An early look at the Blackhawks needs for the 2024 NHL Draft

A right-handed defenseman would be ideal

The University of Minnesota’s Sam Rinzel ranked third on Wheeler’s list, but the other four blueliners were all left-handed defensemen. Just because the need for an RHD appeared on the final slide, it doesn’t mean Kyle Davidson must prioritize it any lower, especially if, you guessed it, the best player available in the first round is a defenseman. 

Ideally, that prospect would be an RHD, and someone like Michigan State’s Artyom Levshunov would be great if the Blackhawks picked No. 2 or lower, and they passed on Demidov. At 6’2, 209 lbs, Levshunov looks like he could play in the NHL today - not saying it will happen - and his productivity was also more than respectable with 35 points, and nine goals in 38 contests. 

If Davidson wanted to get bold and say the Hawks landed the fourth pick, it would be tough to pass on a player like Zayne Parekh, whose 96 points and 33 goals in 66 contests in the OHL this past season foreshadows a blueliner quarterbacking power plays and creating a lot of opportunities for Connor Bedard a few years (or less) from 2024. 

Overall, Kyle Davidson has a lot of decisions to make, but with so many draft picks, he could more than remedy those decisions early in June’s draft. Better yet, there are a lot of productive wingers and right-handed blueliners to choose from. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects)