NEWSLETTER
Back in early May, we dropped our end-of-season rankings of the Blackhawks’ top ten prospects. Since then, a lot has changed.
Not only did the Blackhawks add 11 prospects to the pipeline at the 2022 NHL Draft, but we were able to see some of the top young players in person at the development camp this year. Being back in the rink and seeing players from Canada and the United States together on the ice competing was a great way to really get an eye test of what some of these players bring to the ice.
So, as the dust settles from an eventful first half of July, let’s update our prospect rankings. And, with everything that’s happened over the last few weeks, we’re upping the ante to our top 20 instead of 10.
1. Kevin Korchinski, D
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft — 1st round (No. 7 overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 185
Contract Expires: N/A
After putting up 65 points in 67 games in the WHL last season, Korchinski flew up draft boards and was the Blackhawks’ primary target when trying to acquire a top-ten pick in any trade for Alex DeBrincat. Watching him at development camp, he has the look of the real deal. He can absolutely fly up and down the ice. The Hawks will give him time to develop, but he could be a game-changer on the blue line in the future.
2. Lukas Reichel, C/W
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft — 1st round (No. 17 overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 170
Contract Expires: 2024
Reichel falls out of the top spot on our rankings, but remains in the top two. He’s still a solid prospect, but he was the best of a weak group of forwards in the Blackhawks’ system. That is no longer the case; we don’t have to make an effort to add forwards to our top prospect rankings anymore. And Reichel is going to have to continue improving to stay the top forward in the system.
3. Frank Nazar, C
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft — 1st round (No. 13)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 181
Contract Expires: N/A
Nazar can move and has really good hands. And the good news: he’s headed to the University of Michigan to begin his college career this fall. He isn’t as tall as Reichel but he’ll have plenty of future NHL talent around him in Ann Arbor to work on his game. This is a really nice addition to a pipeline that desperately needed some high-end skill.
4. Ian Mitchell, D
Age: 23
Acquired: 2017 NHL Draft — 2nd round (No. 57)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 173
Contract Expires: 2023
Yes, I’m still clinging to Mitchell in the top four. He played top minutes in Rockford last season and every indication is that his game showed progress across the board. We’re hoping to see more of Mitchell in the NHL lineup this coming season, and the Blackhawks will have plenty of bodies to take up the minutes in Rockford if he does.
5. Alex Vlasic, D
Age: 21
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft — 2nd round (No. 43)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-6 Wt: 211
Contract Expires: 2024
Vlasic was one of the more impressive players at the development camp. He showed some eye-catching skill offensively and also played a mature defensive game. Of course, he was the only player in camp who had seen NHL minutes, but with his size and ability he could make a case for minutes at the United Center soon, too.
6. Drew Commesso, G
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft — 2nd round (No. 46)
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 180
Contract Expires: N/A
There’s no question who the top goaltending prospect is in the organization, but Commesso is one of the top prospects at the position in the college ranks as well. He performed well in the Olympics against professionals and had a nice week at the development camp. We can’t wait for him to get ready for prime time and take over the crease in Chicago.
7. Alec Regula, D
Age: Turns 22 on Aug. 6
Acquired: via trade from Detroit for F Brendan Perlini (Oct. 28, 2019)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 208
Contract Expires: 2023
Again, the Blackhawks have size for days on the blue line. Regula looked good in his limited action at the NHL level last year and, with Vlasic, could be in the wings waiting for a veteran to be dealt at some point during the season.
8. Aidan Thompson, C
Age: 20
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft — 3rd round (No. 90)
Shoots: L
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 181
Contract Expires: N/A
For me, Thompson was one of the stars of the development camp. An over-age pick in the third round of the 2022 draft, his game compared favorably to Landon Slaggert — who has already played two seasons of college hockey at Notre Dame. There’s a lot to like about Thompson’s game. He’ll head to the University of Denver this fall.
9. Paul Ludwinski, C
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft — 2nd round (No. 39)
Shoots: L
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 183
Contract Expires: N/A
More speed and skill. Ludwinski was the Hawks’ first pick in the second round of the 2022 draft and he showed really good wheels and hands in the development camp. He caught the eye of many scouts skating with Kingston in the OHL; they were there to watch Shane Wright but got a lot to consider in Ludwinski.
10. Colton Dach, C
Age: 19
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft — 2nd round (No. 62)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 205
Contract Expires: 2025
Yes, it was awkward for Colton Dach to come to Chicago just a few days after his older brother was traded to Montreal. But he’s already signed and will get a chance to create his own place in the organization moving forward. He looked like a strong, physical power forward at development camp.
