The Chicago Blackhawks made some big moves at the 2025 NHL Draft — and in this video, Will Scouch goes through each of their picks and shares his thoughts on the players they selected. From first-rounders to late-round swings, Will breaks down what stood out, what might work, and what could be questioned.
At the end, he gives his overall thoughts and a final grade on the Blackhawks’ 2025 draft class.
#NHLDraft #Blackhawks #Scouching #HockeyProspects #ChicagoBlackhawks
Don’t miss the next Scouching Live! Monday evenings at 8pm EST, and Thursday afternoons at 2pm EST. See you there!
Get data tools, a private Discord server and secret streams with a Scouching.ca subscription!
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyjPQqkQ7hiGw7qG4_Esjpg/join
Grab NHL gear at Fanatics: fanatics.93n6tx.net/BX71Jx
Curious about the world of the NCAA? Consider a PuckPreps.com subscription and support our work!
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/scouching.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Scouching
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scouching_will
Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/scouchingo
13 Comments
Yeesh looking rough Kyle
My question is who would’ve been a better option at 3? Also now I’m pissed at the isle for winning the draft and taking Misa away
You have to look at this draft in the context of what they already have in their prospect pool. They have a of of guys in the pipeline which are 1-2 years away from making the jump up. That's why they're comfortable taking guys with high ceilings that will take more time to develop, there's no rush (not even room on the team if they wanted guys to make the jump immediately). Even if 1 or 2 of the "reach" guys end up panning out that would be a success. Not every team is in the same position and I wish you had considered this a little more as some of their decisions obviously wouldn't be the same if they didn't have their current prospect pool or the time to develop guys.
It’s all 20/20 looking back on it but I wish the hawks would have grabbed Hagens at 3, Lakovic at 25, then West at 29. We have a top 3 prospect pool in the nhl so taking some guys with a high ceiling and low floors is fine.
There is a difference between building a team and filling out a roster. Passing on Nestrasil and West for guys like Cullen Potter wouldn't have made much sense for the Blackhawks. Also, if you are implying that Brady Martin would have been a better pick for the Blackhawks at #3 than Frondell, I disagree.
So the blackhawks wasted their entire draft is what youre saying? Since they took bad players at every single pick? Outside of Sumpf?
Scouch you’re normally on the money but this ain’t it chief. Frondy is a beast and a winner. He’s a complimentary piece that all teams will be wishing they had in a few years. Hagens will develop faster and better just because he’s with Boston (how tf did the teams that picked 4-6 let Hagens fall to Boston🤦♂️) but Frondell will be a more complete player that is absolutely essential to win championships. Hawks D core is looking insane especially with how young they are, we have the high end talent with bedard. Frondell is one of the final pieces to the puzzle, dare I say a Hossa type player🧐🧐 maybe that’s too far, no disrespect to the great 81 but if we get McKenna it’s over
frondell the funky homosapien – "get your lazy butt up off my scouch!!"
basically blackhawks scouts sucked at drafting this year and every year.
I don't think they drafted Frondell to be a center. I get a feeling they're sticking him on Connors wing.
great work will, when’s the jets recap coming?
I totally understand the skepticism around this draft class and why some might see it as “underwhelming.” As a newer Blackhawks and hockey fan, I’ve consistently heard about the depth in the system—especially when it comes to smaller, skilled forwards. There’s no shortage of them.
Personally, I was hoping for guys like James Hagens or Cullen Potter. But from a roster-building standpoint, I get the strategy. The Blackhawks don’t need more undersized or depth forwards right now—they need size and high-upside swings.
Sure, West and Nestrasil might not pan out, but I respect the approach. With the foundation they already have, this was the right time to take some big swings.
Oh man. This draft is going to be really, really nice for playoffs down the line