The New York Islanders opted to keep the 42nd overall pick as opposed to a potential trade. With that pick, the Islanders drafted Daniil Prokhorov out of Russia.
Prokhorov, 18, is a 6’6 monster who scored 20 goals and 27 points in the MHL. EliteProspects gave him the highest-possible marks for his physicality, with a strong shot. EP’s Draft Guide’s snippet: “A missile on skates, he’s a violent forward who looks to throw crunching hits, fight to the net, and occasionally snipes off the rush. Sense is the concern.”
With his size, it’s quite easy to see a path to the NHL for him if he’s able to improve his hockey sense. After three can’t-miss first-round picks, this is a perfect swing to take. He projects to a bottom-six power forward, but his ceiling could be as high as a second-line winger that can put up 25 or so goals all year while being physically imposing.
Chicago Hockey Now’s Greg Boysen had a great breakdown of Prokhorov here:
Blackhawks Draft Profiles: Daniil Prokhorov