NHL Mock Draft: What the Blackhawks Should Do with Their Primary Picks

The NHL entry draft is one of the most exciting times for NHL franchises, players and fans around the world. At the same token, it is one of the most anxious, nerve racking and uncertain times in the life of an NHL prospect.

These players have been scouted, watched, ranked and have been put on pillars by so many experts, scouts and NHL team executives throughout the league. If a player is set to get drafted in the first five picks and falls down the chart, uncertainty and contempt can build up in his mind. Nonetheless, each team will make picks and selections in an attempt to bolster their franchise for future generations of players.

The 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks are no different. A team that was once stocked with many versatile players during their Stanley Cup run, was decimated and picked apart after the season because of cap constraints and other variables.

The Blackhawks will seek to add some top tier talent with their first four draft picks. The first pick the Blackhawks will use is their 18th overall selection in the first round in the draft. The Blackhawks are a team with great forwards like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa.

Patrick Sharp is a forward who is an upcoming free agent. Many experts have predicted that he will be dealt sometime between this offseason and the trade deadline later this year.

With that being the case, the Blackhawks will attempt to sign a serviceable forward, preferably a center. Surprisingly, the player the Blackhawks should draft has been compared to Patrick Sharp.

With that being the case, the Blackhawks should draft Zack Phillips.

Zack Phillips is a solid center who made a big jump in scoring over the past two season. He is one of the many Saint John Sea Dogs in this year’s draft.

Phillips went from only contributing 44 points in the 2009-10 season to scoring 95 points this season. He was a teammate of future top-five draft pick Jonathan Huberdeau, who made major improvements in point production this season.

Zack Phillips has a high hockey IQ and is very talented. He has an on-ice vision that makes him a steal of a player this late in the draft.

Phillips is only going to get faster and better as he grows in an NHL system.

Phillips may be a player who is a year or two away from hitting the NHL level, but his hockey knowledge and playmaking ability will allow him to easily assimilate into the Blackhawks system.

Another player they could consider at No.18 is Tomas Jurco. Jurco has some impressive skills. He has some very impressive hands, great balance and speed. Jurco is also one of the nine St. John Sea Dogs in this year's draft.

Jurco had 56 points in 60 games this season for St. John and also recorded 16 points in 13 playoff games.

Jurco has been compared to Pavel Datsyuk for his puck-handling ability but only time will tell if Jurco can live up to the hype.

The next pick the Blackhawks currently hold is the 36th overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NHL entry draft. This pick was acquired in the Andrew Ladd trade to Atlanta and it can be optioned to the Ottawa Senators.

Regardless, with this pick the Blackhawks should take David Musil. The Blackhawks are already a very strong defensive team. They all led on the blueline by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

David Musil over time would only add to the strong defensive nature of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Musil is an above-average skater with soft agile hands that will make him a solid two-way defender one day.

Musil uses his balance and strength to his advantage when attempting to separate other players from the puck. Musil stands at 6'3" and weighs just about 200 lbs.

Once Musil has properly assimilated into the NHL lifestyle, he will develop and adopt stricter workout and training methods.

If Musil can bulk up and develop his offensive capabilities, Musil could light the lamp for Chicago as their powerplay quarterback in the immediate future.

The Chicago Blackhawks also hold onto the 43rd and 48th picks in the second round. When a team has two picks in the same round that are so close in proximity, it is usually a good opportunity to attempt and package them together for more later-round picks.

At this point, the Blackhawks would have drafted two great, near NHL-ready prospects. The Hawks could trade one or both of these picks to another team looking to move their draft status in exchange for a current NHL player.

This would be wise of the Blackhawks as they could attempt to bolster their team up with an NHL-ready player. A proposed move like this has already been completed so far this year.

The New York Rangers pulled off a move a few weeks ago that saw them trade their 45th and 57th picks for Tim Erixon. Tim Erixon would have been a top 10 draft pick in this year’s class. He is an NHL-ready defenseman who has a real shot to be in the top four this season. Had he not signed anywhere, Erixon would have been put back into the draft pool.

However, if the Blackhawks retain a pick, they should use their last pick to draft Josh Gibson. This would be a good put-away-for-safe-keeping pick.

John Gibson is the top North American goalie prospect for this year's NHL draft.

Gibson started in 40 games for the U.S development program in 2010-11 and posted a record of 24-11-4 and finished with a GAA of 2.55 and a SV percentage of .921.

Gibson is a goaltender of size as he stands 6'3" and weighs 205 pounds.

Gibson is committed to the University of Michigan for next fall, so it will be quite a couple of years before you see Gibson sporting an NHL sweater.

With all of that said, the Blackhawks certainly have some interesting scenarios to consider. All it takes is one blockbuster trade to skew the draft. Teams’ needs could change completely and we could have a wild card draft.

However, what is certain is that the 2011 NHL draft class is full of talented stars whose names will be remembered for many NHL seasons and drafts to follow.

Tom Urtz is a Featured Columnist and is a member of the Bleacher Report's Official 2011 NHL Draft Coverage Team. For more NHL draft news, updates and alerts about prospects

Follow @SH_TomUrtzNYR

As seen in Chicago Sports Authority Magazine  and at CSA.COM