Chicago Blackhawks’ Prospect Scouting Report: Adam Boqvist

The Chicago Blackhawks shook up their defensive prospect pool recently by trading Henri Jokiharju to Buffalo. A path to the NHL has opened for Adam Boqvist as soon as this season.

Now that the Blackhawks’ 2017 first round pick, Henri Jokiharju, is out of town, top blue line prospects Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell will compete for a roster spot at this summer’s development camp.

As the roster takes shape this summer, I will be completing scouting reports on Chicago’s prospects.

In case you were curious, here is the full list of prospects in this year’s Chicago Blackhawks’ development camp:

Adam Boqvist

Team: London Knights
League: OHL
Born:  August 8th, 2000
Height:  6’0″
Weight:  181 lbs

Report Card – Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, Poor

Size/Strength            Good
Skating                         Good
Shot/Scoring              Excellent
Puckhandling             Excellent
Physical Play              Good
Offensive Play           Excellent
Defensive Play           Good
Hockey Sense             Excellent
Competitiveness       Good

Strengths:
1.  Puckhandling
2.  Agility
3.  Big Shot

Areas For Improvement:
1.  Strength
2.  North/South speed
3.  Productivity in the defensive end

Skill:
Recognized for his offensive ability and puckhandling.

Scouting Report:
Offensive-minded, right shot defenseman. Creates plays and has a commanding presence on the power play. Very big and accurate shot. Finds space in-between opponents to get the puck to the net.

He is very agile, especially in traffic and near the net. Very adept at creating turnovers with his stick. His defensive abilities shine in the neutral zone. Displays high levels of finesse and skating ability in all parts of the ice.

He has a very high hockey sense and creates space with his whole team when he is on the ice. Led the defensemen in points in the regular season with the London Knights.

NHL Potential:
1st pairing defenseman. Could really excel if paired with another speedy, offensive-minded teammate. His mobility, puck skills, and offensive attack will make him extremely valuable.

Player Comparison: John Klingberg or Erik Karlsson