Blackhawks: Recapping the team’s 2021 NHL Draft Class

The Chicago Blackhawks had a pretty busy NHL draft adding some nice depth to the organization while also making a few splashes in trades.

Going into draft weekend, the Blackhawks were supposed to pick 12th overall, but then that all changed when they traded for Seth Jones. All of a sudden a draft focused on adding some top-level prospect turned into a draft trying to find some nice hidden gems. I think the team did a pretty good job.

Here is the Blackhawks 2021 NHL Draft Class:

Round One Pick 32 – Nolan Allen

Round Two Pick 62 – Colton Dach

Round Three Pick 91 – Taige Harding

Round Four Pick 105 – Ethan Del Mastro

Round Four Pick 108 – Victor Stjernborg

Round Six Pick 172 – Ilya Safonov

Round Seven Pick 204 –  Connor Kelley

Round Seven Pick 216 – Jalen Luypen

A big focus of this draft seemed to be size and physicality. Allen might have been drafted a little too early, but after losing that second-round pick they sent to Columbus for Seth Jones. I think they wanted to make sure they got their player.

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Drafting Colton Dach is a dream come true. He probably won’t be in the NHL for a few seasons but the idea of letting the Dach brothers run free would be awesome. This draft saw Chicago take on a lot of defensemen again.

The Blackhawks’ decision to give up their first-round pick this season for Seth Jones might have been a high price to pay for someone that would have been a free agent next summer, but I think it was the right call nonetheless. The team now has their elite defenseman for the future and now they can move forward trying to build a blue line around him.

None of these draft picks will be in the NHL next season. They will need some time to develop and then fans will have to wait and see who pans out and makes it to the NHL. There is definitely a lot of talent in this class and fans should be excited to see where they go from here. Welcome to Chicago the draft class of 2021!