The Chicago Blackhawks made six picks on the second day of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, further shoring up their prospect pool. Following Friday night’s first round selections of defensemen Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin, the Hawks added three centers, one left wing, one right wing and one goaltender on day two of the draft.
3rd round
69th pick: Jake Wise, C, USNTDP U-18 (USHL)
Some felt Wise had the potential to sneak into the first round. The fact the Blackhawks were able to grab him in the third round is great value.
74th pick: Niklas Nordgren, RW, HIFK Jr. (Finland)
The Hawks clearly like Nordgren, as they traded up to take the talented winger. He dominated this year in the Finnish junior league and played well on the international stage as well.
4th round
120th pick: Philipp Kurashev, C, Quebec (QMJHL)
Kurashev, a Swiss-born player, was a point-per-game player for the Remparts this season. He has excellent skating and good skill. Many view him as a high-risk, high-reward prospect.
5th round
139th pick: Mikael Hakkarainen, C, Muskegon (USHL)
Hakkarainen is a Finnish center who has spent the last couple of seasons playing in the United States in the USHL. He spent part of the 2016–17 season playing for the Chicago Steel.
6th round
162nd pick: Alexis Gravel, G, Halifax (QMJHL)
Gravel entered the season regarded as one of the best goaltender prospects in this year’s draft class. He has a sound technical foundation and could prove to be a valuable pick.
7th round
193rd pick: Josiah Slavin, LW, Lincoln (USHL)
The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes rising star defenseman Jaccob Slavin, Josiah was passed over in last year’s draft. Slavin posted 42 points this season for the Lincoln Stars, a big uptick from his 14 points in 2016–17. Slavin has high character; the Stars recently named Slavin as their captain for next season.
Takeaways
The Blackhawks clearly established a trend with this draft: small, skilled players who can skate. With Slavin being the only skater above six feet tall, the Blackhawks did not appear to care about size. Additionally, the team appeared to have been willing to swing for the fences, as players like Boqvist and Kurashev are noted as being boom-or-bust prospects.
Though not yet formally announced, it is expected all of the Blackhawks’ draftees will be in attendance at the team’s upcoming prospect camp, likely to be held in mid-July.
The Rink’s full draft pick profiles on today’s picks will be available throughout the upcoming week.