The Chicago Blackhawks moved up nine spots in the draft lottery Tuesday to select third overall in the upcoming 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

The ‘Hawks had less than a 10 percent chance to move into the top three going into the lottery.

This is obviously a big win for Chicago, but how big of a win was it and who might they select?

The last time they had a top three pick, the Blackhawks selected Patrick Kane first overall in the 2007 draft. The year before that, the ‘Hawks picked Jonathan Toews third overall, the same draft position they’ll be in this year.

Other notable third overall picks for the franchise include Hall of Famer Dennis Savard, current color broadcaster and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Eddie Olczyk and current Blackhawk Dylan Strome, a third overall pick of the Arizona Coyotes who was traded to Chicago during this past season.

The first two picks are all but set in stone in the upcoming draft. Center Jack Hughes and winger Kaapo Kakko are ranked first and second respectively in every mock draft and scouting report available to the public.

The third overall selection is where things will get interesting, but the ‘Hawks will at least be in control of their own destiny. Here is a breakdown of prospects at each position Chicago might show interest in:

 

Center – There are a lot of high level centers available in this year’s draft and this is a position the Blackhawks have arguably the most need for. Center is also the ideal position to draft in hockey because it’s normally an easy transition to a wing position if a team already has enough centers.

The top two centers on the list are Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach, both of the Western Hockey League. Cozens was the consensus number three pick for several months, but his stock has slipped a bit recently.

Between him and Dach, Cozens is the better skater and scores more goals. Dach can score, but is known to be a pass-first type of player. Dach also looks like he possesses the ability to be a shut-down center at the NHL level. Both prospects are described as smart defenders that can kill penalties.

Peyton Krebs, Kevin Zegras and Alex Turcotte are also high level centers worth keeping an eye on, but look to be a tier slightly below Cozens and Dach. Their offense looks to be on par with Cozens and Dach, but possess slightly less complete games.

 

Defense – Last year’s draft was stocked with defensemen and short on centers, pretty much the opposite of this year. The Blackhawks have drafted three defensemen in the first round over the last two seasons, highlighted by last year’s eighth overall selection Adam Boqvist.

Despite Chicago’s defense being a trainwreck last season, help should already be on the way; so defense may not be a priority.

That being said, Bowen Byram might be too good to pass up. He’s a great skater and a difference maker in all three zones.

Unlike last year’s draft where the top of the defensemen were offensive wizards, but perhaps lacking in their own zone, Byram looks like a complete package.

Byram is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the defensive class, but Chicago’s GM Stan Bowman always seems to have an affinity for Swedish defensemen.

It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Bowman trades back for Victor Soderstrom, a talented and polished Swedish defenseman that’s expected to be drafted in the middle of the first round.

 

Wingers – The best choice is probably at center, but there is certainly some intriguing wingers available. At the top of the list is Vasili Podkolzin, a dynamic winger out of Russia.

The scouts are preaching patience with Podkolzin because he has stated that he wants to stay in Russia until he is ready to play in the NHL according to an article on the Dobber Prospects website.

He also has a contract in place with a team in the Kontinental Hockey League that reportedly runs through the 2020-21 season according to an article on NBC Sports Chicago. This might be enough of a deterrent for the Blackhawks if they want someone who could appear in the NHL next season.

Podkolzin has also found difficulty translating his skills into actual points in the Russian leagues. Podkolzin looks like a very high risk, high reward pick.