After sitting quiet throughout the first round of the NHL draft Friday, the Blackhawks took two big swings Saturday morning as the draft resumed.
Here’s a breakdown of every Hawks pick from Day 2 of the draft:
No. 34: Xavier Villeneuve, defenseman, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
It seemed likely the Hawks would target a defenseman early in the second round, and they did just that with Villeneuve, one of the consensus top prospects still available after the first round.
The Quebec native is unquestionably a first-round talent, but his diminutive size — 5-11 and 164 pounds — evidently scared off teams in that range. The Hawks were willing to gamble on his upside.
“The skill set I have is pretty rare, without being too cocky,” Villeneuve said.
He has been optimistically compared to young Canadiens star Lane Hutson, another left-handed shot, throughout the draft process, and Villeneuve believes in that comparison. He’s headed to Boston University next season — after averaging more than a point per game the last two seasons in the QMJHL — hoping they can develop him just like they developed Hutson.
He’s quick and elusive on skates, and combined with his high-level hockey sense and vision, he’s difficult to contain. He did miss several months with a hip injury this year. He thinks he’s not done growing, which would be welcome news if true.
No. 35: Ryan Roobroeck, left wing, Niagara (OHL)
The Hawks traded up from No. 37 to No. 35, giving the Devils their fourth-round pick to do so, and subsequently selected the controversial and mercurial Roobroeck.
Last summer, Roobroeck was considered a possible top-10 pick in this class, but he disappointed with Niagara this season and fell down rankings. He will play for Guelph in the OHL next season.
Rooebroeck’s pluses are enticing: he’s big (6-3 and 210 pounds), a decent skater for his size and a great shooter. But his minuses are worrying: his work ethic and compete level are inconsistent and he doesn’t utilize his size as much as he could.
He’s another high-risk, high-reward prospect, but the Hawks can accept that considering how robust their forward prospect pool is.
No. 66: Samu Alalauri, defenseman, Pelicans (Finland)
Alalauri is somewhat difficult to evaluate since he has only played junior hockey in Finland and in international tournaments so far. The 6-2, 220-pound right-handed defenseman is balanced both offensively and defensively.
But he’s headed to UMass next season, which should be illuminating. He’ll play with fellow Hawks prospect Vaclav Nestrasil there.
This story will be updated.