11. Sam Rinzel, D
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft — 1st round (No. 25)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 181
Contract Expires: N/A
You don’t see many right-handed defensemen who skate like Rinzel, handle the puck well and bring offense to the table. But he’s going to spend this coming season in the USHL and then plans to attend the University of Minnesota to continue developing after playing high school hockey in Minnesota. He’s a lottery ticket, but showed some flashes of potential at development camp.
12. Ethan Del Mastro, D
Age: 19
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft — 4th round (No. 105)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 209
Contract Expires: 2025
It raised a few eyebrows when the Blackhawks signed Del Mastro last year as a fourth-round pick. But when you see his physical package and watch him skate in person — as we did at development camp — you quickly understand why Davidson put pen to paper with him. He’s a big, physical defenseman who can move the puck and hits well.
13. Landon Slaggert, C
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft — 3rd round (No. 79)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 182
Contract Expires: N/A
Slaggert was impressive at the development camp. Is he going to become a top-line center in the NHL? I doubt it. But he plays a smart game and has good hands. He looked like a player with two years of Big Ten hockey on his resume playing against many teenagers in camp, but he’s doing a nice job getting better every year at Notre Dame.
14. Wyatt Kaiser, D
Age: Turns 20 on July 31
Acquired: 2017 NHL Draft — 3rd round (No. 81)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 173
Contract Expires: N/A
Kaiser had a really good development camp and has physically grown into his game over two seasons at Minnesota-Duluth. Assistant GM of Development Mark Eaton singled out Kaiser out when praising a few prospects during the camp, saying “he spent a lot of time working on the core and allowing himself to be stronger in battles and sustain the big minutes he’s going to play at Duluth.”
15. Isaak Phillips, D
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft — 5th round (No. 141)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 205
Contract Expires: 2024
Phillips falls significantly from our previous rankings, but it’s not because he did anything wrong. He played top-pair minutes with Mitchell in Rockford last year and saw some limited NHL action as well. There’s a lot to like about Phillips’ game, especially his size and skating ability. If Mitchell leaves for the NHL, he’ll get a lot of minutes in Rockford again.
16. Samuel Savoie, LW
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft — 3rd round (No. 81)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 190
Contract Expires: N/A
This kid brings a lot of swagger and some smack to the ice. He compared himself to Brad Marchand and you can see it when he’s on the ice. He’s always smiling, sometimes mischievously. If you’re excited about the Blackhawks signing Max Domi, keep an eye on Savoie in the future.
17. Jalen Luypen, LW
Age: 20
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft — 7th round (No. 216)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 160
Contract Expires: 2024
Luypen wasn’t able to participate in the Hawks’ development camp because of an injury sustained during the CHL playoffs, but he’s coming of a marvelous season. He scored 29 goals with 35 assists for 64 points in 66 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL. He added nine points in 19 postseason contests. If he makes it to the NHL it would be a terrific story; he was the 216th of 224 players selected in the 2021 draft.
18. Nolan Allan, D
Age: 19
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft — 1st round (No. 32)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 195
Contract Expires: 2025
It’s crazy to think Allan, the Hawks’ first-round pick in 2021, is this low but the club has so much size, speed and skill that he has some work in front of him in Rockford. He was drafted to add size on the blue line, but we noted at the start of development camp that 11 of the 13 defensemen in the development camp were listed as 6-2 or taller. He looked good — but surprisingly small — in the camp.
19. Jakub Galvas, D
Age: 23
Acquired: 2017 NHL Draft — 5th round (No. 150)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 161
Contract Expires: 2023
Galvas made his NHL debut last season, appearing in six games with the Blackhawks. In 59 games with Rockford in his first full professional season, Galvas scored twice with 18 assists. He’s another late-round pick who has caught the organization’s eye with his strong play on the ice.
20. Gavin Hayes, LW
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft — 3rd round (No. 66)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 176
Contract Expires: N/A
Hayes scored 19 goals in 65 games for Flint in the OHL last season and quietly had a nice development camp. He has better size than most of the other forwards drafted in 2022 but still brings plenty of speed to the ice. He scored twice in four games for the US at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last season, so he has some international experience on his resume as well.
Just Missed
Dominic James, W
Ryan Greene, C
Taige Harding, D
Connor Kelley, D
Michal TeplĂ˝, F
Josiah Slavin, F
Arvid Söderblom, G
Louis Crevier, D
