PUBLICATION
Sam Walker
February 10, 2026 (9:51)
Photo credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Keaton Verhoeff suddenly feels like the Chicago Blackhawks’ kind of top-five swing, and the draft lottery drama just got louder.
That matters; if the Panthers keep sliding, Chicago will ultimately lose their pick.
If that pick rolls to 2027, Chicago still controls its own first-rounder and could be right back hunting another franchise piece.
The Blackhawks sit sixth-worst right now, and selling a veteran or two could keep them in the top-five conversation into spring.
They already added Anton Frondell in 2025, a 2025 first-rounder taken third overall by Chicago, and he’s still only 18. The pipeline is real, but you never stop stacking elite.
Verhoeff is the cleanest “swing for the blue line” name in this range, a right-shot defender playing at North Dakota. He’s 17, draft-eligible in 2026, and scouts talk like he’s a potential top pick.
Chicago can point to Connor Murphy and Artyom Levshunov, but the right side always needs more bullets, especially with roster turnover coming.
Keaton Verhoeff could reshape the Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks fans are tired of waiting, but you can feel the optimism when a legit top-pair ceiling is even on the board.
If the organization thinks Murphy is heading out before the draft, a 6-foot-4 righty who defends with reach is the kind of bet that ages well.
The pure power-forward option here is Ethan Belchetz, a 17-year-old 2026-eligible winger with Windsor. At 6-foot-5, he brings the size Chicago’s forward group still lacks.
The production pops too, 53 points in 49 games this season, which is exactly why he’s in the top-five orbit.
Then there’s Gavin McKenna, 18, 2026-eligible, and the highest-upside wild card if he actually slips within reach. His 129 points in 56 WHL games a year ago still hang over this class.
The complication is the off-ice noise, including the aggravated assault charge that was later withdrawn, which has clearly muddied the conversation around him.
For Chicago, this top-five pick is about fitting next to Connor Bedard long-term, and the next milestone is seeing how hard Kyle Davidson sells at the deadline to protect those lottery odds.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
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