Blackhawks Land Third Overall Pick in 2019 NHL Draft

An alumnus of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Matthew Brunstrum leverages nearly five years of financial services experience in his role as a mergers and acquisitions advisor with Sun Acquisitions. Beyond his professional pursuits, Matthew Brunstrum is a passionate sports fan who counts the Chicago Blackhawks as his favorite National Hockey League (NHL) team.

Expected to select 12th overall in the upcoming 2019 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks scord a major victory in the NHL draft lottery, which took place on April 9. Chicago had only an 8.3 percent chance of moving into the top three selections of the draft, but that’s exactly what happened. The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers also moved up from their respective positions into the top three. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman called the news “a game changer” for the franchise.

Chicago picked eighth overall in last year’s draft and selected Swedish defenseman Adam Boqvist. The last time it picked as high as third overall was in 2007, when it held the first overall pick and selected right winger Patrick Kane of the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights. Chicago selected Jonathan Toews third overall the year prior.

The top two picks in this year’s draft are expected to be Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko. Vasili Podkolzin, a winger from Russia, is a strong candidate for the third overall pick. Other options for the Blackhawks include defenseman Bowen Byram, center Dylan Cozens, and center Alex Turcotte.