This offseason, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson traded one exotic location, the Dominican Republic, for another: Buffalo, New York.
After soaking up the sun on a family vacation in the Caribbean, he’s in Buffalo for work: the NHL scouting combine, which runs Sunday through Saturday.
“You’re preparing the Draft, a lot of videos, a lot of discussions and meetings to plan how we want to attack potential roster changes,” Davidson told the Tribune. “Along the way, you meet with the players you can.”
The draft will take place June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas. In 2025, the NHL plans to have teams conduct their drafts from their home markets instead of gathering in one location.
“It’s exciting,” Davidson said. “It’s the last in-person draft as far as we know at this point. So we will enjoy the experience in Las Vegas, but we are excited to extend this journey throughout the process, get there and see how we can improve the organization.”
In an interview with the Tribune, Davidson weighed in on several topics, including top wing prospect Ivan Demidov, Connor Bedard’s performance at the IIHF World Championship and the reasoning behind the recent pick swap with the New York Islanders.
1. About the trade project
When it comes to the draft, the Hawks are developing a reputation for making splashy trades.
So they created a bit of a stir last week when they upgraded a first-round pick (from 20th to 18th) and a second-round pick (from 54th to 50th) by giving up an additional second-round pick (61st) to the Islanders.
Davidson has to be up to something, right? Perhaps a precursor to another rise up the board?
“It’s actually been fun to watch all the discourse around that trade,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun, actually.
“For us, our internal information indicated that this was an improvement in value, and so we did. You’re right, a second round, no matter how late the election is, is nothing. That said, we have many options. … We just feel like the picks we received have a better asset value package than the ones we sent.
“Honestly, it was that simple. It’s not a precursor or anything like that. It’s not the first domino to fall. “It was interesting to read all the theories about what the next step would be.”
It’s a short list of candidates for the Hawks to pick at No. 2: Demidov? Artyom Levshunov? – so his second first-round pick carries a lot more intrigue.
Chicago Blackhawks move up in first two rounds of NHL draft in trade with New York Islanders
Some promising prospects, like Bennett Sennecke or Michael Hage, could be at risk of being acquired before the 20th spot.
The general opinion is that you do not carry out an operation like this unless you have a specific objective. But Davidson said: “It wasn’t really done with the players in mind. In our opinion, it was strictly that we were more likely to improve our chances of finding legitimate NHL players at ages 18 and 50 than at ages 20, 54, and 61.
“You never know how drafts are going to go. Whether you’re three minutes away from someone making an election or we’re 30 days away from someone making an election, I don’t know who they’re going to choose. I don’t know how it’s going to fall. … I’d be lying if I said I knew what was going to happen at 18-on-20.”
2. About the interview with Ivan Demidov
Ivan Demidov of SKA Saint Petersburg in action during a Continental Hockey League match against Spartak Moscow at the Ice Sports Palace (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images)
The Hawks will fly to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in late June for a separate interview session with several top Russian draft prospects, including Demidov.
Experts see Demidov and Levshunov as the strongest contenders to be selected at No. 2 by the Hawks.
“One of the agents is hosting almost as a mix of their own for some of their clients, many of them Russia-based clients who are draft-eligible,” Davidson said. “So, it will be an opportunity to meet with them that we haven’t necessarily had the opportunity to do before.”
Due to his overseas contracts and visa hurdles, it can be difficult to scout Russian prospects, so Davidson said he enjoys this opportunity to meet Demidov.
“You have to understand what motivates a player, whether he plays in Vancouver, Toronto, Stockholm or St. Petersburg,” Davidson said. “You want to know them and what their motivations are, what their ambitions are, no matter where they play.
“It’s not that he’s different, or that any other player based in Russia is different, from the other 100 players you’re going to talk to. It’s just that each one is unique. … But we’re excited to get to know him and the other players who will be there and then dig into the rest of the group in Buffalo. So it will be an interesting process.”
3. About Connor Bedard at the World Cup
Canada’s Connor Bedard celebrates a goal during a semifinal match against Switzerland at the IIHF World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 25, 2024. (KeynoteUSA Photo/Petr David Josek)
Bedard began the IIHF World Championship in Czechia with back-to-back goals in the second period of Canada’s 4-2 victory against Great Britain, and finished the tournament with five goals and three assists.
It was a particularly fruitful opportunity for Bedard.
“I think this year it seemed like there were a few more NHL players willing to go than in previous years, and maybe that’s because of the upcoming international games,” Davidson said. “For Connor to be able to experience that, play with and against those (NHL) players and get experience playing with Canada… at the world championship level, it can only benefit him, so I’m excited that he can get the opportunity to play in these moments”.
In a penalty shootout loss to Switzerland in the semifinals, Bedard provided the first assist on John Tavares’ tying goal with just over two minutes left in regulation.
“He’s out there on the ice trying to tie the game late or (win) in overtime of a semifinal game like that,” Davidson said. “Being on the ice is a really beneficial experience for him.”
4. On the hiring of Martin Misiak and Zach Sanford
Martin Misiak celebrates after being selected 55th overall by the Blackhawks during the NHL draft on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee (Bruce Bennett//Keynote USA/Getty Images).
Misiak may not be the household name that Bedard is, but he is a pretty essential piece of the Hawks’ long-term plan.
After the 2023 draft, Hawks director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey called Misiak “almost a Brandon Saad type player, that big-bodied wall player.”
On Tuesday, the 6-foot-1, 201-pound Slovak winger signed a three-year deal with the Hawks that carries an annual cap hit of $878,333, according to CapFriendly.com.
After scoring six goals and 11 assists in 27 games for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms in 2022-23, Misiak racked up 23 goals and 24 assists in 60 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters last season.
“We just thought his two-way play was strong all year,” Davidson said. “He is a mature player, he plays a mature game.”
Davidson said Misiak followed a similar development plan as Nick Lardis, another winger from the 2023 draft class, whom the Hawks signed to an initial three-year contract in April.
“We’ll figure out what’s best for his development and where he’s best prepared to play,” Davidson said. “The options are professional hockey (in the AHL) or going back to the OHL. “There is always the European option, but we will resolve that during the summer.”
Davidson does not see Misiak as a candidate to make the Hawks roster this fall.
“You never want to say never, but it would be difficult,” he said. “It would be a very big leap. I think that’s unlikely. It needs some development time.”
The Hawks also brought back 29-year-old depth forward Zach Sanford on a one-year, two-way contract with a cap hit of $775,000. Sanford had four assists in 18 games last season.
“We love the mindset, the experience and what he brings to the room every day,” Davidson said. “Whether he’s here (in Chicago) or in Rockford, we know he’s an absolute professional.”
Davidson said Sanford will have a chance to make the Hawks roster after camp, but “if he ends up with the IceHogs, we know he’s a retiree capable of coming up and playing some of the last six minutes for us and playing a role that should play.” we need it.”
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