8 Blackhawks' 1st-round draft targets to follow at the NHL Scouting Combine

The NHL Scouting Combine is underway, and hopefully, the Chicago Blackhawks use these next few days to zero in on players they can take with the third and 25th overall pick in the first round.

They will have a lot of players to meet with. 90 players have been invited to the combine for interviews and skills testing.

The most important part of the combine will be the player interviews going on that will help general manager Kyle Davidson understand what makes these draft prospects tick.

The Blackhawks face probably the toughest decision in the draft when it comes to who they will take at No. 3 overall. It is looking more and more likely that defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forward Michael Misa will go one and two. The Hawks then have to make a tough decision from among the rest of the prospect pool on who to take with the No. 3 pick.

Although do not lose hope that Misa could fall to three.

Some of the skills tests could also make or break some of these prospects potentially being taken by the Blackhawks. For the most part, hopefully, the Blackhawks are sticking to what the scouts have been seeing during the season and what the film shows.

There are eight prospects to keep track of when it comes to news and notes, along with how the skill measurements work out.

Why eight? Well, this list has been made up of players mock drafts have tied the Blackhawks with...

Caleb Desnoyers

This is the prospect that the Athletic's Scott Wheeler has the Blackhawks taking (subscription required to access content linked) in his recent mock draft. Wheeler ranks Desnoyers as the fifth-best prospect in the draft.

The Moncton winger out of the QMJHL makes sense for the Hawks, given they could use a bigger forward in their prospect pool.

Malcom Spence

This is the other forward Wheeler has the Hawks taking in his mock draft with the 25th pick. The winger who skated for Erie is another bigger player who would make sense for the Blackhawks to select.

Spencer is Wheeler's 22nd-ranked prospect (a subscription is required to access content linked).

Anton Frondell

The Swiss prospect was who Wheeler had the Hawks taking in his May mock draft (a subscription is required to access content linked). Frondell is another bigger-sized forward that could fit into the team's future roster construction.

Wheeler ranks him as the sixth-best overall prospect.

Shane Vansaghi

He was the other forward Wheeler had the Hawks drafting in his May mock. The Michigan State center is another bigger player that could intrigue the Hawks to take.

However, Wheeler tied the Hawks to him when they were projected to have the 29th pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs' Eastern Conference semifinal elimination helped the pick improve by four spots.

Porter Martone

This is the player Tankathon mocks the Blackhawks taking. The skills portion could actually help him as his skating has always been rated below average.

Skating is a major trait the Hawks value in their prospects. The Brampton right winger has good size that the Hawks need. If he can show his skating is much better than scouts think, he could be in play at No. 3 overall.

Cole Reschny

This is the other player that Tankathon has the Hawks taking. The forward who played for Victoria in the WHL is on the small side.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, but the Blackhawks have a lot of smaller prospects. That is why it could make sense for Davidson to stick with that trend. It could also mean there is no shot of him getting drafted by the Hawks since they need more size.

Jake O'Brien

NHL.com's Adam Kimelman has the Hawks going with the bigger forward who played for Brantford in the juniors. It could be a huge reach considering he is the 10th-ranked prospect according to Wheeler.

James Hagens

NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale has the Hawks taking the Boston College forward. He was once considered the top prospect in the draft.

He is also extremely skilled. However, he is also on the shorter side and that is why some think the Hawks could pass on him.