Kyle Davidson has made it clear that the future of the Hawks will be built through the NHL Entry Level Draft. Since taking over, he has done a fantastic job getting the needed draft capital back after the previous front office spent years trading away picks to try and win now. After watching the Every Shift series the team puts out, it has to get you excited to see the level of excitement that he shows when players he is targeting are still available come time to pick. We saw it last year with Oliver Moore falling to the Hawks after they were unable to trade him, and we saw it again this year when the latest player to sign his entry-level deal, Merrick Vanacker, fell to them at 27. The pieces are falling into place for this team, and there are more than enough guys that even if only a few hit the level they are projected to, the future is bright in Chicago.
With the future looking as significantly good as it is, who would the Hawks consider to be the top five prospects right now? That’s what I wanted to look at and give my opinion today and see what all of you think as well. I set up criteria for my top five list, first being players aged 24 and under, and the other being players who have already played a full season in the NHL are not eligible for my list. Yes, Bedard is clearly the top guy, but we all know what he brings to this team's future. Korchinski is a bubble player for me because even though he has played a full season, I don’t think we saw a true look into what he could potentially be. However, we did get more of a sample size of him than others, and I really want to just focus on the guys with few to no NHL games under their belts. Finally, I am ranking these guys based on how close I think they are to being NHL-ready and could make the highest impact once they make the jump. Im sure there are more technical ways to make these lists, but lets just have fun with this one.
Top Five Hawks Prospects
Number One: Frank Nazar Center
Nazar gave us a small taste of what he brings to the table when he wasted no time getting his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. There was a lot of hype around him after the Hawks traded Kirby Dach to get into the first round for him, and after his time in Michigan, where he put up 48 points in 54 games, the hype was well deserved. He has a great offensive mind looking to pass first but also has great speed and above-average edge work so he can beat opponents on his own when need be. Going into training camp with the KD mindset that the young players have to earn their spot, Nazar is most likely going to be the guy who makes their decision very tough.
Number Two: Artyom Levshunov Defense
The Hawks latest top pick While many still think the team should have gone Demidov, Levshunov was the right choice for what this team is building. After one season with Michigan State, Levshunov will be making the jump to pro hockey this season after signing his entry-level deal. Considered to be the best defenseman in the draft by many scouts, he already shows signs that he could play NHL hockey this season. He has the size, he has the speed, and he has the overall athletic ability. What he does need to work on a bit is making better decisions in his own zone, which he isn’t the worst at but will need time to adjust to the pro level. With plenty of defensive options in front of him, he can take his time playing top minutes in Rockford, but once he gets the call, I don’t think there will be any looking back.
Number Three: Oliver Moore Forward
Oliver Moore was KD's white whale in the 2023 NHL Draft, as he was working hard to trade up for him but didn’t need to at the end of the day. If there is one thing you need to know about Moore, it is that he is fast, and that might even be putting it lightly. With his ability to stop and go, cut on a dime, and more, he will have defenders playing on their heels. A lot of teams passed on him despite high rankings due to him being a bit undersize coming in at 5"11, but his hockey IQ makes sure that there is no disadvantage there. He’s coming off a very good freshman season at Minnesota, which saw him put up 33 points in 39 games and named to the NCAA Big Ten All-Rookie team. He will look to improve on that this season, and if all things go well, I would not be surprised to see him in the Hawks lineup at the end of the year in the same manner as Nazar last season.
Number Four: Sascha Boisvert Forward
Brought into the fold this past draft going 18th overall, there is a lot to be excited about this kid. Right off the bat in the Every Shift video, you learn that he grew up in a boxing gym, and if he wasn’t making it to the NHL, he would be a pro boxer. Anytime you can get some grit, you have to get excited, but not only is he tough, the kid is a goal scorer. He has a deceptive wrist shot and a one-timer with lots of power, so teams will always have to be aware of where he is on the ice and cannot give him too much room to work with. He is getting player comparisons to guys like Malkin and Kopitar, which is pretty good company to be associated with. If he continues to develop in the way he's projected to, he could be a solid second-line center for the Hawks. I am excited to see what he does in his first year at North Dakota.
Number Five: Ethan Del Mastro Defense
EDM has been a player that really has caught the eyes of a lot of people. For a bit, it seemed like he was going to fly under the radar, behind guys like Vlasic, Korchinski, and Kaiser, but after an impressive first pro season, I think it might be safe to consider him a key piece of the future D group. He has the big body coming in at 6'4", and he isn’t afraid to use every inch of it to shut down his opponents. What makes him so valuable is the fact he is a stay-at-home defenseman and can be trusted to eat up major minutes when need be. While he excels at the defensive side of the puck, he has the skill to jump up and be a factor on the offensive side of the game as well. He had 37 points in 69 games in the AHL and was the Ice Hogs lone All-Star pick, so the secret of his skill isn’t much of a secret anymore. He will have a bit of a longer road to getting regular NHL minutes, but I think he is going to be looked at to fill the spot of Connor Murphy once his contract is traded or isn’t extended.
Honorable Mentions (in no specific order) Merrick Vanacker Forward
Drew Commesso Goalie
Adam Gajan Goalie
Nick Lardis Forward
Roman Kantserov Forward
That’s going to be my list as of now. Besides a few of the top guys, I could be convinced someone else deserves a spot in the top five, which is the point I am trying to make here. The Hawks prospect pool is one of the deeper in the league, and when you can have long discussions about who belongs where, that’s a fantastic problem to have. Not every one of these kids will pan out to what they are projected, and some will, but not for the Hawks. KD and his team are setting the future up so there will always be a next man up. Trust the process is one of the most overused cliches of late, but I don’t know any other way to say it, so I'm going to use it. Trust the process, and Hawks hockey will be back at the championship level it belongs.
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