The Blackhawks Farm System Took a Tumble Down the Rankings, Shining an Unkind Light on the Rebuilding Process

Around this time every year, The Athletic ranks each NHL team’s farm system, and every year I eagerly await the results. Last season, the Blackhawks farm system ranked a respectable 12th best in the league by Scott Wheeler’s measure. This season, however, they took a dramatic tumble down his rankings to 24th in the NHL. You can read the full breakdown right here.

Note, that the full article is premium content (be sure to subscribe to The Athletic to check it out in full), so we won’t share everything, but there is still plenty here to dissect on the surface.

Chicago’s farm system, having graduated Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist, and Lucas Carlsson, is led by 2020 first-round draft pick Lukas Reichel and rookie NHL defenseman Ian Mitchell. Outside of those top two players, though, Wheeler finds that the rest of the system is built largely on unspectacular (low-ceiling) talent:

“The Blackhawks’ prospect pool tiers highlight the good and bad of a pool that is both reasonably deep on semi-interesting prospects (they’re the first team to feature a list long enough to extend beyond a top-20 into honorable mentions) but thin on the high-end prospects compared to most other NHL teams.”

Once-highly-touted prospects Chad Krys and Jake Wise find themselves near the bottom of the tiers for Chicago, while three other players – Philipp Kurashev, Brandon Hagel, and Nicolas Beaudin – are currently with the Blackhawks either on the active roster or the taxi squad.

The Blackhawks’ farm system looked very promising just a season or two ago, with players like Boqvist, Dach, Mitchell, Beaudin, Carlsson, Henri Jokiharju and later Alexander Nylander, in tow. Now, due to injuries, graduations, and poor play, the prospect pool is starting to look like it must go through its own rebuilding process. Obviously, the goal of any franchise is NOT to have the best group of prospects, period, but rather the best collection of affordable young talent, whether they retain their prospect status or not. So recent graduations do need to be taken into account, and, indeed, help explain part of the drop, here. But even still, the point remains. For a rebuilding team, the Blackhawks collection of prospects leaves much to be desired.

Reichel is a good start, but he lacks the potential to become anything more than a serviceable top-six forward in the NHL. Meanwhile, Chicago is hoping NCAA prospects like Wyatt Kaiser (University of Minnesota-Duluth), Landon Slaggert (Notre Dame), Drew Commesso (Boston University), and Alex Vlasic (Boston University) can become the kind of player that you can plug into the professional ranks right away from college – think Ian Mitchell – but we’ll have to wait and see.

The Rockford IceHogs will be a proving ground for the Blackhawks prospects this season, with upwards of six players from Wheeler’s article likely to be playing significant minutes for head coach Derek King. This season is proving to be one where the excitement around the Blackhawks will be focused on the future, rather than the here and now.

written by

Mario Tirabassi is a writer for Bleacher Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @Mario_Tirabassi.

more blackhawks news

Four College Prospects Advance, Hayes Scores, Dickinson Respect, HOF Luke, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

The Blackhawks played last night, but the organization also had five (5) prospects playing in the three NCAA tournament games on Thursday. It was an action-packed day of hockey watching for folks who weren't watching college basketball or MLB's Opening...

Blackhawks 0, Senators 2 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

Remember when the Blackhawks went to California for three games and started each game like they had 45 minutes of hockey to start caring? And dug a deep hole in each game that they were only able to escape from...

Blackhawks at Senators – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Don't look now, but the Chicago Blackhawks have won six of their last ten games. They still sit in second for the NHL draft lottery, but they're trending in the right direction; they're .500 in the month of March with...

These 3 Blackhawks Veterans Are Having Terrific Seasons

Entering Thursday night's action, the Chicago Blackhawks have the second-worst point percentage in the NHL -- even while they're 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. And they own the second-worst goal differential in the league (minus-76). It's been a long,...

2024 NHL Draft Thoughts: Comparing This Year’s Prospects vs. 2023, Compete Level, More

Earlier this week, Scott Wheeler at The Athletic rolled out a fun mailbag that was focused on the 2024 NHL Draft. Lots of good stuff in there; highly recommend it. But there were a couple thoughts that stood out to...

