Drafting Connor Bedard wasn't the only success in 2023 for Blackhawks

Entering the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks secured the first-overall pick, earning the right to draft phenom Connor Bedard. This alone was a huge win for the franchise and the fans; however, Kyle Davidson and staff managed to pull off the best draft performance I have witnessed in my lifetime, so at least in the 2000's.

Gems... That's it.

Lets look over the Chicago Blackhawks' performance:

First Round, 1st overall: Bedard

First Round , 19th overall: Oliver Moore

Round 2, 35th overall: Adam Gajan

Round 2, 44th overall: Roman Kansterov

Round 3, 67th overall: Nick Lardis

Five gems in one draft, that's hard to do, even with the plethora of picks the Blackhawks possessed that year. I remember watching Davidson's excitement as the Winnipeg Jets drafted Colby Barlow instead of Moore, despite having made many trade offers to move up. Bedard speaks for himself, given his hype since he was young and his status as the bona fide first-overall pick for years prior.

Moore has proven that he would have been worth the trade package at this point based on his performance and improvement so far. Drafted at 19th overall, I would have been happy to see him blossom into a two-way, top-nine forward who can offer depth offense. With his speed, he would be a headache to deal with on the penalty kill and force the opposition's top lines to be uncomfortable on the rush. The only real knock on him was that his speed made him reckless, as if he couldn't control it well, but he focused on this strength and his skating rivals that of Connor McDavid when he was Moore's age. He cemented himself as a top-six caliber forward, though he may drop to the third line due to Frank Nazar being the second-line center and Roman Kansterov exceeding expectations.

Gajan is having himself a year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a 1.98 goals-against average (GAA) and .917 save percentage (SV%), two shutouts, and a 15-6-0 record. He was recently selected by Team Slovakia for their Olympic roster, further emphasizing the improvement and growth he has displayed since his miraculous World Juniors run. I thought Gajan would have been drafted in the late-teens, early 20's in the first round thanks to his World Juniors performance alone. Thankfully, he wasn't, and the Blackhawks now have an embarrassment of riches in the goaltending position.

Round two, 44th overall, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Kansterov out of the MHL, a secondary league of the KHL. He had 54 points in 45 games, which was great production in the secondary leagues. He took a little time to adjust to the KHL, but when he did, he exploded for 49 points in 41 games. His improvement is obvious, and clearly, the Blackhawks didn't know they'd just drafted Bedard's future linemate at the time. Well, Kansterov is one of the best forwards in the KHL now, cementing himself as one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Last is Lardis, a third-round selection that has blossomed into a top-six sniper. In the 2023 season, Lardis didn't really show much, with 65 points and 37 goals in 69 games. Yeah, these stats are great, but they don't scream "top-six sniper" or "this kid is something to watch out for". Well, the 2024 season showed some improvement with 50 points and 29 goals in 37 games, then he exploded with 76 goals and 117 points in 2025. Did anyone really expect this type of production from a third-rounder? I definitely didn't. It would be great if he developed into a depth scorer, but he did way more than that. Add in his commitment and willingness to stand up for his team, and you've got a gem.

This draft class fast-tracked the rebuild

The Blackhawks completely changed the trajectory of their franchise after selecting Bedard; everyone knew this. The rebuild was fast-tracked a couple of years with him alone. However, the performance of Mike Donaghey and his staff made the rebuild potentially end this season, compared to five years from now. Drafting four guaranteed NHLers for the franchise for years to come (if the team plays their cards right) in one draft is an amazing accomplishment, and one that is not talked about enough.