While the Chicago Blackhawks have been stockpiling draft picks like toilet paper in a pandemic, general manager Kyle Davidson doesn’t sound averse to dealing this year’s No. 20 selection that he acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“It would be a disservice to close yourself off and just be like, ‘We’re just going to make this pick,’ or, ‘Just going to try and move up,’” he said. “Whether it’s move back, move up, stick, see what that pick’s value is on the market, (trade for) an established NHLer — whatever the case may be — that’s all up for evaluation.”
2024 NHL draft: Options for the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 2, No. 20 and for their 3 2nd-round picks
We previously looked at five potential options for the Hawks with the No. 2 pick. According to several pundits’ mock drafts, here are three players who might be available at No. 20.
1. Michael Hage
The Hawks have an enticing option in their backyard, but they might miss out on the Chicago Steel forward thanks to the Lightning finishing 20th in the draft order instead of 19th.
Hage had 33 goals and 42 assists in 54 games in a rebuilding year for the Steel.
“He literally placed that team on his back in the second half to help carry them over the finish line to get into the playoffs,” said Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, adding that Hage makes teammates better.
“His compete is great. Now, it’s a little too aggressive,” Marr said with a laugh. “He was suspended a number of times in the second half (three, according to USHL.com) because he likes to win every situation. He doesn’t let anybody get the better of him.
“This is the type of sandpaper that you need in your lineup, especially when you’re watching playoff hockey. These are the guys that can gut it out and grit it out. And he’s right up that alley.”
2. Bennett Sennecke
Marr said the right wing from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals has the three C’s “that analytics don’t analyze for you: character, consistency and compete.”
Central Scouting says Sennecke has puck skills and “weave agility.”
“In the offensive zone, he’s got a real get-up-and-go game,” Marr said. “(He can quickly) read and recognize the opportunity, read the play, get open, get the chances.”
However, Marr said the 6-foot-2, 177-pound Sennecke has a long way to go to get stronger.
3. Sacha Boisvert
A 6-2, 176-pound center for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, Boisvert is committed to play in college for North Dakota, Jonathan Toews’ alma mater. That says a lot about the type of player he is, Marr said.
“Michigan has a reputation of getting a lot of high-end high school players and North Dakota gets the skills guys, but they have a little bit more compete and grit to their game — that’s just who they recruit,” he said. “And they locked eyes on Boisvert.
“This is a player, when push comes to shove, he’s going to make sure he comes out on top. … When he’s on his game, he’s front and center and you notice when he’s on the ice. He’s a very hard player to check (and) very hard player to stop, just because of the compete and drive that he plays with.”
