Meet the 11 players the Chicago Blackhawks selected in the 2023 NHL draft
Day 2 of the NHL draft seemed like it flew by, and let’s just say the Chicago Blackhawks went with that theme.
They ended up with nine draft picks in their arsenal Thursday — including three second-rounders after giving up a fourth in a trade with Philadelphia — and they used them to add speed and more speed.
And when they were done adding speed, they added size.
The Hawks also led off the goalie selection by taking Adam Gajan early in the second round.
General manager Kyle Davidson said the draft “definitely” unfolded in a better way than the Hawks hoped.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way this worked out,” he said. “Obviously from Connor (Bedard), but into the first and second round there with Oliver (Moore) and getting Adam (Gajan) and (Roman) Kantserov and (Martin) Misiak, it was great.”
The Hawks drafted 11 players, but it could have been 12, which would have tied the Arizona Coyotes for the most in the draft.
But the Hawks decided to help stock next year’s draft by trading the No. 51 pick (a second-rounder acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Brent Seabrook trade) to the Philadelphia Flyers, who used it to draft goalie Carson Bjarnason.
The Hawks received a sixth-round pick in 2023 (No. 167, which they spent on Milton Oscarson) and a second-round pick in 2024, previously owned by the Los Angeles Kings.
“We got to push a pick out another year and preserve those assets moving forward,” Davidson said.
After the dust settled, the first three rounds of next season’s draft for the Hawks look identical to this year’s: two first-rounders, three second-rounders and two third-rounders.
Looking at the haul of the first rounds of the last two years, the Hawks have their defensive prospects covered in Kevin Korchinski (2022) and Sam Rinzel (’22) — with varying levels of offensive ability — and stable of speedy, shifty forwards in Connor Bedard (’23), Oliver Moore (’23) and Frank Nazar (’22).
“I think we’re on the right track,” said Mike Doneghey, Hawks director of amateur scouting. “Obviously getting Connor and Oliver in the first round this year, we have potential to (have) top-two centers in the league.”
And the depth goes beyond them.
“The forward group that we put together with Kantserov and Misiak, they’re all skaters,” Doneghey said. “Some are bigger, some are shorter, (but) they’ve got to have a skill level, (and) they can play different roles.
“I’m not naive enough to think everyone’s going to play, but if we keep sticking to the traits, we accomplished a lot this weekend. … We added some size at the end, some toughness, some guys who have been through some drafts, some guys with one name (Marcel Marcel). It was a good couple days.”
Doneghey explained why the Hawks have placed such a premium on speed since taking over the job two years ago as part of Davidson’s new regime.
“Norm McIver has a saying, it’s just the next line up over the boards is fast and fast, and it’s hard to continuously defend speed shift after shift,” he said. “So it’s just pure, as fast as we can get.”
Here are other developments to note from the draft:
Before the start of Day 2, the Hawks acquired a 2026 second-round pick and forward Josh Bailey from the New York Islanders for future considerations, though Bailey was placed on unconditional waivers. Davidson said, “Didn’t necessarily see a clear path to a role for us, so better to give him the opportunity to find that elsewhere.”
The Hawks also traded a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for 18-year veteran forward Corey Perry, who the Hawks will lean on for leadership.
Aside from third-round goalie Gajan and seventh-round defenseman Janne Peltonen, the Hawks’ last pick of the draft, the team went with all forwards. “It more so shook out that way,” Davidsons said.
The Hawks had their eye on a defenseman in the third round but missed out. The Hawks had two third-rounder picks, but the Pittsburgh Penguins took Emil Pieniniemi spots before the Hawks selected Jiri Felcman. “There weren’t a lot of right-shot defenseman that had the requisite size,” Doneghey said. “If they’re not going to be running power plays, we’d like them to be 6-2, 6-3.”
Here’s a breakdown of the Hawks’ selections in the 2023 NHL draft.
Round 1, No. 1: Center Connor Bedard
Round 1, No. 19: Forward Oliver Moore
Round 2, No. 35: Goalie Adam Gajan
Round 2, No. 44: Forward Roman Kantserov
Round 2, No. 55: Forward Martin Misiak
Round 3, No. 67: Forward Nick Lardis
Round 3, No. 93: Forward Jiri Felcman
Round 4, No. 99: Forward Alex Pharand
Round 5, No. 131: Forward Marcel Marcel
Round 6, No. 167: Forward Milton Oscarson
Round 7, No. 195: Defenseman Janne Peltonen
Round 1
No. 1: Connor Bedard
The Blackhawks took about a minute and a half once the clock started during Wednesday night’s NHL draft to select Bedard with the No. 1 pick, christening him as the “cornerstone” of their attempt to build the next Chicago sports dynasty.
