Chicago Blackhawks: Pro comparisons for first-round draft picks
By Ryan Heckman
Adam Boqvist
Boqvist comes to the Blackhawks as a 17-year-old who will likely take a couple of years before seeing his first action in the NHL. He signed an extension with Brynas for another year and most likely goes back to the SHL next season.
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However, Boqvist may be well-worth the wait. Why? Well, Blackhawks fans everywhere have most likely seen the common comparison to a certain Ottawa Senators captain.
Pro Comparison: Erik Karlsson
Stan adds that when you watch Boqvist’s game you can certainly see that he patterns it after Erik Karlsson.
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 23, 2018
Karlsson is a 5-time NHL All Star in his nine seasons with the Senators. He currently holds the franchise record for points in a season by a defenseman with 82, which is one of the types of reasons Boqvist gets those comparisons — he’s known as an “offensive defenseman.”
The 5-foot-11 Boqvist weighs in at just under 170 pounds and posted 14 goals to go with 10 assists in 25 games played in the J20 SuperElit league last season
Once again, it might be a little while before we see Boqvist on the ice for the Blackhawks. Per Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times, Boqvist had this to say at the combine:
"“I need to work on everything because it’s the best league in the world. But I think in 2-3 years, I hope I can play in the NHL.”"
Whenever the Hawks do indeed see him on the ice, we can only hope for a turnout like that of an Erik Karlsson. I am sure Stan Bowman would be thrilled if he hits that kind of ceiling.