Blackhawks trade up to No. 29 to take 2-sport star Mason West

The Chicago Blackhawks traded up to No. 29 to take forward and two-sport standout Mason West in the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday.

Chicago sent picks No. 34, 62, and a 2027 fifth-rounder to the Carolina Hurricanes for No. 29.

West, a 6-foot-6 center, recorded 27 goals and 22 assists in 31 games with Edina High School in Minnesota. He added nine points in 10 games with the USHL's Fargo Force.

He's also a star high school football quarterback. West threw for 37 touchdowns, four interceptions, and 2,592 yards this past season and was recruited by D-I programs. Though he plans to pursue a career in hockey, he's going to continue his high school football career in the fall.

"I'll play football in the fall and then head to Fargo," West told NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale in early June. "It was really important for me to play football as a senior with my friends. I always set goals for the year, and that was to win a state high school hockey championship and also a football championship.

"I haven't done it in football so I kind of want to achieve that and stay loyal to my team because I think they need me."

West is committed to Michigan State for hockey in 2026-27.

"The speed and skill for his size are very unique," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote in a scouting report. "He creates a lot of controlled entries due to that combination. West's compete is average, though, as well as his playmaking. The team that drafts him will bank on him not being fully developed yet, and ideally him picking hockey full-time."

West was the Blackhawks' third pick of Round 1 after taking Anton Frondell third overall and Vaclav Nestrasil with the 25th pick.

In the event West doesn't sign with the Blackhawks before his rights expire, Chicago would receive a compensatory second-round pick in the following draft.