Sport DFW
FanSided

Dallas Stars: A Breakdown of the Central Division’s First Round Draft Picks

By Avery Klatsky

DALLAS, TX - JANUARY 06: Jamie Benn
DALLAS, TX - JANUARY 06: Jamie Benn /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 7
Next
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Brent Seabrook #7 of the Chicago Blackhawks (l) celebrates his empty net goal against the New York Islanders along with Duncan Keith #2 at the Barclays Center on March 24, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Blackhawks defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Brent Seabrook #7 of the Chicago Blackhawks (l) celebrates his empty net goal against the New York Islanders along with Duncan Keith #2 at the Barclays Center on March 24, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Blackhawks defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

A complete and thorough analysis of all of the Dallas Stars/Central Division team’s first-round draft picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in Dallas, Texas.

The Central Division is not only competitive on the ice, but in the war room as well. The Dallas Stars are in desperate need of some young talent to help bolster this roster. The 2018 NHL draft is a great place to start.

The Stars got to pick from their home state as the draft was held in Dallas, Texas. Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Dallas Stars/Central division teams, and their first round picks. (Note: All statistics are according to the NHL Draft Prospect Rankings.)

Chicago Blackhawks

Drafted players: Adam Boqvist, D (8th Overall) and Nicolas Beaudin, D (27th Overall)

Adam Boqvist

Height: 6′ 0″

Weight: 165 lbs.

Shoots: R

Boqvist, the 8th pick of the draft — and first selection from a Central division team — stands at a solid six feet, 165 pounds. Although he is lighter (by about 35 pounds) than the average NHL defenseman, the right-hander adds skill and speed to the blue line. Boqvist was ranked 2nd among all European skaters, only behind Rasmus Dahlin, the number one pick in the draft. A member of Brynas Jr. of the top junior league in Sweden, Boqvist scored 14 goals (most among defensemen in the Junior League) and notched 10 assists in only 25 games.

In terms of international play, Boqvist competed for Sweden in the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship and scored a total of six points in six games (3 G, 3 A). In addition to the World Championship, he also represented his home country at the U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial in 2017 and scored 8 points in 5 games (1 G, 7 A). It seems hockey runs in the blood of the Boqvist family, as Adam’s brother, Jesper Boqvist, was drafted in the second round by the New Jersey Devils last year. All in all, Boqvist is a very good addition to the Chicago blue line.

Nicolas Beaudin

Height: 5′ 11″

Weight: 172 lbs.

Shoots: L

Chicago’s second pick of the first round was Canadian defenseman, Nicolas Beaudin. Like Boqvist, Beaudin is undersized for an NHL defenseman. That said, he finished second among defensemen this past season in the QMJHL with 69 points (12 G, 57 A) in 68 games and 47 penalty minutes while playing for Drummondville.

Although he was projected to be selected in the second round, the Blackhawks must have seen something in him other teams didn’t. The Châteauguay, Quebec native scored a total of 41 points in the 2016-17 season, finishing with 5 goals and 36 assists in 64 games. Boqvist and Beaudin are both good additions to the Chicago defense, which allowed a total of 256 goals throughout the season (approximately 3.12 goals allowed per game).

The 2017-18 Blackhawk defense consisted of veterans Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, and Michal Rozsival, as well as Connor Murphy, Jordan Oesterle, Jan Rutta, Blake Hillman, and Erik Gustafsson.

Home/Dallas Stars