With fans at Bridgestone Arena chanting, “Let’s go, Hawks,” general manager Kyle Davidson stepped onto the podium and said: “I’d like to say hi to all the Blackhawks fans back in Chicago, Blackhawks fans here today and Blackhawks fans watching around the world.
“And with the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL draft, the Chicago Blackhawks are very proud to select, from the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, Connor Bedard.” Read more here.
No. 19: Oliver Moore
Davidson looked sheepish when he said, “Honestly, to add Oliver Moore, so cliché — like, ‘We didn’t think he was going to be there. Blah, blah, blah, blah’ — but it wasn’t even a scenario we thought of. ... I couldn’t be happier.”
Moore said he had a lot of good talks with the Hawks and knew they were interested, but as for landing there, “It’s unbelievable.”
He’s another speed guy to go with 2022 first-round pick Frank Nazar and Bedard.
Round 2
No. 35: Adam Gajan
Gajan, 19, was the first goalie selected in the draft. The 6-foot-3 netminder from the NAHL Chippewa Steel is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
“We loved his athleticism, ability to play the puck,” Daivdson said. “(He’s a) big-game player, was great for Slovakia in the World Juniors, was excellent everywhere he played this year, so loved his play.
“But it’s the athleticism that stood out to us.”
NHL Central Scouting says he’s “very strong, quick and (has) efficient crease movements. A complete goaltender who never gives up on a play and is very athletic and quick. Very smart at reading the play and very good positionally.”
Gajan had a 53-save performance in the World Junior semifinals for Slovakia before falling to Bedard’s Canadian team.
“Now he’ll just score on me in practice and not in a game,” Gajan said of Bedard.
Still, Gajan’s performance made its mark on scouts.
”Two years ago, I wasn’t even on the roster,” Gajan said. “I was supposed to be the first goalie alternate. The first game didn’t go well, and at a morning skate before the game against USA, the goalie coach told me I’m going in. And since then, you know what happened.”
Or as Doneghey put it, “Kind of had his coming out party at the World Juniors.”
Gajan will play for USHL Green Bay next season before heading to Minnesota-Duluth.
“Then we’ll take it year by year,” Doneghey said, adding that it could be a long development process. “But the thought behind going to the USHL is he’ll play 55 to 60 games as a goalie, and that’s really valuable.”
No. 44: Roman Kantserov
The Hawks took the left-shooting right wing from Magnitogorsk, Russia, with their second pick of the second round.
He has put up 27 goals and 27 assists in 45 games in the MHL, a Russian major junior hockey league.
“He can flat-out shoot it,” Doneghey said. “Like, he’s accurate, quick release, skating’s really good and powerful.
“He’s got a thick body on him. Plays inside.”
The Hawks are counting on Kantserov to play a big role when he’s ready.
“Top-six upside, tons of upside, really strong kid, great personality,” Davidson said. “There’s just that high upside from a skill standpoint that we really liked.”
Kantserov hails from the same city as Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ilya Samsonov.
No. 55: Martin Misiak
The left-shooting right wing (6-1, 200 pounds) played for Nove Zamky in Slovakia’s top men’s league before transferring to USHL’s Youngstown, where he had six goals and 11 assists for the Phantoms’ Clark Cup championship team.
“I had the best feeling about them to be honest, so I hoped to get to Chicago,” he said. “I’m really glad it worked out, the interviews were fun.”
Misiak has known Gajan since he was 10: “It’s going to be fun, fun years with him.”
Misiak said his decision to move from Slovakia to the Phantoms from Slovakia was made after talking it over with his agents and scouts with an eye toward more ice time.
“I moved to the USA in February. It’s never really easy to make this kind of a choice, especially in a draft season,” he said. “I won a Cup with Phantoms in the USHL, so I think that worked out really well and I’m glad I made the move.”
Davidson likes Misiak’s two-way game and projects him as a bottom-six player, though in Youngstown’s playoff games he served as a first-line center.
“Really versatile,” he said.
Misiak said he’s comfortable playing center or wing, yet he’s a board battler who’s not afraid of contact.
“(He’s) almost like a Brandon Saad-type player, that big-bodied wall player,” Doneghey said.
Born in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, Misiak was a member of Slovakia’s gold medal-winning team at the 2022 under-18 World Championship.
With Bedard on the roster, Misiak has big aspirations for the Hawks.
“I know Chicago’s in a big rebuild, but what I saw of the players that they’re choosing, I think it’s going to be a quick rebuild and hopeful we’ll start winning soon,” Misiak said.
