Wilmette native Alex Vlasic highlights Blackhawks’ picks on Day 2 of NHL Draft

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Blackhawks filled out their 2019 NHL draft class with five more selections Saturday.

Including third overall choice Kirby Dach, the Hawks’ high-profile selection Friday, all except one member of their 2019 class measure 6-3 or taller — although scouting director Mark Kelley said that outcome was mainly a coincidence.

Here are the Hawks’ Day 2 picks:

Round 2, No. 43 overall Defenseman Alex Vlasic, U.S. national team development program

Projected by most — including the Hawks, according to Kelley — to be a late-first-round selection, the big-bodied Vlasic is a great second-round value pick.

As a Wilmette native, he also checks off the “hometown kid” storyline that the Hawks shunned Friday in passing over Alex Turcotte.

Vlasic described himself as a defensive defenseman that coaches can “trust out there with five minutes left.”

He’s very much a traditional player, with a massive 6-6 frame and conservative attitude on the ice, although he did show some puck-moving ability on the loaded USNTDP this past season.

“He makes it look really easy,’’ general manager Stan Bowman said. ‘‘He covers so much ground, he’s a very good skater and he’s a big, big guy, long reach, really good defensive instincts. It’s hard to get by him. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Bound for Boston University in the fall, Vlasic — a cousin of Sharks mainstay Marc-Edouard Vlasic — estimated he’s at least two years away from turning pro.

“Being a bigger guy, I could always work on my speed and quickness,” he said. “It’s going to be harder to keep up with smaller, more agile players, and I think it’s only going to get harder from here.”

Round 4, No. 105 overall Left winger Michal Teply, Liberec (Czech Republic)

A long-term project with a husky 6-3 build and a strong slap shot, Teply played professionally in the Czech Republic and for the Czech U18 team in 2018-19.

He’s hoping to come over to Canada next season to accelerate his development.

“Every time we went to see him, incrementally, month to month, his skating was getting better,” Kelley said. “With the growth spurt that he had, he’s growing into his body, acclimating.”

Round 4, No. 123 overall Center Antti Saarela, Lukko (Finland)

Another player with a pre-existing familial connection to the NHL — brother Aleksi plays in the Hurricanes’ system — Saarela is 5-11 with quick feet.

He had 10 points in 24 games in Liiga last season, a fairly impressive stat line for an 18-year-old in the nation’s top professional league. By comparison, fellow Finn Patrik Puistola (who went 73rd overall) had only one point in 16 Liiga games.

“He plays fast, he’s very competitive, very hard, a real good pursuit guy, has a good skill set,” Kelley said.

Round 6, No. 167 overall Goalie Dominic Basse, Selects Hockey Academy (U.S.)

Basse, a 6-6 monster in net, is the second goaltender drafted by the Hawks in as many years.

He played for a Connecticut academy in 2018-19 and is committed to Colorado College — a good NCAA program — but he’s neither staying in Connecticut nor heading to Colorado for the 2019-20 season. Kelley said Basse’s short-term future isn’t settled yet.

Round 7, No. 194 overall Defenseman Cole Moberg, Prince George (WHL)

At 6-3, Moberg fittingly capped off the Hawks’ size-filled draft class.

Moberg had 40 points in 61 games in Prince George, playing big blue-line minutes on one of the WHL’s worst teams.

‘‘He just kept getting better and better [this season],’’ Kelley said. ‘‘We brought him to Chicago; I thought he did really well in the off-ice training, then on the ice, also.’’