BLACKHAWKS SEE SUCCESS AT NO. 3

By: Joseph Zakrzewski
06/11/2019 3:01 PM

Since 1963, the Chicago Blackhawks have selected third overall in the NHL Entry Draft a league-leading five times and have held a pick in the top three spots seven times over the last 55 years.

Coming up next weekend, there is no doubt that the Blackhawks will select an extremely skilled young prospect, but don't be surprised if they need some time being properly introduced in the Midwest. After all, that Jonathan "Toes" kid (third overall pick in 2006) did alright for himself.

The Hawks can also thank the third overall pick for the likes of Hockey Hall of Famer (1980) Denis Savard, team legend and local product Ed Olczyk and Cam Barker, who spent slices of two seasons with the IceHogs during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns. Did you know them from the beginning? How have other teams fared in the No. 3 position? Plaeyrs such as LaFontaine (1983), Niedermayer (1991), Sedin (1999), Gaborik (2000), Bouwmeester (2002), Duchene (2009) and Strome (2015) have all elevated their organizations to a premiere status.

So come Friday, June 21 (round one of the draft) and as we learn more about the latest crop of prospects such as Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens and Alex Turcotte, know that the Hawks are in prime position to select the next household name.

HISTORY OF THE NO. 3 DRAFT PICK

Year Round Overall Team Player Pos Amateur Team Amateur Lg. NHL
1963 1 3 Boston Bruins Orest Romashyma   New Hamburg Jr. C    
1964 1 3 New York Rangers Robert Graham   Toronto Marlboros OHL  
1965 1 3 Detroit Red Wings George Forgie   Flin Flon WHL  
1966 1 3 Chicago Blackhawks Terry Caffery C Toronto Marlboros OHL x
1967 1 3 Oakland Seals Ken Hicks   Brandon WHL  
1968 1 3 Montreal Canadiens Jim Pritchard   Winnipeg WHL  
1969 1 3 Boston Bruins Don Tannahill LW Niagara Falls OHL x
1970 1 3 Boston Bruins Reggie Leach RW Flin Flon WHL x
1971 1 3 Vancouver Canucks Jocelyn Guevremont D Montreal QMJHL x
1972 1 3 Vancouver Canucks Don Lever LW Niagara Falls OHL x
1973 1 3 Vancouver Canucks Dennis Ververgaert RW London OHL x
1974 1 3 California Golden Seals Rick Hampton LW St. Catharines OHL x
1975 1 3 California Golden Seals Ralph Klassen C Saskatoon WHL x
1976 1 3 Minnesota North Stars Glen Sharpley C Hull QMJHL x
1977 1 3 Washington Capitals Robert Picard D Montreal QMJHL x
1978 1 3 St. Louis Blues Wayne Babych RW Portland WHL x
1979 1 3 Detroit Red Wings Mike Foligno RW Sudbury OHL x
1980 1 3 Chicago Blackhawks Denis Savard C Montreal QMJHL x
1981 1 3 Washington Capitals Bob Carpenter C St. John's High-MA x
1982 1 3 Toronto Maple Leafs Gary Nylund D Portland WHL x
1983 1 3 New York Islanders Pat LaFontaine C Verdun QMJHL x
1984 1 3 Chicago Blackhawks Ed Olczyk C Team USA   x
1985 1 3 New Jersey Devils Craig Wolanin D Kitchener OHL x
1986 1 3 New Jersey Devils Neil Brady C Medicine Hat WHL x
1987 1 3 Boston Bruins Glen Wesley D Portland WHL x
1988 1 3 Quebec Nordiques Curtis Leschyshyn D Saskatoon WHL x
1989 1 3 Toronto Maple Leafs Scott Thornton LW Belleville OHL x
1990 1 3 Detroit Red Wings Keith Primeau C Niagara Falls OHL x
1991 1 3 New Jersey Devils Scott Niedermayer D Kamloops WHL x
1992 1 3 San Jose Sharks Mike Rathje D Medicine Hat WHL x
1993 1 3 Tampa Bay Lightning Chris Gratton C Kingston OHL x
1994 1 3 Ottawa Senators Radek Bonk C Las Vegas IHL x
1995 1 3 Los Angeles Kings Aki Berg D Kiekko-67 Turku, FIN Finland-Jr. x
1996 1 3 New York Islanders J.P. Dumont RW Val d'Or QMJHL x
1997 1 3 Los Angeles Kings Olli Jokinen C HIFK Helsinki Finland x
1998 1 3 San Jose Sharks Brad Stuart D Regina WHL x
1999 1 3 Vancouver Canucks Henrik Sedin C MoDo Ornskoldsvik Sweden x
2000 1 3 Minnesota Wild Marian Gaborik RW Dukla Trencin Slovakia x
2001 1 3 Tampa Bay Lightning Alexander Svitov C Avangard Omsk KHL x
2002 1 3 Florida Panthers Jay Bouwmeester D Medicine Hat WHL x
2003 1 3 Florida Panthers Nathan Horton RW Oshawa OHL x
2004 1 3 Chicago Blackhawks Cam Barker D Medicine Hat WHL x
2005 1 3 Carolina Hurricanes Jack Johnson D U.S. National U-18 USNTDP x
2006 1 3 Chicago Blackhawks Jonathan Toews C U. of North Dakota WCHA x
2007 1 3 Phoenix Coyotes Kyle Turris C Burnaby BCHL x
2008 1 3 Atlanta Thrashers Zach Bogosian D Peterborough OHL x
2009 1 3 Colorado Avalanche Matt Duchene C Brampton OHL x
2010 1 3 Florida Panthers Erik Gudbranson D Kingston OHL x
2011 1 3 Florida Panthers Jonathan Huberdeau C Saint John QMJHL x
2012 1 3 Montreal Canadiens Alex Galchenyuk C Sarnia OHL x
2013 1 3 Tampa Bay Lightning Jonathan Drouin LW Halifax QMJHL x
2014 1 3 Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl C PRINCE ALBERT WHL x
2015 1 3 Arizona Coyotes Dylan Strome C Erie OHL x
2016 1 3 Columbus Blue Jackets Pierre-Luc Dubois LW Cape Breton QMJHL x
2017 1 3 Dallas Stars Miro Heiskanen D HIFK Finland x
2018 1 3 Montreal Canadiens Jesperi Kotkaniemi C Assat Finland x

Season Tickets for 2019-20 on Sale Now:
Don’t miss a moment of the action next season. Reserve your seats for the IceHogs’ 21st season of professional hockey in Rockford and 13th as the top AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The IceHogs’ home opener is set for Oct. 12 and ticket packages begin as low as $132 for an eight-game mini pack. Contact us at (815) 847-6399 or visit icehogs.com to claim your spots for this upcoming season.


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