Welcome to the latest installment of the revived “Future Hawks” prospect series. In this column, we take a look at the Chicago Blackhawks prospects who are standing out and enjoying success, whether they’re playing in Canadian juniors, the American Hockey League (AHL), Europe, Russia, or anywhere around the world.
This edition will focus on prospects playing at the NCAA and junior levels. Many of these prospects had excellent starts to their seasons, and a couple are near the top of their league in scoring. Also, Oliver Moore and AJ Spellacy are the two Blackhawk prospects invited to Team USA’s camp in preparation for the upcoming World Junior Championships.
Nick Lardis
Canada’s national U20 team is loaded with talent, but it was still a surprise to see that Nick Lardis was not invited to their camp ahead of the upcoming World Juniors. He was second in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in goals and led the league in shots on goal. The Blackhawks drafted Lardis in the third round (No. 67) of the 2023 NHL Draft. He dealt with a wrist injury that limited him down the stretch last year, but he still produced 29 goals in 37 regular-season games in his post-draft season.
In his first seven games in November, Lardis had 15 points (9 goals and 6 assists) and 36 shots on goal, including back-to-back hat tricks on Nov. 15-16 against the Kitchener Rangers. Now fully recovered from his injury, Lardis has been lethal from everywhere on the ice. His 24 goals in 24 games put him on a pace to be the Blackhawks’ best-scoring junior prospect since Alex DeBrincat.
Aidan Thompson
The Blackhawks’ third-round selection in 2022 (90th overall) has ten goals and 22 points in 14 games playing for the University of Denver this season. Aidan Thompson is one point back of the scoring lead in college hockey and ranks fourth in the NCAA, averaging 1.57 points per game. Thompson has utilized his speed this season and has played well in a checking-line role on a national championship-caliber team. He is currently on a 14-game point streak, the longest for a Denver player since 2022.
Ryan Greene
The Blackhawks tried to sign Ryan Greene in the offseason. However, the 20-year-old wanted to return to Boston University after the Terriers came very close to winning the NCAA Championship the past two years. You have to admire a player who wants to finish a job he helped start. Last season, Greene was a significant offensive contributor for a Terriers team that finished with a 28-10-2 record to rank third in NCAA Division I hockey. This season, he has 13 points in 14 games as the Terriers have started the season with an 8-5-1 record.
Dominic James
Selected 173rd overall in 2022, the left-shot forward is playing in his fourth season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Dominic James has 15 points in 12 games, but his most impressive stat is his 61.1 percent success rate in the faceoff circle, which puts him among the NCAA leaders. James has good size and a great deal of speed. Most scouts feel he could fill a bottom-six role in the NHL.
Jack Pridham
Jack Pridham started his season at West Kelowna in the British Columbia Hockey League and had 10 points in 12 games. However, when the NCAA opened the door for college-bound prospects to play in the Canadian Hockey League, he quickly signed with the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL and had an outstanding start. Pridham is committed to playing at Boston University next year and has four goals and four assists in his first five games in the OHL.
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The Blackhawks traded a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the 92nd overall pick to select Pridham. Widely considered a talented two-way forward, Pridham recorded 49 points and 30 penalty minutes in 54 regular-season games for West Kelowna last season, drawing the attention of the Blackhawks organization and leading to the trade that brought him into the fold.
Martin Misiak
Misiak was drafted by the Blackhawks in the second round (55th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old transitioned nicely after transferring from Slovakia’s professional league to the Erie Otters of the OHL. After scoring 47 points last season, he has 13 points in his first 16 games with the Otters. While working on his playmaking abilities, Misiak has excelled in sticking to his check, pressuring the opposition, engaging opponents on the walls, and driving to the front of the net.
Last May, the Blackhawks signed Misiak on a three-year, entry-level contract that runs through the 2026-27 season ($878,333 salary cap hit). He suited up in one game with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, making his professional debut on April 21 against the Chicago Wolves.
The critical thing to remember about prospects is that development is non-linear. Some players take longer to figure it out than others, and some players never do. As the Blackhawks continue to rebuild, they have acquired many draft picks, which has helped their prospect group grow into one of the highest-ranked and deepest in the NHL. They have been encouraged by the stellar play of their prospects to start the season at the NCAA and Junior levels.
