Prospect Info: All-Purpose Prospect Thread v15.0

[Kevin Musto]

2 weeks from now Jay O'Brien can sign anywhere.

Due to his speed, we'll see if Kyle takes a flyer. (pun intended)

 

[ello]

Nazar's skating looks very much up to speed (ha), just beat a dman wide off the rush and backhanded a shot off the post. He's such a threat off the rush every time and backs the opposing dmen off forcing time and space for his team. Not sure what the stats were but he won his fair share of faceoffs as well.

Moore with a nice finish on his goal. Not very noticeable so far other that his goal, but nice to see the finish.

Hayes competes hard and has a good skillset. Playing bumper on PP2. Would not be surprised at all to see him make the team

Rinzel definitely did not have his best period. Looks slows, took a hooking penalty, bobbled the puck a couple of times and his decision making in the offensive zone is really slow and lacks any creativity. It's my first time watching him live but IF he is going to ever be a top 4 dman it is a longgg ways away

As an aside Will Smith and Gauthier look deadly out there. Brindley looks quite dynamic as well

 

[ello]

Games over. 7-3 White over Blue. Obviously everything with a grain of salt, its my read of these guys based on one game.

Nazar was hands down the best player on USA Blue, impressing more than guys like Leonard and McGroarty. He's a threat every time he has the puck, can make something out of nothing and is constantly looking to create the best possible play (which he has the skills to carry out). Some hope passes and prolonged shifts/lazy forechecking but he's looking like a big time difference maker. Great saucer pass off the rush to create Howard's goal. He probably generated half of team Blue's scoring chances and deserved 3-4 points tonight.

Other than his nice goal Moore really didn't do much. He looks small and defers quite a lot. His speed didn't really have much of an impact offensively or defensively. I see some of the concerns that people have regarding his lower end offensive ceiling and potentially being a 3C long term. He is very fast but doesn't seem to use it to create much time or space for himself or his linemates and burns out quickly during his shifts. Quite a bit of development to go here but there are good tools here and he is only 18. His 19yo WJC will probably tell us a bit more about his trajectory.

Rinzel had a couple nice spinorama's to alleviate pressure but otherwise seemed to caught on the wrong side of the puck all day. Got some time on PP2 at the end which is nice. I will say, he does not lack confidence when it comes to pinching and carrying the puck and hopefully with the right coaching and development he can learn to pick his spots a lot better. Very smooth skater for a man his size. Overall though, I feel like it seemed that he's a tier below the level of competition out there today.

Hayes I honestly don't think I noticed after the first lol

Out of town: I probably yelled at Howard half a dozen times for killing plays that Nazar developed, I really dont see much a of an NHL future for that kid he has very limited projectable tools. Leonard was Nazar's other winger and the skill is evident but he either has no chemistry with his linemates or has a hard time working with teammates in general. Lots of plays ended with him firing a wrist shot with no screen from the top of the circle and I didn't notice much of the vaunted forechecking and strength that he's supposed to bring.

Perrault is gonna be compared to Moore for a while I think and I really hope our new front office's philosophy about speed doesn't come at a cost of real talent. The offence really does run through Perrault and he wasn't even with Smith today. Combo of size and speed (or lack thereof) is always going to be a concern until he proves otherwise, but he has basically surefire Top 6 Hockey IQ and hands right now in my opinion.

Smith, Nazar and Gauthier will probably run the offense at the actual tournament. Eiserman could be someone to watch as well if he gains confidence, scored a beauty today and might have the best shot out of anyone out there today.

 

[Larmer83]

World Junior Summer Showcase: Team USA Top Performers Led By Hutson, Nazar - FloHockey

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Frank Nazar and Montreal Canadiens pick Lane Hutson were among the top performers for Team USA in Plymouth.

www.flohockey.tv

Frank Nazar, C (Chicago Blackhawks): Nazar led all players with eight points in four games at the World Junior Summer Showcase, eliminating all doubt that there were any lingering concerns over his missing most of last season with injury. Nazar played with pace, was decisive with the puck and made plays all over the ice. He was a scoring chance machine throughout the event, whether he was creating them or setting them up. He had a five-point night in USA’s stunning 10-1 win over Sweden, highlighted by four goals. As teammate Rutger McGroarty (WPG) said, “Frankie’s back, baby!”

