Blackhawks: Get To Know Rumored First-Round Pick Dylan Holloway

The Chicago Blackhawks have the 17th pick in the 2020 NHL entry-level draft. Their rumored selection is Dylan Holloway, a forward from Canada.

The Chicago Blackhawks have the 17th pick in the 2020 NHL entry-level draft. Last week, a few mock drafts had them select Noel Gunler, a winger out a Sweeden. This week, mock drafts have the Hawks taking Dylan Holloway with the 17th-pick.

Who is Dylan Holloway? Holloway is an 18-year-old forward, who has played both as a winger and as a center during his true Freshman year of college this past year. He plays for the University of Wisconsin, where he played in 35-games, scoring 17-points (8G, 9A).

At 6-foot, 192-pounds, Holloway has decent size and a solid two-way, power-forward game that will need another year or two at the NCAA level before progressing to the professional level.

Holloway has a heavy shot, that tends to draw defenders his way. It took him a while to make an impact at the NCAA level but before the end of the season, he started to improve and look like the player he was in the AJHL.

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During his final season in the AJHL with the Okotoks Oilers, he scored 40-goals in 53-games, totaling for 88-points on the season. That was his best offensive effort. If Holloway can translate his 2018-19 success to the NCAA in 2020-21, he could turn into a steal for whichever team drafts him.

The Holloway buzz for the late first-round has died down, with not many people talking about him. He could fly under many people’s radars, but is still a risky pick, as he did regress from 2018-19 to 2019-20 when there was a step in the competition.

Should Chicago Draft Him?

Dylan Holloway isn’t a first-round pick, in my opinion. He is all over the place with scouts having him anywhere from the 12th-pick in the draft, to the 29th-pick in the draft. With the struggles he faced in the step-up in competition, it shows me that there’s too much room for error in picking Holloway.

Dylan Holloway is a project. He might be a home run pick for the team that chooses him, but he needs at least 2-years in college before he makes the transition to the professional game. Can he make that jump? Does he have what it takes? That question will have to be answered by whichever team picks him in this year’s draft.