2022 Draft: A New Era

Going into the draft, the Blackhawks only had four picks. A primary need for the organization was to pick up one or two more picks as the prospects cupboards were fairly bare. Upon taking over the GM duties in Chicago mid-way through last season, there was a grand total of zero defence prospects and zero goalie prospects. Things had to change.

After the 2022 EHE draft concluded, the Blackhawks had moved down a total of 18 spots in two trades to pick-up two additional draft picks. The Blackhawks own second round pick was 38th overall and they had all their fingers and toes crossed to have Jagger Firkus be available when that pick came. When the diminutive firecracker was ultimately selected 32nd by Ottawa, Chicago was open to moving the pick and did so by moving down to 52nd and in doing so grabbed the 102nd pick from the Senators.

The second trade saw the Blackhawks actively work the phones when they realized two of their targets would be available in the 5th round and traded down from 126th to grab the 134th and 157th from Montreal.

Overall, the draft went as well as GM Doogan-Smith could've hoped for. Below is a breakdown of the six selections and newest members to the Blackhawks organization:

1. Owen Pickering -> 19th overall
Team: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 181lbs

The first selection of the new GMs tenure was a continual riser in many draft rankings this year. The raw tools are undeniable with fantastic skating for a 6'4" 18 year old as well as an above average hockey IQ. The Blackhawks believe that if he can continue to harness his toolkit over the next couple of years he can become a very dependable top four defender for a long time to come.

Other player targeted at this spot: Liam Öhgren

2. Jani Nyman -> 52th overall
Team: KOOVEE (Mestis)
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 216lbs

After trading down from 38th, the Blackhawks had a few options and were thrilled when Jani Nyman was still on the board. The man-child had a sensational season in Mestis as he seemed to hit the ground running as he adapted to the professional ranks. His combination of size and natural instincts when the puck is on his stick makes for a tantilizing combination. If he can put it all together and bring consistency to his game as he matures, Nyman will be a household name in the Windy City in a few years. 

Other player targeted at this spot: Adam Sýkora

3. Mats Lindgren -> 82nd overall
Team: Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 176lbs

Mobility is one things that the Blackhawks scouting staff really emphasized this past season when looking at potential defenders to draft. So it's no surprise that a player like Lindgren was top of mind during scouting meetings this year. GM Doogan-Smith was shocked to see how far Lindgren fell in the NHL draft so was confident they could nab him with the third round pick they owned in this year's draft. Lindgren skates like the wind and has some of the best edgework in the whole draft class. Add in a late birthday (he misses the 2023 draft cutoff by only 20 days) and there is a lot of room for Lindgren to not only pack additional muscle to his under-developed frame, but also continue to work on consistencies in his game.

Other player targeted at this spot: No one. The Blackhawks were deadset on drafting Lindgren at this spot.

4. Ludwig Persson -> 102nd overall
Team: Frölunda HC (J20 Nationell)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 179lbs

Persson is considered the boom-or-bust pick of the Blackhawks draft for 2022. Persson has projectable NHL offensive qualities which could've pushed him into the conversation of being a first round pick if it wasn't for his struggles on the defensive side of the puck. Persson lit up Sweden's top junior league scoring at a 1.5ppg clip which earned him a call up to the SHL. Persson is made of fast-twitch muscles and his best attribute is his ability to change gears and burn defenders with skating. The Blackhawks felt comfortable rolling the dice on Persson in the hopes that has he matures he can hone in his defensive game to become a credible middle-six player in the NHL in 3-4 years.

Other player targeted at this spot: Jordan Dumais

5. Ilya Usau -> 132nd overall
Team: Minsk Dynamo (KHL)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 182lbs

After signing an ELC with the Lightning in the NHL, Usau was put on the radar of GM Doogan-Smith. As a 20 year old in the KHL, Usau was able to show impressed development as he went from scoring 6pts in 56 games in 2020-21 to 26pts in only 40 games in 2021-22. With Usau spending some time in the AHL next re-aquainting himself with North American hockey (he played for the Prince Albert Raiders in 2019-2020) and will hopefully have a couple of call ups in the next year or two as the Tampa organization continue his positive developmental trend.

Other player targeted at this spot: No one. Usau was the Blackhawks primary target at this spot.

6. Aku Koskenvuo -> 157th overall
Team: HIFK (U20 SM-sarja)
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 181lbs

"Goalies are voodoo." Name a more iconic duo than Nashville's GM and this quote. Without a goalie in the Blackhawks pipeline it was imperative that a goalie was selected with the Blackhawks final pick of the 2022 draft. Leading into the 2021 NHL draft, Koskenvuo was the fourth ranked goalie prospect, but recency bias had teams sour on him and ultimately the Finn was selected as the 11th goalie after a subpar U18 tournament. Koskenvuo has a projectable NHL frame for today's goalies and after committing to Harvard for the next season, Koskenvuo can now work on adjusting to North American ice and lifestyle over the next few years. He can also work with the goalie whisperer Ian Clark to further refine his game in the hopes he becomes an everyday NHL goalie 3-5 years down the road.

Other player targeted at this spot: Jonathan Myrenberg

On the draft GM Doogan-Smith had this to say:

Coming into our first draft in EHE, it was a little nervewracking to be honest. I've come to learn there are a lot of incredibly smart GMs here who do ample amounts of homework and I wanted to put my best foot forward. The live draft was fantastic and a great way to rip through the first few rounds. 

I am very happy with how the draft went. This felt like the first time I was truly laying the groundwork of the next era in Chicago.

Now onto the next challenge of free agency... 

Shaun Stephens

Well thought out draft, the cupboards were bare and you are on your way to fixing that. Well done!

2022 Draft: A New Era
A new era in the Windy City

• 1 teams Like this  2 years

Stephen Gough

Well written, great job at the draft

2022 Draft: A New Era
A new era in the Windy City

• 1 teams Like this  2 years

Kyle Phillips

Good picks...even better graphics!

2022 Draft: A New Era
A new era in the Windy City

• 1 teams Like this  2 years