Two days after Anton Frondell made his NHL debut, another first-round pick will make their debut for the Blackhawks. Sacha Boisvert, chosen 18th overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, is expected to play Thursday night when the Blackhawks face the Flyers in Philadelphia.
Boisvert signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on March 16th and had been waiting for work visa approval, which finally came on Tuesday. After a solid season at North Dakota in 2024-25 (18G, 14A in 32 games), Boisvert decided to transfer to Boston University after head coach Brad Berry left the team.
Hampered by a shoulder injury, Boisvert only managed three goals and 14 assists in 26 games with the Terriers. He never lived up to the hype that came with his transfer.
In January, he was suspended for two games for dropping the gloves with UMass’ Connor Eddy.
He was also scratched from a conference tournament game after being late for a training session…one last scar from his tumultuous time at BU.
“Right away, I went outside the coaches’ office, they were all sitting in there,” Boisvert told The Athletic. “I was like, ‘Hey guys, I just want to let you know I just got here. I’m late. It is what it is. I don’t have any excuses.’ They went with the decision.”
Boisvert is excited for the opportunity to leave his college season behind and get a fresh start with the Blackhawks. “I think it came down to being ready, mentally, physically,” he said. “I’m done with college now. I think I was ready to turn pro.”
Where will Boisvert play?
Unlike Frondell, Boisvert will begin his NHL journey on the bottom six. He doesn’t project quite as well as Frondell and will have to prove how ready he is for the NHL. It’s a safe assumption that next season, he’ll play most of the season in Rockford (more on that later). During the team’s morning skate on Thursday, he was lined up between Teuvo Teräväinen and Landon Slaggert.
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Blashill knows his team needs an injection of toughness and swagger, and Boisvert brings both.
“Based on what I’ve seen, he could be a guy who will need to have a physical impact on the game on a night-to-night basis,” Blashill said. “If he can do that, he becomes a real commodity because then he has a physical impact with some ability to make a play, with the ability to hold onto the puck, those types of things. He can add something to our team I don’t know we have enough of, and that’s that kind of hard skill. If he can do that, it’ll be a real positive for us.”
That said, Boisvert is no fourth-line plug. He was a first-round pick because of his skill, his shot, and his physicality. While it may take some time for his offensive game to arrive, the physical element could accelerate his NHL arrival if he can bring it consistently enough.
Boisvert is a goalscorer. A deceptive wrister and powerful one-timer make him a threat from distance, while his net-front skills and off-puck timing drive his in-tight finishing. He can also make just about every pass in the book, easily navigating layers of sticks with slip and saucer passes, even off the backhand. The passing skills appear mostly off the rush, finding cross-ice targets for high-value entries and faking the shot to prepare the cross-slot lane.
Elite Prospects 2024 NHL Draft Guide
What the experts are saying
Chris Peters of FloHockey: “It’s been a weird year for Boisvert. He transferred, was injured for a chunk of the season, and really did not look like himself at any point.
At his best, he’s a legitimate scoring threat with an understated mean streak and competitiveness. At his worst, he’s a non-factor who gets caught floating and plays too passive off the puck. The truth of his projection is somewhere in the middle.
Boisvert has a goal-scorer’s shot, and when his motor is running, he is aggressive on and off the puck. He’ll play physical when necessary and hasn’t been afraid to drop the gloves. His two-way skills were not as evident this year, but I thought we saw glimpses of what he could be in the NHL at North Dakota last year. He’ll drive the net, go to the hard areas, and make a lot of plays.
This year was a complete disaster for him. He was an ill fit at BU, and I don’t know that he ever got comfortable. The injury knocked him off course, and I don’t know that he recovered. My expectation is that he’s going to need significant AHL time to course-correct and learn how to be a pro.”
Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff: “I’m still a believer in Boisvert, even if his usage was a bit all over the place this year. He’s usually a good goal-scorer, so seeing him not score was definitely surprising. Still, I like his two-way game and his overall physical strength. He’s a good skater, does well down the middle, and can play a variety of roles. I think we’re talking about a third-liner, but a really solid one if he hits his potential.”
If Boisvert does play the bulk of the 2026-27 season in Rockford, there’s no need to panic. Every prospect develops differently. That said, there are some players that just do well in the NHL right off the hop. Andrew Shaw comes to mind. When he was called up in January of 2012, he wasn’t expected to stay long. A goal and a fight later, he never looked back and became a fixture in the Blackhawks’ lineup. If Boisvert turns into a more skilled, 6-3 version of Shaw, look out.
We’ll have your CHGO Blackhawks pregame show ahead of Boisvert’s debut Thursday at 5:30.
