Commesso, Balanced Offense Lead Hogs
October 12
BLACKHAWKS SEE SUCCESS AT NO. 3
Since 1963, the Chicago Blackhawks have selected third overall in the NHL Entry Draft a league-leading five times and have held a pick in the top three spots seven times over the last 55 years.
Coming up next weekend, there is no doubt that the Blackhawks will select an extremely skilled young prospect, but don't be surprised if they need some time being properly introduced in the Midwest. After all, that Jonathan "Toes" kid (third overall pick in 2006) did alright for himself.
The Hawks can also thank the third overall pick for the likes of Hockey Hall of Famer (1980) Denis Savard, team legend and local product Ed Olczyk and Cam Barker, who spent slices of two seasons with the IceHogs during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns. Did you know them from the beginning? How have other teams fared in the No. 3 position? Plaeyrs such as LaFontaine (1983), Niedermayer (1991), Sedin (1999), Gaborik (2000), Bouwmeester (2002), Duchene (2009) and Strome (2015) have all elevated their organizations to a premiere status.
So come Friday, June 21 (round one of the draft) and as we learn more about the latest crop of prospects such as Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens and Alex Turcotte, know that the Hawks are in prime position to select the next household name.
HISTORY OF THE NO. 3 DRAFT PICK
| Year | Round | Overall | Team | Player | Pos | Amateur Team | Amateur Lg. | NHL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1 | 3 | Boston Bruins | Orest Romashyma | New Hamburg Jr. C | |||
| 1964 | 1 | 3 | New York Rangers | Robert Graham | Toronto Marlboros | OHL | ||
| 1965 | 1 | 3 | Detroit Red Wings | George Forgie | Flin Flon | WHL | ||
| 1966 | 1 | 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | Terry Caffery | C | Toronto Marlboros | OHL | x |
| 1967 | 1 | 3 | Oakland Seals | Ken Hicks | Brandon | WHL | ||
| 1968 | 1 | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | Jim Pritchard | Winnipeg | WHL | ||
| 1969 | 1 | 3 | Boston Bruins | Don Tannahill | LW | Niagara Falls | OHL | x |
| 1970 | 1 | 3 | Boston Bruins | Reggie Leach | RW | Flin Flon | WHL | x |
| 1971 | 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | Jocelyn Guevremont | D | Montreal | QMJHL | x |
| 1972 | 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | Don Lever | LW | Niagara Falls | OHL | x |
| 1973 | 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | Dennis Ververgaert | RW | London | OHL | x |
| 1974 | 1 | 3 | California Golden Seals | Rick Hampton | LW | St. Catharines | OHL | x |
| 1975 | 1 | 3 | California Golden Seals | Ralph Klassen | C | Saskatoon | WHL | x |
| 1976 | 1 | 3 | Minnesota North Stars | Glen Sharpley | C | Hull | QMJHL | x |
| 1977 | 1 | 3 | Washington Capitals | Robert Picard | D | Montreal | QMJHL | x |
| 1978 | 1 | 3 | St. Louis Blues | Wayne Babych | RW | Portland | WHL | x |
| 1979 | 1 | 3 | Detroit Red Wings | Mike Foligno | RW | Sudbury | OHL | x |
| 1980 | 1 | 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | Denis Savard | C | Montreal | QMJHL | x |
| 1981 | 1 | 3 | Washington Capitals | Bob Carpenter | C | St. John's | High-MA | x |
| 1982 | 1 | 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Gary Nylund | D | Portland | WHL | x |
| 1983 | 1 | 3 | New York Islanders | Pat LaFontaine | C | Verdun | QMJHL | x |
| 1984 | 1 | 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | Ed Olczyk | C | Team USA | x | |
