Tyler Cameron: The Blackhawks Draft Bowen Byram if…
… if the Blackhawks are smart according to most.

Not only is Bowen Byram the #1 ranked defenceman in the draft, but he might be the best player available at #3 when Stan Bowman and Mark Kelley take the stage on June 21st in Vancouver.

Why is everyone in love with Byram, the smooth skating Canadian defender? Let's take a look why.

First

I wouldn’t be surprised to hear the name Kirby Dach called out at #3.

Bowen Byram will be joining Stan and company on the podium after he is selected at #3. I just hope its not Caufield...

Byram all day long. Forwards are a lot easier to acquire via trade than #1 potential D-men.

Its just that simple, use your defensive depth to get what you need at center. BPA

Nice piece, Ty.

Wiz and Gate and I discussed this at length on RinkCast 53. Especially where does he fit in terms of all the prospects the Hawks have on D.

Something to consider: Boqvist and Mitchell are (I believe) more right-side guys. On the left, Beaudin appears to be the best and only reasonably predictable NHL prospect. Beaudin is a nice prospect, but not in the same conversation as Byram.

The other thing is, on tape anyway, Byram appears to have a bit of nastiness, and ability (if not consistency) in covering back and maintaining gaps that may make him better (at least) defensively than Boqvist—at least in terms of what we've seen to this point.

Point is, he could potentially complement Boqvist very well on a top pair, if you want that pair to be a constant threat to rapidly push the play up the ice and "good enough" defensively in their end.

Not either/or, but both . . .

Drafting for need kills teams. If Byram is the BPA at #3? Then draft him. We have Joki, Boqvist, Beaudin and Mitchell in the pipe line. Odds say 2 of those 4 will be able to play in the NHL. How many will be impact top 4 D? Draft BB and go hard after some Centers in FA.

Bowen Byram will be joining Stan and company on the podium after he is selected at #3. I just hope its not Caufield...
- BGKarras

Drafting for need kills teams. If Byram is the BPA at #3? Then draft him. We have Joki, Boqvist, Beaudin and Mitchell in the pipe line. Odds say 2 of those 4 will be able to play in the NHL. How many will be impact top 4 D? Draft BB and go hard after some Centers in FA.
- z1990z

Totally agree especially when you’re talking about the #3 pick. I also think any talk about the the Blackhawks leaning towards certain players after the combine, is just that talk.

Now is the time when Kelley brings his group together along with others like Paul Goodman to hash out decisions and build their board to present to Stan. Which will result in more questions/discussions before they arrive at the the final decision on #3.

No more comments on Bowen Byram by me..this is my impartial eyeball profile that have been up unaltered for quite some time:
All situation new age defender who can control the pace and tempo . Has high IQ for understanding the nuances of his position and executes them in a tough fashion. Has good top speed, stick and passing ability so he never is hesitating coming out of his end and continuing to lead the attack down deep in the attack zone. His strong backward skating ability lets him transition into his back pedal and stop/start in his gaps if he wants to stand an attacker up, and he is able to shadow attackers step for step. I keep reading that he is most certainly a notch ahead of last years Boqvist, Bouchard & Dobson, based on his tool box of skills. I question if he actually is their equal in terms of hockey IQ and on ice recognition, because those strengths are what allow these players to actually play to their strengths. Regardless, a team is going to get a nice chance at a top pair power play QB and maybe a top three push defender at the low end of expectations. The question is whether his skating ability helps cover up his lack of defensive recognition.

Why is there absolutely zero love for Connor McMichael? I don't know how many London Knight players have outplayed their draft rankings now. It's not a few..
- manvanfan

He's on my board at #28

https://www.draftsite.com/nhl/mock-draft/2019/



https://www.draftsite.com...r/connor-mcmichael/32499/

Drafting for need kills teams.We have Joki, Boqvist, Beaudin and Mitchell in the pipe line. How many will be impact top 4 D?.
- z1990z

And the question remains were THEY ALL drafting for need sections?

I liked BB's patience on some of those goals - holding on to it for Olczyk's "another second", changing angles....I know it won't be as easy in the Show as it was in the WHL, but it shows an offensive mentality.

Those highlight clips never show the player's defensive side - except for putting the opponent over the board early in the clip - that would make the difference, I think.

If he is the BPA - and would be the best defensive prospect of those that the Hawks have drafted recently - I don't see how they can pass on him - no matter how many defensive prospects are now in the system.

I wouldn’t be surprised to hear the name Kirby Dach called out at #3.
- walleyeb1

That might be, as he is really good too, and the smoke screens have already been put up...so who knows?

Trading Baudin would only happen if they draft Bynam, due to the Left Hand argument you present. Rasmum Sandin was there for them to take when they took Baudin, but Sandin is a RH shot, and Toronto took him two picks later, very happily.

That's a painful scenario you paint....if they took Velano, their center need might already be met, and it's wide open to take Bynam. That would have been ideal looking back.

So it's likely Turcotte or Bynam and trade for a center......the problem is number one centers become available about as often as number one pairing defensemen do, which is, basically almost never. If you want either, you need to draft and develop one. So at number 3 we are going to get something we don't have right now which is good.

If the Hawks draft Byram:
They are stocked with young D prospects. Probably only Joki can help the team this year. Maybe it will take 1 to 3 years for the others to make the NHL. No need to rush them. One or two may eventually be used in trade packages, but I would think they will not be traded until the Hawks are more sure of what they have in each player.

If you are buying that Crow can stay healthy and play 55+games at an elite level and you believe that one of Lankinen, Gravel, Delia, Nalimov, or Forsberg is the heir apparent to Crow (their #1 keeper for years to come) you should be set at goalie.

