Assessing the Blackhawks Prospect Pipeline
A dive into the Chicago Blackhawks prospect pipeline.
With the prospect showcase well under wraps, I figured it was time to look at the Chicago Blackhawks' prospect pipeline. Heads up, I'm not a prospect guru. There are just so many unknowns when it comes to projecting prospects that unless you're an actual scout or watch these kids on a regular basis, you won't have a solid feel for their potential impact. My commentary is based on clips and what other scouts have said. So, please, take what I say with a grain of salt.
I want to start with some comments on GM Kyle Davidson's drafting thus far.
Davidson has amassed and collected a large number of draft picks during his tenure. Since he officially took over in 2021, Davidson has acquired 11 picks in the first round alone—an embarrassment of riches. Until the Bowen Byram trade, Davidson has been reluctant to trade his picks or prospects to acquire more established younger NHL players. There have been a handful of young NHL players that popped up as potential trade targets, but Davidson has elected to place trust in his amateur scouting depatment and his own drafting. That reluctance could change as the rebuild nears its end.
Most prospect pipeline rankings place the Blackhawks near, or at the top of the league. Some of those rankings include all U23 players, like Cory Pronman's ranking for the Blackhawks (where Chicago is ranked fourth). Those lists, like Pronman's, include young players who are already in the NHL: Anton Frondell, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis, and now (as we'll see) Roman Kantserov. Those players are also the best of the Blackhawks U23 group. But I won't talk about them in today's piece (except Kantserov) because they aren't prospects anymore.
Steve Kwiatkowski
I've divided this article into forwards, defensemen, goalies, and my assessment. In each section, I picked the prospects that are most intriguing. You can think of it as a way to pick a player to follow along this season.
With all of that out of the way, here's what I have as the Blackhawks depth chart:
The above list is pretty comprehensive (hello Ryan Ellis). Players noted with an asterisk are players who are signed by the Blackhawks but are going to be playing in Rockford or are not likely ever to play with the Hawks (Artur Kayumov, drafted in 2016 and still on Chicago's rolls). Also, with training camp underway, this won't reflect every Rockford player signed by Chicago, but it includes all the drafted prospects.
Players in green are in the NHL, blue are in Rockford, and yellow are players in the CHL, NCAA, KHL, or other leagues. A player at the top of each colored "tier" is a player most likely ready to play at the next higher level, not necessarily who I think is best in that tier. For example, AJ Spellacy is likely to play in the NHL sometime this season, but I think Vaclav Nestrasil has the potential to be a better player.
And one last thing, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro are both likely to spend time in either the NHL, AHL, or get claimed off of waivers.
Let's start with the forwards.
Forwards
Roman Kantserov
2026-27 Team: Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)
Roman Kantserov is right at the top, and it's probably not fair to include him here because he's already in the NHL. The only reason why I'm listing Kantserov is that he hasn't played any professional North American hockey. But he's already made an impact in one of the best professional leagues in the world. Kantserov scored 64 points (36 G, 28 A) in the KHL last year. Drafted in the second round in 2024, Kantserov's impressive production in Russia's top league was unexpected. He was the first 21-year-old to lead the KHL in goals since Kirill Kaprisov did the same in 2019.
Sure, he's on the smaller side (5-9), but the way he was able to score from nearly anywhere on the ice makes his potential in the NHL promising. He'll be starting the season on the top line with Patrick Kane and Frank Nazar. If he impresses at the NHL, he will likely stay on the top line with Connor Bedard.
Vaclave Nestrasil
2026-27 Team: University of Massachusetts (NCAA)
Vaclav Nestrasil scored 31 points in 34 games with the University of Massachusetts last season. He played his first NCAA season and won silver with Czechia in the 2026 World Juniors. At 6-6, 200 pounds, he's a sizeable playmaker with skills that will translate to the NHL. Nestrasil projects to be a middle-six winger.
Vaclav Nestrasil scored almost all his goals last season from the net-front area.
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) June 30, 2026
I asked him about it, and he said that he can find that space but he’s going to work on shooting and scoring from all areas so he can “hopefully score a goal from a shot next season.” 😅 pic.twitter.com/NJx9cHJGNo
Marek Vanacker
2026-27 Team: Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Marek Vanacker had an impressive season in the OHL last season; he scored 82 points in 60 games with the Brantford Bulldogs. He was excellent in transition, is solid with controlled entries, is a playmaker, and wins 50-50 puck battles. This season, he'll be with the Rockford IceHogs, and that'll give a better picture of his potential at the NHL. Another player who projects as a middle-six winger.
