The Chicago Blackhawks are next up in Tony Ferrari's NHL prospect pool overview series.
Ferrari digs into the Blackhawks’ strengths and weaknesses, latest draft class, positional depth chart and next player in line for an NHL opportunity. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises.
Initial Thoughts
The Blackhawks had a season from hell.
They were expected to take a step forward, but they failed. Not only that, but the fun of the game that was promised when they drafted Connor Bedard was largely gone in the first half of the season. Management did a poor job of bringing in talent to support their young players, but once they committed to having their youngest players on the roster, they were much more exciting.
Although Bedard is entering his third NHL season, he only turns 20 this off-season, and his shot is as good as it gets. The Hawks’ franchise centerpiece has had some ups and downs in his first couple of NHL seasons, but the potential is limitless. He remains one of the best young players in hockey, and he should finally have enough around him to take that step we’ve all been waiting for.
Frank Nazar and Kevin Korchinski don’t fit the criteria here for this series, either, but they are both 21 heading into the year. Nazar is a lightning-quick forward who gives opponents fits with his speed, skill and creativity. The flashes he showed this past year were incredibly impressive, and he should be a breakout candidate this upcoming season.
Korchinski played in the NHL a couple of years ago because Chicago felt like he was too good for the WHL, but that meant there were a ton of ups and downs. He looks great at times, using his skating and puck-moving ability to impact the game, but he wasn’t quite ready, so he spent this past year in the AHL for the most part. That said, his limited NHL action did look better. Nazar and Korchinski will be key players for the Hawks moving forward.
Now, we get to the players who actually qualify as prospects.
Oliver Moore got into nine games at the end of this past season after his college season ended, and he looked quite well. His speed and puckhandling allowed him to excel in transition. Moore is a legitimate center who should find his way to playing down the middle at some point this year. He plays a responsible two-way game, always looking to drive play up the ice. Moore could be a sneaky Calder candidate if he gets top six minutes.
Speaking of speed, John Mustard had a decent freshman season at Providence College, but he ran into the same problems he’s always had. He plays a mile a minute, always looking to generate offense by forcing his way to the net. The issue is that he often doesn’t have a plan B. When his north-south speed game doesn’t work, he doesn’t adjust. While he can carve out an NHL career with his raw tools, he could be so much more if he learns to regulate his speed and space a bit more.
Chicago had another freshman in college, Sacha Boisvert. His 32 points in 37 games were impressive, and he adapted to college hockey as a power forward who gets involved around the boards. Boisvert’s best weapon offensively is a strong wrister that he gets off in motion effortlessly. A big sophomore season could lead to him signing an entry-level contract and playing a few pro games at the end of the year.
Nick Lardis was an absolute problem for opposing OHL teams this past season. His 71 goals were tied for the tenth most in OHL history and it was just the second time the 70-goal plateau had been hit since 1986. Lardis gets his shot off from all over the ice and understands how to get to the scoring areas. He buzzes down the wing and picks corners on the rush on one shift and then cleans up a rebound on another. He needs to work on his play in the tougher areas but the scoring prowess is incredible. He will jump into the AHL this upcoming season so it will be interesting to see what he looks like against pros.
A couple of near-point-per-game OHLers – Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker – are depth prospects.
Misiak is a bottom-six forward who forechecks hard and creates havoc with his motor. His passing is solid, and he has a good shot, but his hockey sense fails him at times. When he keeps things simple, he achieves a great deal of success.
Vanacker plays more of a tactical game with well-timed passing and excellent habits on the forecheck. Misiak and Vanacher could be nice bottom six options.
Artyom Levshunov, the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft, played primarily in the AHL in his first professional season. He did get into 18 NHL games, mostly toward the end of the season.
Levshunov is a big defender who loves to jump into the play and get involved offensively. His defensive game is a work in progress as he works on getting a bit quicker in pivots and small-area movement. Chicago seemed enthused by his progression this past year, which has him slotted into a top-four role heading into training camp. Levshunov is the pillar the Blackhawks look to build around on the back end.
