The Chicago Blackhawks are in a good spot. They are showing signs of improvement at the NHL level, and help is on the way.
The Chicago Blackhawks have inserted a lot of good young players into their lineup who have become NHL regulars in the last few seasons. Connor Bedard, Sam Rinzel, Frank Nazar, Alex Vlasic, and Artyom Levshunov are examples of young men who have not had any need to come out of the lineup for an extended period since making it on a full-time basis.
There is a lot more where that came from. Not every single one of Kyle Davidson’s selections is going to pan out, just based on simple probabilities, but that same math suggests that even more help is on the way based on the volume of talent in the organization.
There are five prospects, in particular, who seem like players who could be impacting the NHL roster by this time next year.
Oliver Moore
The Chicago Blackhawks called up Oliver Moore on Monday ahead of their game against the Seattle Kraken. He made his NHL season debut, which was his 10th game played in the league.
In those 10 games, Moore has four assists. He is still looking for his first NHL goal. All of his skills, especially his speed, are going to allow him to score a lot in this league. By this time next season, he may be a key contributor to all areas of the game.
Once Jeff Blashill feels comfortable, he is going to use Moore on the penalty kill. He believes that his speed will allow him to be great at it. Not only will he help in keeping the opposition from scoring, but that burst could help him get short-handed chances of his own.
The Rockford IceHogs run a different PK scheme than they do in Chicago, so he wants Moore to have a practice or two doing it before putting him on that assignment.
Roman Kantserov
The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Roman Kantserov in the second round, 44th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft. Now, at age 21, he is one of the most prolific goal scorers in the KHL.
Playing for the Metallurg Magnitogorsk, he has 14 goals and 10 assists for 24 points in 23 games. It's one thing to be a point per game player that young in the KHL, a league full of veteran pros, and it's another to be scoring goals as often as he does.
When the Blackhawks are able to bring him to North America, he will have the tools needed to translate that to the ice in the NHL. It won't be long before he's scoring goals in Chicago.
Nick Lardis
On Tuesday, the American Hockey League announced that Rockford IceHogs forward Nick Lardis was the AHL's Rookie of the Month for October.
Rockford IceHogs Forward Nick Lardis Is Recognized By AHL - Community Post
On Tuesday, the AHL recognized Nick Lardis of the Rockford IceHogs as the Rookie of the Month for October.
In the 8 October games, Lardis had 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points. To go from dominating the OHL to producing at a high level in the AHL means that his skills translate to the pro game. Next for him is showing he can play in the NHL.
That transaction will come sooner rather than later. With Oliver Moore already up, you'd think that Lardis is next on the list in terms of forwards on the IceHogs waiting for the call. By this time next year, if all goes well, Lardis will be making an impact in the NHL.
Sacha Boisvert
Sacha Boisvert was one of the best freshmen in college hockey, playing for North Dakota in 2025-26. Now, after transferring to Boston University, he is looking to help the team get to yet another Frozen Four.
Jay Pandolfo's team always seems to get there at BU, and Boisvert is a key to that success. In six games played so far this year, Boisvert has 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points.
It's isn't all about offense for Boisvert, though. He is capable of producing at a high level, but he never takes a shift off in the defensive zone.
Becoming a great two-way bottom-six center is exactly what the Blackhawks need from a player with Boisvert's set of skills. If he becomes even better than that, regardless of his minutes in the NHL, the Blackhawks will be that much better of a team.
Anton Frondell
The Chicago Blackhawks made Anton Frondell the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Since then, he decided to sign with the team but play the 2025-26 season in the Swedish League.
That has turned out to be a great decision for him as he seems to be improving every day. He could have played in the NHL and fit in, but this is better for his long-term development.
In 17 games played with Djugardens of the SHL, Frondell has 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points in 17 games. For the SHL, and for being a teenager, those are impressive numbers.
Is Frondell going to be a two-way center like his own personal player comp, Aleksander Barkov, or will he fit in more on the wing with the Blackhawks?
That remains to be seen once they get him over to North American hockey on a full-time basis. The tools are there for him to be a high-end player, no matter which route they go.
It is not likely that all five of these guys, or any player in the system for that matter, will be a superstar in the NHL. What they can become, knowing that potential stars like Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, and Artyom Levshunov are already in the lineup, are players who contribute to the overall success of the team in different ways.
They could be stars like one of those aforementioned players, or they could become impact depth guys like Ryan Greene. You need those types to win Stanley Cups.
You may notice that all five of the players listed here are forwards. Well, the Blackhawks have a plethora of young defensemen already on the NHL team. Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Louis Crevier, Alex Vlasic, and Wyatt Kaiser are already fighting for ice.
There are also Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, and Kevin Korchinski in the AHL just waiting for their chance. It is unclear who among those waiting will stick around long term, so it's hard to say who will impact the team by this year next year.
In goal, Spencer Knight is the number one for the foreseeable future. Arvid Soderblom and Drew Commesso are both working on becoming full-time starting goalies, which may take some time to figure out.
Right now, these five forwards listed are the youngest players in the organization who may start impacting the NHL club any time from now through next year.
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