The Chicago Blackhawks made two selections within the first three picks of the second round. After taking Xavier Villeneuve with pick 34, they traded up from 37 to 35 to select Ryan Roobroeck. This was the Blackhawks moving up two spots with the New Jersey Devils, giving up 119 to do it. 

After being drafted, Roobroeck compared himself to Leon Draisaitl and Mikko Rantanen, who are 2 of the 5 best power forwards in the National Hockey League right now. 

To be clear, Roobroeck didn’t say he was going to be one of those two future Hall of Famers; he compared his style to theirs. That is totally fair, because he is a big man who can skate well and knows how to find the back of the net. Draisaitl and Rantanen fit that profile better than any NHL player over the last 20 years. 

After the draft ended, Kyle Davidson confirmed that he wasn’t informed that Roobroeck would go before he came on the clock at 37; he just traded up to be sure that the player would be available. Using pick 119 was worth it to make that move in his eyes. 

When Davidson was done speaking, he handed it over to Director of Amateur Scouting Mike Doneghey to give a full report on the drafted players and field questions. Of course, he answered a question about Roobroeck comparing himself to Draisaitl and Rantanen.

After cracking a joke about himself looking like Brad Pitt, he gave a serious answer about the comparison and these young players having the confidence to believe in themselves like that. 

"I've altered the question when I talk to them: who would you buy a ticket to watch play versus who do you think you play like?" Doneghy said. "[Roobroeck] can score, he's 6'3", he gets around the ice very well for a big guy. I mean, everyone in there would love for him to turn into [Draisaitl or Rantanen]. Time will tell. I appreciate that they want to be that level of player."

As time goes on, it will be easy to tell whether or not this comparison makes sense for Roobroeck. He has the tools to be an impactful pro, which is a great starting point for a teenager. 

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