Gavin Hayes, RW (Chicago Blackhawks): Another pleasant surprise in camp, USA put Hayes in more of a depth role at times, but no matter his role, he played an effective, heavy game and was a handful at the net-front. His abrasive style in the dirty areas, along with quick hands, makes him a tougher player to play against and the U.S. needs a little more of that with the depth of skill and scoring up front.

Oliver Moore, C (Chicago Blackhawks): I initially wasn't going to include Moore on this feature because I thought he had a slow start to camp, but after his final game during which he scored two goals, he showed that he simply progressed day over day. He finished camp with three goals and an assist and while he wasn't much for driving play, he was solid at finishing them. His speed was a lot to handle and I think that, plus his willingness to defend and play on the PK could get him in the mix for a spot. I don't think he guaranteed himself anything, but he's better positioned now.

 

[WarriorofTime]

It’ll be disappointing if Rinzel does not make the team. He is the only American former first round pick eligible this go around.

 

[ploppsdman]

IMO, Rinzel was way too much of a projection call. Great tools don’t mean great player. He’s going to a stellar program, though, so I’m not overly concerned yet. We will know which way the wind blows after his sophomore season.

 

[Hawkster]

Roman Kantserov played for Magnitogorsk in their pre-season exhibition game against Belarus.

I didn't watch a lot of the game (it's on youtube if you want to take a look), but he seemed to be playing LW and went scoreless in 5-4 OT loss.

 

[hawksfan50]

So if Hawks are going to pkay a Rookies 2 game set again vs.Minnesota or go back to a bigger Rookies Tournament these alk should be taking place about mod-September...so we should be only 5 weeks away from seeing our yutes inaction.. of course none of our drafted NCAA guys can play in these Rookies Tournaments....only prospects from Rockford or the junior leagues that we have drafted.. but Bedard Colton Dach Luypen, Hayes,DelMastro,Allen,Korchinski,
Ludwinski,Savoir,Misiak and Pharand should all be participating..Probaly Kaiser too....Vlasic and Reichel might be considered saving g for Main Camp.

,should b e participating ....Nazar Moore Greene, AidenThompson and Taige Thompson because they are NCAA guys will only be able to participate in Rookies Camp but not in any Tournament against othe NHL rookies camp players..
Many of our euro draftees will already be playing pre-season or regular season schedules for theirceuro clubs and so will not be at our Rookie Camp inSeptemver ..

So to fill out a roster to play in a rookies tournament,tge Hawks will need to add some younger Rockford pkayers or use several unsigned juniors who are invited to try out at Rookies Camp and if they show enough they get a chance to get signed if they against more in a Rookies tournamemt.

So it has not yet been announced(unless I am mistaken) if we again will play only a 2 game set vs. The Wod rookies....or if we are joining a bigger rookies tournament again.

In any case we should get to watch Bedard in action in such a rookies tournamentin about 5 weeks!!!

Unless the Hawks have chickened out on the idea of Hawks Rookies playong other NHL team's'Rookies squads...butwe will have to wait for an announcement either way.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Icehogs re-sign Rw Colin Bilek to a one year deal

 

[WarriorofTime]

These are players that signed AHL contracts with Rockford for 2023-24:

Rockford
Colin Bilek
Ryan Gagnier
Josh Healey
Kale Howarth
Seamus Malone
Josh Maniscalco
Marcel Marcel (NHL rights held by Chicago)
Logan Nijhoff (Year 2 of a two-year contract)
Andrew Perrott
Mitchell Weeks (Year 2 of a two-year contract)

 

[Mrfenn92]

These are players that signed AHL contracts with Rockford for 2023-24:

Rockford
Colin Bilek
Ryan Gagnier
Josh Healey
Kale Howarth
Seamus Malone
Josh Maniscalco
Marcel Marcel (NHL rights held by Chicago)
Logan Nijhoff (Year 2 of a two-year contract)
Andrew Perrott
Mitchell Weeks (Year 2 of a two-year contract)

Icehogs sign Lw Anders Bjork and D Ross MacDougall to Ahl deals

 

[WarriorofTime]

The AHL has a rule that says of the 18 skaters on the roster (not counting two goaltenders) that teams may dress for a game, at least 13 must be qualified as “development players.”

