(670 The Score) Continuing with their complete teardown, the Blackhawks stayed busy near the end of the first round of the NHL Draft on Thursday evening.
Chicago acquired goalie Petr Mrazek and the No. 25 overall pick in the first round from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the No. 38 pick in the second round. Mrazek’s inclusion was a salary dump on the Maple Leafs’ behalf, as he makes $3.8 million annually and is under contract through the 2023-’24 season.
With the 25th overall pick, the rebuilding Blackhawks selected 18-year-old Chaska (Minnesota) High School defenseman Sam Rinzel. He’s 6-foot-4 and 177 pounds and is from Waconia, Minnesota. He had committed to play at the University of Minnesota.
Mrazek, 30, had a 3.34 goals against average and .888 save percentage in 20 games for Toronto last season. He has a .912 save percentage in his 10-year NHL career.
Earlier Thursday, the Blackhawks selected 18-year-old defenseman Kevin Korchinski at No. 7 overall and followed it up by taking 18-year-old center Frank Nazar from the United States National Team Development Program at No. 13.
As of Thursday night, the Blackhawks owned two second-round picks, four third-round picks, two sixth-round picks and one seventh-round pick as the draft continued on. The second round starts Friday at 10 a.m. CT.
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