The OHL regular season has come to a close, and multiple Chicago Blackhawks prospects made their mark.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been incredible at drafting in recent years. They've made a lot of early draft picks, but they've also made some wise decisions in the middle and late rounds.
One league that has had a stamp put on it by Blackhawks prospects this season is the Ontario Hockey League. The OHL is one of the top developmental leagues in the world, and the Blackhawks have had some success there.
For one, they had the league's leading goal scorer in 2025-26 for the second year in a row. After Nick Lardis led the OHL last year, Marek Vanacker finished on top this year with 47 goals.
Vanacker, a first-round pick (27th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, is likely to turn pro next season after an incredibly strong year in 2025-26, after dealing with some injury trouble one year prior.
The interesting thing is that Vanacker beat out his fellow Blackhawks draftee Jack Pridham to win the OHL goal-scoring title by one. Each of them has aspirations of translating this goal-scoring prowess to the next level, and this was a great developmental season.
Vanacker and the Brantford Bulldogs earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference of the OHL. His teammate, Parker Holmes, is also a Blackhawks draft pick. They will face the Sudbury Wolves in the first round. As for Pridham, his Kitchener Rangers are the top seed in the West and will face the Saginaw Spirit to open the postseason. Clearly, having a top-two goal scorer helped these clubs earn the top seeds.
Another notable Blackhawks prospect, AJ Spellacy, is on the number two-seeded (West) Windsor Spitfires, looking to make a run to the Memorial Cup as well. Spellacy, a third-round pick (72nd overall) in 2024, is a high-motor, speedy player who can create chaos in all three zones.
He isn't a monster offensively, as he scored 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 51 games, but he is a solid contributor who also adds a sense of grit to any team he plays on. Once Spellacy is done with major junior, he has the tools to be a great pro. He will certainly have his chance to be an NHL player down the line.
Not every one of Chicago's prospects is going to suit up for the Blackhawks. Some of them won't make it, some of them will be traded away, but they all provide value to the team right now.
Whether it's these three in particular, or others, it is clear that the team has talent down the line continuing to develop while waiting for their chance to shine in the big leagues.
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