Blackhawks prospect updates: Kyle Davidson keeping in touch with Roman Kantserov, Ilya Safonov

For believers in a model called “NHLe,” which converts point production in various leagues into NHL equivalents and probabilities of success, Russian forward Roman Kantserov is one of the Blackhawks‘ most exciting prospects.

The 2023 second-round pick has racked up 26 points in 31 games so far this season with Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the KHL. That’s an extremely impressive stat line for a 20-year-old facing mostly older players in their primes.

Although Kantserov cooled off somewhat in January, he still ranks 19th in the KHL in points per game (0.87) as of Monday, making him one of only two players younger than 24 among the top 20.

By contrast, Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov, the NHL’s fifth overall pick last summer, ranks 26th at 0.84 points per game. And Wild prospect Danila Yurov, a 2022 first-round pick who plays with Kantserov on Magnitogorsk, ranks 98th at 0.55 points per game.

Kantserov showed flashes of brilliance during the KHL playoffs last spring, but then he missed the entire offseason and start of this season recovering from shoulder surgery, so this is a surprise.

“You’re seeing the offensive creativity, the vision and the finishing,” Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said recently. “I wake up every time his team plays early in the morning [in Central Time], and there’s more goals and assists to watch.”

It’s hard for the Hawks’ front office to meet up with Kantserov and watch him in-person in Russia, but Davidson nonetheless maintains consistent communication. Kantserov’s KHL contract expires in summer 2026, at which point the Hawks will probably try to bring him over to North America.

“We’ll text about watching his games: ‘Really like what you’re doing,'” Davidson added. “It’s good to stay in touch with him and make sure he feels that connection back to Chicago, because we’re certainly watching and we’re certainly excited about what he’s doing.”

Another Russian

The Hawks also maintain communication with Ilya Safonov, another Russian forward prospect. A sixth-round pick back in 2021 — from the Stan Bowman era, predating Davidson — Safonov created buzz back in 2022-23 with a breakout offensive season, tallying 37 points in 64 games for Kazan Ak-Bars while playing alongside former NHL-er Alex Radulov.

Since then, Safonov’s production has dropped to 20 points in 67 games last season and 17 points in 39 games this season, but Davidson attributes that partially to Kazan shifting him into a more defensive role.

At 6-4 and 224 pounds, he has a very big body, and he will turn 24 in May. Davidson said he’s on a year-by-year contract with Kazan.

“Ilya is a guy we’re always talking about and talking with, seeing what his situation is,” Davidson said. “If he chose to come over to North America, it would be an easier transition than you may expect.”

Closer to home

Davidson and associate GM Norm Maciver spent a few days in Colorado from Jan. 20-22, which sparked speculation about Hawks-Avalanche trade discussions. The Hawks’ involvement in the Mikko Rantanen trade Jan. 24 seemed to confirm those suspicions.

Davidson said that was purely coincidental, though. They actually wanted to watch two good matchups (Avs-Wild and Avs-Jets) during a break in the Hawks’ schedule — and also talk to forward prospect Aidan Thompson at the University of Denver.

Thompson, a 2022 third-round pick, has taken a big step this season as a college junior. His 32 points (in 26 games) are tied for seventh in the NCAA. His shooting ability, particularly with one-timers, is a strength.

“His production has been outstanding,” Davidson said. “He’s getting closer to the net and he’s getting more into those scoring areas, which is giving himself and other players on his team better opportunities to capitalize.”

Within the Hawks’ deep prospect pool, guys like Thompson are easily overlooked. And indeed, the Hawks will eventually have to make difficult decisions about which prospects to keep and which to trade, since not all will fit into their future NHL roster. But for now, investing time into everyone’s development benefits the organization no matter what.

Over to Switzerland

American forward Oliver Moore was by far the most prominent Hawks prospect in the world junior championships a month ago, but the organization quietly also had a second participant in Czech forward Jiri Felcman.

Felcman, a 2023 third-round pick, didn’t stand out much during the tournament, tallying two assists in seven games as his role within the Czech team decreased. He has spent most of this season playing in the Swiss pro league, recording nine points in 32 games for the Langnau Tigers.

Davidson suggested Felcman might be a project prospect on a longer timeline than most. The Hawks do like how much he has improved his skating since his draft year.

“He’s a taller guy and a little leaner, so [that improvement] just comes with strength,” Davidson said. “If you’re 6-4 at that age, you probably experienced rapid growth at some point along the way, so it takes some of that coordination a little extra time to lock in.”