VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Blackhawks chose Kirby Dach as the headliner of their 2019 draft class Friday. On Saturday, he’ll need some classmates.
Without a third-round selection, the Hawks will be able to focus most of their attention on Day 2 on their second-round pick, No. 43 overall. They also have two picks in the fourth round (Nos. 105 and 123) and one each in the sixth and seventh rounds (Nos. 167 and 194).
Had consensus top defenseman Bowen Byram gone to the Hawks at No. 3, their priorities Saturday would have centered squarely on forwards. But with Dach now in the system, complementing the three blue-liners the Hawks have taken in the first round the last two years, the Saturday plan will be more a mix of positions.
“Every year, there are players in the later rounds who become [NHL] players,” general manager Bowman said ahead of the draft. “Not a ton, but there are always players in a draft, and it’s our job to find who those players are. There’s always a focus on the first round because that’s where the top players come from. But if you can do well later in the draft, that’s what makes your draft a great draft.”
Alex DeBrincat, a second-round pick in 2016, is an impressive example of a Day 2 selection panning out for the Hawks. But otherwise, they don’t have a great recent track record. After consistently landing gems such as Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw, Vinny Hinostroza and Joakim Nordstrom in the later rounds in 2010-2012, their second-best Day 2 pick (behind DeBrincat) since 2013 is Dylan Sikura, although the jury is still out on a few others.
Bowman will hope 2019 breaks that trend, even if it takes a few years to assess.
“You want scouts to go to bat for these guys, and [you want the] players we get Friday and Saturday to have attributes we’re really excited about, instead of someone [just] rated high,” he said. “For us, it’s good to have one, two or several scouts pounding the table saying, ‘I want this guy. He’s a Blackhawk.’ ”
A number of forwards projected to land in the mid- to late-first round — Arthur Kaliyev, Raphael Lavoie, Bobby Brink and Nils Hoglander — slipped out of the action Friday, though most should be gone before the 43rd choice. Wilmette native Alex Vlasic is the best defenseman left and would be a storybook Hawks pick.
“Maybe [we could] use some picks to move up and target a player,” Hawks scouting director Mark Kelley said. “[It] depends on how the board is. We’re a little excited to go back tonight and talk about the board. There’s some players up there we like a lot.”
Trades are a real possibility. Day 1 included little trade action, so Day 2 could become a pressure bomb of negotiations. And the Hawks have made at least one trade in every draft weekend since 2010.
If that streak continues Saturday, it will likely involve a defenseman. The Hawks still need help there, especially after passing on Byram. Coach Jeremy Colliton, who mostly sat quietly at the table while the scouts ran the show Friday, bluntly admitted “we know that we’ve got to defend better.”
The Hurricanes have become more aggressive in shopping defenseman Justin Faulk, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported Friday. Faulk was part of the team’s playoff run this spring and closely fits the mold of player Colliton is hoping to get more of.
“You really notice this year, the teams that had success in the playoffs were very hard-working, very team-oriented, loved to battle, loved to compete,” Colliton said. “We have some of that, but we want more of it in our team.”