The young Blackhawks have been forced to step into bigger roles at key times; good for future of team.

The Chicago Blackhawks are rebuilding around youth and a deep pipeline of prospects.

Much of the rebuilding has taken place at the NHL level and on the fly.

Headline rookies Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic have been skating big-time minutes this year. Winger Philipp Kurashev is having a breakthrough season. Lukas Reichel, Wyatt Kaiser and even later draft picks likes Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier have had their shots to play and learn.

Sometimes young skilled players who are used to playing prominent roles at the top of the lineup in junior/college and the AHL are not going to succeed playing fourth-line minutes with veteran journeymen and grinders at the bottom of an NHL roster. But Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson hasn't even had the option of weaving in a handful of kids to a successful veteran lineup.  

Almost all of the Blackhawks youngster have had an opportunity to play in different and new situations. Bedard, Korchinski and Vlasic have run with it, despite mistakes. Kurashev, an "old guy" at 24, seems at home. 

Reichel struggled mightily. Kaiser, just a year-removed from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, came unravelled, then got it together at AHL Rockford.

Goalie Arvid Söderblom still needs work. Landon Slaggert, who signed from Notre Dame in March, has brought energy after four seasons of NCAA hockey.

Some deeper teams make the mistake of calling up young players too soon or wasting their talents playing them less than 10 minutes per game. with no special teams time. That wasn't a consideration in Chicago, especially after injuries knocked out the likes of Taylor Hall, Andreas Athanasiou, Seth Jones, Connor Murphy and Tyler Johnson. Corey Perry was released after violating team policies.

Being a team with nothing to lose now allowed for the Blackhawks to fill roster spots and roles throughout the lineup with young players.

While Bedard has mostly lived up to the hype surrounding him, he still has lots to learn about the playing in the NHL. Richardson spoke about giving Bedard playing time at the end of the game to protect a lead, and players like Korchinski and Kaiser coming out after a 5-on-3 penalty kill and giving the Blackhawks big shifts. See following video.

Richardson made sure to throw Reichel's name in the mix as well. Despite a disappointing season, the 2020 first-round draft pick is expected to be part of the core in Chicago for years.

While the young Blackhawks players have a lot to learn, they are talented enough to step up and change the complexion of the game at times. This is how this 31st ranked team was able to knock off the second-ranked Dallas Stars 3-2 in regulation last week.

The more opportunities and time playing in different situations Richardson gives to these young players, the better off the team will be as a whole sooner than later. They will mature and become accustomed to whatever is thrown at them earlier than normal and that can only be a good thing.

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