Blackhawks promote Doneghey to Vice President of Amateur Scouting and Player Personnel

The Chicago Blackhawks made another off-season move, but this transaction was not roster-related. Mike Doneghey was promoted to Vice President of Amateur Scouting and Player Personnel. He previously held the role of Director of Amateur Scouting for four years with Chicago. His role has expanded, but his knowledge and experience will be useful in this transition.

How will his role increase?

Doneghey's experience will help him in his expanded roles, given his wealth of knowledge. Before his four-year tenure as Director of Amateur Scouting, he held a front-office position with the Blackhawks and has done so since 2009.

With promotions come greater responsibility. Part of his new role will be to tighten the gap between drafting and development. With his experience, his voice will be heard when it comes to dealing with the roster pipeline and amateur levels. When it comes to amateur scouting management, he will have ultimate authority over the amateur scouting department. He will continue to direct regional staff and establish draft strategies with Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson.

Doneghey's executive title gives him additional duties in judging pro talent. This helps develop the team's direction when it comes to trades and free agency, not to mention waivers outside of the entry draft. He will continue to have final say in the Blackhawks' draft board and selections on draft day.

Doneghey's reputation at the draft

Doneghey himself was an NHL draft pick back in 1989 by these same Blackhawks in the 12th round (237th overall). While he did not make an impact, this did prepare him for what was to come some 40 years later.

The NHL draft is where he makes his money. Chicago has become a place where the franchise does things the right way. They draft well and develop their players properly. They do not trade their picks often, as they want to build something from within and grow some familiarity. Doneghey has done some wonderful things during draft weekend, and he has drafted some of the best young players on the current roster even when the team did not have many picks. He does well with what he has.

Let us take a look at the last four drafts and what he has done. In 2022, he drafted defenseman Kevin Korchinski with the seventh overall pick, still with promise. With the 13th pick, he chose Frank Nazar, one of the best young forwards on the team. In 2023, he drafted Connor Bedard with the first overall pick, and he is the centerpiece of the franchise. He also drafted Oliver Moore with the 19th pick. Moore is still learning the pro game but has loads of talent. He drafted Nick Lardis with the 67th pick in the same draft, and he could be a dark horse among the Blackhawks' picks in this draft. In 2024, he chose Artyom Levshunov with the second overall pick, and he looks like something special that could be a big player in the future success of the organization. Next is defenseman Ryan Roobroeck with the 35th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. This kid is going to be a special player and is already looking like a steal.

Doneghey has his plate full with the new responsibilities, but exciting times are ahead with him in charge of player movement. The moves he has made so far, especially at the draft, have slowly put Chicago ahead of their rebuild in terms of getting important pieces sooner rather than later. How fast he turns this ship around is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that he takes his time and does things his way. We can already see what he is capable of. More responsibility means he has more hands in more transactions. More transactions mean a better, playoff-caliber team. This is a solid move by the Blackhawks' organization, and it signals that the future is bright with Doneghey in charge.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow