With the first of its two picks in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected center Jake Wise from the US National Team Development Program.
Wise, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound native of Reading, Mass., was ranked 52nd overall by the TSN rankings of prospects at the draft. In his most recent season, Wise scored 11 goals with 32 assists in 38 games played. While playing for Team USA in the U18 World Juniors, Wise picked up one goal with four assists in seven games during the tournament.
That performance was a major boost for Wise, who missed the majority of the first half of the season with an injury, cooling some of the hype around the young American that once had him projected as a future top-10 pick. Wise is touted for his playmaking ability and a quick, accurate shot that many scouts suggested he needs to use more. He also is not a stranger in the defensive zone, providing strong defensive support in his own end of the ice that could help him earn the approval of Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.
Wise is able to navigate both ends of the rink because of his excellent skating ability, which some scouting reports highlighted as his best trait. But the knock against Wise is that all of those talents don’t translate to game film enough, where he can sometimes get overshadowed by teammates like fellow USNTDP product Oliver Wahlstrom. Wise will look to change that during the hockey season when he heads to Boston University.
A few highlight reels: