With the final pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Nolan Allan from the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League.
Chicago acquired this pick — No. 32 overall — in a trade made earlier on Friday night that brought Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones to the Blackhawks for Adam Boqvist and a slew of draft picks.
Allan, a 6-foot-2, 194-pounder is a left-handed shot and appeared in 16 games with Prince Albert during the 2020-21 season, notching one goal and one assist. A quick skim of scouting reports suggests that he’s more of a defensively minded blue-liner, as these comments from Elite Prospects detail:
Allan’s value comes from skating and defense. He’s already an NHL-caliber skater with projectable posture (knees over toes, hip flexion, chest up), lateral and backwards quickness, and separation through punch turns exited with crossovers. From that base, Allan defends the rush with NHL-ready fundamentals and a suffocating mentality.
During ESPN’s live coverage of the draft, analyst Kevin Weekes made quick comparisons to Brent Seabrook. There are plenty of places suggesting this pick may have been a bit of a reach, however. Allan was the No. 83 prospect at Elite Prospects, the No. 40 North American skater by NHL’s central scouting, and the No. 59 overall prospect as compiled by TSN.
