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2017 NHL draft results: Blackhawks select Ian Mitchell with No. 57 pick

The Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Ian Mitchell of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints with the No. 57 overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. It’s the first of nine selections on the docket for the Blackhawks on Day 2 at the United Center.

Mitchell, 18, is set to attend the University of Denver next season. He was ranked No. 52 among all prospects in the 2017 class by TSN, and No. 48 by ESPN’s Corey Pronman, so he’s a solid value pick at No. 57.

On Friday, the Blackhawks continued an active day by trading down from No. 26 to No. 29 while selecting defenseman Henri Jokiharju. Those moves came after Chicago shuffled its roster by trading Artemi Panarin, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Tyler Motte for Brandon Saad, Connor Murphy, Laurent Dauphin, and Anton Forsberg.

Jokiharju is the same player we projected to the Blackhawks at 26 in the SB Nation NHL mock draft, so it’s fair to say that we like the fit. Adding the No. 70 pick by moving down makes it a nice coup for Chicago.

The Hawks have seven more picks to make on Saturday, starting with Nos. 70 and 90 in the third round. Both of those picks were originally owned by other teams.

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