As Blackhawks fans get ready to take a nice, long weekend off and flips our calendars over to July, the clock is ticking until the start of the draft. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been profiling players who might be on Chicago’s radar when they’re on the clock in the second round.
Here are the players we have profiled so far:
Let’s take a look at another forward today as we’re now one week away from the beginning of the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Cameron Lund
Center
DOB: June 7, 2004
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 185
Shoots: Right
2021-22 Team: Green Bay (USHL)
Ranked #36 by Corey Pronman (The Athletic)
Ranked #78 by Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)
Ranked #40 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
Ranked #68 by TSN/Bob McKenzie
Ranked #87 by TSN/Craig Button
Ranked #50 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #68 by McKeen’s Hockey
Ranked #83 by Recruit Scouting
Ranked #107 by Smaht Scouting
Ranked #55 by The Puck Authority
From Corey Pronman’s Analysis:
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average
“Lund has a clear NHL tool kit. He’s a 6-foot-2 forward who can skate, and has legit offensive touch. He can make skilled plays at full speed and be a real threat on zone entries. Lund shows some power-play creativity as a playmaker and has a good wrist shot from range. On his best shift, he can be dynamic, but his best shifts are infrequent. He can also drift to the perimeter too much to generate his offense. I think he plays in the NHL and has the potential to be a good NHL player but he has to be more consistent to do so.”
From Scott Wheeler’s Analysis:
“There were more than a few nights this season where Lund looked like the better hockey player than his teammate, Greene, even though he was a rookie and Greene had parts of two seasons under his belt already. Lund tends to be pretty well-liked around the sport for his pro-style game. He’s a pass-and-shot threat who will take what’s available for himself but simplify and play off of his teammates where needed, too. He pushes tempo, plays with a purpose, works to get pucks back, and then has enough skill to make things happen between checks and races. Considering his summer birthday and relative inexperience before this season, he had a pretty impressive year all told too.”
Is Lund a fit in Chicago?
If you read Pronman’s write-up and then look at where Lund is ranked by everyone else, clearly he’s much higher on this prospect than most other scouting services. He’s headed to Northeastern University next year, where he’ll be a teammate of our previously profiled Jack Hughes.
If we’re looking for functional size that can produce some office, Lund could be a good player to target. His shot grades as above average and his skating is solid. I do question the consistencies in his game, but his ceiling when he’s on is high enough that he could be a nice addition to the organization if he’s around for the Blackhawks.