Fantasy hockey drafts will be starting sooner rather than later, and the Chicago Blackhawks will have a few quality players to pick up. That said, there will also be some deep sleepers in the Windy City this season, starting with one young player everyone outside of Blackhawks circles seems to be forgetting about.
So, which players should you, as a fantasy owner, keep tabs on as the draft hits its final few rounds? Let’s just say that the trio listed below aren’t slated to put up spectacular numbers this season, but don’t make the same mistake in that assumption, especially for the second name on the list.
Philipp Kurashev
Philipp Kurashev enjoyed a better year in 2023-24 than some may give him credit for, as he ranked second on the team with 54 points. Kurashev had an unspectacular 18 goals, but 36 assists and 54 total points weren’t bad, considering the state of the team last season.
This year, with the likes of Teuvo Teravainen and especially Tyler Bertuzzi in town, Kurashev can rack up the assists and likely break through the 20-goal mark. He’s got that playmaker potential, and it showed last season, making him an ultra-trendy pick to consider in the late rounds.
Tyler Bertuzzi
Tyler Bertuzzi is that gritty talent whose numbers have never been outstanding, but there have been seasons when you can use the word ‘sound’ to describe them. ‘Sound’ is what they will likely be in Chicago, but if he continually fights his way to the front of the net, there’s a good chance he can set a new career-best in Year 1 with the Hawks.
Because he’s performed well enough in the past, and with the excitement surrounding the Blackhawks, there is a good chance someone may reach for him earlier than they should. But if he’s there in the last round or two, something that could be the case in smaller leagues, strongly consider him, as he will, at the absolute least, provide that ‘sound’ production.
Artyom Levshunov
Taking Artyom Levshunov will be quite the risk here since there’s no guarantee he’s starting his pro hockey career in Chicago. Still, if intuition tells you otherwise, he’s that potential rookie to take in the final round of your fantasy draft.
Levshunov is entering a much better situation in Chicago this season than what Connor Bedard found himself in last year, and that fact alone will end up with him pulling off some valuable production. It may not occur early, but if you draft Levshunov and save him for later, he could end up rewarding you later in the year.