I mentioned over this past weekend that Scott Wheeler at The Athletic has been rolling through his organizational rankings of the best pipelines in the NHL. On Wednesday, he reached the end of his list. And the Chicago Blackhawks rank No. 1 this year.
I will note right out of the gate a couple things about Wheeler’s rankings. First, his definition of a prospect:
“To be considered a prospect, a skater must be under 23 and not fully established with his NHL club.”
A player being “fully established” is something Wheeler gets to decide. In the case of the Blackhawks, Artyom Levshunov was considered graduated from his rankings based on that criteria, even though he’s 20 years old. And he should be; even with a couple “reset” periods with press box dining instead of ice time, he’s been in the NHL this entire season.
But when we also then consider other names who aren’t on Wheeler’s list of the top Blackhawks prospects, it makes what Kyle Davidson is building here even more impressive.
The second thing that I’ll note is something Wheeler wrote about the deciding factor between the Blackhawks at No. 1 and the San Jose Sharks at No. 2.
While the Sharks have arguably the top forward prospect (Michael Misa), the top D prospect (Sam Dickinson) and the top goalie prospect (Joshua Ravensbergen) among the two organizations, the Blackhawks also have top prospects at multiple positions, have nine of the collective top 14 or 15 for me if I were to rank them together, have prospects up and down their list who would rank higher on San Jose’s and have players who didn’t make their top 15 who would’ve been in the Sharks’.
The Blackhawks have better depth in the pipeline than any other team in the NHL; if they have honorable mentions that would have made the top 15 of the second-best pipeline in the league, that’s impressive.
When you add the layer that Levshunov and Connor Bedard are still only 20 and the Blackhawks have other young players on their NHL roster like Frank Nazar, Ryan Greene and Wyatt Kaiser graduated (and Wheeler didn’t name Ethan Del Mastro), the Blackhawks’ asset collection is the envy of the league.
Let’s get into how Wheeler ranked the top players in the Blackhawks’ pipeline.
Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesScott Wheeler’s Blackhawks Prospect Rankings
Here’s how Wheeler ranked the Blackhawks’ top 15 prospects (with the tier he placed them in) and a few honorable mentions:
Anton Frondell, C/LW (Tier 1) Roman Kantserov, C/W (Tier 2) Sam Rinzel, RHD (Tier 2) Nick Lardis, W (Tier 3) Václav Nestrašil, RW (Tier 3) Oliver Moore, C (Tier 3) Kevin Korchinski, LHD (Tier 3) Sacha Boisvert, C (Tier 3) Marek Vanacker, LW (Tier 3) Mason West, C (Tier 4) Drew Commesso, G (Tier 4) AJ Spellacy, C/RW (Tier 5) Jack Pridham, RW (Tier 5) John Mustard, W (Tier 5) Nathan Behm, RW (Tier 5)Honorable Mentions
Adam Gajan, G Julius Sumpf, C Samuel Savoie, LW Jake Furlong, LHD Gavin Hayes, W Jiří Felcman, C Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn ImagesBlackhawks Prospect Thoughts
Let’s roll through some specific comments Wheeler wrote about a few players on the Blackhawks’ list.
I’ll start with part of what Wheeler wrote about Roman Kantserov:Kantserov is a highly gifted, knifing player who can create for himself with his quick, adjustable hands, plus-level straight-line speed and lateral quickness, real one-on-one skill and attack mentality. But he can also finish plays as a shooter who is capable of playing off his linemates so that he can get open, be opportunistic and take pucks into his quick and dangerous release or comfortable one-timer. And while he’s short (5-foot-9), he’s well-built for his size (a strong 176 pounds), he’s a willing worker and he has clear top-six NHL attributes — and potentially even some star power. He’s coming, and Blackhawks fans are going to love him.
