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.
After spending the week building up to the top ten, we’ve finally arrived at some of the best of the best in the Blackhawks’ system. Though not yet inside the top five, the prospects are certainly some of the most valuable assets for the Blackhawks. These players have massive expectations as early as this season and represent cornerstones of Chicago’s long-term roster.
Dach was regarded as Rockford’s best forward last year, and for good reason. He scored 27 points while being limited due to injury, but used his top-tier size to develop into an elite power forward option already. Though IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen said Dach has plenty of room to grow this season, he’s still the closest forward of his archetype to the NHL and should make his highly anticipated debut this year or next.
The right-handed defenseman at the University of Minnesota continues to shoot up the rankings in Chicago’s pipeline, and for good reason. Since the Blackhawks took him as a “project” pick at No. 25 overall in 2022, he’s fleshed out his game (and his frame) nicely. He had as great of a freshman year as anyone could ask for, finishing among the freshman defensive leaders in points with 28 in 39 games. Rinzel has already bloomed into a mature, stout defenseman, using his 6-foot-5 frame to shut down would-be attackers. He profiles as one of the best RHDs in Chicago’s prospect pool and will find himself on one of the Blackhawks’ top lines next to a star like Alex Vlasic or Kevin Korchinski just a few years from now.
It can be difficult to rank goaltenders among the other skaters, but there’s no question all eyes will be on Commesso as he returns to Rockford for a second season. As one of the most notable prospects in Chicago’s entire system, Commesso faces massive expectations to be part of the long-term future in net with the Blackhawks. After taking over the starting job in the AHL playoffs last year, he’s expected to once again get an opportunity to develop at a faster clip by staying as the No. 1 goalie for the IceHogs, even with Arvid Soderblom being demoted to regain confidence. He’s excelled at every level so far and posted a .906 save percentage in the regular season last year and will certainly get a look in Chicago sooner rather than later.
Lardis isn’t nearly as close to the NHL as some other prospects in this range, but it’s hard to find a player in the Blackhawks’ system who is a better pure scorer than the 19-year-old of the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs. A third-round pick in 2023, Lardis has already demolished expectations with his ability to score from anywhere in the offensive zone. His unmatched finishing touch pairs with elite skating ability to create a deadly combo that resulted in 58 points in 43 total games last season, even with an injury impacting his late-season production. The human highlight reel has more upside than almost anyone in the prospect pool and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up on the top line next to Connor Bedard for years to come.
Kaiser is an interesting prospect at this point in his career – he’s still only 21 years old but spent 32 games on the Blackhawks’ blue line last season. Though he endured his fair share of struggles that caused him to be sent back to Rockford in the middle of the year, he looked like a much better product when he came back in the spring, moving the puck well and displaying more confidence. There’s a decent chance he graduates to the NHL in training camp this year, and I have him penciled in as the seventh forward on the roster as long as everything goes smoothly until then. For now, he’s the most NHL-ready prospect in the entire system and is only hampered by somewhat limited top-pairing upside.
