About this episode
On the latest edition of the Hawks Talk Podcast, Blackhawks vice president of amateur scouting Mark Kelley joins Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis to discuss NHL Draft preparations. Kelley talks about whether there's added pressure in picking third overall, what goes into the scouting meetings at this time of year and how deep the first round is in terms of high-end talent. Kelley also provides brief scouting reports on a handful of top prospects, and whether the Blackhawks are leaning a certain direction at No. 3. 0:42 - Is there more pressure coming into the draft picking at No. 3? 1:45 - Different feel organizationally picking third this year vs. 2006 (Jonathan Toews) 2:45 - Is the expectation that Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko will go 1 and 2? 4:05 - The Blackhawks control their destiny at No. 3 4:40 - Did the lottery throw a curveball into draft process? 5:35 - Inside the current scouting meetings 6:20 - What the Blackhawks were keying in on at Under-18 World Championship 7:15 - Best available player? 9:20 - Scouting reports on top draft prospects 13:13 - Building roster built for regular season and playoffs? 13:50 - Having a pool of players to choose from vs. a clear-cut player at No. 3 14:40 - What you're looking for at the NHL Draft combine 16:15 - Do the scouting meetings ever get intense? 18:20 - So, are the Blackhawks leaning a certain way at No. 3 yet?