Start of the Blackhawks Dynasty, Part 1: Jonathan Toews

In a 10-part series, we look back at the 10-year anniversary of the 2008-09 season, the start of the Blackhawks dynasty.

The Blackhawks' dynasty may not have officially started until the 2008-09 season, but it began to form in 2006 when they were awarded the No. 3 overall pick after finishing the previous year with the third-fewest points.

With it, they selected University of North Dakota center Jonathan Toews.

Toews broke into the NHL during the 2007-08 season, compiling 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games, good enough to be named one of three Calder Trophy candidates. Toews scored his first NHL goal in his first game with the Blackhawks, getting one past Evgeni Nabokov on his first shot.

And on July 18, 2008, after only one full season in the pros, Toews was named the 34th captain in Blackhawks history and, at the time, the third youngest in NHL history (20 years and 79 days, behind Sidney Crosby and Vincent Lecavalier).

Then-head coach Denis Savard surprised Toews with the captain’s sweater in front of loyal fans at that year's Blackhawks Convention.

Toews is also the longest tenured captain in team history. With three Stanley Cups under his belt, in 2017 the NHL Network pegged Toews as the seventh-best captain in NHL history.