The Chicago Blackhawks had an interesting year. They were slow, lethargic, and not very entertaining in the first half of the season.
By the campaign’s halfway point, the roster started becoming infested with youthful exuberance. That leads them into the summer, where they will look to make the team even better.
Whether it was on the NHL roster, in the AHL, or from other leagues around the world, the Chicago Blackhawks saw a lot of their best prospects take huge steps.
The future has been the focus for this organization ever since Kyle Davidson started the current rebuild that they are trying to finish off. Prospects have played a key role.
Of all these young men who took steps in their development this year, these three stood out the most:
1. Frank Nazar
Frank Nazar started the season off as a Chicago Blackhawks prospect. He ended the year as one of their most important contributors.
Nazar was drafted with the hopes of being an offensive player, which is exactly what he’s trying to do. What came out of nowhere is his ability to play well in all three zones.
Defending is usually the hardest part of a young forward’s development, but Nazar is on a great track. He even showed the ability to be a high-end penalty killer, which will be a major help when they are trying to win again.
In the early stages of the 2024-25 season, Nazar was one of the leading scorers of the American Hockey League with 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 21 games played. He forced Chicago to call him up.
In 53 games with the Blackhawks, a much harder situation, Nazar had 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points. Most of those points came in the final month of the season when something clicked for him.
Likely, Nazar will never play in the American League again. Instead, he’ll continue to be one of the most relied-on top-six forwards in Chicago’s lineup.
2. Sam Rinzel
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Sam Rinzel with the 25th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He was one of three first-round selections made by Chicago that night.
Chicago saw something in him. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have used a first-round selection on him. However, they have to be even happier with that selection now than they were back then. His development since being drafted is something special.
Rinzel played college hockey at the University of Minnesota. In 2024-25, he scored 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points in 40 games played. That is all while playing as sound defensively as a college hockey player could.
Once Minnesota’s season ended, the Blackhawks brought Rinzel (and Oliver Moore) in as quickly as they could. He fit right in. He didn’t score his first career NHL goal, but he did have five assists in nine games.
Rinzel also led the Hawks in time-on-ice more than once over those nine games. His skating, ability to control the play, special teams contributions, and overall skills suggest that he could be a top-pair NHL defenseman.
Like Nazar, Rinzel went from being a prospect to a key contributor in the long term. With all of the young defensemen in the organization surrounding Rinzel, there is potential for something special.
3. Nick Lardis
Nick Lardis was a third-round pick (67th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. Since then, Lardis has become one of Chicago’s most notable prospects.
Playing for the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League, he took a major step forward in 2024-25. Lardis turned into one of the OHL’s top goal scorers as he had 71 in 65 games played. He added 46 assists for 117 points in those 65 games.
Unfortunately, his season ended in the playoffs due to an injury. From that point on, his team wasn’t able to recover and was eliminated. If he is healthy going into training camp in the fall, he will be given a chance to play in the preseason and potentially earn a spot.
Lardis’s stock rose a lot more than people expected coming into the year. A sniper like that would look great with playmakers like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar if he can translate it to the pro game.
Honorable mentions include Sacha Boisvert, Artyom Levshunov, Ethan Del Mastro, Ryan Greene, and Marek Vanacker. The Blackhawks have one of the best farm systems in the NHL, which gives them hope for the future.
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