Latest news with #KyleDavidson
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Blackhawks add 3 more first-round draft picks to continue playing numbers game
CHICAGO — Kyle Davidson admitted he probably gave up more than the draft analytics suggest when he sent picks 34 and 62 to the Carolina Hurricanes for the No. 29 pick. But while Davidson is an analytically driven general manager, he's playing a far more basic game when it comes to the wild crapshoot that is the NHL draft. Advertisement 'The more you pick early in the NHL draft, you're more likely to succeed,' he said after taking Anton Frondell, Vaclav Nestrasil and Mason West in the first round on Friday night. 'We've taken that philosophy and tried to hit it with volume. But I also believe that some of these players are getting to the NHL. Some of them are on their path. I do believe from an objective assessment (with) their development so far, we are ahead of the odds in some way. I think we are beating the odds and getting a few more players out of the draft than the odds may dictate. Hopefully that continues.' Davidson said he's willing to shrug off the draft analytics and 'stick my neck out and really jump at a guy.' West, a football and hockey standout at Edina High School in Minnesota, was that guy on Friday. As a high-schooler who won't even become a full-time hockey player until after his senior football season, West has a longer runway to the NHL than most. But then again, so did Sam Rinzel in 2022, when Davidson traded back into the first round to take that raw, rangy high-schooler from Minnesota. Director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said the Blackhawks had some intel that West might not make it to No. 34, so Davidson pounced. 'I just really wanted to get back into the first round and take what I thought was a grand-slam hack,' Davidson said. 'I'm swinging for the fences and figured, why not? Let's go for a big one here. So that's kind of what I did.' The Blackhawks thought the draft would play out as it did with Matthew Schaefer going first and Michael Misa second. Of course, they heard the same rumors about the San Jose Sharks taking Frondell second as everyone else. Whether that happened or not, the Blackhawks were certain they'd be drafting Frondell or Misa. 'Anton and Michael Misa are elite hockey players,' Doneghey said. 'They're going to be better than top-six forwards on any team, probably top-three forwards. Different players, but we were really comfortable knowing we were going to get one of them. We just kind of sat back.' If you're wondering, Davidson also said he didn't receive any realistic offers for the third pick. The question all along was whether the Blackhawks would seek someone who could step in as a winger beside Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar or they'd draft someone who might replace either one of them at center. Davidson has said he still envisions Bedard and Nazar as centers. So where does that put Frondell? The Blackhawks don't seem too concerned. Advertisement 'Coach can figure that out,' Doneghey said. 'Kyle and Norm (Maciver) give me and my group traits on how they want to build the team and we go and get it. It's a bonus that guys can play multiple positions. (Frondell) doesn't consider himself a center or wing anyway. His comments at the combine, I said, are you a center or wing, and he said, 'Well, whatever Connor (Bedard) doesn't play, I'll play.' He's got a confidence about him.' The assumption is Frondell, the No. 3 overall pick, will spend next season in the Swedish Hockey League at Djugården. But Frondell is holding out hope that he can start his career in Chicago a lot sooner. 'My goal is to play in the league,' he said. 'That's my dream, that's what I'm doing this every day for. If I get the chance to take a spot on the team, I'll do everything I can to do that, to play. If I'm not good enough, if I don't make it, I'll go back to Djugården.' Davidson said there might be some SHL contract details to work out, but he expects Frondell to be able to participate in Blackhawks training camp. Where he goes from there will be up to him. 'I don't think we have any expectation one way or another,' Davidson said. 'The plan as we stand here today is he's playing in Djugården in the SHL next year, but we've got a lot of time to figure out the best path. I think it's a great path if that's the one that occurs. We'll figure that out.' Frondell will be in the NHL sooner rather than later. With Nestrasil and West, the Blackhawks know they're dealing with more long-term projects. The Blackhawks took Nestrasil, a 6-foot-6 forward, after seeing his progression this past year with Muskegon in the USHL. A lot of his production — 19 goals and 23 assists in 61 games — came later in the season. He'll attend the University of Massachusetts as a freshman next season. Advertisement 'He's a cerebral player,' Doneghey said. 