The Blackhawks‘ pool of talented young players has not shrunk, but their prospect pool nevertheless has.
That’s because so many of those young players graduated from prospects into NHL players during the past year. The Hawks’ roster will be extremely young in 2026-27.
There will be at least seven forwards age 22 or younger — Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, Nick Lardis, Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene — and all project to occupy top-nine roles.
And among all of the defensemen and goalies, Ian Cole is the lone player older than 25. Prominent offseason addition Bowen Byram, 25, is actually eight days younger than Alex Vlasic. Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Wyatt Kaiser and Arvid Soderblom are all younger than them, some considerably so, whereas Spencer Knight is two months older.
The majority of the Hawks’ resources this season will go toward helping those young players learn, mature and hopefully eventually succeed in the NHL.
But prospect development remains important, too. The Hawks still have some holes to fill in their young core, and they need to keep a steady stream of prospects moving toward the NHL who can, over time, either replace departing veterans or offer value as trade chips.
Of the 20 Hawks prospects discussed in the Sun-Times’ summer 2025 rankings, six have since graduated into the NHL, three have been traded (Colton Dach, Nolan Allan and Jack Pridham) and two are in murky situations (Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro).
That represents more than half the list, which means these new summer 2026 prospect rankings look a lot different — and overall less impressive.
But they’re still substantial compared to many NHL teams, as well as to the Stan Bowman-era Hawks. Notably, the top six prospects below could all conceivably play NHL games sometime this season.
1. Vaclav Nestrasil, forward, age 19
Nestrasil, the 25th pick in 2025, has rapidly risen to the top of the pool. He blew away his own expectations for his freshman season at UMass, as his 31 points in 34 games ranked fifth among NCAA players 19 or younger.
The 6-6 winger is dangerous both on the rush and on the forecheck, and he’s learning how to take advantage of his size. Hawks brass raved about him this summer and will likely try to sign him after UMass’ upcoming season.
2. Sacha Boisvert, forward, 20
Although Boisvert’s 2025-26 season was disappointing, he flashed his potential as a North Dakota freshman in 2024-25, and he almost looks like a different person after bulking up his 6-3 frame this summer (from 190 pounds to 205). He will start this season in the AHL as one of Rockford’s top forwards.
3. John Mustard, forward, 20
Mustard improved his shooting and decision-making as a Providence sophomore last season and translated that into production, recording 29 points in 36 games. He stood out at development camp this summer, too. The Hawks will try to sign the speedster after his upcoming junior year.
4. Marek Vanacker, forward, 20
Vanacker is angling to be the Hawks’ next Tyler Bertuzzi as a high-efficiency scorer who excels in dirty areas around the net. He led the OHL in goals last season with 47 in 60 games (albeit as an overager), and he will attempt to translate that skill into the AHL this season.
5. A.J. Spellacy, forward, 20
The Hawks added NHL veterans Cole Smith and Jordan Greenway this summer to inject grit into their forward corps, but looking longer-term, Spellacy should help with that. The 6-3 winger is aggressive, physical and understands the value of penalty-killing. He will compete for a Hawks job in training camp but will probably start the season in Rockford.
6. Drew Commesso, goalie, 24
Commesso’s name is well-known to fans after three years as Rockford’s starting goalie, but he has received only four NHL starts. His new two-year contract suggests the Hawks foresee him replacing Arvid Soderblom as their NHL backup in 2027-28, if not earlier.
7. Mason West, forward, 19
West’s name is also well-known to fans because of his high-school football heroics, but unlike Commesso, it will be a while until he pushes for NHL appearances. The Hawks drafted West for his athleticism, knowing he would need a long development road. He’ll compete for ice time as a freshman on a loaded Michigan State team this season.
8. Xavier Villeneuve, defenseman, 18
The Hawks finally added a high-upside defenseman to their pool by selecting Villeneuve, who will seek to follow Lane Hutson’s path as a freshman at Boston University this season. He’s the only defenseman among the top 15 prospects.
9. Ryan Roobroeck, forward, 18
Roobroeck, drafted one pick after Villeneuve, hasn’t gotten as much publicity but has equally high upside. As Hawks scouting director Mike Doneghey put it, “There aren’t a lot of guys who are 6-3 and can score like he scores.” He will seek a bounce-back OHL season with Guelph.
10. Samuel Savoie, forward, 22
Savoie and the next three prospects are all Rockford forwards who aren’t big-time NHL prospects but still have chances to make it. Savoie probably has a slighter better chance because he’s a pest with a clear identity, but he needs to take a step forward in his third AHL season.
11. Jiri Felcman, forward, 21
Felcman is a 6-4 late bloomer who is quietly getting more NHL-relevant. When he jumped from Switzerland to Rockford late last season, it was interesting to see him immediately slotted in a top-six role, although he only tallied two points in seven games. His role this season will be telling.
12. Gavin Hayes, forward, 22
Hayes and Savoie both tallied 26 points in roughly 60 games for Rockford last season. Hayes’ production was steadily increasing, though, before an MCL injury in March cut his season short. His biggest strength is his hockey IQ.
13. Martin Misiak, forward, 21
Misiak is the only second-round pick among this foursome, but he initially struggled to crack Rockford’s lineup last fall. He finished with 15 points in 63 games, and Rockford coach Jared Nightingale called him one of the team’s most-improved players. He needs to continue that momentum.
14. Adam Gajan, goalie, 22
Gajan bounced back from a poor freshman season at Minnesota-Duluth in 2024-25 with a better sophomore season. He said he played deeper in the net, kept his shoulders more upright and trusted his size and technique more. He has turned pro and will compete with incumbent Stan Berezhnoy for Rockford’s backup goalie job behind Commesso.
15. Nathan Behm, forward, 19
Behm is coming off a solid but unremarkable third WHL season. He will be a freshman this season at Arizona State, where his performance will be more indicative of his potential.
16. Taige Harding, defenseman, 24
Nightingale was impressed by the 6-foot-7 Harding’s efforts to improve his skating last season. On a Rockford defense with few NHL-relevant prospects, there’s opportunity for him.
Others on the radar: Ashton Cumby, Paul Ludwinski, Julius Sumpf, Samu Alalauri