Chicago Blackhawks Draft Profile: Jamie Drysdale

In the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft, might the Chicago Blackhawks target an offensive-minded defenseman like Jamie Drysdale?

Jamie Drysdale has already drawn comparisons to Drew Doughty, an offensive-minded defenseman, who is a major asset on special teams. If his career turns out half as good as Doughty’s, the Chicago Blackhawks must strongly consider him in the upcoming NHL Draft.

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 170 pounds

Shoots: Right

Age: 18

The Toronto, ON native spent the last two seasons playing for the Erie Otters in the OHL. During the 2018-2018 campaign, Drysdale scored seven goals with 33 assists for 40 points in a 63-game sample size. He also played for the U18 Team Canada, tallying two assists in seven games.

This past season, Drysdale nearly replicated his stats from last year, but over just 49 games, he had two more goals and five more assists.

To put it mildly, Drysdale is an excellent skater. He can lead rushes down the ice or quite literally circle the ice attempting to create a scoring chance. He has terrific vision and puck handling skills, which make him a huge asset on the power play.

The Blackhawks haven’t ranked within the top ten on power play opportunities since the 2015-2016 season when they finished with a second-best 22.6 percent conversion rate.

Here’s what our friends at MyNHLDraft have to say about him:

"He’s an excellent transition player, can make tape-to-tape passes on the fly and presents a high-end offensive game and playmaking ability that make him dangerous every time he touches the puck.”"

But that’s not to say he’s not excellent at the blue line. He’s not the biggest guy, but he should be able to add some weight to his frame. Regardless, he’s not afraid to check someone into the boards, stealing the puck in the process, and leading the rush back down the ice.

The Blackhawks are getting older on defense, hampered by bad contracts in both Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. They’ve done a nice job of beginning to stockpile talent at the position, as Adam Boqvist made his debut last year.

However, adding a guy like Drysdale in the draft will benefit both sides of the ice, and hopefully, get the Hawks back in the top ten of power-play scoring.