Mock Draft Hat Trick: Who Do Analysts Have Chicago Taking 19th?

The most recent Hockey Now Mock Draft has the Chicago Blackhawks taking Dimitri Simashev with the 19th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. This differed from an earlier choice where they had the Andrew Cristall mocked to Chicago.

With less than two weeks left, what do some other outlets have the Blackhawks doing at #19? Here’s a look at three other mock drafts and the prospect they have Chicago taking.

NHL.com Mock Draft Goes With a Familiar Name

Wouldn’t you know that both NHL.com writers have a familiar face at #19. Both Adam Kimelman and Mike Morreale have the Blackhawks taking Cristall with the pick from Tampa Bay. The upsides are obvious: As CHN wrote when we profiled him, Cristall has unbelievable offensive instincts and projected #1 pick Connor Bedard indicated that he has a high hockey IQ.

Cristall has been all over the place in terms of prospect rankings with some outlets placing him in the top ten while others have him going later in the first round.

Flo Hockey Mock Draft Has Blackhawks Going Forward

No, it’s not Cristall this time. Instead, Flo Hockey writer Chris Peters has the Blackhawks taking Calum Ritchie from the Oshawa Generals. Listed as a center, Ritchie has also played wing which would be a hybrid the Blackhawks would certainly be drawn to. Already heavy down the middle in the prospect pool, Ritchie would be valuable on either side to the team.

In most prospect rankings, Ritchie is anywhere from 13th to 28th. Interestingly, the Hockey Now Mock Draft had Ritchie going one pick after the Blackhawks to Calgary.

Daily Faceoff Goes with Ritchie As Well

In the final of our triumvirate of mock drafts, the Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis takes  Ritchie at 19 as well, leaving Cristall to go at 22 instead. Described as a “dazzling” forward, Ellis and Peters both place Ritchie with the Blackhawks because of the impact of his game. But what’s interesting is that Peters talks his size up more along with his offensive flair while Ellis focuses more on his two-way game and less on offensive skills he doesn’t see as strong as they could be.

Final Thoughts

All three have the Blackhawks going forward which makes sense as Chicago’s prospect pipeline is loaded with defensemen. With each passing day, Chicago Hockey Now will be including more prospect profiles for who could be in the 10-25 range. It’s still not too far off to believe that if the right player comes along, the Blackhawks could trade up. If not enamored with anyone at 19, perhaps they’ll trade down and acquire more pieces.

Regardless, in what is billed as a deep draft, it appears the Blackhawks will certainly have their fair share of choices when the draft moves to the 19th pick.

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