Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Chicago Blackhawks shocked a lot of people to start the 2025-26 season. They entered a meeting with the St. Louis Blues back on December 12th with a 13-12-6 record and 32 points, fighting for a playoff spot. In the final seconds of that loss, the Blackhawks lost their superstar forward Connor Bedard to an upper-body injury. Since the end of that game, the Blackhawks are 4-6-1. They now sit fourth to last in the entire NHL, leading to the conversation of the Draft Lottery with a very deep draft class this season for the lottery teams.
Two names stick out right away for Chicago, one being Gavin McKenna, who just so happens to be a cousin of Bedard. The other name is Ivar Stenberg, who is a possibility of going first overall as well. Stenberg has piqued a lot of Blackhawks fans’ interest as he’s been playing with Team Sweden in the World Juniors with fellow Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell.
2026 World Juniors
Frondell, the Blackhawks’ third overall pick in this past summer’s draft, has recorded seven points in six games of the World Juniors, with five goals and three assists. Stenberg, in five games, has seven points on three goals and four assists. Blackhawks fans could have gotten a glimpse at the future as Stenberg assisted on Frondell’s goal to start the tournament. McKenna in the World Juniors has ten points in six games on three goals and seven assists; the three goals came on a hat trick in Canada’s 9-1 win over Denmark. It’s a win-win if Chicago can draft either of the two, but seeing Stenberg matched up with Frondell, then adding that to a line with Bedard has to be exciting. Frondell, Stenberg, and Team Sweden will face Czechia for the Gold Medal while McKenna and Team Canada will face Team Finald for the Silver Medal.
Gavin McKenna
McKenna is the top prospect entering this upcoming draft. This season, he’s playing at Penn State in the NCAA. He has appeared in 16 games for the Nittany Lions, recording 18 points on four goals and 14 assists. He’s a minus-five with two power-play goals and a game-winning goal. Last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, he had 129 points in 56 games on 41 goals and 88 assists; he was a +60.
Ivar Stenberg
Stenberg is the third-ranked prospect right now in this coming summer’s draft. This season, in 25 games in the Swedish Hockey League, Frolunda HC has 24 points on six goals and 18 assists. He is a +13 with two power-play goals and a game-winning goal. He appeared in 25 games in the SHL last season but only had three points on a goal and two assists; he was a -14.
Wrap Up
The Blackhawks obviously have established a key core to their future, now with Bedard out until later this month at the earliest, and their recent struggles have a chance to be drafting in the top-three and could potentially earn one of the big names in this draft and make their team much more talented than it already is.
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