During the post game after the Panthers eliminated the Bruins, Panthers superstar Matthew Tkachuk explained that teams need big defensemen to be successful in the playoffs. The Blackhawks certainly have great size especially on their defense corps.

General manager Kyle Davidson has been focusing on improving the defence of the Blackhawks with larger players. During last year’s draft, the Blackhawks drafted Kevin Korchinski from the WHL who 19 years was old and stands at six foot three 185 lbs. As he matures in age his body will also mature and fill out that frame.

Blackhawks continue to build with size

In this draft, the Blackhawks are looking at Artyom Levshunov, an 18-year-old defenseman who stands at six foot two 209 lbs who is slated to be available at 2nd overall. Along with Kochinski and Levshunov this would make the Blackhawks quite intimidating as the team also has Ethan Del Mastro who is 6 foot four 205 lbs and Sam Rinzel who is 6 foot 4, 176 lbs.

The Blackhawks hold 7 draft picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft. Having this many picks will give Davidson an opportunity to draft more defensemen or even use these pics to help acquire a roster player who could help the team currently.

It’s clear that Davidson has a vision of what his defence will look like and as the team continues to develop and grow, the future looks bright for the Blackhawks and their defence which will bode well in a future NHL playoff run.