Author’s note: with the Chicago Blackhawks locked in to the No. 8 pick for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, we’ve shifted the focus of our weekly “Former Blackhawk of the Week” series to players the franchise previously selected with that eighth pick. For the third and final part of this quick shift in focus, it’s 1998 No. 8 overall selection Mark Bell.
Way before Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were drafted, way before Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook made their NHL debuts in the 2005-06 season, Mark Bell was part of the group that was supposed to lead the Chicago Blackhawks out of hockey’s wilderness.