2024 NHL Mock Draft Summary: Who will the Blackhawks select with the second pick? originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
O Black Hawks won the rights to the second pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Tuesday, as the NHL Draft lottery results placed them in second place.
Shortly after Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson reacted to receiving the pick NBC Sports Chicago Lottery Draft Special Show. He is “excited” about the opportunity to call up another important player to the team.
“I’m excited,” Davidson said. “I think going into this, I was really happy with where we would have ended up no matter what. No. 2 is a win. We’re going to get a great player. We’re going to have a great prospect who will be a key piece for us. We’ll do choice number 2 and we will move on.
So who will the Blackhawks take with the second pick in the 2024 NHL Draft? Remember, they also have a second-round pick at No. 20. But considering that the pick sector isn’t set yet because the NHL playoffs aren’t over yet, we’ll see who else thinks the Blackhawks will draft the No. 2 pick.
MORE: Who could the Blackhawks take with the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft?
Here is a mock summary of some of the most prominent media outlets.
Atlético: Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg Jr. (RUSSIA-JR.)
“Demidov is the second-best forward in this draft. The Blackhawks are certainly interested in defenseman Artyom Levshunov, but if they can be assured that Demidov will come to North America from Russia after next season, Demidov would make more sense. A future combination of Connor Bedard and Demidov could be a lot of fun,” Scott Powers wrote.
NHL. with: Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (NCAA)
“Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (NCAA): After selecting a franchise-changing center in Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks can now focus on finding a game-changer on defense After Celebrini, Levshunov might be the most NHL-ready player in the 2024 draft with the size (6-2, 208) and skill set that helped him score 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 38. games as a college freshman,” Adam Kimelman wrote.
“Artyom Levshunov: The Belarusian-born right-handed shooter was the third-youngest player in NCAA hockey and ranked second among freshman defensemen and tied for 10th among all defensemen in scoring. The Blackhawks need a future cornerstone at defense and Levshunov fits that profile,” Mike Morreale wrote.
FloHockey: Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA Saint Petersburg
“The Blackhawks really have two ways to go about this pick, I think. They can get the right shooting defenseman their system is missing in Artyom Levshunov, or they can continue to build out their forward group with another top scorer to complement Connor Bedard. This is an extremely important pick for this franchise, but I think the big one move here is to take Demidov and add another key piece to the rebuild. Demidov is under contract for another season in the KHL and I would do everything in my power. to ensure this is his last season in Russia”, Chris Peters wrote.
Sports news: Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA Saint Petersburg
“The Blackhawks’ outlook revolves around Connor Bedard, and what better pairing than giving him an elite offensive weapon on the wing like Ivan Demidov? The winger has a strong engine and is difficult to play in one-on-one battles due to his immense skill. Demidov would be the perfect linemate for Bedard,” he stated. Bryan Murphy wrote.