After two years in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota, Sam Rinzel turned pro at the end of this past season, with some encouraging play. He has all the physical traits you want from a defender. He’s fluid on his feet, physical along the boards and a more-than-capable puckhandler. He gets involved offensively as a shooter and playmaker, skating along the blueline to open up lanes. Rinzel will enter training camp with a job on the NHL roster, in all likelihood, but where he will play in the lineup remains to be determined.
Ethan Del Mastro just barely held onto his rookie eligibility, and Nolan Allan played a bit too much this past year to qualify. Still, both are 22-year-old, defensive-minded, physical defenders who should factor into the lineup this year. Neither of them will be large offensive contributors, but they have the length and size to be excellent complements to their offensive blueliners coming up through the system.
The Blackhawks also have an impressive goalie pipeline. They acquired 24-year-old Spencer Knight this past season, which gives them a solid NHL netminder. He’s likely the starter of the future, but they also have Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan on their way.
Commesso has steadily improved in the AHL over the last two seasons. Gajan had a decent freshman season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Both have potential as NHL netminders, but they’ll have a hard time unseating Knight as the starter.
Key U-23 Players Likely To Play NHL Games This Season
Anton Frondell (C/W), Artyom Levshunov (D), Connor Bedard (C), Oliver Moore (C/W), Sam Rinzel (D), Kevin Korchinski (D), Frank Nazar (RW/C), Nolan Allan (D), Colton Dach (C/W), Ethan Del Mastro (D)
2025 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 3rd overall - Anton Frondell, C, Djurgarden (Swe.2)
Round 1, 25th overall - Vaclav Nestrasil, RW, Muskegon (USHL)
Round 1, 29th overall - Mason West, C/W, Edina (Minn. H.S.)
Round 3, 66th overall - Nathan Behm, RW, Kamloops (WHL)
Round 4, 98th overall - Julius Sumpf, C, Moncton (QMJHL)
Round 4, 107th overall - Parker Holmes, LW, Brantford (OHL)
Round 6, 162nd overall - Ashton Cumby, D, Seattle (WHL)
Round 7, 194th overall - Ilya Kanarsky, G, AKM Tula Jr. (Rus.)
The Blackhawks had one of the most impressive draft hauls of the year. They nabbed their guy in Anton Frondell at third overall and then drafted two big, raw, high-upside forwards at the tail end of the first round before adding some impressive swings on Day 2.
Frondell’s draft stock went up and down throughout the year, but he hung around the top five for most of it. His power game, details along the boards and impressive shooting talent are all traits NHL teams love. Having a legitimate chance to play center only helped his stock.
Frondell has dealt with some injuries over the last couple of years, but he’s always come back stronger and faster. With Bedard likely being the first-line center of the future, Frondell’s versatility could make him Bedard’s linemate or the second-line center, which would be a one-two punch other teams envy. Whatever their eventual fits together are, Frondell becomes a building block for the Hawks.
The 6-foot-6 Czech forward, Vaclav Nestrasil, had one of the most intriguing packages of raw tools in the draft. He loves to engage physically, looking for big hits along the boards and down low. With the puck, Nestrasil can use his full wingspan to deke and dangle. He’s an excellent passer in motion with some excellent vision. Nestrasil is a bit clumsy, and he must get more co-ordinated as a skater. If he can do that, Chicago may have one of the best value picks of the first round.
Chicago traded back near the end of the first round to select Mason West, a dual-threat athlete who chose to play hockey despite being a fairly well-recruited high-school quarterback in Minnesota. He will play hockey in high school next season, so that he can finish his high school football career and try to win a state title. He’s committed to playing hockey at Michigan State the following year. His development will take a bit longer as a result, but the upside is incredibly high.
West has plenty of raw physical tools. Like Nestrasil, he stands 6-foot-6 and imposes his will physically on opposing players along the boards and in battles. He is an excellent shooter who can use his size to fire bombs on net. While West is a bit less refined as a puckhandler than Nestrasil, he is a much more fluid skater, and he generates speed at a high level. West has the agility and edge work of a much smaller player, so if he can continue to refine the small details in his game, West could be a big, fast, productive top-six forward at the NHL level in time.
