HISTORY OF FIRST-ROUNDERS TO PLAY IN AN ICEHOGS SWEATER
Rockford, Ill. – The 2017 NHL draft begins on Friday, June 23rd at the United Center. The first-round begins Friday night, with rounds two through seven following on Saturday, June 24th. The Chicago Blackhawks have the 26th overall pick and an additional nine picks in the following rounds with three coming during round five (#135, #144, #150).
There have been over 25 first-round picks that have worn the IceHogs sweater in the last three decades. The highest overall pick to ever play for the Hogs was the third overall pick by Chicago in the 2004 NHL Draft, Cam Barker.
In 2011, Chicago gained two first-round picks that both spent time in Rockford. Mark McNeil, #18 overall, is present in many IceHogs records such as fourth overall in games played (273), second overall in goals (72), third in points (157) and 10th in assists (85). Chicago’s second first-round pick that season was Phillip Danault at #26 overall. He spent parts of five seasons with the IceHogs and played in 160 games accumulating 20 goals, 48 assists, 68 points and 94 penalty minutes.
Teuvo Teravainen was drafted by the Blackhawks #18 overall in the 2012 draft. Teravainen spent a short time in Rockford totaling 8 goals, 19 assists, 27 points and 8 penalty minutes in 44 games. After his time in Rockford, he helped in Chicago’s run towards winning the 2015 Stanley Cup.
Chicago’s 2013 NHL first-round pick was Ryan Hartman, #30 overall. Hartman spent three seasons with the IceHogs netting 31 goals, adding 48 assists and compiling 79 points. Hartman showed his physical side in Rockford with 257 penalty minutes in only 139 games played.
The most recent first-round pick to play with the Hogs was taken at #20 overall in 2014 by the Blackhawks, Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz spent 12 games with Rockford before returning to Chicago, but within those 12 games he had 6g-3a-9pts.
A list of the first-round draft picks to play in Rockford is below:
| Player | Year Drafted | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jassen Cullimore | 1991 (#29 overall) | Vancouver Canucks |
| Dan Cloutier | 1997 (#26 overall) | New York Rangers |
| Sergei Samsonov | 1997 (#8 overall) | Boston Bruins |
| Nick Boynton | 1997 (#9 overall) | Washington capitals |
| 1999 (#21 overall) | Boston Bruins | |
| Jeff Taffe | 2000 (#30 overall) | St. Louis Blues |
| Hannu Toivonen | 2002 (#29 overall) | Boston Bruins |
| Daniel Paille | 2002 (#20 overall) | Buffalo Sabres |
| Pierre-Marc Bouchard | 2002 (#8 overall) | Minnesota Wild |
| Hugh Jessiman | 2003 (#12 overall) | New York Rangers |
| Rostislav Olesz | 2004 (#7 overall) | Florida Panthers |
| Cam Barker | 2004 (#3 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Jack Skille | 2005 (#7 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Kenndal McArdle | 2005 (#20 overall) | Florida Panthers |
| Ivan Vishnevskiy | 2006 (#27 overall) | Dallas Stars |
| Kyle Beach | 2008 (#11 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| David Rundblad | 2009 (#17 overall) | St. Louis Blues |
| Phillippe Paradis | 2009 (#27 overall) | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Dylan Olsen | 2009 (#28 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Nick Leddy | 2009 (#16 overall) | Minnesota Wild |
| Mark Visentin | 2010 (#27 overall) | Phoenix Coyotes |
| Phillip Danualt | 2011 (#26 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Mark McNeil | 2011 (#18 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Teuvo Teravainen | 2012 (#18 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Ryan Hartman | 2013 (#30 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Nick Schmaltz | 2014 (#20 overall) | Chicago Blackhawks |
Season Tickets for 2017-18 on Sale Now: Don’t miss a moment of the action by reserving your seats for the IceHogs 19th season of professional hockey and 11th as the top AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. Opening night is Oct. 14 and ticket packages begin as low as $105 for a seven-game mini pack. Please contact us at (815) 847-6399 or visit icehogs.com to claim your spots for this upcoming season.