The Chicago Blackhawks didn't win the 2025 draft lottery and got moved down one spot. That isn't the worst thing as any one of the top three ranked prospects by NHL central scouting project to be very good.
Jonathan Toews (David Banks-Imagn Images)
I am going to assume that the Blackhawks draft whichever one of Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, or James Hagens remains after the first two picks. And with that, it would make him the seventh third overall pick in Chicago team history. Here's a look at the previous six and how their careers went with the Blackhawks and afterwards.
24-year-old Kirby Dach was the latest third overall pick by the Blackhawks six years ago. He hasn't lived up to his draft position yet and there's not a great chance he will with the injuries he's suffered. The Blackhawks moved off of him three years ago after just 152 games when they cleaned house, including some young talent they shouldn't have. He put up 19 goals and 59 points in his first three seasons.
Dach has played just 117 games for the Montreal Canadiens over the last three seasons and is a middle-six player when healthy. He only put up 10 goals and 22 points in 57 games this season.
Jonathan Toews is one of the Blackhawks' all-time greats and very much lived up to his draft position. He captained Chicago to three Stanley Cups, was an all-star, won the Conn Smythe, Selke Trophy, and Mark Messier Award, was named one of the NHL's 100 greatest players, and received votes for the Selke Trophy in 12 consecutive seasons from his sophomore year on.
Toews only played for the Blackhawks and after some time off, may return next season. I don't think that will be with Chicago though.
Cam Barker was looking like he was going to live up to expectations in his third season when he put up six goals and 40 points in 68 games at age 22 with only 18:20 of ice time. But then he was dealt the next season and only played parts of three more seasons in the NHL before playing his last at 26 years old for the Vancouver Canucks in 2012-13. He fell off very quickly, but at least the Blackhawks got his two best seasons.
Eddie Olczyk had a long and successful career that started and ended with the Blackhawks, but had five other teams mixed in there in between. He very much lived up to expectations as well. From the ages of 18-20, Olczyk scored 65 goals and 180 points in 228 games while playing a physical game and without a ton of help from the power play.
Olczyk is one of the great young players that have performed at a young age for the Blackhawks and scored 29 goals and 79 points in 79 games in his second season. He returned at age 32 for two final seasons with the Blackhawks and ended his career with 342 goals and 794 points in 1031 games. He won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994 and his best playoff showing was at 18 years old, producing six goals and 11 points in 15 games.
Denis Savard is in the Hall of Fame, has won a Stanley Cup, and is one of the NHL's 100 greatest players, so it's safe to say he was a great choice at third overall by the Blackhawks. He contributed more to Chicago than Olczyk as a player as well, considering the legend played 13 seasons for the Blackhawks.
Savard was a Hart trophy finalist once and finished top-12 in voting on three other occasions as well. In 881 games for the Blackhawks in his career, he scored 377 goals and 1096 points. In his career, Savard put up 473 goals and 1338 points. He scored 66 goals and 175 points in 169 playoff games.
There's a good reason why you likely don't know the name Terry Caffery, and that's because he didn't leave a lasting impression and was drafted nearly 70 years ago. He recorded no points for the Blackhawks in six games and only played 14 total games in the NHL. He did score 59 goals and 170 points in 164 games in the WHA including an 100 point season, but he wasn't worth the pick Chicago chose him at.
