Blackhawks snag FOUR first-round-caliber talents in NHL Mock Draft Simulation 3.0

2nd Overall: Berkly Catton, C/Spokane Chiefs

In the past two mock drafts, I rolled with Artyom Levshunov and Ivan Demidov, but you can argue that Berkly Catton has more playmaking ability than the rest of them. Imagine seeing him either on the same line as Connor Bedard at wing or heading up another line at center, and there’s also Philipp Kurashev, which will make the Blackhawks a DEEP team a couple of years from now. 

18th Overall: Beckett Sennecke, RW/Oshawa Generals

I wanted to take a blueliner at 18th overall before Beckett Sennecke’s presence convinced me to shift gears. Sennecke carries more size than Catton, and he also possesses identical playmaking ability. And yeah, let’s picture a group of forwards with Bedard, Kurashev, Catton, and Sennecke in the top-six in the not-so-distant future - something like that would excite any Blackhawks fan. 

34th Overall: Cole Hutson, D/Boston University

If Cole Hutson isn’t the most entertaining blueliner in the 2024 NHL Draft, I don’t know who else is. Sure, you can argue he’s undersized, but he possesses a sound skill set defensively to go with Quinn Hughes-like potential as a scorer. 

50th Overall: Henry Mews, D/Ottawa 67’s

I nearly picked someone else, but it wasn’t because I was hesitant to take Henry Mews 50th overall. Instead, I didn’t see his name listed until the last possible second before I shifted gears to draft the high-scoring blueliner from the Ottawa 67’s.