'He does have to get stronger, but that will come with maturity. Like he's 6-5, 180-some pounds, it's still all coming together for him. But his brain and his hands, he's got the ability to play up the lineup.' Like a lot of players the Blackhawks have drafted the last few years, Nestrasil's skating jumped out to them. 'We think he has the ability to be a four out of four mover in the NHL,' Doneghey said. 'He just needs the strength.' West is the second dual-sport standout the Blackhawks have taken in the past two drafts, joining AJ Spellacy, who had an excellent training camp and preseason after going in the third round last year. The Blackhawks feel West's potential is so high because he hasn't even fully committed to hockey yet, and won't until after this football season. West will play hockey — and only hockey — at Michigan State starting in 2026-27. 'There's so much there, that when he commits to hockey — you saw that he was one of the highest risers in the rankings once he went to Fargo and started playing hockey more than training for football and stuff like that,' Doneghey said. 'I heard you guys mention AJ. He's a hell of an athlete, but he's just big. You saw him as a quarterback. But he brings that quarterback mentality to the ice, because when he's entering the zone, he's always scanning the zone and what plays to make. He's comfortable with contact. He doesn't shy away from that type of stuff.' West had 27 goals and 22 assists in 31 games for Edina, then had a goal and eight assists in 10 games with Fargo of the USHL. But it's that football mentality that really separates him from the typical first-round pick. 'I think one of the cool things about me is when you see me play, you can really see the quarterback in me,' he said. 'I think I have really good sense and vision. I really don't cheat the game, I play the game the right way. Advertisement 'I really bring that power-forward presence, but I want to be more than that. I want to be a playmaker, and I want to score, I want to hit, I want to be a physical player on the ice. I want to be a unique player in the sense of trying to find it hard to compare guys to me.' (Photo of Jeremy Roenick: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Chicago Blackhawks NHL Draft guide: Picks, best fits and analysis
The Chicago Blackhawks have 10 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft: Nos. 3, 25, 34, 62, 66, 98, 107, 162, 194, 197. Here's what to expect. Chicago has had a lot of picks in recent years and drafted excellent young centers and defensemen. Connor Bedard is a game breaker, but otherwise, a lot of the centers the Blackhawks have picked have been similar with a focus on speed, compete and two-way ability. Center and defense are the hardest positions to find, so I don't fault this strategy, but eventually, they need to find some guys to put the puck in the net. The Blackhawks are set to make their eighth and ninth first-round draft picks in the four years since Kyle Davidson took over as general manager. With the No. 3 pick this year, Davidson is expected to take a forward with size to complement what he already has in his prospect pool. He went with defenseman Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 last year. If the two teams ahead of the Blackhawks pass on Michael Misa on Friday, he probably won't fall any further than the Blackhawks. If he's not there, it likely comes down to Anton Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers or Porter Martone. Advertisement The Blackhawks also have four more picks between 25 and 66. If Chicago goes through with making all those selections, it'll have drafted 26 players in the first three rounds in the last four years. Davidson did use some capital last year to move around the draft and could do so again. The Blackhawks' priority has to be continuing to bolster their forward prospect pool, but it's likely they seek to diversify and add prospect depth at all positions throughout the draft. — Scott Powers, Blackhawks beat reporter In recent mock drafts, Corey Pronman has projected the following picks: 3. Anton Frondell, C 25. Malcolm Spence, LW 34. Mason West, C 62. Stepan Hoch, LW 66. Gustav Hillstrom, C 98. Tomas Pobezal, C 107. Aleksei Medvedev, G 162. Alex Misiak, RW 194. Matthew Koprowski, G 197. Will Sharpe, D (Photo of Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Less is more for Blackhawks' Connor Bedard as he prepares for his third NHL season
