Chicago Blackhawks: Three defensemen they could draft in top-15

Jake Sanderson

The Chicago Blackhawks might be in. the 8-15 draft rank but we don’t really know for sure yet. If they win one of the three lottery spots they are likely going to take a forward so if they want defense, they probably need a little bit later of a pick. The only one who will go in the top-7ish range is Drysdale. The Hawks might have a chance at him but Jake Sanderson might be a little bit more in their range.

Sanderson is one of many players to be drafted from the United States National Development Program over the past few seasons. Last year, half of the first round was made up of players from that program. This year, there is a chance that Sanderson is the first American taken and he might not even go in the top-ten. With that said, that is just because this is a loaded draft with lots of forward. Sanderson is going to go to the second team that deems that they need a defenseman.

The Blackhawks could absolutely be one of those teams.  Every player in the top-20 has the ceiling of an above-average NHL player so Sanderson fits the mold of what they need. In 49 games on the USNDPs blue line, he had seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points. The team isn’t as good as it was last season because they lost so many key players to college and the NHL, but those are still really good numbers for a defenseman.

Sanderson might take a few seasons to get to the NHL as he continues his development. At 17 years old with all of this raw talent, the sky is the limit. He is committed to the University of North Dakota for 2020-21 where they always have an awesome program. If the Hawks went this route, it would look very good in the not so distant future.