BUFFALO -- The Chicago Blackhawks have begun the process of narrowing down the list of prospects they are considering for the No. 2 pick in the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
With Boston University center Macklin Celebrini expected to be selected by the San Jose Sharks at No. 1, the Blackhawks have almost a wide-open field to choose from.
"It's fluctuated a little bit," Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson said Thursday during the 2024 NHL Scouting Combine. "I think you're probably in the 4-5 range, somewhere in there, and then you trim as you go.
"You don't want to rule out anyone too soon or anoint anyone too soon, either. So you just run through your process and let the numbers kind of tick down as you go. There's some really great options this year at No. 2."
The Blackhawks selected centers Connor Bedard (No. 1) and Oliver Moore (No. 19) in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, so Chicago could look to add a franchise defenseman with its first pick this year. But Davidson would not rule out adding another top-end forward.
"It's a pretty fortunate spot to be in and to have different options at our disposal is pretty exciting," he said. "We feel very fortunate to have that opportunity. I think it's just drilling down, getting to really dissect the players, dissect what you think they are, what they can become, who they are as people and just find the best fit.
"That takes time and that takes a lot of work and discussion and debate. But it's a really fun process and a really exciting process because there's just so much upside and excitement to it with what we're going to be able to add."
Among the prospects the Blackhawks could be considering are forward Cayden Lindstrom of Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. He's No. 3 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters and was named the top draft prospect in the Canadian Hockey League. He scored 27 goals in 32 games, but back and hand injuries ended his season Dec. 16. He did play in four WHL playoff games but admittedly wasn't as healthy as he will be when next season starts.
Lindstrom is one of a few top prospects who missed large chunks of their season because of injuries, which adds to an already difficult decision-making process.
"It does certainly pose somewhat of a hurdle," Davidson said. "Their body of work is their play and when there's a little bit less of that, it's tougher. But having said that, we don't normally just watch one year; there's some information from previous seasons there.
"There's a book and you rely on that and you trust your staff, and what does your staff say? What do they know about the player, the people? What do their connections around the player have to say about them? You form that profile and that evaluation and you trust it."
Other possibilities are Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov, defenseman Anton Silayev from Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League and forward Ivan Demidov of SKA St. Petersburg's team in Russia's junior league.
Though some teams might have second thoughts about selecting a prospect playing in Russia, Davidson said each one is judged on his potential regardless of where he's playing.
"I don't necessarily subscribe to the 'Russia factor,'" he said. "It probably goes to each team's individual philosophy. For us with Chicago, we just evaluate the players and the information and we build that profile on a case-by-case basis.
"You're not necessarily looking for the player quickest to the NHL. Development might dictate, no matter where they're from, you might not see them for three, four years. Sometimes that's because they're going to play four years of college [hockey] or sometimes because they have a contract overseas. But in either case, it might take three, four years. That's for each team to evaluate and to decide, how that impacts their decision-making process. But for me, where they're from or where they played doesn't necessarily change anything."
The Blackhawks will have a lot of options when the teams get to Sphere in Las Vegas for the draft. The first round is June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11:30 a.m. ET; ESPN+, NHLN, SN, SN1).
In addition to the No. 2 pick, they have No. 18, as well as two selections in each of the second and third rounds. The No. 18 pick, plus a second-round choice, came in a trade with the New York Islanders on May 24 for the No. 20 selection and two picks in the second round. With so much draft capital, as well as having already made 22 selections combined in the 2022 and 2023 drafts, Davidson said there's a chance for Chicago to add to the present as well as the future.
"I think we're in a good spot so we can potentially get creative, and that could mean many different things," he said. "But we've got options."