No, Connor Bedard hasn't been spending his offseason quietly texting Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers or any other pending unrestricted free agents and trying to convince them that Chicago is the place to be, trying to orchestrate his own dream line, or anything like that. 'No, I don't have too many guys' numbers yet,' Bedard said with a chuckle. Advertisement If Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a quiet summer, if André Burakovsky is indeed the biggest acquisition he makes, Bedard sounds perfectly comfortable with that. He knows Davidson's grand plan, he understands the timetable, and he's on board with all of it. 'I really like my teammates, and I feel like we have a lot of guys that are very skilled, and they're going to step up,' Bedard said in a conversation with The Athletic on Wednesday. 'That's including myself. I have a lot of areas in my game to grow, so that's what my focus is. Whether we bring in guys or don't bring in guys, that's not going to affect us. We're going to go out there and work hard and try to win games.' That's just it. Bedard is too busy worrying about making sure he becomes the player the Blackhawks need him to become to worry about playing general manager, as well. Bedard has scored 45 goals and handed out 83 assists in 150 NHL games — outstanding numbers for a teenager — but is well aware that he's expected to do more. To score more. To win more. And that starts by doing less. Of all the things Bedard has learned over his two NHL seasons, a trial by fire if ever there was one, his latest lesson might be the most important: The guy needs to chill out every once in a while. Take an optional practice off. Skip a morning skate. Get off the ice right when practice ends, not an hour later. Former head coach Luke Richardson used to joke about hiding Bedard's skates just to get him to take a day off, but it seems that a frustrating sophomore campaign has finally driven the message home. Going easy on yourself every now and then isn't a sign of weakness. It's a source of strength. 'It's how you're training, how you're resting,' Bedard said. 'It's your volume, and just figuring out when you can really push and when you can hold back a little bit. Working hard, but also working smart. It's definitely something you learn with the schedule you have during the year. You're always going. So you want to make sure you're feeling good, and take some steps to let your body recover from some workouts. I always work super hard, and always want to be on the ice, and that's kind of what got me here. But figuring out a balance for myself is something that I'm learning to do.' Bedard wouldn't go so far as to say he was fatigued at times last season, but he did have a 12-game goal drought in November, scored just one goal in an 11-game span starting in February, then had an eight-game goal drought before a strong finishing kick in the final week of the campaign. There were significant stretches during which he simply wasn't feeling his best, and it showed in his production levels. Advertisement 'There were some gaps in my game for a couple stretches of the season,' he said. 'Obviously, I'm young and should be pretty fresh, for the most part. I just thought there were a couple times in the year where I wasn't feeling my best, and obviously that's on me to do the right things. I've learned a lot about how I can keep that consistency. Because when I'm at the top of my game, I feel like I'm a pretty impactful player. So if I can be there — or close to there — almost every night, that's going to make a big difference.' That's not to say Bedard is getting lazy, of course. He had to wait a bit in late April and early May for players to return from the playoffs or from Worlds, but he's been on the ice regularly with his Vancouver crew, which includes Macklin Celebrini, Kent Johnson and Mat Barzal, among others. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will join them, too, once he recovers from the Edmonton Oilers' grueling run to the Stanley Cup Final. Bedard said the on-ice sessions can get pretty heated, and sometimes have a game-like feel when everyone's really going and pushing each other. When he is on the ice, Bedard's focus has been on his skating. His goal for his second NHL offseason is to get faster, and to do so without sacrificing the parts of his game that made him one of the most highly touted prospects in league history. In the Western Hockey League, finding open ice was easy, and so was unleashing his world-class shot. In the NHL, finding that room and that time is a lot more difficult. And while he'll never have Connor McDavid's wheels, any extra kick could give him an extra split second to do something special. 'That's where I could gain another level to my game,' he said. 