There are plenty of very good prospects around the NHL, some of which have played some NHL games already, and others who were either just drafted or haven't appeared at the top level just yet. Every one of the prospects ranked in the top-20 by Elite Prospects are on a quick path to becoming NHL regulars. Within those 20, there are two Chicago Blackhawks defensemen.
Artyom Levshunov ranks 10th while Sam Rinzel ranks 16th. Rinzel, of course, has had a good bit more experience playing in college and looked more NHL-ready when he entered the NHL at the end of last season for nine games, playing top pairing minutes (23:22 ATOI), 2:24 per game on the power play, and 1:30 per game on the penalty kill. The 21-year-old has no problem producing offensively or defending.
Sitting between Levshunov and Rinzel at 11th-15th are Dmitri Simashev (D), Roger McQueen (F), Cayden Lindstrom (F), Tij Iginla (F), and Sam Dickinson (D).
Levshunov was the Blackhawks' second overall pick in 2024 and hasn't done anything drastic to drop his projected trajectory. He did miss some time with an injury, but in his first season of professional hockey, he worked his way back and graduated from the AHL to play 18 NHL games.
Levshunov's ceiling is high and he's already pretty filled in as a 19-year-old. He averaged over 20 minutes per game when recalled to the NHL and got some solid time on the second power-play unit as well. I see the same happening again as the young players are being given opportunities and being able to handle it.
We probably won't see Levshunov or Rinzel work their way up the top-20 prospects list by the end of the season because many won't even be prospects anymore, including both of them, but good seasons of development and performances are expected from the two young defensemen.
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