Blackhawks
The Hawks’ chairman reaffirmed his confidence in general manager Kyle Davidson’s slow-and-steady approach at the NHL Draft on Saturday. He also emphasized he’s “prepared to spend to the limit to be able to win the Stanley Cup” down the road.
The Hawks completed their 2024 draft class on Saturday by picking four forwards (John Mustard, AJ Spellacy, Jack Pridham and Joel Svensson) and one defenseman (Ty Henry). Here are scouting reports on all five of them.
Blackhawks add to draft haul by taking forwards Sacha Boisvert, Marek Vanacker with 18th, 27th picks
After selecting Boisvert, a 6-2 center from Quebec, the Hawks aggressively acquired yet another first-round selection in a trade with the Hurricanes. That allowed them to take Vanacker, a 6-0 winger from Ontario.
The 18-year-old defenseman from Belarus, coming off an impressive freshman year at Michigan State, adds potentially the final piece to the Hawks’ future defensive core.
General manager Kyle Davidson said Thursday he feels “confident with where we’re going to go.” He didn’t name names, but defenseman Artyom Levshunov has emerged as the favorite over Ivan Demidov.
After leading all rookies with 61 points this past season — and doing it in just 68 games — Bedard on Thursday received the trophy he always seemed destined to receive.
In exchange for overpaid forward Ilya Mihkeyev and his contract, the Hawks also acquired the rights to pending free-agent forward Sam Lafferty — a familiar face — and flipped a 2027 fourth-round draft pick for a 2027 second-round pick.
No. 2 pick possibility Ivan Demidov could be a dynamic linemate for Bedard. More immediately, a free-agent option like Teuvo Teravainen could fit well alongside Bedard as the Hawks seek to add talent to their top-six forward group.
Roenick, a dominant forward for the Hawks from 1988 to ’96, is one of seven inductees in the Hall of Fame’s 2024 class.
The Hawks, who have worn an advertisement for Belle Tire on their helmets since 2021, have added a jersey patch for the first time since the NHL began allowing them in 2022.
The Hawks own eight picks entering the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday and Saturday, including second and 18th overall. Then they’ll turn their attention toward free agency, which starts two days later.
In this week’s “Polling Place,” voters also were asked about the Bulls’ and Blackhawks’ upcoming drafts.
Guttman, a 25-year-old forward who has bounced between the AHL and NHL the last two seasons, will carry a $775,000 salary-cap hit.
After the Sharks take Macklin Celebrini at No. 1 overall, the order gets a lot murkier. Here’s a rough guess for how all 32 first-round picks will play out, including the Hawks’ No. 2 and No. 18 selections.
New voice Rick Ball isn’t replacing Pat Foley. He’s replacing the guy whom fans didn’t widely accept. Ball gives the Hawks a do-over — though they should’ve had nothing to redo with Foley and Eddie Olczyk in the booth.
The feisty forward played junior hockey alongside Bedard in 2021-22 and 2022-23. As a projected second- or third-round pick, he could be in play for any of the Blackhawks’ four picks in those rounds.
Levshunov, one of two candidates for the Hawks’ No. 2 overall pick, brought his refreshing sense of humor to the scouting combine. It’s hard to believe he arrived from Belarus less than two years ago, speaking barely any English.
The Hawks held interviews with most 2024 NHL Draft prospects at the scouting combine this week. The volume of their preexisting prospect pool makes general manager Kyle Davidson feel free to potentially take more risks with the Hawks’ later picks.
Word circulated earlier this week that the Hawks were speaking with announcers’ agents. When the Sun-Times reached out to the Hawks, the team didn’t respond until shortly before their announcement.
Where we’ll find the network is still in the works. CHSN plans to announce distribution agreements and other news through the summer. But who has the patience to wait that long? Let’s examine three ways things could go this fall.
Replacing NBC Sports Chicago, CHSN said it will launch with agreements with cable, streaming and over-the-air providers, though it didn’t name any in its announcement.