With the Blackhawks being a team built for the future, the prospect pool is among the best we’ve ever seen. Though the group is headlined by obvious names like Bedard and Kevin Korchinski, GM Kyle Davidson has done a great job acquiring talent at every level. The pipeline to Chicago is a deep one, and there’s serious talent throughout the team’s top 25 prospects and even beyond. With that being said, some young stars will have a better chance to make an impact than others, creating a need for a comprehensive ranking of the top 25 prospects in the Blackhawks’ system, plus a few extras.
Below is Part 2 of the series, and the bottom of the official list. These players are by no means bottom-tier players, however, as the below group of prospects could find themselves in Blackhawks uniforms within the next few years.
25. Ryder Rolston
Rolston rounds out the bottom of this list as he enters his first professional season in Rockford, a debut that was put on hold due to a shoulder injury last spring. The winger is a great athlete with good size and speed who has been an integral part of a good Notre Dame program for the past three seasons. He’s polished and well-coached, which should help him rise to the top of the AHL level quickly and could be a big part of the Blackhawks’ current youth movement.
24. Filip Roos
Roos is a 24-year-old defenseman who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2022 and has already logged 17 games with the big club. He’s an offensive-minded, big-bodied blueliner that has great skills for his size. Roos has one of the best chances on the entire list to make an impact on the big-league roster this year, as he’ll be one of the first names called up in the case of injuries or other personnel losses. However, the team doesn’t have any draft capital invested in him, and he only has one year left on his contract, which is why he’s near the bottom of the list.
23. Dominic James
As James heads back to Minnesota-Duluth for his junior season, he enters a make-or-break season of sorts. He had a tremendous showing at last year’s World Juniors and plays with great defensive instincts. After being drafted in the sixth round in 2022, he hasn’t been signed yet but has a chance to continue an impressive tenure on his NCAA team as he hopes to crack the professional ranks.
22. Samuel Savoie
As Tab Bamford of Bleacher Nation put it, “We’ve been talking about him begin Andrew Shaw 2.0 since he was drafted.” Translation: he plays with his head on fire. The winger isn’t the biggest skater on the ice, but he plays like it. The third-round pick of the Blackhawks last summer says he’s trying to “play with more discernment”, and will be put to the test as he returns to the Gatineau Olympiques this fall. He’s still just 19 years old and in his fourth year with the QMJHL club, giving him a longer runway to be part of a young team in Chicago.
21. Nick Lardis
Lardis celebrated his 18th birthday after being drafted in the third round this summer. He’s more than worthy of his high draft pick – he’s a fantastic scorer from the wing that saw his draft stock skyrocket after a 10-point showing in six OHL playoff games this spring. He’ll return to the Brantford Bulldogs, formerly of Hamilton, as one of the youngest and most promising prospects in the Blackhawks’ system. He’ll hope to build on a stellar season last year with an even better one in 2023-24 and could find himself in Rockford with a real shot at the NHL in the next few years.
