Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings
#8: Chicago Blackhawks
Number of Ranked Prospects: 39
Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 2
Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 2
Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 55th
Top Forward Prospect in The System: Sacha Boisvert (15th)
Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Artyom Levshunov (1st)
System Score: 4.5
The Chicago Blackhawks took a major step forward in their rebuild process when they drafted the generational talent Conor Bedard first overall in the 2023 draft. Bedard won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie player last season, and despite a relatively sluggish start to the 2024-2025 season--if 19 points in 26 games can be considered sluggish for a 19-year-old NHL player--he will be the franchise cornerstone for years to come. The key to Chicago's future success will be their ability to build a solid team around Bedard, and they seem well on their way to doing so. In the past three drafts (those under current General Manager Kyle Davidson), the Blackhawks have collected and used 12 first- and second-round draft picks (not including Bedard) to add a set of high-end prospects that give the team one of the best pipelines in the NHL. One of those players--defenseman Kevin Korchinski--already has a full season of NHL play behind him (note that he had been ranked 5th overall in the Hockey Prophets top defenseman prospect ranking before he graduated) or he, too, would be considered one of the best defensive prospects in the game.