'I think I have a lot of skill and I can think the game at a high level. If I can get maybe an extra step to get away from guys and put guys on their heels a little more, that would be a thing I can add to my game. I feel pretty good about what I've done so far.' Bedard said he doesn't know 'a whole lot' about new head coach Jeff Blashill's playing style, but being faster is good for any system. He had a 'great conversation' with Blashill shortly after the coach was hired, and Blashill was texting him things and players to watch for throughout the playoffs. Bedard said Blashill's excitement about coming to Chicago has been contagious for the players, and that former interim head coach Anders Sörensen returning as an assistant was particularly important. Blashill is Bedard's third head coach in just two-plus seasons. Advertisement Bedard's next great linemate could be joining the organization on Friday night. This is the first draft in three years that Bedard won't be attending, and for the first time in a while, he only knows the names from watching and reading about them, not playing with or against them. Bedard finally turns 20 in a few weeks and will be a third-year NHL veteran in the fall. He's not just a kid anymore, and he hasn't been a prospect for two years. He's the No. 1 center of the Chicago Blackhawks, and he will continue to shoulder a huge burden to keep a very young team afloat offensively. Nothing new there. But maybe a little more time away from the rink will make it a little easier to bear. 'I don't know about being a veteran,' he said with a laugh. 'But getting the full 82 games last year really gives you an idea of everything you need to do to be your best. Coming into the league, you don't really have a great idea of it. But you learn. I'm a couple years in now, and I feel like from Day 1 to now, I know a lot more about the league, and the schedule and everything, and that's pretty nice. When we do go back to camp, I know what to expect.' A few other thoughts from Bedard: On if he's been talking with the Blackhawks about a contract extension, which he can sign as soon as Tuesday: 'I'll keep that pretty close to my chest. We have a great relationship and everyone knows I want to be a Hawk as long as I'm playing. And I know they appreciate me and want me with the team. Once you know that, there's no stress or anything about that. Whether it's done next week or during the year or at the end of the year, that doesn't stress me out too much. Anything can happen, but the relationship with me and the team is really strong.' On if he had any regrets about skipping Worlds once Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon joined Team Canada: 'I was at peace with my decision not to. When you get an opportunity like that, it's hard not to go. I love playing hockey and I knew a lot of guys over there and knew how special that opportunity was, to play for your country. But for me, I felt the best decision to feel the best for next year and put myself in the best position for Oct. 5 or whenever our first game is, was not to go this year. You want to be there, you miss out. But I feel good about the decision, for sure.' On how it might have affected his chances to make Canada's Olympic team: 'I have a good relationship with Hockey Canada. They were really respectful of my decision and understood. If I'm going to have a chance at the Olympic team, I'm going to have to have a pretty good start to the year, whether I went to Worlds or not. So my focus is on the Blackhawks, and if I can play my way onto that team, that'd be unreal. But I am going to have to play my way on.' Advertisement On Frank Nazar's 12-point performance for Team USA: 'It was awesome seeing him and (Alex Vlasic) experience the win. His growth throughout the year was amazing; he was lighting teams up. At the end of the year, he was getting five or six breakaways a game, almost. It'll be pretty fun to see him coming into next year with all that confidence.' On Ryan Donato sticking around: 'That was great. You know how good he was for us last year. He had all the goals and everything, but it's just what he does all over the ice. He's always working, always high energy, and he causes so much havoc out there. Plus all the goals. It's awesome to see him re-sign.' On the Blackhawks' closing 3-1-1 kick, and how it changed the vibe heading into next season: 'When we got younger, we just had that energy, and we were having a lot of fun at the rink. Those last few games, we looked pretty good, and we were playing what we felt was a high-stakes game in Montreal. They were trying to make the playoffs and we could disappoint their fans a bit. Little things like that, and being with such a young group, it's exciting. We can't wait to get back at it.'
