Blackhawks Prospect Rankings: Pronman vs Ellis vs Coach Frenchy

[Gramps28]

Korchinski is ranked too high on everyone’s list. That is a draft position choice IMO. Vanacker will be a riser after this season. He was able to train this off-season as opposed to rehabbing like he had to last off-season.

[Dan Maloneys left hook]

Interesting that everyone has Lardis so far down the list. AKA rpeters01.

[CoachFrenchy]

Thanks for your input again! What I really like about the Blackhawks’ rebuild is how Davidson focused on building a strong defensive core first. On top of that, their second- and third-round picks over the last three NHL drafts have been very smart — you can see the depth starting to take shape.

This season, I’ll be providing weekly coverage every Monday with a full recap of the Blackhawks. That will include updates on the NHL roster, the IceHogs, plus prospects in the NCAA, CHL, and Europe. I’ll also be naming the 3 Stars of the Week in each category, so Blackhawks fans can follow everything happening across the entire Chicago hockey system.

[CoachFrenchy]

Thanks for the comment! You’re right — the toughest part is behind us. Now, every season feels more exciting as new prospects join the roster. By next year, I expect we’ll see at least one or two fresh faces make the jump.

What really stands out about this rebuild is that the Hawks finally have options. With so many assets, Davidson can always move pieces to target a specific player down the road. If the team keeps improving in the standings while developing the young core, that’s already a successful season in my book.

The goal should still be to land one more top-5 pick in 2026. After that, Davidson can start really building out the roster. With five veterans hitting free agency at the end of this year, there’s a good chance to pick up more assets at the deadline. And next summer’s UFA class looks strong enough to add one or two important pieces.

It all comes down to patience. The Blackhawks are on the right path, but it’s going to take at least two more years before this team is truly ready to take off.

[BetweenTheDots]

I do think they need to have 2 different prospect rankings

NHL ready prospect rankings
Nazar and Rinzel

Top talent rankings, when they begin to reach their prime at about 24 years old

Arty, Frondell, Moore, West, Lardis, Kansternov, Korchinski and so on.

Just think in the past 4 years the Blackhawks have drafted 15 kids in the top 40!!!!

Hard for any team to compete with that and i think when it’s all said and done Frondell will be the prize of that draft.

[BetweenTheDots]

I don’t know what the record of the Blackhawks will be but I’m excited about this season, it sucked when we traded Cat, Hagel, Kane, and had to watch a bunch of scrubs.

Bedard was exciting to watch and to see Vlasic grow into a solid defenseman.

But we are finally in a spot where i can enjoy watching both the Blackhawks and the ice hogs.

I believe one of the things i mentioned that wasn’t posted was what i really like about the rebuild is the depth, if one of Korchinski, Arty or Rinzel don’t work out that’s fine but what does a team like SJ do if Dickinson doesn’t become the guy many think he will? They have to hope a 26 year old Dobson is available for tradeb and have to pay him.

Habs had to give up 2 first round picks which will affect future depth for them.

I’m hoping to one day see a PP of Bedard, Nazar, Lardis, Frondell, and Arty or Rinzel. They all can shoot and are good at handling the puck.

[CoachFrenchy]

@BetweenTheDots, excellent comment my friend and thank you! You gave a really good breakdown of the Hawks’ prospects, and I agree with many of your points.

I’ve watched a lot of Nick Lardis, and I also feel he’s underrated by some prospect analysts like Pronman. His speed and compete level stand out, and I think Rockford will be an important test for him this year.

And you’re absolutely right about KD — he’s built up a ton of assets, which gives the Hawks flexibility to make the right moves at the right time. That’s how you sustain success and keep the pipeline strong.

Enjoy your weekend, my friend — always appreciate your thoughtful comments!

[CoachFrenchy]

Honestly, I’m not sure what happened there — it’s out of my control. The good thing is that I still get all the comments by email, which allows me to read and reply even if they don’t show up under the thread. I couldn’t track your post down directly, so I wanted to make sure to respond here instead.

I apologize for the mix-up and hope it doesn’t happen again. Please know that I truly value your long, thoughtful comments — they add a lot to the discussion, and I really appreciate the time you put into them.

[CoachFrenchy]

Thanks for your comment today. You and I are pretty much on the same page overall. You brought up a lot of strong points about the Hawks’ prospects, and I share your view on Greene, Allan, and West.

I really appreciate all the comments you leave on my articles and the time you take to read them. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and it means a lot.

Wishing you a great weekend!

[boilermaker]

Reads like your responding to my post Frenchy. Unfortunately, my original post is not shown anymore within the comments. Kind of disappointing that I take the time to write my thoughts and then they disappear in the ether somewhere. Maybe it is just a quirk in the website.

[Author]

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