Round 3
No. 67: Nick Lardis
The Hawks selected a built-in fan in 17-year-old Lardis: “It’s the best moment of my life.,”
“Chicago, my favorite team growing, the winning pedigree they’ve had in the past 10 years, so to be part of that organization now is the best feeling in my life.”
Lardis’ favorite player, hands down is Patrick Kane — or “Patty Kane” to him.
His favorite Hawks memory is “Patty Kane’s overtime-winning goal in the (2010) Stanley Cup Final. Watching that, seeing how big of the game and watching it at home and seeing that my favorite player score the overtime-winner in a Stanley Cup Final is really cool moment.”
Before the draft, NHL director of Central Scouting Dan Marr noted “Lardis got traded from Peterborough to Hamilton, and I think in the second half of the season, he was one of the top scorers in the country. He just turned his game around.”
“When he got there, he just flourished,” Doneghey said after the draft. “He had 38 goals in the OHL which is hard to do. Most of those goals came with Hamilton.
Basically, “he can fly,” Doneghey said. “He meets our speed element, but he also has that scoring attribute.”
Lardis said his offense comes from his biggest strengths: speed and skating.
“The way I play with my speed and skill, it really allows me to create time and space (for) myself in all zones of the ice, and I think my quick shot as well is something that’s a big part of my game.”
Lardis said he’s modeled his game after New Jersey Devils’ Jesper Bratt or Ottawa Senators’ Tim Stutzle.
“Those two guys, I’ve watched a lot the past couple years to study their game on how they generate chances, the way the use their strengths, which is speed and skating ability and their IQs,” he said.
No. 93: Jiri Felcman
At 6-4 and 198 pounds, Felcman helps the Hawks address the need for more size in the forward group.
He played for the Langnau Tigers (10 goals and 21 assists in 40 games) of the Swiss Junior league for Czechia at the World Junior U-18s in Switzerland.
“Really improved this year,” said Mike Doneghey, Hawks director of amateur scouting. “Being 6-4, that kind of gangly and Bambi-ish (at 16 and 17) ... everything really came together for him this year.
“He projects as a bottom-six center but he gives us size and hockey IQ down the middle,” Doneghey said.
Round 4
No. 99: Alex Pharand
Pharand had an interesting January 2022. The Peterborough Petes acquired him in a package that sent Mason McTavish to the Hamilton Bulldogs, then the next day the Petes flipped him along with picks to the Sudbury Wolves for Chase Stillman.
Doneghey projects him as a winger. “Big winger,” he said.
The Hawks also like his toughness.
“He fought in the CHL prospect game, fought Kalan Lind, so he’s got that fighting ability,” Doneghey said. “Very competitive. Looks out for his teammates, but he’s a really good skater too.”
Round 5
No. 131: Marcel Marcel
Save the Marcel Marceux jokes, the 6-foot-4 Czech is a whopping 242 pounds.
He put up 14 goals and 18 assists in 52 games for the QJMHL Gatineau Olympiques, and three goals and five assists in 13 playoff games.
He also contributed two goals and four assists for Czechia in the World Junior U-20s.
Doneghey said, “We saw Marcel a lot, A) because he played in Gatineau with Sam Savoie, so when development was there or our Quebec league scouts were there, I’d always get a text on Marcel.
“He’s a bigger kid. He’s 6-4, almost 6-5, 240 pounds. But he gets around the ice really well. He played in the World Juniors, he was very successful there as a winger, so he fits our profile and he brings some size to the table.”
Round 6
No. 167: Milton Oscarson
Oscarson is another big European foward (6-6, 216) who the Hawks liked. It didn’t hurt that he was showcased along with a star on Sweden’s Örebero team.
“He played on the same team as (No. 2 overall pick) Leo Carlsson, so we saw him a lot,” Doneghey said. “He also played for Sweden in the World Juniors tournament.
“Projects bottom-six, penalty killer, solid skater, but (at his size) he takes up a lot of ice. He’s (got a) very good IQ, probably more penalty kill than anything, but he’s very responsible defensively.”
Round 7
No. 195: Janne Peltonen
Peltonen is the Hawks’ only defenseman of the draft.
Doneghey said, “Like I did last year with (2022 seventh-rounder Riku) Tohila, I’ve never seen him play. But Mikko Luoma, he’s got a thing for Finnish guys and he knows them pretty well, and Peltonen’s a 6-3, left-shot defenseman that can skate.
“He’s practicing in the Liiga right now with Karpat, probably playing up and down between junior and Liiga, but he meets our traits of skating, good size at 6-3, and competitive player.”
