Drafting is tough and only certain teams really excel. Some organizations have tons of opportunities to hit on players, but other organizations have to make due and hit on later picks or eventually it catches up to them.
It’s not very often that a team hits on over 50% of their players drafted in any draft, never mind 75% like the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020. This is the class that deserves more spotlight as there are six of the eight players drafted who are top prospects and/or have already played NHL games.
The Blackhawks had all of their draft picks and an extra third round pick in 2020 and they drafted Lukas Reichel (first round), Drew Commesso (second round), Landon Slaggert (third round), Wyatt Kaiser (third round), Isaak Phillips (fifth round), and Louis Crevier (seventh round). The only two not to hit from Chicago’s eight selections in this draft was Michael Krutil (fourth round) and Chad Yetman (sixth round).
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The six players (two forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie) have combined for 350 games already and all have played in the NHL for the Blackhawks this season.
Reichel leads the group as he has been a staple in the bottom-6 for the Blackhawks all season long. He has more to give than playing in between veterans past their prime like Pat Maroon and Craig Smith. He hasn’t turned into what a first round pick is expected to be, but there is still time.
He has five goals and 16 points in 48 games while averaging slightly more than 12 minutes per game, down from his previous seasons. Reichel has 17 goals and 48 points in 147 career games over four seasons with Chicago.
Commesso isn’t the top goalie prospect in the Blackhawks’ system, but due to injuries, he did have to step into the NHL earlier than expected this season and start one game while appearing in another. His SV% is down 10 points from last season in the AHL and he posted a .846 SV% in his brief stint in the NHL, but he still has lots of time to develop.
After performing well in the AHL this season, Slaggert was recently recalled by the Blackhawks. He did debut last season though and showed signs of being a solid bottom-6 NHLer. That is proving to be the case and after one goal and four points in 16 games last season, he has two goals in six games in 2024-25 while playing two minutes more per game.
Kaiser is in the AHL at the moment, but is highly thought of within the Blackhawks. He has 76 games played in his career which isn’t bad considering he’s a defenseman and a third round pick. He set a career high in games played this season with 35 already and I guarantee he will be back in the NHL this season, potentially around the trade deadline. He’s more defensively responsible and the Blackhawks could use a good mix of young talent with different strengths.
Phillips not only made it to the NHL, he played games in four seasons for the Blackhawks. He was traded this season to the Winnipeg Jets due to lack of space as Chicago is so rich with defensive talent. He can be an NHL player and has two goals and 12 points in 56 career games, but he still may need some more development. Either way, the Blackhawks got a steal in the fifth round as many fewer players don’t make it to the NHL from that spot than do.
Crevier is absolutely a steal as he was drafted 188th overall. This massive defenseman has taken a step forward from last season. It is his second season in the NHL, and even though he hasn’t played every game, he is one game from tying his career high. He has also already set career highs in goals (three) and points (four) in 23 games while posting a much better +/-, playing more minutes, and hitting more. He is more likely to stick in the NHL than Phillips, but it is impressive by Crevier that he has made it to this point from the seventh round and also that the Blackhawks made the right choice late in the draft.
The Blackhawks have had lots of draft picks over the last few years, so the hope is that many of those players also come in and make a difference as well. The drafting has been solid and it’s just a matter of time.
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