NEWSLETTER
After an insane first day of the 2022 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks had two selections in the second round to begin Friday morning: Nos. 39 and 57 overall.
With the 39th overall selection in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks selected center Paul Ludwinski.
Paul Ludwinski
Center
DOB: April 23, 2004
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 183
Shoots: Left
2021-22 Team: Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Ranked #63 by Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)
Ranked #84 by Corey Pronman (The Athletic)
Ranked #55 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #52 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #60 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #50 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #94 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #49 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #35 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #65 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #70 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #45 by SMAHT SCOUTING
Ranked #89 by THE PUCK AUTHORITY
Tier: Has a chance to play games
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Background: Ludwinski was an important player for a top OHL team, often playing on both special teams for Kingston. He was the fifth pick in his OHL draft.
Analysis: Ludwinski isn’t the biggest or flashiest player you’ll ever see, but he has a lot of NHL assets. Ludwinski is a strong skater who plays with pace and energy. He is hard on pucks, wins battles versus bigger players and can make skilled plays on the move. He’s able to create around the net, while also showing perimeter playmaking. He has talent and the work ethic, but whether the talent level is high enough and the scoring consistent enough for a smaller forward is the debate with Ludwinski.
Ludwinski’s one of those players whose engine is always running so hot, that he looks like he’s doing a lot out there when in many cases he isn’t. I think how often your eye goes to him, with his energized up-tempo skating and the way he tries to will plays into existence, can mask some of the inefficiency that exists in his game. A strong playoffs helped his case and there are scouts that are really fond of him, but I’m not sure he has the problem-solving to be an offensive player at the next level, and I’m not sure his skating-work ethic mix will be enough at his size to work his way into a checking/energy role. There’s a lot to like about his game and there’s an outcome where he becomes a beloved up-and-down the lineup, plug-and-play guy, but there are questions about whether he has the high-end skill typically needed to maximize the rest of what he has.
Here’s Fronts assistant Chris Longo on Ludwinski: “He’s just an energy ball that doesn’t stop. There’s a lot to his game that’s really appealing. I think the biggest part is his compete and his willingness to just not stop working. He just goes. And there are some parts of his game that need to be polished but for his first year coming in, he has been very impressive. He’s a guy at 17 years old that we’re sending over the boards whether it’s late in the game, whether we need a goal, whether it’s the power play, or whether we need a draw and we need him to be responsible defensively. We’re excited to see his growth. And I know there has been a lot of buzz around his name. For me, I think he’s going to be a special player. He just brings a lot of energy. He gets very excited with the puck sometimes so I think once he settles that down and is not as erratic with the puck, he’s going to create a lot of chances for himself and start finishing.”
With the 57th overall selection in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks selected center Ryan Greene.
Ryan Greene
Center
DOB: Oct. 21, 2003
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 179
Shoots: Right
2022-23 Team: Boston University
Ranked #71 by Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)
Ranked #70 by Corey Pronman (The Athletic)
Ranked #90 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #168 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #59 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #93 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #46 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Ranked #63 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
Ranked #76 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
Ranked #57 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Ranked #113 by SMAHT SCOUTING
Ranked #73 by THE PUCK AUTHORITY
Tier: Has a chance to play games
Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average
Background: Greene was an all-situations player for Green Bay this season and has been a productive USHL player over the last two years. He’s committed to Boston University.
Analysis: Greene displays slick puck skills, often being able to put pucks between sticks and legs. He shows good imagination as a handler and passer. He can hit seams at a strong rate and has some power-play ability due to his vision and shot. Greene competes well enough. He can play the middle competently, can PK and wins battles. His skating is the one area of concern. Greene lacks the ability to seperate, which will challenge him as he advances levels. I don’t see a clear NHL role for him with average size, speed and compete but he’s good enough to have a real shot to make it.
A top prospect out of Eastern Canada growing up, Greene, a Newfoundland native, committed at a young age to Boston University and has followed through with it, passing up the opportunity to be a top pick into the QMJHL and playing instead first for South Kent School’s Selects Academy (where he won the 16U national championship) and then Green Bay in the USHL after they drafted him with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 futures draft. Greene’s 51 points in 59 games led the Gamblers in scoring this year to follow up on a strong season a year ago with a steady — though not steep — progression.
He’s got a pro frame, a lean build to fill out, a smooth (though not explosive) skating stride, and a well-rounded, always-in-the-mix game that made him an all-situations player in the USHL. The strength of his game offensively rests in his ability to handle to the interior and then use crowds to make soft little plays to teammates, or to draft to the perimeter and feed pucks into space. He was also one of the USHL’s most proficient players on the power play, with 28 of his 51 points coming on the man advantage. I’d like to see him look to attack into his own looks a little more (he actually has a very accurate wrister), but that will come with some muscle. I debated ranking Greene in the mid-60s and expect Greene to have an immediate impact at BU, where he should get a top-nine role from the jump as a freshman.
