Blackhawks Lead New Under-23 Player Rankings ...Middle East

Appropriately, just hours before the Blackhawks’ top prospect made his NHL debut, a new list ranking the top under-23 affiliated players in the NHL dropped. This comes from David St-Louis at Elite Prospects. I enjoy his perspective and find it to be an educated analysis.

The Blackhawks lead the entire NHL with 11 players named to his top 100 and honorable mentions. The Hawks are followed by the Anaheim Ducks (10) and the San Jose Sharks and Utah Mammoth (9 each).

Two Blackhawks made St-Louis’ honorable mentions: Kevin Korchinski and Nick Lardis. I found it noteworthy that Marek Vanacker and Jack Pridham, the top two goal scorers in the OHL this season, were not mentions.

Here are the nine Blackhawks players and prospects who made St-Louis’ top 100, starting at No. 2 overall. He had Macklin Celebrini at No. 1 and Matthew Schaefer at No. 3 for those keeping score at home. I included part of what St-Louis had to say about each. Again, please make sure to check out his entire list here.

2. Connor Bedard, C

“Bedard has dealt with plenty of adversity and scrutiny in his first three seasons, but has mostly silenced those who were eager to use his generational hype to mock his NHL performance. It’s hard to imagine a young up-and-coming star in a tougher position, playing heavy and extremely tough match-up minutes alongside bottom-six-calibre linemates on a team that’s incapable of scoring when he steps off the ice. Despite all that, Bedard has unlocked a new level this season, driven in large part by a dramatic improvement in his footspeed – his heavily rush-based attack is noticeably stronger now that he can push the pace and back defenders down instead of having to manipulate them to gain every inch of ice constantly.”

17. Artyom Levshunov, RHD

“Levshunov’s performances after the Olympic break cemented this spot in our ranking. He played some of the best games we’ve seen from him over the past two years, reminding everyone of his potential. The recipe for his success has been simple: letting the game come to him, instead of forcing so many plays.”

29. Frank Nazar, C

“While his play dipped in the middle of the season, partly due to an injury, he has proven himself worthy of the gamble, scoring at a respectable rate and building a highlight reel worthy of a top-six forward. Nazar’s skating is the foundation of his game. He outpaces defenders, creates odd-man advantages, and generates scoring chances that way.”

41. Sam Rinzel, RHD

“While he has struggled on both sides of the puck more than anticipated this season, showing some of the hockey sense concerns we had about his game in the NCAA, his upside remains high. Capable of activating, pinching, and closing the neutral zone, he’s facilitating the Blackhawks’ transition play. Becoming more physical and refining his defensive reads would cement him as a top-four defenceman.”

43. Anton Frondell, C/W

“One of the best young goal-scorers in SHL history, Anton Frondell, is coming to join the Chicago Blackhawks. We’ve seen other tankier players of his profile free off creative playmakers and succeed in the NHL. Ranked at the top of our list, Gauthier and Guenther are potential comparables. While Frondell lacks their play-driving abilities, both players improved their passing and defensive play in the NHL.”

67. Oliver Moore, C

“He’s displaying his world-class skating every game, pressuring the opposition, linking defence and offence, and generating chances off the rush. While concerns over his playmaking game linger, his versatility, rocket skates, and tenacity may earn him some top-six chances over the next few seasons. It will be on him to grab those and show his potential as a complementary, checking, puck-retrieving, and carrying forward.”

89. Roman Kantserov, C/W

“He is an undersized forward currently playing the centre position in Magnitogorsk who will likely make the switch back to winger in the NHL. His game is built around his hockey sense, a strong playmaker from the perimeter with a tendency to find himself in the right place at the right time to be a potent scorer. The habits he is forming in the KHL may pose translation problems to the NHL, as his pressure evasion instincts are built more for European ice, but there is clear potential for a complementary scoring winger in Chicago.”

95. Václav Nestrašil, RW

“There’s no way around it: Václav Nestrašil has smashed expectations this year. He was a star at the World Juniors, and he’s been a star in college. There’s not much missing in his skill set, featuring powerful off-the-pass shots, deft playmaking under pressure, strong puck protection skills, and defensive impact. He’s an intense, high-motor player who brings physicality without ending up in the box. We entered the season believing Nestrašil was a long-term prospect, but he’s accelerating now.”

We watched the games, looked at all the available stats, and refined our projections of these players based on their environment and development. Here's our 2026 Top-100 u23 NHL-affiliated skaters ranking. t.co/tRaLshI2ik pic.twitter.com/Mjnk1hc2Je

Hence then, the article about blackhawks lead new under 23 player rankings was published today ( Wednesday 25/03/2026 - 03:32 PM ) 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.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Blackhawks Lead New Under-23 Player Rankings )

Also on site :

• Benedictine Abbot Proposes Single Missal to Bridge Liturgical Divide
• Alonso to join Japanese GP weekend late – for the best of reasons
• Predicted CSK playing XI for IPL 2026: MS Dhoni as impact player, will Sarfaraz Khan find spot?