Last week, the Blackhawks had three prospects on the ice at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Minnesota. AJ Spellacy skated for the United States while Sacha Boisvert and Marek Vanacker skated for Canada. Anton Frondell was invited by Sweden, but declined to instead get in work for the coming season.
All three of the Blackhawks’ prospects played well. Vanacker had the longest odds coming in; he was initially not on Canada’s roster for the camp but was a late addition because of injury. Both Spellacy and Boisvert showed well in supporting roles.
Which brings us to roster projection time!
On Tuesday, the guys at The Athletic (Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman and Max Bultman) projected rosters for the USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland and Czechia. The Blackhawks’ prospects are the mix for three of those countries.
We’ve also previously seen Steven Ellis’ projected roster for Canada at Daily Faceoff and Chris Peters’ projected roster for the United States at FloHockey. I’ve noted those rosters in my bullets this week. Ellis released his projections for the USA on Tuesday as well.
Since we have a few projections for 2026 World Junior Championship rosters now, we also have a better idea for how Blackhawks prospects might fit into their respective teams. So let’s get into if they made the projected rosters, and how they might fit.
Canada
Not surprisingly, Vanacker wasn’t on the roster for Ellis or The Athletic. As I said earlier, he wasn’t on the initial roster of invites for the Showcase. He had a good camp, however, and certainly helped his case. But it isn’t a shock that he wasn’t mentioned.
Boisvert, who spent most of the showcase on the wing, is at least mentioned by both. However, The Athletic has Boisvert on the outside looking in, while Ellis has him listed as an extra forward on the roster.
Ellis said Boisvert “has shown he can play with just about anyone, so that doesn’t hurt, either.” In tournaments like the World Juniors, having a Swiss army knife on the roster can be a huge benefit to the group if/when players either get hurt or have a tough game.
Here’s part of what the guys at The Athletic said about Boisvert:
“Sacha Boisvert (who can play both center and left wing and featured prominently at camp on both special teams and at five-on-five). We thought Montreal’s Michael Hage outplayed Carbonneau this week for that last right wing spot, and the depth in left-shot forwards made it tough for Greentree and Boisvert (we’ve moved lefty Cole Reschny to right wing here). Boisvert and Greentree could both make the team if they lose a forward or two to the NHL.”
Based on the projections, it sounds like Boisvert has a 50-50 shot of making Canada’s team in a depth role. His ability to play center and the wing helps; his ability and willingness to contribute on both special teams will also help his case. But the depth Canada has available this year — especially forwards who are left-shots — makes it a tricky one to project.
Boisvert will head to Boston University for his first season with the Terriers after a terrific freshman campaign at North Dakota. Getting off to a strong start at BU might cement his spot on the roster. We’ll have to wait and see.
United States
Both Peters and the guys at The Athletic have Spellacy listed not only on the roster, but on the fourth line. And both have that fourth line comprised of Spellacy, Will Horcoff (Penguins – Michigan) and Shane Vansaghi (Flyers – Michigan State) — a line we saw together a lot at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
The difference: Peters has Spellacy on the wing while The Athletic has him at center on that line. Here’s what The Athletic wrote about that fourth line:
“And the fourth line trio of AJ Spellacy, Will Horcoff and Shane Vansaghi looks like it could be miserable to play against, with all three very good athletes who are willing to bang bodies.”
Ellis, meanwhile, has Spellacy listed as the 13th forward for the United States. Here’s what he said as rationale for including Red Wings prospect Max Plante instead on his fourth line:
“I considered going with all muscle on the fourth line, with Spellacy taking over for Plante. But Plante had too good of a tournament last year to be an extra forward, and I wasn’t sure where else to put him.”
I will note The Athletic and Peters have Plante on their third line with Spellacy on the fourth. Ellis was a big fan of LJ Mooney before the 2025 NHL Draft and has him in his lineup; the others have him as an extra forward.
Spellacy had a strong camp for the US last year and was among the final players cut from a roster that had a long list of returning champions. Another strong camp this year should have him on the roster playing an important depth role. Whether it’s Spellacy or Horcoff at center really shouldn’t make an enormous difference; I would expect both to make the cut.
Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesSweden
The first run at a roster for Sweden comes from the guys at The Athletic. They have Frondell centering the top line with his good friend and teammate Victor Eklund (Islanders). What becomes interesting is the third name they have on that line: Ivar Stenberg, who is 2026 NHL Draft eligible — and a possibility for the Blackhawks assuming another early pick.
Here’s what they wrote about that line:
“Victor Eklund is a returnee who should be one of the top players at the event this time around, and while Anton Frondell wasn’t on last year’s World Juniors team, his two-way profile makes him an ideal fit atop the lineup. Ivar Stenberg looks like a potential top-five pick in 2026, and was a standout at both this week’s showcase and the U18 World Championship last spring. If Sweden plays those three together, they could be right up there with the top Canadian lines in terms of talent.”
Frondell centering the top line for a team with legit gold medal aspirations is a strong look for both the player and the Blackhawks. It’s good to see him projecting at center; we’ll see if that’s where he ultimately winds up with Chicago. I’m fascinated to see if he does skate on a line with Stenberg and how those two look together with Stenberg being a potential top-five pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Czechia
Let’s not forget the Blackhawks could have another prospect heading to the World Juniors. One of their first-round lottery tickets in the 2025 NHL Draft, forward Václav Nestrašil, left Czechia for the USHL this past season and will skate at UMass in Hockey East this coming season. But he’s big and firmly on the radar for his home country for this year’s World Junior Championship.
The Athletic projected Nestrašil on the right wing on the third line for Czechia. They note Czechia has nine players returning from their 2025 roster, but have him making the cut.
The Blackhawks having prospects on four different teams at the 2026 World Junior Championship would be a terrific bonus for the organization. Playing in a best-on-best tournament gives the players an opportunity to elevate their game; it gives NHL teams the ability to see how their draft picks can compete in potentially different roles than they’ve played for the teams they’re on for their respective seasons as well.
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