legs are always moving and he has great separation speed. He’s a team player first of all. His passes are just marvelous. He can give you a saucer between three sticks. His shot needs improvement, but he’s working on it.

How fearful should an NHL team be that Demidov will extend his contract with SKA to remain in the KHL beyond next season?

He will definitely go overseas after next year. He’s told me that a number of times. He doesn’t want to prolong his contract. But that is a bit of a problem because he should have been playing in the KHL already. His skills should allow him to do that. He’s better than some of the players SKA had in the playoffs. But since he hasn’t extended his contract, they just don’t want to give him chances in the KHL. So maybe he won’t get any chances in the KHL this season, and that’s a problem for him.

 

[scorehawks]

I really don’t think size is the thing that gets you through the playoffs. It’s mentality. Do you have the mentality that you’re going to do what it takes to win? Marchand, Kane, Marchy, these guys were all great playoff guys and they’re not big.

But the rest of the team was/is. The pounding in playoffs is what takes a toll. Bedard is getting taste of playoff hockey right now at WHC. Has not been factor last few games in particular today against tough team like Finland.

 

[belfour30]

Fiddy will like this

 

[Kevin Musto]

Fiddy will like this

If he's healthy, he's absolutely a top contender for the pick at #2.

 

[Mjul Qvist]

If he's healthy, he's absolutely a top contender for the pick at #2.

That´s what I think too and from need perspective really understandably so.