The 2025 NHL Scouting Combine was this past weekend, with player interviews and fitness testing taking place on Friday and Saturday (June 6 and 7). This is a time for teams across the league to get a closer look at the top prospects before the 2025 NHL Draft at the end of the month (June 27 and 28). For the Chicago Blackhawks, one of their top priorities is determining who they will take with their third overall selection. If you recall, Chicago picked generational talent Connor Bedard first overall in 2023 and defenseman Artyom Levshunov second overall in 2024. This year, they now have the third overall pick.
The hope is the Blackhawks are turning a corner, so they won’t be finishing at the bottom of the standings anymore. Ideally, they won’t have the “opportunity” to select candidates at the top of the draft moving forward. With that in mind, this pick could be an integral component to the overall success and timeline of their rebuild. But no pressure!
Related – Blackhawks Should Embrace the Uncertainty of Picking 3rd Overall
This year’s draft class is such that there’s no real standout pick beyond the first two selections. Depending on how you look at it, even the top two picks aren’t a sure thing. So, what do the Blackhawk’s options look like at No. 3? Let’s take a closer look.
Martone Makes Sense
For the purposes of this discussion, let’s assume the Blackhawks are looking for a forward with this pick. They have one of the deepest defensive prospect pools already, but could definitely use more elite forwards to take that next step towards contention.
One statement I found interesting from Kyle Davidson’s comments last Thursday (June 5) at the combine was that the Blackhawks very much see existing young players Bedard and Frank Nazar as NHL centers, and they’re not currently considering moving either one to the wing.
This, in turn, could impact who they take at the No. 3 spot in this year’s draft. In other words, they’re not necessarily looking for a center. Let’s assume the New York Islanders take defenseman Matthew Schaefer and the San Jose Sharks take forward Michael Misa, who are both highly considered the No. 1 and No. 2 picks. The consensus is the Blackhawks will be targeting one of forwards James Hagens, Porter Martone, Caleb Desnoyers or Anton Frondell with their No. 3 pick. Of these four, Martone is the only one that’s not considered a center; he’s instead always played…
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