Blackhawks Prospect Pool Well Respected Again in Latest Rankings

Over the final few weeks of August, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman rolled out his NHL under-23 player series, sorting through the league’s top young talent and the best team pipelines.

Exclusively considering players who have yet to turn 23, Pronman ranked the Chicago Blackhawks as the NHL’s fourth-best pipeline, led by Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, and Frank Nazar. Only the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Montreal Canadiens were ranked higher than the Blackhawks.

Then, in his list of the top 156 U-23 players/prospects entering the 2026-27 season, Pronman included a whopping 10 members of the Blackhawks’ organization. Naturally, Bedard earned the group’s highest ranking, coming in at No. 2, behind only Macklin Celebrini.

Following Pronman’s recent rankings, where the Blackhawks were very well represented, another reputable media outlet compiled a list of the NHL’s top prospect pools and skater prospects over the last few days. Steven Ellis from the Daily Faceoff published his own rankings, and Blackhawks’ prospects were all over them once again.

Top Prospect Pool Rankings

First, Ellis took a stab at ordering the NHL’s best prospect pools from 1-32. As opposed to Pronman’s top pipeline rankings, where all players under 23 were considered, Ellis’ list only features true prospects. Any player with more than 50 NHL appearances has graduated past the prospect stage in his eye.

For example, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, and Oliver Moore, all pro rookies with the Blackhawks during the 2025-26 campaign, aren’t considered by Ellis as prospects anymore. They were part of Ellis’ list last September, but not this time around.

Despite multiple former first-round picks now being excluded, Ellis still had the Blackhawks ranked as the NHL’s best prospect pool. He listed Frondell, Kantserov, and Nick Lardis as the team’s most notable prospects entering this season.

Here’s what Ellis wrote up about the Blackhawks’ prospect pool:

“At some point, the Blackhawks will finally get out of the basement and turn things around. The club promoted three prospects to full-time NHL duty last year: Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov and Oliver Moore. Were there growing pains? Absolutely. Anything to be concerned about? Not really. Despite those three no longer being prospects, the pipeline is still quite impressive, led by 2025 first-rounder Anton Frondell. Few teams have depth at every position. The Hawks might have just one defender on this list (and some scouts might rank Xavier Villeneuve lower than fifth), but the fact that they’ve churned out some useful options over the past few years is a good sign. We didn’t include Kevin Korchinski in this exercise because of his NHL experience, but we can’t ignore him in Chicago’s system either.”

Ellis mentioned that few teams have prospect depth at every position, and the Blackhawks are one of them. Up front, Frondell, Kantserov, and Lardis are joined by recent first-rounders Vaclav Nestrasil, Sacha Boisvert, and Mason West. John Mustard, AJ Spellacy, and Ryan Roobroeck are three other notable forward prospects in the system.

In net, neither Drew Commesso nor Adam Gajan admittedly possesses true NHL-starter upside, but both former second-round selections are respectable goalie prospects. They each have the potential to develop into Spencer Knight’s backup in the future.

Defensively, while 2026 top draft pick Xavier Villeneuve somewhat stands alone, that’s only because several blueline prospects have graduated to the pro ranks in recent years. Kevin Korchinski, Wyatt Kaiser, Levshunov, and Rinzel aren’t prospects anymore, but that’s a sign of progress for the Blackhawks.

From a depth perspective, no team can match the Blackhawks’ volume of young prospects with legitimate NHL capabilities. That’s what makes them the best prospect pool in hockey, even with many notable recent draft picks now being excluded from Ellis’ list.

Top 75 Skater Prospects

Next, Ellis ranked the top 75 NHL-affiliated skater prospects ahead of the 2026-27 season, while also providing a small write-up for each player. Frondell, Kantserov, Lardis, Nestrasil, and Villeneuve were the five Blackhawks’ prospects included in his rankings.

Frondell was ranked the highest of the group, sneaking inside the top 10 at No. 9. In Ellis’ 2025 edition, the Swedish forward was ranked 14th, meaning he got bumped up five spots following a terrific showing at all levels in 2025-26.

