Meet the Blackhawks 2026 Draft Class: Reaction & Analysis – Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is officially in the books. For the Chicago Blackhawks, we already know they gave up their No. 1 pick. 4 and No. However, they traded again in the fourth round to advance to the second round. This left them with five picks; two in the second round, one in the third, two in the seventh round. When all was said and done, the organization selected three defensemen and two forwards in this year’s draft class.

Let’s take a look at each of these five picks, and what they could bring to the Blackhawks.

Blackhawks No. 34th Overall Selection: Xavier Villeneuve (D)

The Blackhawks started their 2026 draft in the second round, selecting defenseman Xavier Villeneuve with the 34th pick.^th choose. Villeneuve is a dangerous small pick because he is only 5-foot-11, 162 pounds. But the Blackhawks think he still has plenty of room to grow and expand. They feel he also helps with his dynamic style of play.

The left-handed D-man spent the past three seasons with the Blainsville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL. A hip injury limited Villeneuve to just 37 games last season, but he still registered six goals and 38 points. In his 2024-25 campaign he posted 12 goals and 62 points in 61 games. He has committed to Boston University for next season.

General manager Kyle Davidson also seemed impressed with the Laval, Quebec native’s enthusiasm for his car from the moment he met him at the latest factory earlier this month. Said Davidson, “He was one of those guys that stood out to me the most when I met him in person. I just fell in love … that gives you good faith that he’s going to do everything he can to be the player he can be.”

we. there is. I’m happy!! pic.twitter.com/T0NK18G9yN

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 27, 2026

Amateur Scouting director Mike Doneghey also added his two cents. “He’s an offensive playmaker, a creator. He’s got a high IQ. His skating, it’s top-notch … His IQ and skill set were probably at the top of the class.”

Many experts were surprised that Villeneuve was still available in the second round, so the Blackhawks were happy to get him.

Blackhawks No. 37 Overall Choices: Ryan Roobroeck (LW)

The organization must have really wanted this next pick, because they traded their No. 37 and No. With it, they nominated lefty Ryan Roobroeck.

Roobroeck is a big guy at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, and he seems to know how to put the puck in the back of the net. He spent the past three seasons with the OHL Niagara IceDogs. In the 2025-26 season, the native of London, ONT recorded 30 goals and 58 points in 49 games. Said Doneghey, “When he was 15, he was being considered for the special position, so he’s been on everybody’s radar for a long time. And he can score. Not many guys are 6-foot-3 and can score like he does.”

Ryan Roobroeck is a Chicago Blackhawk 🫵 pic.twitter.com/zl8tpaauHv

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 27, 2026

Additionally, Robroeck captured a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship, registering four goals and nine points in seven games.

Blackhawks No. 66 Total Choices: Samu Alalauri (D)

The Blackhawks held one pick in the third round, which they used to select another defenseman, Samu Alalauri. The Finnish native also has good size to him, at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. The right-shooting blueliner contributed six goals and 25 points in 40 regular season games with the Pelicans U20 of the U20 SM-sarja league in Finland.

Samu comes in from Finland 👋🇫🇮

see you soon!! pic.twitter.com/FnU1bmluoW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 27, 2026

I don’t know about you, but I want to be in that beautiful lake where Alalauri is! Per Doneghey, “He can skate all day, he can handle the puck.” The Blackhawks scouting director also explained that Alalauri is one of the two defensemen on the Finnish team. He will attend UMass next season, which is the same college that one of the Blackhawks, Vaclav Nestrasil, attended last season. The Blackhawks seem to like the program, so they know Alalauri will be in good hands.

Blackhawks No. 194th Overall Pick: Alexander Ivanov (D)

Since the Blackhawks gave up pick number 119 (fourth round) to move up in the second round, they didn’t pick again until the seventh round. With the selection of No. 194, they put a third defender in Alexander Ivanov.

with the 194th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft the Chicago Blackhawks select Alexander Ivanov‼️ pic.twitter.com/GsNzDO221b

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 27, 2026

This Russian D-man is a left shot and plays for Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. He measures in at 6-foot-2, 181 pounds. Doneghey mentioned that Ivanov is a long-term player, which makes sense since he is the seventh player. “It could be 3, 4 years (development). We have time with him.”

But Doneghey said it would be up to Ivanov to compete and prove his worth.

Blackhawks No. 200 Overall Selection: William Sorbrand (C)

Finally, the Blackhawks used the 200th pick to select Swedish center William Sorbrand. This is another great body; Sorbrand is 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds. He scored 10 goals and 18 points in 28 games with Timra IK (U20 Nationell) of the SHL last season, and also played in five games with top-ranked Timra IK.

welcome to the Chicago Blackhawks, William Sorbrand ❤️ pic.twitter.com/EhoerywfBW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 27, 2026

Per Doneghey, “He can skate, he plays hard. The second skill, like he drives to the net in front. He has the power to go along the boards … he has the physicality as well.”

Without Villeneuve, the Blackhawks 2026 draft class showed some size. This should please fans, as many feel their current lineup lacks size, strength and physicality.

Development camp begins on Monday (June 29), where we’ll have even more of an opportunity to get to know these new draftees, as well as previous years’ draftees who haven’t made it to the NHL level. For the first time in three years, the Blackhawks will be conducting on-ice practices during camp. GM Davidson stated that they are doing this to create a development plan for each player.

Additionally, the NHL’s free agent period begins on Wednesday (July 1). Beyond the Byram trade, does Davidson have anything else up his sleeve in making big additions to the roster?!

Keep it here at The Hockey Writers as we’ll be fully covering development camp, free agency and all other offseason news and analysis. Never have a bad time with the Blackhawks!