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What the Chicago Blackhawks could get in NHL Draft prospect Caleb Desnoyers
The Chicago Blackhawks' final draft board will come together within the next few days. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey and their talent evaluators will gather in Chicago this week to make their final decisions. The most interesting debate, at least from a public perspective, will be about the third pick. Whose name the Blackhawks ultimately call Friday will be partially dictated by the two teams ahead of them, but Chicago will undoubtedly be prepared for anything. Advertisement One player who is expected to be in those internal discussions is Caleb Desnoyers, a 6-foot-2, 178-pound forward from the QMJHL. If the draft board goes as expected with Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa going first and second, the Blackhawks will likely be choosing among Desnoyers, Anton Frondell and Porter Martone. Today, we'll take a take a deeper dive into Desnoyers' game. The Athletic's Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler have a slightly different opinion of Desnoyers, but it's not far off. Pronman ranks him as the fourth-best prospect behind Schaefer, Misa and Martone. Wheeler has Desnoyers fifth behind Schaefer, Misa, James Hagens and Martone. Pronman wrote of Desnoyers: 'He has great creativity as a playmaker, while also being a detailed two-way player. Desnoyers can be trusted to check top players as he has a physical edge in his game and gives a high effort every game. He has the potential to be a No. 1 center who can play in any situation.' Wheeler wrote: 'Desnoyers is a good-sized center with room to add muscle, and scouts love him as a projectable top-six center who plays a smart, detailed, well-rounded two-way game with good skill, smarts and poise.' Based on Byron Bader's NHL equivalency model on Hockey Prospecting, Frondell has the sixth-highest probability in the 2025 draft class to become a star player. He produced 35 goals and 49 assists in 56 games for the Moncton Wildcats this season. What impressed you about Caleb's season? I watched a bunch of video lately, and it just seems to be his consistency in all zones. That's obviously very impressive for a kid his age, but the game is really consistent. Probably what's more impressive is the passion and the enthusiasm is probably even more consistent. His leadership traits and his love for the game and his competitiveness, those come to the rink with him every day. I think that's gonna make a very talented young man. But it's those other attributes that's going to potentially separate him from his peers the longer he plays here. Advertisement What's unique that you see in a leadership ability or competitiveness that you might not see in other players that age? Just the setting he was displaying in this year. He was our youngest player. We had an older team. They're primarily 19 and 20 years old. For Caleb to bring that type of leadership and that sort of confidence, competitiveness with them every day despite being the youngest guy in our locker room, I think that's pretty impressive. I don't want to, say, take it for granted because we totally recognize how special that was, but at the same time, it just becomes the expectation with him over time. You kind of forget that he's 17, forget he's your youngest guy and that's the standard he was able to create for himself this year. What stood out about his offensive game this season? Just how diverse it was. As he goes and continues to get stronger and add elements to his games, I think how diverse he'll continue to be. He scored goals from distance with us. And again, as he gets stronger I think it's projectable, I think he's going to be able to do that in the National Hockey League. But then he also scored a lot of goals from hard areas in front of the net. You know he's a big body, and by the time he's 23, 24, he's going to be an awful lot for defenses to handle. He's got a real willingness to get to the far post on net drives and go to hard areas. But I think it's just the diversity to how he creates the offense is what's impressive. There's also a lot of talk about his two-way game. What impressed you there? With the type of year he had, the type of line he was playing on, it would have been very easy to kind of cheat for offense at different points of the year, but he did a great job of maintaining habits and making sure he was on the right side of the puck coming out of the zone more times than not. Again, when you get him into competitive situations, whether it's in the offensive zone, neutral zone or defensive zone, he takes a lot of pride in that. That's why he's such a sought-after kid. Do you project him as a center going forward or do you think it matters? No, I do project him as a center. Obviously, depending on when it is that he breaks into the NHL, it's obviously very hard as a teenager to play center in the NHL. He's certainly capable and smart enough to adapt and play different positions. He did that for us this year. But I think when you see him in his prime years in NHL I'll be surprised if it wasn't at the center-ice position. I assume you would like him back, but do you see him as someone who could benefit from another year or so in your league? Well, Caleb being as competitive as he is, I know if you talk to him, his goal is to play in the NHL this fall. So we'll let him pursue that goal. But also, I think he has things that he can build off of coming back to us for another season and just kind of picking up where he left off in playoffs and Memorial Cup and continuing to get bigger, stronger and just kind of more NHL ready, I