2025 NHL Draft: The one prospect Chicago Blackhawks fans need to watch

The Chicago Blackhawks have the enviable position of drafting third overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. That position puts them in line to potentially take a transformational talent to support current superstar-to-be, Connor Bedard.

As it stands, the top three-ranked prospects are Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, and James Hagens.

The prevailing opinion is that the New York Islanders will take Schaefer with the first-overall pick and the San Jose Sharks will choose between Misa or Hagens with the second-overall selection.

Having Misa or Hagens land on their lap at No. 3 sounds like a pretty good deal. But there’s a possible scenario in which the Islanders and Sharks grab Misa or Hagens 1-2. That situation would leave Schaefer at No. 3 for the Blackhawks to choose.

Now, my colleagues and I here at Blackhawk Up have covered this scenario in previous posts

It’s a highly plausible one and it could keep the Blackhawks’ scouting staff up at night. If this scenario materializes, the Blackhawks may choose to pass on Schaefer and surprise fans with a different selection.

Before I expand on what that selection could be, last draft, we saw the Anaheim Ducks take Beckett Sennecke precisely with the third-overall pick. Sennecke was projected to be a mid-tier first-rounder, but the Ducks decided to pull the trigger on the selection.

That situation is something the Blackhawks might reprise in this year’s draft.

The Blackhawks have a clear need for another high-end center who could support Bedard as a 1A-1B center similar to what the Edmonton Oilers have in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, or a solid second-line center who can produce behind Bedard.

While taking a high-end blueliner like Matthew Schaefer would be a case of taking the best available player, I would say that the Blackhawks have an opportunity to take the best available player based on positional needs.

Best available player for Chicago Blackhawks to fill positional needs

Assuming the Blackhawks feel that a center, or perhaps a high-end scoring winger, is the biggest positional need for the team, and Misa and Hagens are off the board by the time the Blackhawks select, one name that stands out is Caleb Desnoyers.

Desnoyers had a great season in the QMJHL this year, putting up 35 goals and 84 points in 56, according to Elite Prospects. He also added five points in five games at the World Junior Championships this year for Canada.

Elite Prospects describes Desnoyers as, "Constantly involving teammates in his play, Desnoyers bases his transition game on short passes, give-and-gos, and delay plays. He connects with teammates in all directions, displaying advanced precision and awareness at 5-on-5, as well as a high level of deception on the power play, attacking downhill, challenging defenders, and threading passes across and to the far post."

That sounds like a solid, offensive player who could grow into a reliable 2C behind Bedard. At the moment, the Blackhawks don’t have a formidable second line that could be deployed following Bedard’s line.

NHL.com currently ranks Desnoyers as the seventh-best North American skater and the fourth-best center.

While Desnoyers wouldn’t be quite the reach that Sennecke was last draft, taking Desnoyers ahead of Anton Frondell, the top-ranked European prospect or Porter Malone could raise some eyebrows.

But parting from a positional need, Desnoyers could be a solid fit to play behind Connor Bedard for the foreseeable future.