Reichel is a 6 feet and 172 pounds and plays with Eisbären Berlin of the German DEL last season, scoring 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 42 games. If the name sounds familiar, that is because his uncle is former Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs center Robert Reichel. His father is former DEL star center Martin Reichel.

These are a few scouting reports on the young Blackhawks first rounder:

“Reichel is a pro-ready player and the maturity in his game shows. A very good skater, he is a treat to watch gliding all over the ice with a fast top speed as well as very solid mobility. Smooth overall skater who relies on his solid skating techniques with very fluid strides. Possesses silk-smooth hands and can handle the puck very nicely, constantly putting the effort in to get to the tough parts of the ice and battle for puck possession. He displays great hockey sense and he always seems to be in the right place, getting to where he needs to be just slightly ahead of the play. He is strong along the boards, often coming out with the puck because of his excellent puck skills and tenacity. Didn’t find himself overwhelmed in this regard when faced with older, stronger, competition. He can use his quickness in small spaces to evade opposing players and find open space for himself. He has a good shot, and it is more effective because of the shot locations that he finds. If he isn’t getting himself to the front of the net, he is camping out on the backside of the play, waiting for a pass to one-time into the back of the net. In the defensive zone, he plays a solid positional game and clogs passing lanes, not afraid to get in front of a shot. His excellent board play aids him in puck battles but he needs to try to stay on the inside of the puck in defensive zone so he doesn’t get turned around as frequently. Overall, a smart playmaker with high compete level.”

— FC Hockey

Reichel also excels down low and when working the half wall as his agility is excellent, which makes him tough to pin. His board work has been outstanding, and he shows no worries in using his body to protect the puck, holding his own against extreme physical pressure from men despite his relatively light weight. The question is, does Reichel possess the upside to be more than a complementary middle six forward? His skill level is good but not elite. The same could be said for his speed and functional success in transition. It is for this reason that we have Reichel ranked below Stűtzle and Peterka because their respective upsides are higher.”

— Brock Otten (McKeens)

The Blackhawks will have six more picks tomorrow, with rounds two through seven beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT (NHLN, SN).

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks take Lukas Reichel at number 17 in the NHL Draft appeared first on The Rink.

You read that right, the Blackhawks could still potentially have a shot at drafting the consensus first overall player in the draft pool, Alexis Lafrenière.

The draw for the first overall selection will be held during Phase 2 of the #NHLDraft Lottery among only the eight teams that fail to advance from the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. All participants will have the same odds (12.5%).

MORE: https://t.co/GDxzfsHGvz pic.twitter.com/svmEVD4NgD

— NHL (@NHL) June 27, 2020

There is a caveat to Chicago’s chances, though. They would first need to lose to the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s Return to Play plan. They would then need to win a second NHL Draft Lottery, at an undetermined date, that includes the eight losing teams in the play-in round. This means that they would have a 12.5% chance of getting the first overall pick. If the NHL cannot resume and finish their Return to Play plan, teams 17 thru 24 in final points percentage will have a 12.5% chance at getting the top pick.

If, for whatever reason, the play-in cannot be completed….the remaining bottom 8 teams will have a one-in-eight shot at the top selection

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 27, 2020

As far as Friday’s results go, it probably wasn’t the outcome that the NHL had hoped for. The Detroit Red Wings held the top position with an 18.5% chance of winning the lottery but, instead, fell behind the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators (pick acquired from the San Jose Sharks) and the yet to be determined play-in team. The Kings were the second biggest winner of the night, moving up two spots from number four. Ottawa came into the lottery with the second and third highest spots but slid back to third and fifth. Not quite a banner day for the NHL’s most deserving teams.

The results just further question whether the Blackhawks are better off losing in the play-in round or beating the Edmonton Oilers and qualifying for the final 16-team playoff. On one hand, they could get a reprieve from another awful season (that they in no way deserve), but they would miss a chance at a future dynamic player that could team with last year’s third overall pick, Kirby Dach, and usher in the next generation of Blackhawks top tier players. There is no question that they lack difference making young forwards in their system. As with any player drafted, there is no guarantee that Alexis Lafrenière will be an NHL star but according to draft experts, he is the top talent in the entire draft class.

Dach and Lafrenière could speed up the rebuild and potentially wind up being the next Kane and Toews with players like Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, and Calder Trophy candidate Dominik Kubalik looking like they could be solid secondary scoring options at forward. Evan Barratt, Phillip Kurashev, Michal Teply, MacKenzie Entwistle, and Brandon Hagel have outside chances to contribute at the NHL level in the coming seasons, also.

The defensive pipeline is splitting at the seams with players like Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin, and Ian Mitchell close to competing for NHL jobs and players like Alec Regula, Stanislav Demin, and Alex Vlasic as potential candidates down the road. Dennis Gilbert and Lucas Carlsson have shown some potential in limited NHL time, but it’s yet to be determined if they fit in Chicago’s long term plans.

The biggest hole in the organization is in goal and will need to be addressed soon, also. Outside of Collin Delia, the Blackhawks have no goalies that have any NHL experience whatsoever and recently let former 2018 6th round pick Alexis Gravel become a free agent. It is expected that they will extend Corey Crawford when the season finally concludes but, at 35 years of age, he cannot be part of their long term solution so some decisions will need to be made by General Manager Stan Bowman.

The post Blackhawks still hold outside chance at first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft appeared first on The Rink.