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.
To kick off this week’s rankings, we’ll first take a look at a few players who just missed the list. At this point, the Blackhawks’ pipeline is almost too deep, with a handful of decisions to make to leave room under the NHL’s 50-contract limit for future draft picks and acquisitions. As a result, a few great prospects just missed out on the top 25 list. These elite talents missing the list is a great sign that the Blackhawks have a deep, star-studded group climbing toward the NHL.
We’ll see the Blackhawks’ first five picks of the 2024 draft appear later in the list, meaning Pridham, the team’s sixth pick this summer, is the first name left off it. That doesn’t mean that the 18-year-old doesn’t possess elite upside for Chicago – he’s coming off of a campaign in the BCHL where he tallied 60 points in 64 total games and was selected inside the top 100 overall. Pridham is headed to Boston University this fall, where he’ll have a chance to ramp up to the NHL quickly while competing for a championship. His speed, motor, and puck handling make him a prototypical Kyle Davidson pick and he should be even higher on the list next summer at age 19.
At this point in his career, I feel James is drastically underestimated by all members of the media, including those in Chicago. After being drafted in the sixth round in 2022, he put on a show with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, scoring 28 goals in 35 games. In the fall of 2023, James became an alternate captain but was knocked out for the season with an upper-body injury. He still has a ways to go before he’ll be ready for NHL play, but a good bounce-back campaign this year would go a long way toward bumping up his status and propelling him toward the AHL.
A big part of these rankings is NHL readiness, and Phillips is one of the most recognizable names on the list for Blackhawks fans. The defenseman was re-signed to a one-year contract after spending 33 games with the big club last season and 16 in 2022-23. He still qualifies as a prospect because of his age and the fact that he’ll spend next year in Rockford. In his time with Chicago, Phillips has shown promise at times, but his game has left plenty to be desired. With a decision looming on whether to renew his contract, plus the fact that he’s now buried below new veteran talent at the NHL level, he doesn’t belong in the top 25, and while he’s a good depth piece who may develop in the AHL, there’s still plenty of work to do with limited time in which to do it.
It’s difficult to get a read on the outlook of Safonov – he was drafted in round six in 2021, so the current regime has no ties to him. He’s old for a prospect and has spent the past several years in the KHL. With 20 points in 67 games last year, he’s a promising prospect. However, given his age, questionable availability, and relative lack of production, it would be a surprise at this point if we ever saw him come to the NHL or AHL, especially with the Blackhawks or IceHogs.
