Blackhawks Draft Review: Two

"And with that, Rowengartner sends the Cubs to their longest winning streak of the season. Two." (John Candy in Rookie of the Year)

Two? What do you mean you've only opened two? Well I can't figure out just two!?!" (Teacher Guy in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

Yep. Two.

In past seasons, the Chicago Blackhawks made moves aplenty to amass a draft pick stockpile. This season, GM Thomas Gidlow opted to make just three deals that resulted in the selection of two players at the 2020 EHE Entry Draft.

"So let's suppose you opened two hundred. Now, apart from being dreadfully sick, you have two hundred Wonka bars which is..." (again, Teacher Guy in Willy Wonka)

Well, Teacher Guy, there were only 156 players chosen at said Draft, and the Hawks chose their pair both in the fifth round. Though many might say the selections of Lean Bergmann and Damien Giroux were relative 'steals' at that time of the draft, it was a 'quality over quantity' approach for a club that's been doing more of the latter than the former when it comes to young prospects.

Bergmann, who only just turned 22 in early October, figures to play immediately at the AHL level with the Chicago Wolves. A good skater with a chip on his shoulder, Bergmann peak projects as a middle-six winger who can play the body, be responsible in his own end, and contribute with timely offense.

"I was pretty shocked (Bergmann) was still around at 139," quipped Gidlow. "He's not 18, but he's still a young player with upside who can contribute within the next couple years. Excited we were able to land him."

Giroux, however, seems to have been taken right around where he should have at pick #153. Though smaller than Bergmann at a generously-listed 5'10", Giroux plays a heavy game, going to the dirty areas and is able to withstand the pounding that comes with it. The 20-year old netted 44 goals in his final junior campaign in Saginaw of the OHL and will be competing for a spot with the NHL Wild potentially whenever NHL training camps are held.

"We had it down to two at 153, oddly enough," mentioned Gidlow, who also stated he could drop the full Wonka soundtrack on demand if asked (this reporter refrained for obvious reasons). "Ultimately we thought Giroux's NHL opportunities may be more plentiful, and he plays the type of game we'd like to see more of from our group - hard-nosed, gritty, but with ample skill."

When pressed why Chicago was relatively quiet on draft day - especially when compared with his last three draft days - Gidlow alluded to his relative excitement about the current group of Blackhawks.

"I think we've done good work this offseason in retooling and getting this club ready to compete again next season," stated Gidlow. "We didn't want to sacrifice that to bring in some more names on a list someplace. We've got good depth, a good amount of young players, and some exciting prospects."

"Anything more would have been a step back, which we weren't looking to take."

Gidlow was asked about the draft-day rumors regarding a potential move involving defenseman Ryan Ellis. He didn't deny talks were done, but he also hinted at another reason why he chose not to pursue more action at the event.

"We had some fairly deep discussions on some players. I'm not going into the depths here, but we thought we were close on one. Apparently we weren't, and that's fine. GM's were super into these young draft-eligible guys and you can see why in some respects, but we weren't going to sacrifice the next two to four seasons to hope some of them work out."

But the Blackhawks at least walked away from the draft with two new assets. They also acquired defenseman Alec Martinez and 23-year old center Mitchell Stephens. Heading out of Chicago was Corey Crawford and Ryan Reaves.

"Maybe we didn't come out of this with a Henry Rowengartner or a Golden Ticket," quipped Gidlow. "But we're still chasing a pennant and trying to break through that glass ceiling. Maybe we just need that Wonkavator. I'll look into it."

Chip Whitley
Blackhawks Beat Reporter