Blackhawks will select 4th in the NHL draft. Here are 5 prospects they should consider.

Still, Davidson said all options are on the table regarding the pick and that the Hawks are in “best player available” mode. While top prospects Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg likely will be gone when they’re on the clock, the teams in front of them — the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks — do have other needs to address: The Leafs and Sharks desperately need defensemen while the Canucks need … everything. Here’s a closer look at five prospects — including Stenberg — whom the Hawks should consider with the fourth pick: Chase Reid, RHD, Soo Greyhounds (OHL) This draft class is full of quality defensemen, and a young, high-potential blue-liner is rarely a bad choice.

You can pick and choose who’s the best among a handful of defensemen this year, but Reid, 18, may be the standout. He missed six weeks after suffering an undisclosed upper-body injury in February, briefly halting an impressive season. He didn’t lose any steam upon his return and finished with 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) in 45 regular-season games, plus six points in 10 playoff games.

In 2024-25, he led all OHL rookies with 33 assists. Reid has a knack for killing opposing breakaways and retrieving loose pucks, which makes up for not being the most physical defenseman at 6-foot-2, 187 pounds. It isn’t his main selling point, but retrieving those pucks could keep possessions alive for a Hawks team that struggled mightily in 5-on-5 this past season.

His skating and playmaking put him above other defenseman prospects. The idea is tempting that he could one day quarterback a Hawks power play that finished 29th in the NHL at 16. 9%.