The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired the 26th overall selection in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft from the Washington Capitals in exchange for forward Troy Brouwer.
With the addition of the 26th pick, the Blackhawks now have two first-round selections (18, 26), four of the Draft’s first 43 picks (18, 26, 36, 43), and eleven selections overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
The Chicago Blackhawks have selected forward Phillip Danault from the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in the first round (26th overall) of the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis on Friday night.
Danault, 18, shared the Victoriaville team lead with a career-high 44 assists, tied for third with a career-best 67 points (23G, 44A), and ranked second among club forwards with a +17 plus/minus rating in 64 regular-season games. He also tied for third in the QMJHL with four shorthanded goals during the regular-season, and led the Tigres with 15 points (5G, 10A) in nine postseason tilts.
The Victoriaville, Quebec, native, who served as the captain of the Tigres during the 2010-11 campaign, represented Canada at the 2010 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament and Team Quebec at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
In two QMJHL seasons, Danault recorded 33 goals, 62 assists, 113 penalty minutes and a +36 plus/minus rating in 125 regular-season tilts. In 2009-10, he led all Victoriaville rookies in goals (10) and tied for the rookie lead in points (28).