Major outlet’s way-too-early mock has towering blueliners heading to the Blackhawks in 2025

The Chicago Blackhawks will most definitely get a lottery pick for the 2025 NHL Draft, but per Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report, they will once again select in the top five if his recent mock draft is anything to go by. Maybe that won’t be the case, as this is the best version of the Hawks we have seen in a while, but if it is, general manager Kyle Davidson has yet another chance to land a future star. 

You may argue that the Hawks already have enough of them in the pipeline, but can you ever have too many? Sure, only a handful will fit on the big club at any given time, but think about it: Once the Hawks become competitive annually, how much trade bait will they have?

A lot, and that will come in handy once this team is regularly competing, so in a worst-case scenario, this future fourth-overall pick will be just that. Or, if he’s drafted come 2025, perhaps he’s the future partner for Artyom Levhsunov on what should be the first pairing. 

Will towering blueliners come to the Blackhawks in the 2025 NHL Draft?

The player in question is the NTDP’s Logan Hensler, who stands at a more than respectable 6’2, 196 lbs, and is someone whose two-way game will further raise his stock. Like Levshunov, he’s a right-shot defenseman, so maybe he will end up on another pairing if everything plays out the way Richardson has noted in this “way-too-early” draft. 

Points-wise, Hensler put up 48 along with seven goals in 88 games in the NTDP and USHL, good for 0.545 per outing. If you’re a fan of watching prospects the Blackhawks could end up targeting, you can follow Hensler as he begins his college hockey odyssey at the University of Wisconsin, where he will play against some top-tier competition in the Big Ten. 

Richardson also had the Blackhawks rolling with Artyom Vilchinsky with the 19th pick - the one they acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s another blueliner who, at 6’6, 240 lbs, possesses an even more intimidating presence than Hensley, and his stay-at-home, disruptive playing style serves as an excellent contrast to what you’ll see from Hensler. 

While it’s impossible to predict what everything will ultimately look like come draft day 2025, it’s always fun to follow these mocks and see how close they come to playing out. 

(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)