Roenick was so impressive during his time at Thayer Academy he was drafted straight out of high school, going eighth overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks. He was also taken to breakfast by Wayne Gretzky in an attempt to convince Roenick to play for the Hull Olympiques, a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) team Gretzky owned. Roenick played for the Olympiques during the 1988–89 season scoring 70 points in 28 games, before going on to represent the United States at the 1989 World Junior Championship. In his second World Junior Championship, Roenick led the tournament in scoring and was named a Tournament All-Star. Roenick's line, which included future NHL players Mike Modano and John LeClair, totaled 41 points, the most ever by a Team USA line and sixth most in tournament history. Despite his scoring success, the United States finished the tournament in fifth place. During the tournament, Roenick become the all-time leading American scorer, totaling 25 points. Roenick's record stood for 21 years before being broken by Jordan Schroeder in 2010. However, it took Schroeder three tournaments to pass Roenick, who set the record in just two events. Following Roenick's successful World Junior performance, the Blackhawks called him up during the 1988–89 season.