If you know me and/or have been familiar with my take on hockey prospect rankings over the past few years, you’ll know my affinity towards a tier or “pyramid” system over ranking players 1-10/20/50/1,000 numerically. There are just too many debates over these kinds of lists that really get you into the weeds of where a player is in their development and where they may or may not stand within the organization. I’m not one to split hairs between a prospect ranked No. 4 and No. 9, when another person wouldn’t have either in their top ten.
What is the prospect pyramid, you may ask? It’s a simple solution to these lists that is not original to me, but I’m stealing it from Toronto Maple Leafs blogger/YouTuber/Fanatic Steve “Dangle” Glynn, who has ranked Maple Leafs prospects using the pyramid system for years. Instead of listing players, the pyramid system allows you to group players into different sections of the pyramid, with the very top of the rankings being the smallest but usually where you find the most-rare talent.
Eligibility
Since this is my prospect pyramid, I can make up who is and who is not eligible to be considered a prospect. I have two simple disqualifiers: Players with over 90 NHL games played or older than 23 on October 8, 2024, the start of the 2024-25 NHL season. So here are the 45 players we are looking at in the Chicago Blackhawks prospect system.
Forwards (30):
Sacha Boisvert
Milton Oscarson
Marek Vanacker
Marcel Marcel
Frank Nazar
John Mustard
Ryan Greene
Samuel Savoie
Paul Ludwinski
Landon Slaggert
AJ Spellacy
Riku Tohila
Nick Lardis
Jack Pridham
Oliver Moore
Alex Pharand
Nils Juntorp
Dominic James
Roman Kantserov
Joel Svensson
Jiří Felcman
Colton Dach
Martin Mišiak
Jalen Luypen
Aidan Thompson
Gavin Hayes
Ryder Rolston
Antti Saarela
Victor Stjernborg
Ilya Safanov
Defensemen (12):
Sam Rinzel
Artyom Levshunov
Kevin Korchinski
Isaak Phillips
Ty Henry
Janne Peltonen
Nolan Allan
Ethan Del Mastro
Connor Kelley
Wyatt Kaiser
Taige Harding
Louis Crevier
Goalies (3):
Drew Commesso
Dominic Basse
Adam Gajan
From last year’s edition to this year’s edition, seven names are missing. One player aged-out, Liam Gorman. Two players have now played more than 90 NHL games, Alex Vlasic and Lukas Reichel. Three players that were unsigned by the Blackhawks including Slava Demin, Michael Krutil, and Michal Teply. And the final player missing from last year’s list that otherwise would be here based on eligibility standards is Connor Bedard, but he is far beyond being a prospect any more.
Breakdown
Here’s how the Blackhawks prospect pyramid will be broken-down heading into the 2024-25 season and what each tier of the pyramid means.
Level One: Special Prospect/Franchise Player
This is a player that you look at and have zero doubts about their ability to be that top-line/top-pairing superstar player—someone who you build an entire franchise around.
Examples: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Connor Bedard
Level Two: Quality Prospect/Long-time NHL Player
This is a player who may not be that “future Hall of Fame” type player, but someone who is going to be around for a long time and will have a big impact on your team. These are players that no successful franchise is without.
Examples: Patrick Sharp, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Tony Amonte, Brian Campbell
Level Three: Good Prospect/Complimentary Player
These players don’t jump off the page as someone who will drive your team, but they make those small, timely impacts that can make good teams great.
Examples: Andrew Shaw, Bryan Bickell, Dave Bolland, Johnny Oduya
Level Four: Average Prospect/Depth Player
This prospect level is good for players with high expectations, but we don’t know much about them. Like if they have played in Europe or have had injury issues, for example. Players whose NHL aspirations may or may not pan out.
Level Five: Everyone Else
As the title says, this is where everyone else lands. Usually, these are prospects and players with unlikely futures in the NHL or have not yet shown enough in their Junior careers to be excited about. These are just “guys.”
Now that we all understand each other, let’s get into the 2024-25 Chicago Blackhawks prospect pyramid!
Level One: Special Prospect/Franchise Player
None
No, I didn’t put 2024 No. 2 overall draft pick Artyom Levshunov in the “Franchise Player” category. Because while I do believe he can and will become a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL, at the moment, I don’t see “Franchise Changing” ability with him. To be honest, I wouldn’t have put Ivan Demidov here either.
This is where you put guys that the moment they hit the NHL ice, things are different for your team. Connor Bedard was that last year.
Everyone in the next category has the chance and ability to play a role in the next generation of great Blackhawks hockey. Guys like Levshunov and Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore, etc., could become franchise-altering players, but at the moment, they are not in the echelon as prospects that Bedard was.
Level Two: Quality Prospect/Long-time NHL Player
Artyom Levshunov, Frank Nazar, Kevin Korchinski, Drew Commesso, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Ethan Del Mastro
For Levshunov’s case, I’d put him right at the front of the line of Tier Two. I think for him, there are no doubts that he’ll be playing top minutes for the Blackhawks in the very near future. The idea of a one-two punch on the top pair of Levshunov and Alex Vlasic is a tantalizing one given both of their styles matching each other’s strengths and the amount of length opposing teams top players would have to deal with.
I see Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore also having that potential to be top-line options for the Blackhawks in the very near future. At the very least, they feel like guys who should slot into the NHL lineup within the next two or three seasons as regular top-six forwards. With his vision, speed, agility, and willingness to play between the dots offensively, and a top-tier work ethic defensively, don’t be surprised if he is the No. 2 center of the future in Chicago…now did I just describe Nazar or Moore? That’s a luxury in the prospect system.
