Blackhawks Draft Profiles: Jack Nesbitt

We started our series of Blackhawks Draft Profiles by looking at six options for the third overall pick in this month’s NHL Entry Draft. The Blackhawks also have the 25th overall pick, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2023 trade for Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty. General manager Kyle Davidson has been aggressive on draft night before, so there is no guarantee that this pick will be made. However, that won’t stop us from looking at potential fits, and we’re starting with forward Jack Nesbitt.

Tale of the Tape

Date of Birth: Jan. 12, 2007
Place of Birth: Sarnia, ON
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 183 pounds
2024-25 Team: Windsor Spitfires (Ontario Hockey League)

Player Profile

Nesbitt fits the bill for those who want the Blackhawks to get bigger. His 6-foot-4 frame has plenty of room to fill out, and his style of play will require it to. He is an old-school power forward who is fearless on the ice. He is more than willing to battle along the boards for a puck and get to the dirty areas of the ice.

While he has those trades that would have made him a star in the ’90s, he possesses the cerebral game that is vital in today’s game. Nesbitt’s hockey IQ is through the roof, as he has an incredible knack for always being in the right place at the right time. He uses his senses in both zones. Offensively, he seems to know where his teammates are for a scoring chance and can also open space in the zone to create for himself. Defensively, he uses his reach to break up scoring chances and makes crisp, clean first passes to lead a breakout.

Nesbitt had a breakout season with 25 goals and 64 points in 65 games. The Spitfires had one of the bigger teams in the OHL, including Blackhawks prospect A.J. Spellacy, and he used that to have a career year heading into the draft. He also had two goals and five points at the U18 World Junior Championships, helping Canada to the gold medal.

What Experts are Saying

“He’s a big, tall, strong center who looks like a man and yet still has room to get stronger. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle, reliable on and off the puck, with some of the complementary skills you look for in a bigger pivot, including good hands in tight and on tips and a willingness to battle, go to the net and then release into the corners to get pucks back and go to work on the cycle.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

“Jack Nesbitt is a prototypical power forward center with an impressive combination of size, skating ability, and a developing offensive skillset. At 6-foot-4, his frame and reach make him a challenging matchup for opponents, especially when he uses his body to protect the puck rather than exposing the puck trying to make high-risk plays.” – Neutral Zone

“Nesbitt, who is a good skater and a strong presence at the net on the power play. Nesbitt skates well and has a frame that looks capable of holding more muscle. If he can fill out without losing the elusiveness and speed he has playing with the puck, he projects to be a top-six option.” – Adam Kimelman, NHL.com

Blackhawks Fit

Nesbitt would be a really good fit with the Blackhawks. He can skate and has the size they desperately need. He already believes that good defensive habits can turn into offensive chances, which is what Jeff Blashill and his coaching staff want to instill in this young team. His ceiling is a middle-six center, or, at the very least, a physical, defensive-minded fourth-line pivot.

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Additional Draft Profiles

Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
James Hagens
Porter Martone
Anton Frondell
Caleb Desnoyers