Blackhawks select Adam Boqvist with 8th pick
The Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Adam Boqvist with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft on Friday.
Adam Boqvist
Position: Defense
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 165 lbs
Age: 17
Club: Almtuna IS (Allsvenskan)
Nationality: Swedish
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
(Stats courtesy: EliteProspects.com)
Another defenseman with seemingly limitless offensive upside, Boqvist was a surefire top-10 talent who has the skating ability and hockey IQ to become a Norris Trophy-type blue-liner for many years.
"Boqvist is a phenomenal skater. His edgework and agility allow him to take chances as he can quickly transition from offense to defense," theScore's draft expert Hannah Stuart wrote.
"He’s dangerous offensively, able to both make plays and score goals," she continued. "A key to his success? He thinks about the game at an elite level, uses his hockey sense to find or create opportunities, and determines whether the right call is to shoot or pass."
Boqvist's 2017-18 season was split among three different clubs at three separate levels in Sweden, so the two points in seven games he scored with Almtuna IS don't truly reflect his overall ability.
The 17-year-old's positional awareness and offensive skill set had him primed to be a top pick. And if Rasmus Dahlin, a generational talent, wasn't cemented into the first spot, it's very likely Boqvist would've been the top defenseman of the draft.