Defensively, Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel still possess that offensive game from the blue-line that the Blackhawks need moving into the future. With Vlasic and Levshunov, Del Mastro and Allan, you have solid two-way guys, with Vlasic, Del Mastro, and Allan trending more defensively-sound. Rinzel and Korchinski need to continue to develop physically to withstand an NHL season and be able to implement their will on opponents, but I don’t doubt they can get there.
In net, Drew Commesso still tracks as the top goaltender prospect over Adam Gajan at the moment and his rookie season in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs showed that he can handle the next level of hockey and steal games in net as a pro. A second season being the 1A option for the IceHogs should see him continue to progress and do well as a second-year goalie.
Level Three: Good Prospect/Complimentary Player
Landon Slaggert, Colton Dach, Aidan Thompson, Paul Ludwinski, Ryan Greene, Dominic James, Wyatt Kaiser, Roman Kantserov, Nolan Allan, Nick Lardis, Adam Gajan, Ilya Safonov, Gavin Hayes, Martin Mišiak, Samuel Savoie, Sacha Boisvert, Marek Vanacker
A prospect system is just like a prosperous nation: only as good as its middle-class.
The Blackhawks, fortunately, have a strong middle-class of prospects in their system, with a number of them having already played some NHL games. Guys like Landon Slaggert and Wyatt Kaiser are going to be pushing for NHL jobs when they hit the ice for training camp ahead of the 2024-25 season. If they don’t win them out of camp, they will be top candidates to be first call-ups from the Rockford IceHogs, no doubt.
That IceHogs squad is going to see a lot of these prospects making their first full professional season debuts with players like Samuel Savoie, Gavin Hayes, and Paul Ludwinski, three very exciting players that could eventually play key supplemental roles for the next generation of Blackhawks hockey.
It might be a bit underwhelming to see 2024 first-round picks Marek Vanacker and Sacha Boisvert in this level and not on the second level, but they still have a lot of developing to do ahead of graduating out of the prospect system and thus the “Prospect Pyramid,” so let it play out. Boisvert still has yet to play a single NCAA game and Vanacker will need at least one fully healthy OHL season under his belt before I can really say that they would be on the same level as a Nazar or Moore. Same goes for sharp-shooting Nick Lardis.
In net at this tier, Adam Gajan will start his NCAA career with Minnesota-Duluth this season. After two solid seasons in the USHL, the 2023 second-round pick has a lot more room to grow and develop his game, so don’t be surprised if he plays at least three seasons in college before entertaining the idea of turning pro. That was the same timeline for fellow second-round pick goaltender Drew Commesso.
There are prospects with something still to prove as they enter their second full professional seasons in this tier with Colton Dach and Nolan Allan. Dach’s issue is staying on the ice to prove he can be effective at the NHL level. Allan’s path to the NHL is continuing to develop his two-way game and continuing to be willing to play that “Hjalmarsson”-style of hockey by laying the body and blocking pucks. Also, playing on the right side of the ice doesn’t hurt, even if he is on his off-hand.
Ryan Greene, Dominic James, and Aidan Thompson are all quality NCAA prospects in the system and all have a decent chance of turning pro following the conclusion of their college years in 2025. James and Greene are returning to be in Captain roles for their respective programs and Thompson returns to Denver to defend their 2024 National Championship. As far as NHL futures, all three of these players have solid two-way games down the middle with Greene having shown more scoring pop at the NCAA level and James having impressive speed. They all have that top-tier character that the Blackhawks value in their room.
Level Four: Average Prospect/Depth Player
Jalen Luypen, Isaak Phillips, Victor Stjernborg, Antti Saarela, Louis Crevier, Ryder Rolston, John Mustard, AJ Spellacy, Jack Pridham
If these players move up in the prospect system or become full-time NHL players in their time in Chicago, that’ll be a big win for GM Kyle Davidson. This isn’t to say that these guys are scrubs or anything like that, but rather they have outside chances within Chicago’s prospect system.
Players like Jalen Luypen, Isaak Phillips, Louis Crevier, and Ryder Rolston are all likely who they are going to be at this point in their prospect stages. Could they be useful depth pieces this year or next, sure, but with the passing of every day, the Blackhawks’ prospects coming up behind them seem to leapfrog them in line up to the NHL.
I like the John Mustard, Jack Pridham, and AJ Spellacy picks in this past June’s draft, and I foresee them moving up levels from this year to next year. Again, like Vanacker and Boisvert, all three 2024 third-round picks need to continue maturing and developing beyond their draft year. Mustard is headed to the NCAA with Providence College and Spellacy will be playing a more prominent role in Windsor in the OHL next season.
Jack Pridham will be joining a very talented Boston University program this year, with fellow Blackhawks prospect Ryan Greene leading the team, and has a lot of room to grow in his future. He put up solid numbers in the BCHL last season and was named to the All-Rookie team before being picked in the fifth round by Chicago.
I had hoped guys like Saarela and Stjernborg could come overseas and make their impacts with the Rockford IceHogs before trying to prove that they could translate to the NHL game, but I feel like Saarela is getting passed by and Stjernborg is also fading into the background without having a chance to come to North America yet. Although, I still like the style of game Stjernborg plays, just don’t know if he’ll be anything more than an AHL player.
