The Chicago Blackhawks secured the second-best odds in the NHL draft lottery when the Calgary Flames defeated the Utah Mammoth on Sunday. The Hawks are guaranteed a top-four draft pick for the fourth straight year.
The Vancouver Canucks (24-48-5, 56 points) have locked up the best odds and have a 25.5% chance to win the lottery. The Hawks (28-38-14, 70 points) will have a 13.5% chance of securing the first pick, 14.1% for the second, 30.7% for the third and 41.7% for the fourth.
The last three drafts saw the Hawks select Connor Bedard at No. 1 in 2023, Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 in 2024 and Anton Frondell at No. 3 in 2025. Bedard enters Monday’s penultimate game of the season with a career-high 73 points — despite missing 12 games with a separated shoulder — Levshunov has shown spurts on the blue line and Frondell has adapted quickly to the NHL since his arrival March 24.
Hawks coach Jeff Blashill isn’t taking for granted that a top-four pick will become a star.
“A lot of things factor into that — the strength of the draft, who you pick, all those things — but generally, historically speaking, that’s where a lot of the top guys come from,” Blashill said. “It’s not something I’ve thought about (and it’s) certainly not something we’ve aspired to get, but having that hopefully gives us a chance to add a good player.”
The lottery will take place May 5, with the draft scheduled for June 26-27 in Buffalo, N.Y. Forwards Ivar Stenberg and Gavin McKenna have topped most mock drafts, while a plethora of defensemen — including Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels and Alberts Smits — have landed in multiple top-10s.
The Hawks have had the No. 1 pick only twice in franchise history, selecting Patrick Kane in 2007 and Bedard.
