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The NHL Entry Draft finally takes place this Friday, and when it comes to the Chicago Blackhawks, the picture of who will be selected 2nd overall isn’t any clearer than it was 48 days ago when they lost the draft lottery. Over the last few weeks, looking at different players expected to go very early on Friday, one thing was clear to me: it is a two-man race for the Hawks. There are so many prospects who will go on to have very successful seasons, but it’s clear that Ivan Demidov and Artyom Levshunov are the two best options for this team. One of these players will become a key member of the future core of this team, but the question remains: who is it going to be? While I keep going back and forth on this as of writing, I believe the right pick is going to be Ivan Demidov.
Ivan Demidov has been pitched as the most creative player in this draft class. He does things on the ice that the average player can only dream of doing. On a scale of 9, the team over at Elite Prospects gave Demidov an 8 in passing and hockey sense and an 8.5 in puck handling. While he is in a class of his own, when it comes to his offensive ability, there is a lot to improve with his 200-foot game, which he has been making progress on. The big thing with Demidov was the mystery about his status and his mindset going forward, and after the Milstein Russian Showcase, we got a lot of answers. While Demidov intends on honoring the final year of his KHL contract, he will not be re-signing and will be looking to make the jump to North America as soon as his season comes to an end. That puts to bed some of the fears about drafting a Russian. We have also learned that he has been taking classes on learning to speak English, and from interviews at the showcase, he is picking it up very well. He comes out of the showcase measuring at 6-foot 192 pounds, which was up from the 5’11” 181 pounds that was originally reported, which helps any concerns that he might be too small to play in the NHL.
While the questions around Demidov seem fewer than before, there are still some questions that might keep a team from selecting him. While he was far and above the best player in the MHL last year, can that translate to when he faces tougher competition? To tear it up in Russian junior hockey is one thing, but to do it against the best of the best is another question. However, like all prospects entering the league, time will tell how he transitions to NHL hockey, and having a chance to play with a player like Bedard should make that transition easier than most.
At the end of the day, I do not envy Kyle Davidson for being in this situation and having to pick between Demidov and Levshunov. If he decides to go with the defenseman at two, I don’t think there should be any disappointment in that pick either. It’s no secret this team needs to build up their right-handed defense depth, and Levshunov is seen as someone who can be the number one defender in time. If he also goes, I believe it is easier to find forwards that you can plug into the lineup and have them develop into stars when given the chance to play with a Bedard-type player than it is to find and develop solid defenders. There are worse things in the world than having to pick between a good forward prospect and a good defensive prospect. No matter what, the Hawks should be moving in the right direction, and the next piece of the puzzle will be in place.
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