| 1985 | 1 | 3 | New Jersey Devils | Craig Wolanin | D | Kitchener | OHL | x |
| 1986 | 1 | 3 | New Jersey Devils | Neil Brady | C | Medicine Hat | WHL | x |
| 1987 | 1 | 3 | Boston Bruins | Glen Wesley | D | Portland | WHL | x |
| 1988 | 1 | 3 | Quebec Nordiques | Curtis Leschyshyn | D | Saskatoon | WHL | x |
| 1989 | 1 | 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Scott Thornton | LW | Belleville | OHL | x |
| 1990 | 1 | 3 | Detroit Red Wings | Keith Primeau | C | Niagara Falls | OHL | x |
| 1991 | 1 | 3 | New Jersey Devils | Scott Niedermayer | D | Kamloops | WHL | x |
| 1992 | 1 | 3 | San Jose Sharks | Mike Rathje | D | Medicine Hat | WHL | x |
| 1993 | 1 | 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Chris Gratton | C | Kingston | OHL | x |
| 1994 | 1 | 3 | Ottawa Senators | Radek Bonk | C | Las Vegas | IHL | x |
| 1995 | 1 | 3 | Los Angeles Kings | Aki Berg | D | Kiekko-67 Turku, FIN | Finland-Jr. | x |
| 1996 | 1 | 3 | New York Islanders | J.P. Dumont | RW | Val d'Or | QMJHL | x |
| 1997 | 1 | 3 | Los Angeles Kings | Olli Jokinen | C | HIFK Helsinki | Finland | x |
| 1998 | 1 | 3 | San Jose Sharks | Brad Stuart | D | Regina | WHL | x |
| 1999 | 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | Henrik Sedin | C | MoDo Ornskoldsvik | Sweden | x |
| 2000 | 1 | 3 | Minnesota Wild | Marian Gaborik | RW | Dukla Trencin | Slovakia | x |
| 2001 | 1 | 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Alexander Svitov | C | Avangard Omsk | KHL | x |
| 2002 | 1 | 3 | Florida Panthers | Jay Bouwmeester | D | Medicine Hat | WHL | x |
| 2003 | 1 | 3 | Florida Panthers | Nathan Horton | RW | Oshawa | OHL | x |
| 2004 | 1 | 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | Cam Barker | D | Medicine Hat | WHL | x |
| 2005 | 1 | 3 | Carolina Hurricanes | Jack Johnson | D | U.S. National U-18 | USNTDP | x |
| 2006 | 1 | 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | Jonathan Toews | C | U. of North Dakota | WCHA | x |
| 2007 | 1 | 3 | Phoenix Coyotes | Kyle Turris | C | Burnaby | BCHL | x |
| 2008 | 1 | 3 | Atlanta Thrashers | Zach Bogosian | D | Peterborough | OHL | x |
| 2009 | 1 | 3 | Colorado Avalanche | Matt Duchene | C | Brampton | OHL | x |
| 2010 | 1 | 3 | Florida Panthers | Erik Gudbranson | D | Kingston | OHL | x |
| 2011 | 1 | 3 | Florida Panthers | Jonathan Huberdeau | C | Saint John | QMJHL | x |
| 2012 | 1 | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | Alex Galchenyuk | C | Sarnia | OHL | x |
| 2013 | 1 | 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Jonathan Drouin | LW | Halifax | QMJHL | x |
| 2014 | 1 | 3 | Edmonton Oilers | Leon Draisaitl | C | PRINCE ALBERT | WHL | x |
| 2015 | 1 | 3 | Arizona Coyotes | Dylan Strome | C | Erie | OHL | x |
| 2016 | 1 | 3 | Columbus Blue Jackets | Pierre-Luc Dubois | LW | Cape Breton | QMJHL | x |
| 2017 | 1 | 3 | Dallas Stars | Miro Heiskanen | D | HIFK | Finland | x |
| 2018 | 1 | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | C | Assat | Finland | x |
Season Tickets for 2019-20 on Sale Now:
Don’t miss a moment of the action next season. Reserve your seats for the IceHogs’ 21st season of professional hockey in Rockford and 13th as the top AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The IceHogs’ home opener is set for Oct. 12 and ticket packages begin as low as $132 for an eight-game mini pack. Contact us at (815) 847-6399 or visit icehogs.com to claim your spots for this upcoming season.
