With the 35th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected goaltender Adam Gajan. Chicago becomes the first team to take a goaltender in this year’s draft, starting a run of netminders early in the second round.
Gajan is a BIG goaltender who will head to play at the University of Minnesota-Duluth next season, where he’ll be a teammate of Blackhawks prospect Dominic James. Two forwards I really liked — Nico Myatovic and Gavin Brindley — came off the board before the Blackhawks were on the clock.
Adam Gajan Intel
6-3, 180
DOB: May 6, 2004
Ranked #71 by Corey Pronman (The Athletic)
Ranked #68 by Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)
Ranked #74 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
Ranked #100 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
Ranked #76 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #53 by FLOHOCKEY/CHRIS PETERS
Ranked #49 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #34 by THE HOCKEY NEWS
Ranked #60 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
Ranked #63 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #81 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
Ranked #6 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Goalies)
Ranked #68 by HPR/SHANE MALLOY
Ranked #72 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
Gajan has clear NHL athleticism. He has an explosive lower half with the power to make the toughest lateral saves at higher levels. He’s an aggressive goalie, sometimes to a fault as he can take himself out of position too much, but at times it works well. I do think he generally reads the play and anticipates the play well, but he will need to control his slides and aggression against better players. There’s a lot of development work left still, but Gajan has a lot of pro potential.
An overager, Gajan wasn’t even on anyone’s radar playing in Slovakia’s junior ranks last year. Then he made the move to North America, impressed in the NAHL and USHL with Chippewa and Green Bay, became a late add to Slovakia’s world juniors team, somehow grabbed the starting job and won the tournament’s top goaltender award, committing to the University of Minnesota-Duluth along the way. Now he’s got a chance to be one of the first goalies picked in this year’s group. He impresses most going post-to-post, with standout athleticism and surprising control holding his outside edges when he moves into his spots. Add in good hands, a competitive disposition in the net, a growth spurt in the last year, and room to get stronger and more poweꦚrful in the net to complement his quickness, and there’s a lot to like.