Of the 13 development players, 12 must have played in 260 or fewer professional games and one must have played in 320 or fewer professional games.

So, of the 18 skaters in an AHL lineup, only six can be veterans who have played in 260 or more career professional games. Of those six veterans who have played at least 260 professional games, one must have fewer than 320 professional games on their resume.

"Professional games" include the NHL, AHL, and "elite European leagues," unless the player played in the European league while junior-aged. European leagues that count towards veteran status in the AHL are the top leagues in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.

Below is a list of players that *could* end up in Rockford, I think most know which ones are the NHL roster bubble guys pretty well at this point. I did the GP calculations by hand and using eliteprospects, so there may be an error somewhere, especially with the exempt games played while Junior age.

Bold are players under contract with the Blackhawks. Anderson, Blackwell, Entwistle, Gust, Hardman, Johnson, Katchouk, Philp (will go on IR) and Seney all would have to pass through Waivers in order to be assigned to the AHL. The others in bold are Waiver-Exempt.

Colin Blackwell ('93) - 378 GP
Dave Gust ('94) - 321 GP
Brett Seney ('96) - 312 GP
Anders Bjork ('96) - 296 GP
Boris Katchouk ('98) - 284 GP
Joey Anderson ('98) - 261 GP
Josh Healey ('94) - 239 GP
Luke Philp ('95) - 211 GP (injured, torn achilles)
MacKenzie Entwistle ('99) - 206 GP
Reese Johnson ('98) - 182 GP
Isaak Phillips ('01) - 135 GP (games played in AHL while Junior age do not count)
Mike Hardman ('99) - 138 GP
Michal Teply ('01) - 116 GP (games played in AHL and top Czech league while Junior age do not count)
Filip Roos ('99) - 106 GP (1 game in top Swedish league while Junior age does not count)
Antti Saarela ('01) - 78 GP (games played in top Finnish league while Junior age do not count)
Alex Vlasic ('01) - 77 GP
Louis Crevier ('01) - 62 GP
Cole Guttman ('99) - 53 GP
Kale Howarth ('97) - 43 GP
Seamus Malone ('96) - 41 GP
Josh Maniscalco ('99) - 37 GP
Logan Nijhoff ('01) - 19 GP
Andrew Perttott ('01) - 13 GP
Wyatt Kaiser ('02) - 9 GP
Colin Bilek ('97) - 1 GP
Ross MacDougall ('97) - 0 GP
Ryder Rolston ('01) - 0 GP
Ryan Gagnier ('02) - 0 GP
Jalen Luypen ('02) - 0 GP
Nolan Allan ('03) - 0 GP
Marcel Marcel ('03) - 0 GP (games played in top Czech league while Junior age do not count)
Colton Dach ('03) - 0 GP
Ethan Del Mastro ('03) - 0 GP

 

[clydesdale line]

Icehogs sign Lw Anders Bjork and D Ross MacDougall to Ahl deals

Bjork is really gonna help out Rockford. Helps ease the loss of Luke Philp.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Bjork is really gonna help out Rockford. Helps ease the loss of Luke Philp.

Agreed. Thought they might bring back Grimaldi for the hogs but Bjork is a nice addition. Probably gets a nhl deal also around deadline time.

 

[Hawkster]

Pre-season games in FInland:

Riku Tohila (7th round/2022) played on 3rd line for JYP (Liiga team) in a 4-0 loss.
Janne Peltonen (7th round/2023) played on the second pairing and tallied an assist on the game winner in Karpat U20's 3-2 win.

 

[Taze em]

Ilya Safonov (who the board has deemed “not a top 20 Blackhawk prospect) just made the Athletics list of “5 best pro players in the world not playing in the NHL” along with guys like Nemec.

He continues to be 6’3” and over 200 pounds at Center as the board worries about size down the middle with bedard Moore and Nazar. Criminally underrated prospect around here. He’s a 22 year old Captain in the KHL.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Ilya Safonov (who the board has deemed “not a top 20 Blackhawk prospect) just made the Athletics list of “5 best pro players in the world not playing in the NHL” along with guys like Nemec.

He continues to be 6’3” and over 200 pounds at Center as the board worries about size down the middle with bedard Moore and Nazar. Criminally underrated prospect around here. He’s a 22 year old Captain in the KHL.