guess, if the NHL team that drafts him decides that he's not ready in October. Advertisement Any specific areas you feel like he needs growth in or where he'll have to focus on early into his NHL career? For sure, I think it's just like any talented young guy, I think it's just continuing to buy into his process, just continuing to get bigger and stronger. And with his habits and his desire to be an elite player, that's going to happen. He just needs to let time kind of run its course and allow him to put weight and strength on his frame. When you're talking to NHL teams, are there any specific questions that come up or anything that you found that they're most curious about with him? That's a great question. Primarily, Caleb is such a great interview and such a fun kid to talk to that a lot of times they come away from that wondering what they don't know. Sometimes when a kid is that fun to talk to, you start thinking, is that too good to be true? But he is a great kid to be around. He's very passionate. And, you know, I think a lot of NHL teams see that, and that's why I don't think he'll be sitting around long on next Friday. Desnoyers not only produced at a high rate in the QMJHL playoffs — with nine goals and 21 assists in 19 games and earned MVP honors in the postseason — but was also clutch. On this play, Desnoyers, No. 18, steals the puck to set up the game winner in the opening round. Desnoyers' patience to allow plays to materialize is one of his greatest strengths. He has a lot of poise with the puck. He doesn't have as much skill as some of the top players, but there's still some there. He shows it off here to set up a goal. Here's another example of his backchecking, and it leads to another team goal: This is another example of his passing and patience: The biggest question about Desnoyers is whether his game is dynamic enough to be a top-three pick. He does a lot of things well and he's projected to be a solid NHLer, but his ceiling isn't thought to be as high as that of some of the other prospects. He doesn't have elite skills. Other players in the draft class possess traits you could project more easily to stardom — especially offensively. Desnoyers might end up being the one who fares better in the NHL because of his predictable two-way game. There is probably higher risk with some of the others. The Blackhawks know they have to complement players such as Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar with more size. The Blackhawks have some bigger forwards on their way, most notably Sacha Boisvert, but they could use several more. As mentioned, Desnoyers needs to fill out, but his frame could make him a physical force in the NHL. Advertisement The Blackhawks would have to decide where exactly Desnoyers fits. Many people believe he'll be most optimal at center in the NHL because of his two-way play. He could probably be fine at wing, but his game is more suited for the responsibilities at center. Right now, the Blackhawks are planning on Bedard and Nazar as their top two centers. That could always change, but it is something the Blackhawks have to be mindful of as they continue to construct their roster.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Blackhawks acquire Andre Burakovsky for Joe Veleno in trade with Kraken
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired two-time 20-goal scorer Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Joe Veleno on Saturday. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has been looking for a way to add some scoring punch to one of the league's weakest offenses, but he's reluctant to commit too much money and too many years to a high-end free agent such as Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers, neither of whose ages line up with their very young core. At 30 years old, Burakovsky doesn't, either. Advertisement However, with just two years left on his contract — at a $5.5-million cap hit — Burakovsky can be a nice stopgap while the rest of Chicago's young forwards work their way into the NHL lineup. He found himself in a fourth-line role with the Kraken by the end of the season, but he's 6-foot-3, is a strong skater and has shown some top-six talent in the past. Seattle not having to pay *anything* to get a team to take Andre Burakovsky's deal is incredible work. — dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) June 21, 2025 Burakovsky had just 10 goals and 27 assists in 79 games for the Kraken this past season after his 2023-24 season was cut short by a groin injury. He never lived up to the five-year, $27.5 million contract he signed with Seattle after helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. In his three seasons in Colorado, he had 20, 19 and 22 goals after modest but consistent production for five seasons with the Washington Capitals. But he was in danger of getting squeezed out of the Kraken lineup and was an obvious trade candidate. Veleno, a fourth-line center acquired by Chicago from Detroit in the Petr Mrázek trade at the deadline, was a possible buyout candidate, and still could be, if this proves to be little more than a cap dump for the Kraken. Veleno has one year left on his deal at a $2.275-million cap hit. The Blackhawks' strong closing kick with a team loaded with rookies and players younger than 23 years old has lessened the urgency Davidson feels to turbocharge the team's long rebuilding plan. Rather than go big-game hunting in unrestricted free agency, trades like this one — modest additions who can play up and down the lineup but don't require long-term commitments that'll block younger players' paths to the NHL — are about all that Blackhawks fans should expect this summer.
