Last fall, the annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase gave us our first look at Chicago’s golden boy, Connor Bedard. The 18-year-old didn’t disappoint in his first appearance in a Blackhawks sweater, netting a hat trick against the Blues.
This month will once again feature the Blackhawks as one of the three teams sending prospects to St. Louis, along with the Wild and Blues. Chicago is scheduled for games against St. Louis on September 13 and Minnesota on September 14. Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov highlight a group with a ton of upside that will be converging at Fifth Third Arena in Chicago on September 11 for a rookie camp before heading to Missouri.
The Blackhawks need to take advantage of a rare opportunity to see certain lines together before they compete for NHL spots. Here’s how I would piece a lineup together to get the most out of the two games next week.
Colton Dach – Frank Nazar – Nick Lardis
Landon Slaggert – AJ Spellacy – Ryder Rolston
Samuel Savoie – Martin Misiak – Gavin Hayes
Marcel Marcel – Paul Ludwinski – Alex Pharand
Jalen Luypen
Ethan Del Mastro – Artyom Levshunov
Ty Henry – Nolan Allan
Tnias Mathurin – Wyatt Kennedy
Lucas Brenton
For starters, the top lines for both forwards and defensemen are really, really fun to watch. I wouldn’t mind seeing these forwards playing together in the NHL one day – Nazar and Lardis possess immense skill and Dach has great size to complement them perfectly. Each of those players could be at the top level by next season. On the defensive end, Del Mastro and Levshunov on the top line together is a no-brainer. Levshunov is the most hyped prospect currently in the Blackhawks’ system (besides maybe Nazar) and Del Mastro is probably the closest blueliner to the NHL level, having finished last season in Chicago after an All-Star season in the AHL.
I really like this second line overall as well. Slaggert and Rolston played together at Notre Dame, so putting them back together wouldn’t be a bad idea. Slaggert is a responsible all-around forward at both ends of the ice and Rolston has pretty good defensive skills himself while using his speed to beat opposing defenders. Their responsibility makes this a great line for AJ Spellacy to get started on because he’s a dynamic scorer but is still pretty raw. It would let the front office get a great look at Spellacy playing a free game and getting more comfortable using his talent on the ice.
It’s pretty easy to fill in these defensive lines even beyond the Del Mastro-Levshunov pairing. Henry and Allan are the only other blueliners invited that are actually in the Blackhawks’ system, as Mathurin, Kennedy and Brenton are all free-agent invites. Additionally, Mathurin and Kennedy played together in the OHL last season, so it’s an easy choice to keep them together next week.
I’m fine with tossing the last 6-7 forwards into any combination for the final two lines. I have Luypen as the odd man out considering he has the most AHL experience of the forward group and the organization has gotten plenty of looks at him over the past few years. Gavin Hayes could probably be higher, but I love him on a line with guys like Misiak and Savoie, two players who couldn’t be more different in the best way possible. Savoie is the most physical player in Chicago’s entire system, and Misiak is a relentless attacker who also flies around the ice. No matter the order they put players out there, the Blackhawks’ prospects will be fun to watch next week.