The emergence of Kantserov as a legit top-end prospect who could be an offensive difference maker in the NHL sooner than later really changes the complexion of the Blackhawks’ trajectory. Fans have been begging for the Blackhawks to have another scorer to complement Bedard. We’ve already seen Frondell alter the depth of the lineup. Kantserov could be a sniper that adds another dynamic weapon up front.
Here’s some of what Wheeler said about Václav Nestrašil:Scouts are intrigued by his rangy frame, his room for physical growth and his blend of work ethic and sneaky skill. He skates well for his size, he gets in on the forecheck, he hunts and wins pucks with his body positioning and a great stick and he showed some playmaking sense and skill this year. The belief is that once he fills out his frame further, he could become a middle-six winger who can play with anyone.
As we’ve talked about for months, Nestrašil had a lot of helium in his rankings heading into the draft last summer and the Blackhawks took him in the first round. He had a terrific freshman year at UMass with a strong performance at the World Juniors in the middle. An injury slowed him down a bit late in the season, but he has the size (6-6, 186) to really become a wrecking ball up front. And, based on his play this year, he might not be too far away from turning pro (maybe one more year at UMass?).
OHL Images Here’s part of what Wheeler wrote about Marek Vanacker:There’s a lot to like. He has a strong foundation of tools and habits. He has an athletic 6-foot-1, 190-or-so-pound build, he’s a strong skater, he’ll take pucks to the net, he protects and shields the puck well, he knows where to be and go on the ice, he has a solid two-way game and he works to get the most out of his above-average skill. He has the makings of a complementary winger, and he knows who he is and what he’s going to have to be up levels. He’s just a good player, and I could envision him producing 20 goals and 40 points per season over a long career. He banks a lot of pucks in at the back post on the power play, a la Brantford owner Zach Hyman, as well, another transferable NHL skill.
Vanacker, of course, led the OHL in goals this season. Another first-round pick by the Blackhawks, he’s already signed his entry-level contract and will turn pro next year. I see a lot of Brandon Saad in Vanacker’s game. A guy who can consistently score 20 in the NHL “over a long career” is a great thing to have in the system — especially when Wheeler considers Vanacker the ninth-best prospect in the Blackhawks’ pipeline.
Here’s some of Wheeler’s comments on Mason West:You can see some of the natural athleticism in his skating (which could still use another step, but isn’t awkward for his size), handling and dexterity. He has good hands, can make plays into space and can catch and tip pucks. He also sees the ice well and plays the game with good poise and his eyes up (with a little of the quarterback in him there as well). He’s also a natural center, though some view him as a winger up levels. Teams were very intrigued by his raw talent, athleticism and strength, but also the runway he still appears to have ahead of him. I’ve often wanted him to be more engaged/harder for his size. He was very much a roll of the dice on a unique profile, and he’s going to need to marinate in college and play catch-up to some of his peers in terms of development.
I think, for me, the Blackhawks’ second and third picks in the first round in 2025 might be two of the really fascinating lottery tickets in the entire organization. Between Nestrašil and West — both of whom are listed at 6-6 — the Blackhawks took a couple guys viewed by some as projects. One has a really good true freshman year in college under his belt now. West will head to Michigan State and be part of a loaded group in East Lansing in the fall. The great news with him: there’s absolutely no rush for him to turn pro, and he’ll be in a great system with terrific coaches and elite talent around him.
At the end of the day, when we go back and look at the lineup the Blackhawks will put on the ice on Thursday night against Carolina, five of the 15 players named by Wheeler will be active (with a sixth, Moore, injured). When we add the young players I’ve already mentioned who have graduated from Wheeler’s consideration set, this is where Blackhawks fans’ hope should grow.
The Blackhawks went with a scorched Earth approach to their rebuild and have stockpiled prospects over the past four years. We’re now starting to see the first wave of them making an impact in the NHL together. And Wheeler’s rankings tell us there’s a lot more quality coming — in volume.
Here’s how Wheeler lined up the entire league pipeline rankings:
Source: The AthleticHence then, the article about blackhawks prospect pool ranked best in the nhl was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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