The Chicago Blackhawks are last in the league in points (26) and points percentage (.371) through 35 games this season. There was expected to be improvement and in certain areas there have been, but it took until a coaching change for the team to see some progress.
It will probably be too tough for the Blackhawks to make up so much ground in the standings and make the playoffs this season, so a high draft pick is very likely. It is another good year to have a choice at a top player in the draft to help the team.
The draft lottery makes things interesting in the draft. Just because Chicago could finish last, doesn’t mean they have a great chance of getting the first overall pick anymore. Finishing last in the standings means the Blackhawks could draft anywhere between first and fourth. While their choice at first pick in the draft would be ideal for the season they’re having, anywhere in the top four looks to get them a game-changer.
There are four players that are standing out as the likely top four picks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The first, who has already stood out after the first day of World Juniors, is James Hagens. He’s playing on Team U.S.A.’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 looks to be an elite talent that would be deserving of the first overall pick.
Along with Hagens, there is also Matthew Schaefer, Porter Martone, and Michael Misa.
Schaefer is 10 months younger than Hagens and is a defenseman, but he made Team Canada for the World Juniors and recorded an assist in his first game of the tournament. He is believed by some to be the best defenseman on Team Canada. 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 available player and deal with the abundance of talent later.
Related: Blackhawks Management Must Like What They Saw On World Juniors Day One
Martone also made Team Canada at the World Juniors, but is a winger. He didn’t get a point in the team’s first game, but he 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 stated above, the Blackhawks could slip to that spot in the draft. The Blackhawks would still get a very good player.
Misa didn’t make Canada’s team even though he has 30 goals and 61 points in 30 games in the OHL. There were some interesting decisions for the roster, but that’s just how good the group to pick from was. It wouldn’t be going off the board if he were to be selected first overall in the 2025 draft with the skill he has.
To project the top of the 2025 draft right now with the World Juniors only having just started and half a season to go would be difficult. There is a lot of hockey to play, but given the Blackhawks spot in the standings, there is a great chance another star is going to be joining the organization.
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