If the Chicago Blackhawks drafted differently, how would the rebuild look?

In his three drafts since taking over as the Chicago Blackhawks’ GM, Kyle Davidson has made eight first-round selections.

Overall, Hawks fans should be quite happy with those picks – Connor Bedard is already the face of the franchise, Frank Nazar has been dominant at the IIHF World Championships, and Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Oliver Moore all looked solid in their NHL stints this season. 

But what if Davidson hadn’t picked those eight players? 

Here are eight alternative players that the Hawks could have selected from 2022 to 2024 that could have been Chicago’s core prospects. 

2022 Draft 

Davidson selected Kevin Korchinski with the seveth overall pick.

After being forced to play a full NHL season last year because he was too good for junior hockey but not quite good enough for everyday NHL minutes, Korchinski spent most of the past season developing in Rockford. The 20-year-old has a bright future ahead of him, but appears to have been leapfrogged by other defense prospects such as Levshunov, Wyatt Kaiser, and Ethan Del Mastro. 

The Hawks could have selected Pavel Mintyukov, who went to Anaheim three picks later. Mintyukov has been a consistent presence on the Ducks’ blue line the past two seasons, recording 47 points in 131 NHL games to date. If you had to poll Hawks fans now, they would probably prefer Mintyukov over Korchinski. 

With the 13th pick, Davidson selected Frank Nazar.

The 21-year-old Michigan product impressed in his first season, lighting up the AHL before becoming a top-nine fixture for the Hawks. His scorching finish to the season has continued into the World Championships, where he is leading Team USA with six goals and 11 points in just seven games. 

It looks like Davidson knocked it out of the park with the Nazar pick, as the only other promising player in his draft range was Jimmy Snuggerud (23rd overall). After lighting up NCAA hockey for three years at the University of Minnesota, Snuggerud performed well in his short stint with the Blues, contributing two goals and four points in seven playoff games. Though Snuggerud looks poised to be a solid NHL contributor, Nazar was the correct pick. 

With the 25th selection, Davidson nabbed Snuggerud’s Minnesota teammate, Sam Rinzel. The 6-foot-4-inch defender was considered a project at the time of his selection, and the Hawks allowed Rinzel to develop in the USHL and at Minnesota before signing him. Rinzel, 20, turned heads in his nine NHL games this year and could play in the Hawks' top four next year. 

Davidson could have nabbed Isaac Howard, a player linked to Chicago recently, if he hadn’t taken Rinzel. Howard, who was selected 31st by Tampa Bay, is coming off a stellar season with Michigan State in which he won the Hobey Baker. Given the fact he is unlikely to sign with Lightning and is returning to college for one more season, there is a chance that Howard finds himself in a Hawks sweater in the near future.