The Chicago Blackhawks are a little more than two months out from the start of the 2023-24 regular season, and the roster appears mostly set. While they’re still a few seasons from contending, their prospect pool has improved drastically over the last two years. General manager Kyle Davidson deserves credit for overhauling the scouting department, as the Blackhawks’ farm system is in great shape overall.
Now, we know Connor Bedard, Lukas Reichel, and Arvid Söderblom are all essentially locks to start the 2023-24 season as Blackhawks. But what about the team’s other prospects? Whether it’s due to roster holes or injuries, there are a handful who could get playing time as early as this fall or perhaps later in the season. Let’s discuss four who could realistically reach the NHL club.
Alex Vlasic
To some extent, this sort of feels like a guarantee, too. Alex Vlasic has skated in 21 combined games with the Blackhawks over the last two seasons, six of them in 2022-23, when he got playing time with Seth Jones and Connor Murphy. Outside of veteran Jarred Tinordi, the Blackhawks have holes on their left side, and a few spots could go to prospects. Vlasic could definitely take one of them, as he’s coming off an impressive campaign with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Rockford IceHogs, posting 19 points through 56 games with a plus-12 after three seasons at Boston University (BU).
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One of Vlasic’s biggest strengths is his frame, being 6-foot-6 and 199 pounds. Though he isn’t much of a force offensively, having recorded just one assist in last season’s stint, he could emerge into a reliable stay-at-home defenseman. While it was a small sample size, Vlasic thrived with both Jones and Murphy, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he started the season on a pairing with either player.
Given his seasoning so far, the only way Vlasic may fall out of a role with the NHL team could be a below-average training camp and/or preseason. He’ll likely be in competition for a spot with Isaak Phillips and Wyatt Kaiser, both left-shots who also had stints with the Blackhawks last season. However, Vlasic has a bit more experience and is probably the most NHL-ready of the three.
Drew Commesso
This is where things get more interesting. Following three seasons at BU, where he played with Vlasic from 2020-22, the Blackhawks signed 21-year-old goaltender Drew Commesso in April to a three-year, entry-level deal (ELC), meaning he’ll forgo his senior season. He’ll likely form part of the IceHogs’ tandem along with Jaxson Stauber, who looked sharp in his first taste of the NHL last season, posting a .911 save percentage (SV%) through six games.
Unlike last season, when they signed Alex Stalock, it’d be a little surprising if the Blackhawks got a veteran goalie to play with Petr Mrázek as Söderblom appears NHL-ready. That said, Mrázek is injury-prone, despite being productive when healthy. Just last season alone, he sustained three groin injuries. Unless they add a veteran backup, this is where Commesso could enter the picture.
During his final season at BU, Commesso went 24-8-0 with a 2.46 goals-against average (GAA) and a .913 SV%. The Terriers also won nine straight games with him in net before losing to Minnesota in the Frozen Four semifinals. The 46th-overall pick of the 2020 Draft brings international experience, too, having skated for Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2023 World Championships. Stauber could also be in the mix, given his unexpected success last season.
Colton Dach
Of this group, Colton Dach may be the biggest long shot to make the NHL team, but it’s possible. The younger brother of former Blackhawk and Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is coming off his fourth Western Hockey League (WHL) season, skating in just 23 games due to injuries, between the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds. However, he had a nice playoff run with the Thunderbirds en route to the Memorial Cup, posting 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) through 19 games while playing with Blackhawks defensive prospects Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan.
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After four WHL seasons, Dach is expected to join the IceHogs as he continues his development (from “Blackhawks prospect rankings, 1-15: Connor Bedard an easy No. 1 after the NHL Draft,” The Athletic, 07/06/23). Though he may not have the same potential offensively as, say, Frank Nazar or Oliver Moore, he has good size at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds while bringing a bit of versatility. He could be a solid middle- to bottom-six forward once the Blackhawks are competitive.
For now, the Blackhawks may look at giving Dach a brief stint later in the 2023-24 season, much like they did with Cole Guttman in 2022-23 before he sustained a season-ending injury. The Blackhawks improved their forward depth over the offseason, adding veterans in Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, Corey Perry, and Ryan Donato; however, injuries will inevitably come up. If he has a smooth AHL transition, perhaps the Blackhawks reward Dach with his first glimpse of the NHL as they begin getting younger.
Kevin Korchinski
Perhaps there’s no bigger question entering the 2023-24 season than whether Korchinski will start with the Blackhawks. After Davidson took him seventh overall in 2022, he had an impressive season with the Thunderbirds, posting 73 points in 54 games with a plus-50. His skating, in particular, is one of his best assets, and there’s every reason to believe he could be a top-pairing, All-Star-caliber defenseman. Bedard aside, he’s arguably Chicago’s top prospect.
Much like the debate with Reichel last offseason, the Blackhawks face pros and cons of starting Korchinski at the NHL level. With Bedard in the fold, it’d make sense to begin building a core around him, in which Korchinski will likely have a role. It’d be understandable, though, if they didn’t want to rush his development. Despite having a more exciting and watchable group compared to last season, the Blackhawks probably won’t be great in 2023-24, and another bottom-five finish is possible.
At the very least, a realistic possibility for Korchinski could be to give him a nine-game tryout, after which the team would either need to send him back to the WHL or burn the first year of his ELC if he stays around. Like Vlasic, his training camp and preseason play could dictate whether he gets a spot. Given his growth over the last year, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Blackhawks rewarded Korchinski with at least a short stint to begin the season with possibly more games if he exceeds expectations.
The Blackhawks’ prospect pipeline is one of their biggest organizational strengths, and these four prospects all add a little something different. While it’s too early to say whether they’ll all pan out, they’ve developed nicely so far over multiple levels. It would not be surprising if either of them cracks the NHL club at one point or another this season.