Ryan Roobroeck
2026-27 Team: Guelph Storm (OHL)
Ryan Roobroeck was drafted in the second round this year, and he's a player who can surpass anyone listed above (maybe except Kantserov). He has a high ceiling and was a solid goal scorer in the OHL. However, an injury late last season likely hurt his standing in the draft, as he had first-round projections. There are also questions around his effort and compete. His offensive tools intrigue me, which is why I'm including him in this list.
L_B_R
Honorable Mentions
John Mustard at 6-1, 185 pounds is a speedy winger who had a solid season with the Providence Friars (29 points in 36 games). Winger Nathan Behm scored 86 points in 67 games in the WHL last season. Behm has offensive talent that could translate to the NHL, but his lack of physicality and game away from the puck leave some questions.
Centers A.J. Spellacy and Mason West feel like they're almost in similar tiers given their football backgrounds. Spellacy is a lot closer to the NHL than West and had a solid prospect showcase. He'll be headed down to Rockford this season and might get a call-up if an injury opens up a spot. West probably has a higher ceiling, but still has a lot to prove in his first NCAA season. We'll have to see how that goes before we can start proclaiming anything.
Then there's Sacha Boisvert. He didn't impress during his brief NHL stint at the end of last season, but he didn't stand out in a bad way either, which is fine. It's his disappointing season at BU that stood out. He had an impressive freshman year in North Dakota, then struggled with inconsistency at BU. I'm not going to put stock in his prospect showcase games (which some say were disappointing as well). He'll need to stand out in Rockford this season.
Defensemen
Before we get into the defensemen, most of the Blackhawks' best potential blueliners are already here. There is going to be a need on the right side for future depth (refer to the depth chart above).
Xavier Villeneuve
2026-27 Team: Boston University (NCAA)
Villeneuve was drafted in the second round this year. Like Roobroeck, he was initally projected to be in the first round, but fell. Villeneuve is an offensive defenseman with a very high ceiling. Because of his smaller size, he's often compared to Lane Hutson. Questions surround his defensive game.
L_B_R
Samu Alalauri
2026-27 Team: University of Massachusetts (NCAA)
Drafted in the third round this year, Alalauri is intriguing due to his high ceiling. He was fairly successful in Finland playing with the U20 Pelicans (25 points in 40 games). The 18-year-old will be playing with the University of Massachusetts this season; it'll be interesting to see how his game translates to North American ice. He has offesnive upside with a powerful shot. Despite being sizable (6-2, 203 pounds), he struggles with physicality.
Goaltenders
I'm mentioning Adam Gajan because he's still a prospect. He's had some ups and downs from the USHL to his time with the University of Minnesota, and now he will be with the Rockford IceHogs. He's still only 22 and finished in the NCAA with a .908 save percentage before making a one-game appearance in Rockford (where he stopped 36 of 39 shots). While Drew Commesso is next in line to usurp Arvid Soderblom as the backup, Gajan could be the backup of the future.
Assessment
Even though the best of the U23 players are already here, the pipeline is... interesting. Outside of Kantserov (who's already here), there isn't really anyone that stands out. Most of the players that Davidson picked are players who could be solid middle-six forwards. While incredibly important, a team can acquire those players in the market. There hasn't been a high-level talent acquired through the draft. Each draft, Davidson seems to have his type and drafts according to that rather than the best player overall. His type first began as smaller-sized, fast skaters, then evolved into larger players.
On the backend, pundits once projected the Blackhawks blueline as the best in the NHL. With most of those young players now in the NHL, it looks a little bare for depth. But my concern is how the Hawks have handled the development of their young defensemen. Korchinski (despite his CHL/NHL contract conflicts) has been a direct casualty of development missmanagement. Levshunov arguably could have stayed in the NCAA another season. It's interesting considering at the start of the rebuild Davidson said he didn't want to rush anyone and use Rockford as a development tool.
On the other hand, I could be (and probably am) very wrong about all of this. No one knows until we're well ahead into the future. But what fun would that be if all we did was just wait around?
Let's end on a positive note. Here's a quote from Puck Luck Analytics:
Seeing the Blackhawks young prospects in the NHL before the D+5 mark is a great sign. Chicago has piled up draft picks in recent seasons and their draft profile suggests they should see at least one NHL Contributor rising from each of the last four draft classes. What we’re seeing so far suggests they may outproduce that.
