(670 The Score) The Blackhawks selected 18-year-old defenseman Kevin Korchinski at No. 7 overall in the first round of the NHL Draft on Thursday evening and followed it up by taking 18-year-old center Frank Nazar from the United States National Team Development Program at No. 13.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Korchinski played for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL last season, when he had four goals and 61 assists in 67 games. His strengths are his skating ability, puck movement and anticipation, according to the ESPN scouting report. Korchinski is a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
“We got our guy, we truly got our guy,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said on the ESPN broadcast following the selection.
“The combination of size, skating, he’s the entire package.”
The Blackhawks nabbed Korchinski with the No. 7 pick, which they acquired earlier in the day by trading 24-year-old star forward Alex DeBrincat to the Senators. Chicago also traded 21-year-old center Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens in the evening for the No. 13 overall pick in the first round as the organization undergoes a teardown.
“It’s an exciting day, but it’s a tough day as well,” Davidson said.
With their newly acquired No. 13 pick, the Blackhawks landed Nazar, who had 28 goals and 42 assists in 56 games last season.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Nazar’s strengths are playing with pace, his playmaking creativity and getting into scoring areas, according to the ESPN scouting report. He’s a Detroit native.
Later Thursday night, the Blackhawks made their third trade of the day to nab yet another first-round pick. Chicago acquired goalie Petr Mrazek and the No. 25 overall pick 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 struggled mightily last season and makes $3.8 million annually.
At No. 25 overall, 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.
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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