It’s that time again, Blackhawks fans! As the NHL trudges through the dog days of August, there’s precious little in terms of important news to discuss. While the game’s top players continue to rest, recuperate, and train for the upcoming season, all eyes are now on the continued development of each team’s prospect pool. Chicago has developed its pipeline as well as anyone over the past few seasons and are set to reap the benefits soon.
Throughout this week, we’ve taken a closer look at a total of 24 Blackhawks prospects, including four names who just missed the overall top 25 list. That means we’re set to reveal Chicago’s five most prized possessions in the pipeline. The Blackhawks’ five best prospects are the cornerstones of the team’s future, and their successes will determine whether the team can get into Stanley Cup contention.
5. Landon Slaggert (age 22)
I’ve mentioned a few times throughout this list that a main factor in ranking prospects is their NHL readiness, and no prospect in the entire system is more ready for the big show than Slaggert. The 22-year-old bottom-six winger proved in 16 NHL games this spring that he belongs in the NHL. He’s an all-around grinder with plenty of experience, spending four seasons at Notre Dame before turning pro. Slaggert will likely start the season in Rockford, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was brought up at some point, whether in the wake of an injury or not. His limited upside keeps him from climbing higher in the top five, but his development is complete and he’s ready for the next level.
4. Ethan Del Mastro (age 21)
If there’s one player in the system who could challenge Slaggert’s status as the most NHL-ready prospect, it’s Del Mastro, the IceHogs’ All-Star from last season who was surprisingly called up for two games to reward his strong play. If it weren’t for the Blackhawks’ defensive spending spree in free agency, Del Mastro would likely be making the jump to full-time NHL work. He’ll likely get that call at some point this year or next, at which point Chicago will hope he can take the same leap Alex Vlasic did last season.
3. Oliver Moore (age 19)
Of all the prospects in the Blackhawks’ system, no player is as exciting to watch as Moore, the 19th-overall pick in 2023. Dubbed the best skater in his draft class, Moore’s world-class skating speed and agility is his most lethal asset, and I’d put those abilities up against anyone in the NHL. As he continues to develop his game mentally, he’s learning to utilize that speed more effectively, and the resulting success is flat-out fun to watch. He’ll return to the same Minnesota team in which he scored 33 points in 39 games last season and will hope to develop the other aspects of his game before turning pro as one of the Blackhawks’ most thrilling prospects.
2. Artyom Levshunov (age 18)
The Blackhawks’ No. 2 overall pick from this summer doesn’t bring Connor Bedard-level hype into his first professional season, but there’s no question he’s a cornerstone of the team’s rebuild and is perhaps the second-most valuable asset to Chicago behind Bedard. Levshunov is still a bit raw and isn’t quite ready for the NHL, but he’ll have a chance to put his game to the test this season in Rockford. There’s a reason he was taken second overall – during a nearly point-per-game season with Michigan State, Levshunov blew everyone away with a spectacular two-way game, playing against some of the best college hockey has to offer at just 18 years old. The Blackhawks expect him to be the right-handed defenseman of their top line for years – maybe a decade – to come, and assuming he can continue to flesh out his game, he certainly has the raw talent to do so.
1. Frank Nazar (age 20)
It isn’t very often that another prospect ranks above a top-two overall pick, but it isn’t very often that a team finds a player like Nazar in its system. A year after being drafted 13th overall in 2022, Nazar wrapped up his career at the University of Michigan with an extraordinary 41 points in 41 games, then added eight assists in seven games for Team USA at the World Junior Classic. The Blackhawks signed their top prospect and brought him in for three games at the end of the year and he lived up to his billing, scoring on his first career shot at the NHL level. The sheer quantity of offseason additions may have pushed Nazar down to the AHL to start the season (depending on what happens in training camp) but there’s no question he’s Chicago’s best prospect at the moment. He’ll face tremendous pressure once he is called up for good, with the expectation being that he’ll serve as the second-line center behind Bedard for the next decade.
