The Chicago Blackhawks were unable to trade back into the first round of the NHL Entry Draft after sending their first round pick to Arizona in the Antoine Vermette trade, but even without that selection they still added several new pieces to their farm system on Saturday in south Florida.
Here is a breakdown of the players that the Blackhawks brought into the organization:
Pick 54: Graham Knott, LW, Niagara IceDogs
Knott, who scored 25 goals and dished out 18 assists for the IceDogs during the 2014-15 season, is a big-bodied winger that was ranked #57 by NHL Central Scouting heading into the draft. According to the website Elite Prospects, Knott prefers to keep his game near the front of the net, and he has an accurate shot to go along with his physicality.
Pick 91: Dennis Gilbert, D, Chicago Steel
Born in Williamsville, New York, Gilbert is committed to attending the University of Notre Dame this fall, where he will follow in the footsteps of Hawks prospects like Stephen Johns. In 59 games with the Steel last season, Gilbert scored four goals and added 23 assists, racking up 89 penalty minutes in the process. He was ranked #58 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Pick 121: Ryan Shea, D, Boston College
Local
The Massachusetts native is committed to attending Northeastern University, and he had a solid season while playing at Boston College High School in 2014-15. He scored six goals and dished out 29 assists for the team in just 22 games. He was ranked as the #155 skater by NHL Central Scouting this year.
Pick 151: Radovan Bondra, LW, Slovakia
The Blackhawks continued to load up on bulky wingers with their selection of Bondra, who stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 215 pounds. He will have to work on his physical game, according to some scouts, but with his skilled hands and scoring touch, he could be a nice sleeper for the Hawks.
Pick 164: Roy Radke, W, Barrie (OHL)
He played mainly third line minutes for Barrie during the season according to Elite Prospects, but the Geneva, Illinois product has plenty of room to grow and plenty of reason for optimism. In a limited sample size this spring, Radke managed to score four goals in nine playoff games for the Colts. He is a defensively responsible player as well, which is always something the Hawks look for in forwards who would likely inhabit bottom six minutes.
Pick 181: Joni Tuulola, D, Finland
The defenseman had five goals and five assists in 32 games for HPK this season in the Finland-based Liiga.
Pick 211: John Dahlstrom, LW, Sweden
The final pick in the draft, Dahlstrom had a solid season for Frolunda in the Swedish SuperElit league, scoring 20 goals and adding 15 assists in 28 games.
