I already know there will be folks in the comments ready to jump up and down because I didn’t say the Blackhawks were “well represented” on another prospect ranking list. But they are once again on Monday with the release of the new edition of the Prospect Tiers list from Scott Wheeler, Dom Luszczyszyn, Shayna Goldman and Sean Gentille at
The Athletic.
I like this list perhaps the most of all the rankings because of the methodology. Luszczyszyn, Goldman and Gentille ranked 122 under-23 players. Then Wheeler sends the draft to some industry contacts (scouts and executives) for feedback that could impact placement on the final list. So this isn’t just the opinion of a single writer; it’s a group effort with input from NHL-affiliated eyeballs as well as multiple writers.
Again, this list includes under-23 players who are already established in the NHL. So we’re considering a wider set of players for future impact than just “prospects” as well.
The Blackhawks have seven players mentioned on this list of 122 players. Here’s where they ranked; again, this was done in tiers, not from 1 to 122… directly. So I’ll mention the tier the player was ranked in with some of the comments they included and a little of my own commentary.
Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
Tier 1 — MVP
1C. Connor Bedard, C
- Their comment: “There were some scouts who wondered if he’d get to the MVP level or finish as more of a Tier 2A than a Tier 1C. It’s on the Blackhawks to get him some help and give him a better chance at getting to that MVP tier, too. We haven’t seen the best of Bedard yet. Not anywhere close. Getting here would mean he has that Patrick Kane peak.“
My thoughts: the only other player in this tier was Macklin Celebrini, who they had at “1B” — slightly above Bedard. The popular refrain is that the Blackhawks need to get him some help. And that’s accurate. The question moving forward is whether that help will come from inside the organization, or if the Blackhawks need to make a big swing in the trade or free agent market.
Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
Tier 3 — All-Star
3B. Artyom Levshunov, RHD
3B. Anton Frondell, C
- Their comment — Levshunov: “Levshunov didn’t get the same shine last year playing in the AHL that fellow 2024 top D like Zeev Buium (NCAA) and Zayne Parekh and Sam Dickinson (OHL) got playing at lower levels, but he’s still viewed in a cluster with those guys by most and I’m inclined to agree there wouldn’t be much talk of any change had he returned to college.“
- Their comment — Frondell: “Frondell had some real fans in his draft year who fell in love with some of the highs he had and felt he was a top-three prospect in the class, but also some skeptics who felt he’d had too many dips in his play to be a top-five guy.“
My thoughts: I’ll start with how they describe the definition of this tier: “
A top 60 player. Someone who wouldn’t be the best player on a contender, but would be an important part of any contending or championship core. A strong top-line forward, above average No. 1 defenseman, or borderline top five goalie.” So my immediate question is if this is enough for Frondell to eventually be one of the supporting players who can take Bedard to the next level at some point.
It’s also very noteworthy for me that they listed Levshunov right next to Minnesota’s Zeev Buium and Frondell right next to Utah’s Caleb Desnoyers, two players with whom they will likely be compared from their respective draft classes for a while.
Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Tier 4 — Star
4A. Sam Rinzel, RHD
4B. Frank Nazar, C
- Their comment — Rinzel: “Rinzel really impressed scouts with his development across two seasons at the University of Minnesota, going from raw prospect to one of the top D in college hockey.“
- Their comment — Nazar: “Nazar’s impressive second half with the Blackhawks and men’s worlds with Team USA vaulted him from the support tier into the star tier here. There are some scouts who think that if he can build on that this year, Tier 4A is within reach for him as well.“
My thoughts: Once again, Rinzel is climbing the list but isn’t viewed widely as highly as Levshunov. And yet, there are some questions about if Rinzel’s rapid development has pushed him ahead of Levshunov on the depth chart (something they note in their comments about Levshunov). Both of these guys have felt like they were either over-valued in Chicago or under-valued outside of Chicago a year ago, but their strong 2024-25 seasons have seen their stock skyrocket in everyone’s eyes. Come back in 12 months and we’ll see if either of these guys’ continued trajectory moves them up into the all-star tier.
Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Tier 5 — Support
5B. Kevin Korchinski, LHD
5C. Sacha Boisvert, C
- Their comment — Korchinski: “Korchinski is a tricky one because the talent and ability are there, but he’s also imperfect, and he has to contend with Rinzel and Levshunov for PP time moving forward, which may make realizing his true potential tough.“
- Their comment — Boisvert: “Boisvert feels like a very projectable, excellent third-line center, but you have to be even better than that to be a support-tier player in Player Tiers. As a result, he was initially one of my final cuts. But then a couple of scouts advocated for him, and I debated it some more and decided to reach out to Dom with a question. “Did you guys consider Shane Pinto at all for Player Tiers?” I said. “No, but I absolutely see the vision,” Dom replied. I asked him about Pinto because that’s who I think Boisvert becomes.“
My thoughts: the description of this tier includes “
a below-average top-line forward, a strong No. 2 defenseman.” That makes the projections of these two specific Blackhawks prospects fascinating to me. Their comment including mention of Rinzel and Levshunov on the power play will continue to be noteworthy for Korchinski’s eventual role in Chicago, but I also think it complicates the overall mix on Chicago’s blue line; I don’t think his skillset makes him a good fit on a pair with either of the higher-ranked defensemen. With that being said, he could be an elite third-pair defenseman who plays more/bigger minutes than that role would suggest at some point. But, like Levshunov, he will require a responsible partner to succeed early on.
The comments about Boisvert really got my attention. I know from speaking with a few scouts as well that there are some who were pleasantly surprised and impressed with Boisvert’s offensive game at North Dakota last year, and see a higher ceiling than the “third-line center” that has been his widely-held projection. A season at Boston University will be interesting for his development. I like the Pinto comp. And, at the end of the day, the Blackhawks also have Bedard, Frondell and Nazar listed as centers ahead of him on this list and
Ryan Greene in the system s well. If he can play like Pinto but gets stuck as a third-line center because of the guys above him on the depth chart, that would be a win for the organization.
In conclusion, I was interested that these were the seven Blackhawks players who were ranked. Wheeler mentions in the introduction that
Oliver Moore was one of the players considered for the same tier as Boisvert, but didn’t make the list. And the lack of even a mention of
Nick Lardis again reminds us that there are doubts that his dominant offensive game in junior will translate effectively to the professional levels. Here’s hoping he takes that challenge personally and proves them wrong.
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