Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Grades: Defensemen

The Chicago Blackhawks finished their 2025-26 campaign 31st in the league, with a record of 29-39-14 and 72 points. It was an improvement from last season’s totals of 25-46-11 (61 points), but the organization had more progress in mind when they embarked on this campaign. The good news is the Blackhawks finished with more wins and more points than the previous season. They also feel they’ve taken positive strides in the growth and development of a plethora of young players, who could be a big part of a more successful future.

We’ve already assessed all the Blackhawks’ forwards for the 2025-26 season. As we continue with our grades, Brooke LoFurno and myself put our heads together to assess each defenseman. Here are links to each grade, complete with player stats, a comprehensive season overview, quotes on each player and their final grade.

Louis Crevier

Louis Crevier’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Head coach Jeff Blashill on Louis Crevier‘s howitzer of a shot:

Because it’s so heavy and so hard, it finds its way through. And I think the more his reputation is, it’ll find its way through more and more. I wouldn’t want to block it!

Ethan Del Mastro

Ethan Del Mastro’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Blashill on Del Mastro’s style of play:

He is a gamer. He doesn’t play afraid to make a mistake. So I like that piece of it, for sure. I think the guys you want on your team are gamers. They’re guys that are going to go out and play to win, and if you make a mistake, you make a mistake. And that’s kind of how he plays.

Matt Grzelcyk

Matt Grzelcyk’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Grzelcyk on his tenure with the Blackhawks:

Honestly, it’s been some of the most fun I’ve had in the NHL. Just being around the guys and getting to know everyone in the organization … they’re starting to really head in the right direction, and I really believe in … what they’re building here. So, it’s fun to see so many young guys kind of take steps and grow, and not only as players, but as leaders, too.

Wyatt Kaiser

Wyatt Kaiser’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Wyatt Kaiser on his growth throughout the season:

Just slowly accumulate experience playing games, get a little bit more mature, more strong mentally. You’ve been through ups and downs, different things, gain some confidence in yourself, understand who you are as a player a little bit more. There’s a lot of little things that contribute to it. It wasn’t necessarily one thing.

Kevin Korchinski

Kevin Korchinski’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Blackhawk’s general manager Kyle Davidson on Korchinski:

But we’re big fans of Kevin. He’s got a ton of upside, a ton of ability. He’s still raw. He’s still getting into the pro game and learning through that process and that development process, but he’s someone that we really like, we have a lot of time for…

Artyom Levshunov

Artyom Levshunov’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Coach Blashill on Artyom Levshunov‘s upside:

He’s so strong too, that even when he gets himself in trouble, sometimes in high ice, and I get really nervous, he seems to win the puck back and does all that stuff. It’s amazing, actually, because he is really, really strong. So we want to see him push his game that way and see what that ceiling looks like … So I think Arty he’s got that powerful skating stride, he can be involved offensively and keep pushing that envelope, and then just win that race back to our end.

Sam Rinzel

Sam Rinzel’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Rinzel discussing what he’s worked on throughout the season:

Just kind of a big part is the defensive aspect of the game. I think part of its realizing that 90% of the game is just 50-50 shifts. And it’s just about winning those 50-50 shifts. So, yeah, nothing has to be flashy or crazy. It’s just learning to play with my brain and to kind of use my brain to beat guys and whatever it may be … I think my defensive game is actually growing a lot, just kind of the awareness side of it, and kind of the D-zone side of it, just not letting pucks get through me.

Alex Vlasic

Alex Vlasic’s 2025-26 Player Grade

Blashill on Alex Vlasic‘s approach to being more physical:

What we’ve really talked about is more in our net front battles, and making sure that we’re physical around the net, making sure that we’re utilizing the legality of little cross checks, making sure that we’re harder in those areas. And he’s (Vlasic) done a good job of it. I think he’s taken that to heart, and tried to bring that part of his game out.

Final Thoughts on Defensive Grades for the Blackhawks

The defense as a whole struggled this season for the Blackhawks. But each individual player was able to put some more pieces together and grow towards a more successful future.

Vlasic, as the most tenured member of the team, gave an insightful overall appraisal of the the mindset of the group moving forward:

We’re taking care of the process in order to win. We’re focused on that; how we can show up every single day, compete and just work as hard as we can. I think that’s the number one thing we can control. And we’ve got a lot of positive guys on the team, a lot of energy that’s here.