The Chicago Blackhawks have an important season ahead of them. The organization has committed to building through the draft, and a plethora of draft picks are NHL-ready, or on the cusp of being NHL-ready. Many young players will have a chance to make their mark this season; some becoming everyday players while many others will make their NHL debuts. Meanwhile, a small group of veterans will be tasked with helping the youngsters find their way.
In this series headed into the 2025-26 campaign, we’ll preview each player projected to make the roster, and what their role will be with the team. This edition’s spotlight is on forward Landon Slaggert.
Slaggert By The Numbers
Drafted: Third Round (79th overall) in 2020 by the Chicago Blackhawks
Position: Left Wing
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 180 pounds
Age/Birthdate: 23 years old (6/25/2002)
Country: USA
2024-25 Stats: 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points in 33 games
Career Stats: 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points in 49 games
How He Got Here
Slaggert has always been a slow burn for the Blackhawks. After being drafted in 2020 out of the University of Notre Dame, he was noted for his high work ethic and physicality. But there were concerns about when he would sign his entry-level deal, as he ultimately chose to stay in college for all four years, instead of making the jump earlier.
After his senior season ended, which was also his best season with 31 points in 36 games, he came to Chicago in 2024. The extra development time in college seemed to be the right decision, as he also grew into a leadership role. From that, you could see immediately when he turned pro that he is a mature player.
After making the NHL jump, Slaggert made an impression on his teammates, as Jason Dickinson praised how hard he plays and called him a “smart player.” Those impressions have stuck with him.
Although Slaggert didn’t start the 2024-25 season with the Blackhawks, as he started with the Rockford IceHogs, he was recalled in January. He was the second-best scorer on Rockford at the time with 25 points in 39 games. Again with the slow burn, but the stint in Rockford also served him well.
With the Blackhawks, he mainly played a bottom-six role and played it to a T. He’s fast and gritty. So much so that he scored the fastest goal in Blackhawks’ history against the Florida Panthers in February (seven seconds).
Now, he’s looking to take all those experiences to Chicago next season.
Slaggert’s Role in 2025-26
By looking at his stats, Slaggert is not a “goal-scorer,” but that’s okay, because as Dickinson mentioned, he’s one of those high-IQ, depth players that teams need. The only issue is that the Blackhawks have a lot of depth types of forwards in their pipeline at the moment, which will create some battles at training camp.
It’s hard to say for sure where Slaggert will start, but it would not be surprising in the slightest to see Slaggert make the team out of training camp in a third or fourth line role. He was part of the successful youth movement to end the season, and also seems to be beloved among his teammates. As long as he shows up to training camp with his speed and tenacity, he should be fine. After all, speed and tenacity are two big traits Chicago has been wanting to build around.
Related: Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Previews: Sam Lafferty
Slaggert is one of those players who is easy to root for because he never takes a shift off, and no doubt the Blackhawks will be rooting for him, too, going into the season.
