The Chicago Blackhawks are last in the league in points (26) and points percentage (.371) through 35 games this season. Improvement was expected and in some areas it was, but it wasn’t until a coaching change that the team saw any progress.
It will likely be too difficult for the Blackhawks to make up that much ground in the standings and make the playoffs this season, so a high draft pick is very likely. It’s another good year to have the pick of a top player in the draft to help the team.
The draft lottery makes things interesting in the draft. Just because Chicago could finish dead last doesn’t mean they still have a great chance of getting the first overall pick. By finishing last in the standings, the Blackhawks could finish anywhere between first and fourth. While their first pick in the draft would be ideal for the season they are having, it seems like anywhere in the top four they will get a game-changer.
There are four players who stand out as the likely top four picks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The first, who stood out after the first day of the World Junior Championship, is James Hagens. He plays on Team USA’s top line and recorded two goals and four points in their first win. As an 18-year-old rookie in the NCAA, he has five goals and 20 points in 16 games. He appears to be an elite talent who would earn the first overall pick.
In addition to Hagens, there is also Matthew Schaefer, Porter Martone and Michael Misa.
Schaefer is 10 months younger than Hagens and is a defenseman, but he was on Team Canada for the World Juniors and recorded an assist in his first game of the tournament. Some believe he is Team Canada’s best defenseman. With the talent on the back end in Chicago, they don’t need another very high pick on defense, but it’s never a bad idea to draft the best player available and deal with the abundance of talent later.
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Martone was also on Team Canada at the Junior World Championships, but is a winger. He didn’t record a point in the team’s first game, but has 21 goals and 54 points in 26 games in the OHL so far this season. There’s a better chance he goes 3-4 in the draft, but as mentioned above, the Blackhawks could slip into that spot in the draft. The Blackhawks would still get a very good player.
Misa didn’t make the Canadian team even though he has 30 goals and 61 points in 30 games in the OHL. There were some interesting selection decisions, but that’s how good the group was to choose from. It wouldn’t go off the board if he were selected first overall in the 2025 draft with the skill he has.
It would be difficult to project the top of the draft for 2025 now, with the World Juniors just starting and half a season still to go. There’s a lot of hockey to play, but given the Blackhawks’ position in the standings, there’s a good chance another star will join the organization.
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