The Blackhawks missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons and are looking towards the 2018 NHL Draft to right the ship. The Blackhawks are picking inside the top 10 of the NHL Draft for the first time since selecting Patrick Kane first overall in 2007.
The Blackhawks are in a transitional period, with the era of talent that won three Stanley Cups on the back half of the bell curve in their careers. Rocky Wirtz already acknowledged changes could be coming and noted "nothing lasts forever."
Promising young talent from the 2018-19 season, like Alex DeBrincat, are keeping hopes of extending this era of hockey dominance alive. Armed with two first round picks in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks could help solidify the franchise's chances of competing for Stanley Cups for years to come if they land a top talent.
There were rumors that the Blackhawks could explore draft day trades, but general manager Stan Bowman said the team wasn't actively looking to make a trade but wouldn't pass up a great offer or opportunity. The Blackhawks hope to find a future star at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, home of the Stars.
NHL Draft Information
When: June 22-23
Where: American Airlines Center (Dallas)
Network: NBCSN
Live stream: NBCSports
Social media: @NBCSBlackhawks
On-Site Reporters: Pat Boyle (@BoyleNBCS), Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis)
Round 1 Information
NHL
Start Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV Network: NBCSN
Live stream: NBCSports
Round 2-7 Information
Start Time: 10 a.m. CT
TV Network: NHL Network
2018 NHL Draft Order
1. Buffalo Sabres
2. Carolina Hurricanes
3. Montreal Canadiens
4. Ottawa Senators
5. Arizona Coyotes
6. Detroit Red Wings
7. Vancouver Canucks
8. Chicago Blackhawks
9. New York Rangers
10. Edmonton Oilers
11. New York Islanders
12. New York Islanders
13. Dallas Stars
14. Philadelphia Flyers
15. Florida Panthers
16. Colorado Avalanche
17. New Jersey Devils
18. Columbus Blue Jackets
19. Philadelphia Flyers
20. Los Angeles Kings
21. San Jose Sharks
22. Ottawa Senators
23. Anaheim Ducks
24. Minnesota Wild
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
26. New York Rangers
27. Chicago Blackhawks*
28. New York Rangers
29. St. Louis Blues
30. Detroit Red Wings
31. Washington Capitals
*-Acquired from Nashville in Ryan Hartman Trade
Blackhawks' 2018 NHL Draft Picks
The Blackhawks have eight overall picks in the NHL Draft, two in the first round. Chicago's second pick in the first round, at 27th overall, came from the Nashville Predators in the Ryan Hartman trade. The Blackhawks have two third-round picks, one from Nashville and one from the Washington Capitals (from Toronto) in the Michal Kempny trade.
Chicago doesn't have a second round pick because they traded it to the Montreal Canadiens in February 2016 alongside Phillip Danault for Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise. The Blackhawks traded a fourth-round pick to Dallas with Mark McNeill in February 2017 for Johnny Oduya, and added a fourth-round pick from Nashville in the Hartman deal.
The Blackhawks' fifth-round pick comes from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Artemi Panarin trade, that also brought Brandon Saad to Chicago. Panarin has told Columbus he is not ready to consider an extension, putting Panarin back on the trade block.
Rd. 1: No. 8
Rd. 1: No. 27 via Nashville
Rd. 3: No. 69 overall
Rd. 3: No. 87 overall via Washington from Toronto
Rd. 4: No. 120 overall via Nashville
Rd. 5: No. 142 overall via Columbus
Rd. 6: No. 163 overall
Rd. 7: No. 193 overall
NHL Draft Preview
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NHL Draft Profiles
We examined the top 10 projected picks and how they would fit in with the Blackhawks.
- D Rasmus Dahlin
- F Oliver Wahlstrom
- D Quinn Hughes
- F Brady Tkachuk
- D Evan Bouchard
- F Filip Zadina
- D Adam Boqvist
- F Andrei Svechnikov
- D Noah Dobson
- F Jesperi Kotkaniemi