NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Connor Bedard is frustrated about the Blackhawks‘ struggles this season, and he doesn’t try to hide it.
At no point has that been more evident than Monday after the Hawks’ loss to the Flames, when Bedard admitted it has “been a lot of games to lose, and it weighs on you.”
Understandably, Bedard’s primary focus is on himself and the Hawks’ current NHL roster and on what he — and they collectively — can do to improve. That’s true for all NHL players on all teams, most of whom pay no attention to their organization’s prospect pool or anything else beyond their purview.
Bedard, however, is an exception to that rule. Perhaps it’s because he’s the same age (or younger) than many prospects, or perhaps it’s because he knows he’ll be in Chicago for a long time to come — but regardless of the reason, he does also pay attention to the Hawks’ prospects and their development.
“You never know what happens, but we have a lot of promising guys — a lot of higher picks,” Bedard said Thursday. “It’s exciting to see the guys make the step into the AHL and succeed, or doing well in juniors or over in Europe. You can see the steps being built. Hopefully guys keep playing well and keep progressing, and eventually they’re up here.”
Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson revealed on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast last month that he and Bedard talk “quite a bit.” Davidson gives Bedard advance warning about upcoming moves, and Bedard asks Davidson about the mechanics of salary retention and such. Most of all, though, Bedard asks Davidson about the prospects.
The teenage star insists he’s not scouring tape, evaluating specific skills or looking at the prospects from a scout’s perspective, although he concedes he could if he wanted to.
He’s simply interested in how his friends from Vancouver, from the WHL or from Hawks training camps are faring. And, of course, tolerating all this losing becomes slightly easier when one gets frequently reminded how bright the future is.
“I just find it enjoyable to follow stats and see how guys are doing,” he said.
Earlier this season, for example, Bedard was certainly aware of Frank Nazar’s eye-popping numbers in Rockford. Now Nazar has been up in the NHL over a month, and he and Bedard skated on the Hawks’ first line together Thursday.
“You know about him from his success in college, and obviously he came up with us [at the end of] last year and looked great,” Bedard said. “You could tell right away he would be up pretty quick. He was lighting it up [in the AHL]. It’s fun to see stuff like that. He has been getting better every game.”
There are plenty of other encouraging storylines within the Hawks’ robust prospect pool, too. Arguably the most exciting of all is happening across the globe in Magnitogorsk, Russia, where Roman Kantserov — a Hawks second-round pick in 2023 — is quickly becoming one of Russia’s best young players.
With 23 points in 25 games this season, Kantserov ranks among the top 11 players in the KHL in points per game — and at age 20, he’s four years younger than anyone else on the leaderboard. He suddenly looks like a potential top-six NHL forward, and the Hawks will be eager to sign him when his KHL contract expires in 2026.
Elsewhere, Artyom Levshunov ranks second among AHL defensemen in shots on goal, Nick Lardis ranks second in the OHL in goals, Sam Rinzel has become one of the top defensemen in college hockey, Aidan Thompson is tied for fifth in the NCAA in points per game, Sacha Boisvert leads North Dakota in scoring as a freshman and on and on.
Nothing is guaranteed, but if a reasonable percentage of their dozens and dozens prospects pan out, the 2024-25 Hawks’ awfulness won’t matter much long-term.