We’re well into prospect rankings and pipeline ranking season, Blackhawks fans. As the start of September draws near, we’re getting more commentary from the usual suspects on the depth of organizations around the NHL.
Last week
we looked at how the guys at Elite Prospects considered the Blackhawks in their
top 100 affiliated prospect list. On their list, the Blackhawks placed a league-leading eight players (seven in the top 100 and one honorable mention).
On Monday morning, Steven Ellis at
Daily Faceoff dropped his top 75 affiliated prospects list. Four Blackhawks made his list, with three coming off the board early — in a row, in fact! Here’s where he had the Blackhawks’ prospects:
12.
Sam Rinzel, RHD
13.
Artyom Levshunov, RHD
14.
Anton Frondell, C
40.
Oliver Moore, C/LW
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Here’s part of what Ellis wrote about Rinzel:
“Defensively, Rinzel is smart, and he’s much better with the puck than scouts gave him credit for ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. Rinzel should have little issue developing into a solid NHL defenseman very, very quickly, and might even be on the top pairing to start the season. The gap between him and Levshunov is tight right now, but Rinzel feels more refined.”
Here’s part of what he wrote about Levshunov:
“I think Levshunov has more high-end upside than Rinzel, but with both looking to crack the Hawks full-time this year, I like where Rinzel’s game is more right now. Levshunov, though, is going to be an absolute star – maybe sooner rather than later.”
Here’s part of what Ellis said about Frondell:
“The Hawks wanted some size up front, and they picked up the best power forward in the 2025 NHL Draft class. At 6-foot-1 and more than 200 pounds, Frondell plays with a ton of muscle, knocking over anyone who gets in his way. That makes him especially useful when battling for possession along the boards, but he also has one of the hardest, deadliest shots of anyone in the draft. When Frondell doesn’t have the puck, he does an excellent job of getting himself into scoring lanes, especially on the right side.”
Finally, here’s part of what he wrote about Moore:
“Moore won’t be a play driver in the NHL, but he’s a great two-way player who’ll burn you with his speed and work ethic. Few players want to win a shift more than Moore, and that was extremely evident in his short time in the NHL. I wonder if he’ll start the year in Rockford, but I’d put him higher in the depth chart than some of the veterans who might fill out the middle six at the United Center.”
It's time to look at the 75 top skater prospects in the NHL.
Matthew Schaefer, Ivan Demidov, Zayne Parekh, Berkly Catton and more highlight this year's crop:
https://t.co/C5jvojWFWH
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey)
August 25, 2025