After trading their second-round picks to get West, the Hawks' next pick came in the third round when they got Nathan Behm. He’s a good shooter who excels when playing confident hockey, attacking defenders head-on with skill. He always seemed to create something, whether he was making a crisp pass after getting hit by a defender, forechecking hard or cycling the puck up the wall before heading to the net. Behm must get more fluid on his feet if he wants to play in the NHL, but there’s a solid base to work on.
In the fourth round, Chicago took a swing at one of the most productive players on the QMJHL-champion Moncton Wildcats, Julius Sumpf. Often playing on the top line, Sumpf set the table for Caleb Desnoyers, the fourth overall pick who went to the Utah Mammoth.
Sumpf consistently scans the ice and reads defenders to ensure he can make the best pass when he gets the puck. He puts his linemates in excellent positions to create offense. He was one of the better overage players in the draft.
While Chicago had a solid draft overall, Parker Holmes was an odd pick. He is a physical player who can throw down in a fight. There isn’t much offensive upside, and his tools don’t translate particularly well to the NHL. This was among the more perplexing picks of the draft, particularly at 107th overall.
Ashton Cumby is a big defender, but he wasn’t much of an impact player. He has some nice defensive moments, thanks to his reach and physical play, but he’s far too inconsistent. Chicago must hope he can develop into a solid defensive stopper.
Their final pick of the draft was a swing on a 20-year-old Russian netminder who had stellar numbers. He hasn’t really been hyped up much, but swinging on a goalie, particularly a Russian goaltender, this late in the draft is a worthwhile investment.
Strengths
The Blackhawks’ prospect pipeline is absolutely loaded. They already have high-end youngsters at the NHL level, with more on the way at every position. They have at least B-plus prospects at every position.
Between the trio of powerful forwards they drafted this year in the first round and Moore, they have plenty of help coming up front. Korchinski has played quite a bit at the NHL level, including a full rookie season two years ago, but he’s far from the only defender on the way. Even in goal, the Hawks have two solid young netminders, along with Knight. It’s a good time to be a Chicago fan as they usher in the next wave.
Weaknesses
While they could use a game-breaker or a true superstar in the prospect pipeline, Bedard is already on the NHL roster.
The Hawks' biggest weakness may be that they lack right-shot defenders once Levshunov and Rinzel graduate to the NHL full-time, likely this year. That’s incredibly unfair and frankly a bit harsh, though. They have no real weakness.
Hidden Gem: AJ Spellacy, RW
Before taking West in 2025, the Blackhawks took another high-level football player in the 2024 NHL draft with AJ Spellacy. The highly athletic winger didn’t have the offensive impact he was expected to achieve this past year, but he was asked to do a lot in OHL Windsor. His speed and physicality were notable throughout the year.
Spellacy’s offensive game has another level to it as well. He’s always been a raw prospect, and he might take a year or two in the AHL when his OHL career is done, but he could be well worth the wait.
Next Man Up: Anton Frondell, C
Word out of Chicago seems to be that Frondell will get every opportunity to play for the NHL club this fall. The buzz in Sweden is he is looking to make the move to North America as soon as possible.
That would be a match made in heaven as the Hawks need some size and offensive punch. Frondell should bring both of those things.
Playing alongside Bedard would make a ton of sense for Frondell as an 18-year-old, allowing both to share the responsibilities at center if needed.
The third overall pick will struggle at times because the NHL is the top league in the world. The Allsvenskan is a very good league, and Frondell was good there, but it’s a big step up to the Swedish League and an even bigger one to the NHL.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Vaclav Nestrasil, John Mustard, Marek Vanacker, Gavin Hayes, Joel Svensson
C: Anton Frondell, Oliver Moore, Sacha Boisvert, Ryan Greene, Paul Ludwinski
RW: Mason West, Nick Lardis, AJ Spellacy, Nathan Behm, Martin Misiak, Jack Pridham
LD: Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Dmitri Kuzmin, Ty Henry
RD: Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Ryan Mast
G: Drew Commesso, Adam Gajan, Ilya Kanarsky
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.
Promo image credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
