Blackhawks aren't confident this top prospect will be available at 4th overall

The Chicago Blackhawks entered the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery with the second-best odds at winning the No. 1 overall pick. Yet, they watched the Toronto Maple Leafs leap ahead of them to win the lottery, while the San Jose Sharks secured the No. 2 overall pick. That left the Blackhawks falling to fourth-overall in the first round. It's not horrible positioning for them, as it still gives them a chance to get a great prospect, if they decide to stay at that spot.

The overwhelming belief is that the Maple Leafs will use the first-overall pick on Penn State forward Gavin McKenna. As for the Sharks, they could decide to use the second-overall selection on a defenseman. That could very well allow one of the top prospects to fall to the Blackhawks. But there is one the Blackhawks aren't expecting to be available once they are on the clock.

The Athletic's Scott Powers and Chris Johnston revealed in a recent article that the Blackhawks are not expecting Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg to be on the board when they are on the clock with the No. 4 pick.

Blackhawks aren't expecting Ivar Stenberg to be available with No. 4 pick in NHL Draft

"The Blackhawks aren’t as confident as a lot of draft experts that Ivar Stenberg will still be available at No. 4. They’re obviously preparing for every scenario, but they don’t expect him to be there," write Powers and Johnston.

As mentioned earlier, the belief was that McKenna would go No. 1 to Toronto. San Jose has been commonly linked to defenseman Chase Reid with the No. 2 pick. then there's the Vancouver Canucks with the third-overall pick, who are linked to center prospect Caleb Malhotra, the son of their AHL coach and former player Manny Malhotra. That has caused may scenarios in the NHL media world where Stenberg falls to them with the fourth overall pick. However, based on the reporting from The Athletic, the Blackhawks expect Stenberg to go off the board to either the Sharks, Canucks, or even more shockingly the Maple Leafs.

Stenberg had long been considered a top two prospect in this year's class, even trading places with McKenna as the first overall pick. Make no mistake about it, Stenberg is a legitimate playmaking winger that can score goals with ease. With Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Stenberg recorded 11 goals and 22 assists in 43 games. In the IIHF World Championships, Stenberg recorded four goals and six assists.

In case you were curious about what kind of scoring talent Stenberg possesses, take a look at his goal for Sweden against Slovakia.

The Blackhawks do have a strong young core of forwards in Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Anton Frondell, and Oliver Moore. While it would make sense if the Blackhawks were to draft one of the top four defensive prospects, it wouldn't hurt if they were to draft a forward with the No. 4 pick. Given where they stand amongst their Western Conference counterparts, it would make sense if they were to create a surplus of legitimate young forwards.

Stenberg would be a key piece to Chicago's future alongside Bedard. But as of now, the Blackhawks aren't expecting him to be available to draft once they are on the clock in the first-round on June 26.

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