The Blackhawks have had success turning early draft picks into NHL prospects under general manager Stan Bowman.
Over Bowman’s first five drafts from 2010 to 2014, 18 of the 21 players the Blackhawks have selected in the first three rounds have signed an NHL entry-level deal. Fourteen of those players have played in at least one NHL game.
Two of the three players who weren’t offered an NHL contract are no longer in the organization. The other is Beau Starrett, and he may just still prove the Blackhawks right for drafting him early.
The Blackhawks took Starrett, a center/winger, in the third round with the 88th overall pick of the 2014 draft.