“With Connor Bedard out to start the season, could Frondell take on a bit of extra responsibility right out of the gate? It sure feels that way. Frondell was one of the most NHL-ready prospects a year ago. That’s not always a slam dunk when it comes to top prospects – some teams just want to be patient with their top stars. But with Frondell, it made sense. He was productive in his draft year, playing in the second-tier pro league and often dominating his own age group. Frondell recently helped Sweden win gold at the World Juniors, scoring five goals and eight points en route to top forward honors. It wasn’t an explosive offensive effort by any means. But if you watched Sweden closely, you knew he dominated shifts in a way very few other forwards did. I liked some of Frondell’s early NHL action, and I can’t wait to see him become an impact player for the Blackhawks.”

Kantserov came in next at No. 20, receiving plenty of respect from Ellis, despite yet having to appear in a single pro game in North America. Like Frondell, Kantserov will be thrown into the Blackhawks’ top-six forward group immediately as a rookie this year. The team feels comfortable doing so because of his proven track record in Russia.

“After one of the most impressive seasons by a European-based prospect, Kantserov is ready for the big show. The 21-year-old had 36 goals and 64 points in 63 games this past year, leading the KHL in goals. The 2024 Gagarin Cup champ was downright dangerous every time he hit the ice, and, despite being a smaller forward at 5-foot-9, he’s absolutely fearless. I know the KHL isn’t as strong as it was pre-2022, but Kantserov’s season was the most productive by a U-22 forward in league history. That has to excite Blackhawks fans, and I fully expect him to play a top-six role right out of the gate.”

Lardis, who was snubbed by Pronman throughout his lists and rankings, is the third-highest Blackhawks prospect in the rankings, coming in at No. 54. It’s nice to see the 2023 third-round pick receive some credit for a stout first pro season, scoring at a 20-goal pace in the NHL last year. There remains plenty for Lardis to prove, but he’s done his job well so far.

“Nobody has ever questioned Lardis’ scoring ability. But what some scouts – and myself – have wondered is whether his subpar skating would translate to the NHL, and whether he’d continue to score at 5-on-5. Well, mission accomplished. He had 18 goals and 32 points in 35 games as an AHL rookie, earning him a spot on the big club. Lardis then registered 10 goals and 15 points in 41 games with the Blackhawks, ensuring he’ll never go back down to Rockford. I’d still like to see him add a bit more speed, but his hockey sense and offensive tendencies have been enough to prove he’s capable of playing a scoring role in the short term. Consider me a big fan.”

After a standout freshman NCAA season with UMass, Nestrasil went from unranked in 2025 to inside the top 70 in 2026. Ellis ranked the Czech forward and former first-round draft choice at No. 69. With a tremendous size and skill combo, there’s plenty of reason to be buying stock in Nestrasil. He could be much higher on this list in 2027.

“What a season it was for Nestrašil. The 6-foot-6 forward leaped up to college this past year and put up 31 points in 34 games with UMass. He also established himself as a legit MVP contender at the World Juniors after helping Czechia take home silver in Minnesota. Away from the puck, I think he does an outstanding job of breaking up plays and winning individual battles. With the puck, his shot is so powerful. Nestrašil continued to work on his speed and skating throughout the year, and I loved the results. I think he’ll have a good chance of cracking the Blackhawks immediately out of college.”

Last, but certainly not least, Villeneuve just barely made the cut at No. 73. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound defenseman is a polarizing prospect, with some scouts believing he can be the next Lane Hutson, while others think he’ll never become an NHL blue-liner. Clearly, Ellis is somewhat of a believer in Villeneuve himself. Much like Nestrasil, he could be well inside the top 50 on this list in 2027 if all goes well during his freshman year with Boston University this fall.

“Villeneuve could end up becoming the steal of the 2026 draft. Hip issues prevented him from reaching his full potential this past year, but scouts were already impressed by his talent. The Laval, Que., native had 43 points as a rookie two years ago before exploding for 50 assists and 62 points in his Draft-1 season. Villeneuve then helped Canada win gold at the 2025 U-18 World Championship in Texas, where he finished with eight points despite averaging around 13 minutes a night. He’s small at 5-foot-10 – but what separates Villeneuve from other small blueliners? The way he thinks the game and the way he moves. It’s easy to see some Lane Hutson in him, and I feel like the Hawks were thrilled to get him at No. 34.”

For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page.

Follow us on X:

@chihockeynow, @JackBushman2

The post Blackhawks Prospect Pool Well Respected Again in Latest Rankings appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now.