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2020 NHL Draft: Blackhawks select Lukas Reichel with No. 17 pick

The Blackhawks selected Lukas Reichel of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga’s Eisbaren Berlin with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday. Reichel is the first No. 17 selection in Blackhawks history.

Reichel, who turned 18 years old on May 17, scored 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 42 games last season. He also had five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games for Germany at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. Reichel also skated in Berlin’s exhibition game against the Blackhawks in Germany last September as part of the 2020 NHL Global Series.

Reichel (6-feet, 170 pounds) is a left-handed shot that was ranked No. 11 on the NHL’s Central Scouting Rankings among European skaters.

Here’s NHL Central Scouting’s report on Reichel:

“Talented playmaker, excellent skater who likes to go to the net. Good work ethic and attitude. Effective checker. Smart passer with good puck skills.”

His NHL comparison is John Tavares.

From Elite Prospects:

“He’s an unrelenting forechecker and backchecker, never gives up on a play, and wins battles through second efforts. Reichel is a pretty capable puck-handler too, even at top-speed carrying the puck through a defender’s triangle, showing a predilection for outside-in maneuvers, and deploying weight shifts to avoid contact.”

It’s the first time in seven years the Blackhawks have selected a winger in the first round. The Blackhawks drafted right winger Ryan Hartman at No. 30 overall in 2013.

It’s also the second straight year the Blackhawks have selected a forward in the first round after drafting center Kirby Dach from the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades last year.

The Blackhawks have six picks remaining in this year’s draft: No. 46, No. 76 or 81, No. 79, No. 110, No. 141 and No. 172. Chicago has two third-round picks and one pick in every round after that aside from the seventh when they have none.

How do you grade the Blackhawks’ pick of Lukas Reichel?

A 101
B 238
C 114
D 35
F 27

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