NEWSLETTER
Every time the Blackhawks lose a game like their 2-1 loss to the Islanders on Tuesday night, I get questions on social media about when exactly this whole rebuild is going to start bearing fruit for the Blackhawks.
Tell ’em, Axl.
When the Blackhawks announced the team signed forward Nick Lardis to his three-year, entry-level contract on Wednesday, it marked the second player from Chicago’s 2023 NHL Draft class to put pen to paper. Obviously Connor Bedard was the first.
But the more important part of the Lardis signing was it signifies the next step in the Blackhawks’ rebuild foundation being built. We’re starting to see the stairsteps in the pipeline more clearly now, and Lardis figures to be a part of the evolution of the roster(s) in Chicago and Rockford in the coming years.
This season, the Rockford IceHogs have benefitted from a number of players playing their first full professional seasons. Defensemen Ethan Del Mastro, an AHL All-Star, and Nolan Allan are spending the entire season in Rockford while Wyatt Kaiser started the season in the NHL and is now back with the Blackhawks after spending 31 games in Rockford. Meanwhile, forwards Colton Dach, Ryder Rolston and Jalen Luypen are playing their first full professional seasons with the IceHogs. Goaltender Drew Commesso is also playing his first full pro season.
Kaiser, Commesso and current Blackhawks forward Landon Slaggert were drafted in 2020. Based on the early returns from Slaggert and the performances of Kaiser since he recall, both may be in the NHL full-time next year. Keep in mind Slaggert signed just a two-year, entry-level contract because of his age. So he’ll be an RFA after the 2024-25 season.
The Blackhawks also drafted Lukas Reichel, Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier in 2020. Each has seen NHL action, with Reichel having the most NHL experience on his resume at this point. And all three of them will hit RFA this summer already.
Chicago’s 2021 NHL Draft class included Allan, Del Mastro, Dach and Luypen. All four are in Rockford, with Del Mastro showing the best development of the four thus far. He may get a look at the NHL level next season after a solid first pro season.
The Blackhawks’ 2022 NHL Draft Class is next in line to turn pro, and that’s the first class that was run by general manager Kyle Davidson. That draft class appears to be a big part of the foundation of Davidson’s rebuild; Kevin Korchinski will spend this entire season in the NHL while Frank Nazar, Ryan Greene and Aidan Thompson will all participate in the Frozen Four next week at the college level.
Whenever their college seasons end, it’s likely the Blackhawks have serious discussions with at least Nazar and Greene, if not all three, about their futures with the organization. I don’t think we’ll see any of them in the final few games in the NHL, but they could all be signed to start their pro careers in training camp this fall.
The Blackhawks have already signed junior forwards Gavin Hayes, Samuel Savoie and Paul Ludwinski to their entry-level contracts and all three will join the professional ranks full-time next season. All three were members of the Blackhawks’ 2022 NHL Draft class.
Chicago also drafted Sam Rinzel and Dominic James in 2022. James is a nice center who played well for the US at the World Juniors last year but suffered a season-ending injury. Rinzel was a member of the gold medal-winning US team at this year’s World Juniors and was one of the more productive college freshman defensemen in the country. He’ll go back to Minnesota, but the Blackhawks have to be very happy with his development already.
It’s coming, folks. There’s a lot of talent starting to get signed, show up in Rockford and Chicago, and make an impact on the rosters of the IceHogs and Blackhawks. With another deep draft class to come this summer and plenty of cap space, the corner is being turned. And with each prospect that signs his entry-level contract it’s becoming more clear that the timeline is becoming increasingly immediate for players to perform.