A quote from the article

He could be the rarest item of all: An impact player chosen from the depths of the NHL Draft at age 20.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Ilya Safonov (who the board has deemed “not a top 20 Blackhawk prospect) just made the Athletics list of “5 best pro players in the world not playing in the NHL” along with guys like Nemec.

He continues to be 6’3” and over 200 pounds at Center as the board worries about size down the middle with bedard Moore and Nazar. Criminally underrated prospect around here. He’s a 22 year old Captain in the KHL.

Seems like a no brainer to bring him over to play third line center in 2025-26. Obviously if it doesn’t work out, he can go back to Russia but it seems like the potential is there to at least get the opportunity when his KHL deal expires.

 

[Hawkster]

Roman Kantserov - Goal and an assist in Magnitogorsk's 7-2 win against Dynamo Moscow.

Assist: Nice slap pass on the PP.



Goal:

 

[Mrfenn92]

Signs in Sweden for next year

 

[Mrfenn92]

Rockford re-signs Rw Zach Jordan to a one year deal

 

[WarriorofTime]

2023 Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Pyramid - CHGO Sports

If you know me and/or have been familiar with my take on hockey prospect rankings over the past few years, you’ll know my affinity towards a tier or “pyramid”

allchgo.com

One writer's "prospect pyramid" (prospect defined as under 24 and under 90 NHL games)

Level 1 (Special Prospect/Franchise Player): Connor Bedard

Level 2 (Quality Prospect/Long-time NHL Player): Lukas Reichel, Frank Nazar, Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic, Drew Commesso, Oliver Moore

Level 3 (Good Prospect/Complementary Player): Landon Slaggert, Colton Dach, Jalen Luypen, Paul Ludwinski, Ryan Greene, Dominic James, Isaak Phillips, Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Sam Rinzel, Adam Gajan, Ilya Safonov, Gavin Hayes, Martin Mišiak, Samuel Savoie

Level 4 (Average Prospect/Depth Player): Aidan Thompson, Victor Stjernborg, Antti Saarela, Taige Harding, Ryder Rolston, Michal Teply, Marcel Marcel, Nick Lardis

My only real gripe is a logistic one, in that he has 16 players in Level 3 and 8 in Level 4, when in true pyramid fashion, those numbers should likely be close to flipped. In which case, I'd probably move Landon Slaggert, Colton Dach, Jalen Luypen, Paul Ludwinski, Dominic James, Martin Mišiak and Samuel Savoie all down.

Roman Kantserov appears to be omitted entirely, which is likely a mistake

 

[EbonyRaptor]

Ilya Safonov (who the board has deemed “not a top 20 Blackhawk prospect) just made the Athletics list of “5 best pro players in the world not playing in the NHL” along with guys like Nemec.

He continues to be 6’3” and over 200 pounds at Center as the board worries about size down the middle with bedard Moore and Nazar. Criminally underrated prospect around here. He’s a 22 year old Captain in the KHL.

I don't have a subscription to TheAthletic - who are the other 3 players, in addition to Safonov and Nemec, they say are the 5 best pro players not playing in the NHL?

 

[WarriorofTime]

I don't have a subscription to TheAthletic - who are the other 3 players, in addition to Safonov and Nemec, they say are the 5 best pro players not playing in the NHL?

The article title is misleading, in the article itself it's a different category, for instance, I don't think anyone in the world considers Safonov a top 5 KHL player right now, it's just the other KHL vets that are the best players in the League aren't "prospects".

There are five players, either under contract to or under the control of NHL teams, who are the most ready talents in the collective league umbrella.

None have played in an NHL game.

This list isn’t about franchise-altering players like Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, who is a strong favourite to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. This list isn’t about players who have been drafted and developed in junior (like Wyatt Johnson of the Dallas Stars) and stepped immediately into the NHL.

This is about pro players who have made their reputations in hockey leagues across the world and are at the very edge of making an NHL dream come true.

LD Hardy Haman Aktell - Washington
LW Jiri Kulich - Buffalo
RD Simon Nemec - New Jersey
LD Alexander Nikishin - Carolina
C Ilya Safonov - Chicago

​

 

[hawksrule]

I don't have a subscription to TheAthletic - who are the other 3 players, in addition to Safonov and Nemec, they say are the 5 best pro players not playing in the NHL?

Aktell, Kulich, Nikishin.