{"id":688818,"date":"2026-06-06T23:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T23:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/688818\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T23:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T23:46:10","slug":"could-blackhawks-draft-target-ivar-stenberg-be-the-next-lucas-raymond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/688818\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Blackhawks draft target Ivar Stenberg be the next Lucas Raymond?"},"content":{"rendered":"

BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 When the Blackhawks<\/a> drafted Swedish forward Anton Frondell a year ago, they knew he likely would play one more season in his home country before making the leap to the NHL.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what he did.<\/p>\n

Ivar Stenberg, arguably the odds-on favorite to be drafted fourth overall by the Hawks this year, has no such plans. He thinks he\u2019s ready for the NHL immediately.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I want to play over here and play in the best league in the world,\u2019\u2019 Stenberg, a soft-spoken kid with bright eyes, said Friday at the NHL Scouting Combine.<\/p>\n

That sentiment recently was reinforced during the world championships. Playing on Sweden\u2019s top forward line alongside Red Wings star Lucas Raymond, Stenberg had eight points in eight games. Raymond, who coincidentally was the fourth overall pick in 2020, racked up 11 points.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I was around NHL guys at the worlds, and . . . you get more confidence every day you\u2019re around them,\u2019\u2019 Stenberg said Saturday. \u2018\u2018[You] feel like you can compete against them and play with them.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Stenberg looks like an ideal fit for the Hawks as a well-rounded, playmaking winger, especially now that general manager Kyle Davidson has said Frondell, Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar will play center next season.<\/p>\n

Stenberg said Frondell speaks glowingly about the Hawks\u2019 organization, and it would be satisfying to see the two of them play together in Chicago. Stenberg, Frondell, Islanders prospect Victor Eklund and projected 2026 top-15 pick Viggo Bjorck are friends, as well as headliners of Sweden\u2019s up-and-coming generation.<\/p>\n

Stenberg\u2019s terrific season extended beyond international tournaments. He admitted he surprised himself with his production in the Swedish Hockey League, tallying 33 points in 43 games for Frolunda. That was one of the SHL\u2019s best-ever seasons by an 18-year-old.<\/p>\n

Raymond, who also grew up playing for Frolunda, has been a role model for Stenberg, who especially admires Raymond\u2019s ability to read the ice and carry the puck. Stenberg, however, blew Raymond\u2019s draft-year production (10 points in 33 games) out of the water.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re similarly sized, too. Raymond is 5-11 and 186 pounds; Stenberg is listed at 5-11 and 183 pounds. He opted out of testing at the combine because of illness, so those figures weren\u2019t updated.<\/p>\n

If the Hawks land Stenberg, they obviously would love for him to develop into the next Raymond, considering the latter has eclipsed 70 points in three consecutive NHL seasons.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s far from guaranteed, but Stenberg mentioned his hockey IQ as one trait he expects to transfer well to the NHL level. His agile skating, quick wrist-shot release, smart passing, consistent work ethic and defensive responsibility are also acclaimed, although he said he needs to shoot more often.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen anybody have the IQ that guy does,\u2019\u2019 top draft-eligible defenseman Chase Reid said. \u2018\u2018Off the rush, he lays pucks into areas that most guys would never see, and he\u2019s really good at slipping [through defenses].\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Despite Stenberg\u2019s average size, he\u2019s known as a tough matchup in board battles.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018He\u2019s not afraid to go to any of the hard areas,\u2019\u2019 FloHockey scouting expert Chris Peters said in May<\/a>. \u2018\u2018He\u2019s not afraid to take a hit to make a play. He\u2019ll dig that puck out, and he\u2019s got the hands to do something with it once he fishes it out.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The only difference between Stenberg and projected No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna might be a slightly lower star potential.<\/p>\n

So what stands between the Hawks and Stenberg? It\u2019s really just the Sharks and Canucks, who hold the second and third picks and who took Stenberg out to dinners this week in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

It appears increasingly plausible that Stenberg, Reid and center Caleb Malhotra might be the 2-3-4 picks in some order, leaving the Hawks to take the last one remaining at No. 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 When the Blackhawks drafted Swedish forward Anton Frondell a year ago, they knew he likely…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":["post-688818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}