So the off season moves can focus on:
A top 4 Dman
A 4th line wing to play with Kampf and Caggiula.
The status of AA (trade and find a better 3c?)
If things fall right a top 6 wing.

I liked BB's patience on some of those goals - holding on to it for Olczyk's "another second", changing angles....I know it won't be as easy in the Show as it was in the WHL, but it shows an offensive mentality.

Those highlight clips never show the player's defensive side - except for putting the opponent over the board early in the clip - that would make the difference, I think.

If he is the BPA - and would be the best defensive prospect of those that the Hawks have drafted recently - I don't see how they can pass on him - no matter how many defensive prospects are now in the system.
- StLBravesFan

This really stood out in the playoff game I watched last month.

Byram isn't an overly physical defenseman, but he does not shy away from contact. The Raiders targeted Byram but he just kept going and was the best player on the ice.

Having Boqvist, Beaudin, Mitchell and Jokiharju in the pipeline shouldn't deter the Hawks from drafting Byram. He's different enough from all those guys and likely will be better than all of them.

That being said, we all know the Hawks are drafting Cole Caufield.

And the question remains were THEY ALL drafting for need sections?
- wiz1901

See it all the time. I just hope the Hawks dont bypass a higher rated player at one position, to fill another a position like Center. Example being the Rams and Aaron Donald. They drafted high at DL the year before, but he was the BPA when they selected him. Nobody expected them to draft Donald when they had other needs to fill.

"The question is whether his skating ability helps cover up his lack of defensive recognition."

Because the Hawks need more of that??

I liked BB's patience on some of those goals - holding on to it for Olczyk's "another second", changing angles....I know it won't be as easy in the Show as it was in the WHL, but it shows an offensive mentality.

Those highlight clips never show the player's defensive side - except for putting the opponent over the board early in the clip - that would make the difference, I think.

If he is the BPA - and would be the best defensive prospect of those that the Hawks have drafted recently - I don't see how they can pass on him - no matter how many defensive prospects are now in the system.
- StLBravesFan

To piggyback on your thought - yes, there is not many defensive highlights. The other thing that stood out to me while I was watching the clip in the blog was, there were sure a lot of overtime games. He scored what, 5 overtime goals? Is BB high on the list for his offensive skills, or defensive skills? Is he a better Gus?

I was all Cozens early. Now, warming up to a Byram selection.

If I knew Stan's plans to improve via FA or trade, it may make a difference on who I would draft. Man. Tough decision for these guys....any of 5-6 guys could be picked at #3 and a strong case made for each....

.....and, "Yes" Darth....even a case for Caufield!

this is where it gets interesting and the intrigue of stanbow...does he pull off a megatrade or a series of trades tied to him picking this bluechip dman...

just my IMHO but i doubt stanbow wants uses a 3rd pick to take a guy like turcott and wait a year while he plays for wisconsin...if they were in complete rebuild mode..maybe he does this...but not now.

he just might pull off something none of us expect...

To piggyback on your thought - yes, there is not many defensive highlights. The other thing that stood out to me while I was watching the clip in the blog was, there were sure a lot of overtime games. He scored what, 5 overtime goals? Is BB high on the list for his offensive skills, or defensive skills? Is he a better Gus?
- powerenforcer

If Byram's puck skills can translate to the NHL, I think his puck skills would be much better the Gus' - and, hopefully, his skills on the other side of the ice, too.

I don't think Gus can drive the net like Byram showed in those clips - true, against WHL defenders, not NHL, but still....

I'm not gonna be disappointed, initially, with whoever we end up selecting with the 3rd pick (or if we move back which might not be the worst idea if we can get the guy we like at say 5 and 22 and can use that second first to get another blue chip prospect as well). I've said it before and I'll say it again, as long as whoever we draft can come up and make an impact in the next 1-2 years on this team then it'll be worth it.

I was all Cozens early. Now, warming up to a Byram selection.

If I knew Stan's plans to improve via FA or trade, it may make a difference on who I would draft. Man. Tough decision for these guys....any of 5-6 guys could be picked at #3 and a strong case made for each....

.....and, "Yes" Darth....even a case for Caufield!
- hawk35

This is the issue - what kind of team does SB think they have now, and what kind of team does he envision them to be.

One can only hope he envisions them to be a team like most Stanley Cup teams are: fast, skilled, AND strong.

Despite the narrative that the game is changing, the fact remains it is still very much the same when it counts the most - in the playoffs. If SB does not act to bring balance to the roster, two legs won't enough to hold up the stool.

But regardless of style, signing D guys who can't play D as their prime directive - makes zero sense to me.

this is where it gets interesting and the intrigue of stanbow...does he pull off a megatrade or a series of trades tied to him picking this bluechip dman...

just my IMHO but i doubt stanbow wants uses a 3rd pick to take a guy like turcott and wait a year while he plays for wisconsin...if they were in complete rebuild mode..maybe he does this...but not now.

he just might pull off something none of us expect...
- bogiedoc

Doesn't much of that depend on whether or not they think the current team - with a healthy Crawford; more experience for Kahun, and Kampf; continued strong play from Strome for a full season; a stronger emphasis on 18-skater defense after Colliton has his full off-season and training camp; an improved PK; perhaps a depth move or two....

If they think the above can get them into the playoffs - not compete for a Cup, but get them into the tournament - with a chance of at least one round of advancement - I don't think they would mind waiting for a Turcotte or Byram or...to be ready for the Show.