28 on 28: Steve Larmer’s Rookie Season Remains the Blackhawks’ Standard

We're ten games away from the end of the 2023-24 regular season, and Connor Bedard continues to put up remarkable numbers for at age 18 in his first professional season. He will likely join Steve Larmer on the list of...

The Greatest Sports Watching Day of the Year, Next Year’s TV, an IceHogs Stunner, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Congratulations, sports fans! Today, March 28, 2024 is the greatest sports viewing day of the calendar year. Hands down, lock it up, no competition. It's Opening Day in MLB and Sweet 16 day one in the NCAA men's basketball tournament....

NHL Notes: Penguins Paradox, Torts Apologizes, Doan’s Dazzling Debut, Rangers Punch Ticket, More

It's a mid-week edition of NHL Notes and we have plenty to cover around the league. The Penguins find themselves with a tricky decision as their season draws to a close. John Tortorella dished out an apology to one of...

We Need to Talk About Jason Dickinson As a Selke Trophy Candidate — Again

Back in early February as the Blackhawks wrapped their pre-All-Star Game schedule, I wrote about Jason Dickinson's case for Selke Trophy votes. We're now ten games away from the end of Chicago's regular season, and with Dickinson reaching 20 goals...

Slaggert’s Big Night, Bedard’s Tape, Felcman to Rockford, Anderson, Tinordi, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I'm gonna continue to smile, just like Landon Slaggert, because of his performance in last night's Blackhawks win. The former Notre Dame captain had his parents and young brother in the stands and he had one helluva game last night....

Latest News

Marlins vs. Pirates Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Miami Marlins (0-1) are favorites (-132) on the moneyline when they square off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0) Friday at 7:10 PM ET, live on BSFL.Miami's Andrew Jacob Puk and Pittsburgh's Martin Perez have been named the starters for...

Rays vs. Blue Jays Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) and Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) meet Friday at Tropicana Field, starting at 6:50 PM ET on SNET. The Rays are -122 moneyline favorites for the contest, however, the Blue Jays are favored against the spread...

Astros vs. Yankees Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The New York Yankees (1-0) visit the Houston Astros (0-1) for a road game on Friday at 8:10 PM ET.The Astros will look to Cristian Javier versus the Yankees and Carlos Rodon.Astros vs. Yankees Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen: Friday,...

Bet $5 with FanDuel Promo Code, Win $200 Bonus Including NCAA Tournament

This weekend is packed with great sports action including the NCAA Tournament, MLB, and NBA for bettors. Check out the FanDuel promo code to score a $200 bonus if your first $5 bet wins! If you live in NC, you...

DraftKings Promo Code: Get $150 for $5 Bet on College Basketball and More Sports

This time of the year on the sports calendar is truly special with the MLB season starting, college basketball in full swing, and much more! Don't miss out on the chance to grab a bonus by using the latest DraftKings...

Rays vs. Blue Jays Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) play on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) at Tropicana Field. The game is set to start at 6:50 PM ET on Friday.The Rays will call on Aaron Civale versus the Blue Jays...

Marlins vs. Pirates Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0) play on Friday in Miami against the Miami Marlins (0-1). First pitch is at 7:10 PM ET.The Marlins will call on Andrew Jacob Puk against the Pirates and Martin Perez.Marlins vs. Pirates Pitcher Matchup and Game...

Duke vs Houston Predictions and Odds: March Madness Best Bets

We have a couple of number-one seeds in March Madness action tonight including Houston (32-4) as the Cougars take on Duke (26-8). Check out the odds and more for Duke vs Houston which tips off tonight at 9:39 pm ET...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offseason Preview: 2024 Free Agents and Team Needs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enjoyed a successful 2023 season, capturing their third straight NFC South title and pushing the Detroit Lions in a thrilling Divisional Round matchup. This strong showing translates to a relatively stable roster with few glaring weaknesses...

NC State vs Marquette Predictions and Odds: March Madness Best Bets

March Madness matchups bring us a great battle tonight as 11-seed NC State battles 2-seed Marquette. Check out the odds, stats, and more for NC State vs Marquette which tips off at 7:09 pm ET tonight. NC State vs Marquette...

more blackhawks news