Defenseman Louis Crevier wasn’t even sure he would ever make it to the NHL. He went undrafted in 2019, his first year of eligibility. But then he was selected in the seventh round (188th overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Draft. At the time, what he mostly had going for him was his towering 6-foot-8 frame.
But the young blueliner defied the odds, and now he’s making a big impact with the rebuilding Blackhawks. It’s always fun to hear about these underdog stories. It’s also a lot of fun to see Crevier’s confidence grow under the tutelage Blackhawks’ head coach Jeff Blashill. Let’s take a closer look at how the 24-year-old has gotten to this point.
Crevier’s Start With the Blackhawks’ Organization
After he was drafted, Crevier signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Blackhawks in Nov. 2021. He was still playing with his junior club, the QMJHL Quebec Remparts, but made his debut with the AHL Rockford IceHogs in the 2022-23 season.
With the IceHogs, Crevier and fellow defenseman Alex Vlasic found a lot of success together. The two were the same age (Vlasic was drafted in 2019), and with Vlasic being 6-foot-6 and Crevier 6-foot-8, they made a formidable duo on the back end.
Crevier made his debut with the Blackhawks in the 2023-24 season. He was brought up in Dec. 2023 in the wake of injuries, and played in 24 games while registering three assists and averaging 15:41 minutes of ice time. The Blackhawks were encouraged enough by the young defenseman’s play that they re-signed him to a one-year deal in Jul. 2024, after his entry-level contract expired. He played a similar role in the 2024-25 season, splitting time between the IceHogs and the Blackhawks and being a fill-in of sorts for the big club (three goals & four points in 32 games).
In the 2025 offseason, it was unclear whether the Blackhawks would further commit to Crevier. Sure, he was a reliable shutdown defenseman with some good size and decent skating. But there were so many other defensemen in the system with a higher ceiling.
However, with the exception of Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel, most of these prospects were left-handed shots. Crevier right-handedness was to his advantage, plus his aforementioned size. The Blackhawks tendered him a qualifying offer and then he inked a two-year extension in Jul. 2025.
Even so, most expected Crevier to be more of an insurance player. He would have to clear waivers to be sent down to the IceHogs, so it was pretty clear he would be playing in Chicago. But right-handers Connor Murphy (still a very serviceable veteran defenseman when healthy) plus Levshunov and Rinzel were all above him in the depth chart. Crevier would likely once again be the seventh defenseman that would fill in for injuries.
Crevier’s Role in Blashill’s System
Not so fast! Enter Blashill, new head coach for the Blackhawks and tasked with taking this young team to the next step in their progression. Blashill didn’t know much about Crevier when he started, but he immediately saw potential for a higher ceiling and a bigger role.
Related – Louis Crevier’s Strong Start Bringing Positive Outlook to Blackhawks
In an effort to protect his highly-talented by also very green defensemen Levshunov and Rinzel, Blashill employed a very unconventional seven-defensemen lineup at the beginning of the season. He was able to do this because of the trust he had in Crevier’s strengths. He explained his thought process and how it involved Crevier.
It allows us to even the minutes out. I think Louis Crevier is an excellent penalty kill guy. So you have Murph (Connor Murphy) and Crevs who can start those kills. If one of them is not in the box. Rinz (Sam Rinzel) and (Artyom) Levshunov have got the power play minutes. So on that right side, it really evens those minutes out, which I think is a positive thing.
It’s true Crevier is a big contributor on the penalty kill, and he functioned well as this seventh active defenseman through the first two months of the season. Then, as rookie Rinzel started to struggle with the everyday expectations of the NHL, Blashill felt Crevier could handle more responsibility. He was reunited with Vlasic from way back in their IceHogs’ days, deployed as the top defensive pairing for the Blackhawks. Rinzel, in turn, became the seventh defenseman.
Rinzel was eventually sent down to IceHogs in mid-December to work on rounding out his game, while Crevier has remained on the top pairing with Vlasic. Explained Blashill,
Vlas and Crev have done, when they’ve kind of probably played their best, they’ve got a specific role to match up against the other team’s best; the other team’s top line … So that’s a challenge that I think they’ve accepted very well. They’re so long, and it’s just really, really, really hard to play against (them).
This duo is certainly hard to play against, and they appear to complement each other well. But a seventh-rounder on the top D-pairing?! It probably isn’t a permanent thing, but Blashill has also catered to Crevier’s strengths, and Crevier is responding.
Crevier’s Improvement & Strengths
Usually bigger hockey players don’t skate very well, due to their large and lanky frames. But Blashill noticed improvement in that area. Back in October, he stated,
He’s a six-foot-gigantic guy who can skate pretty well (Crevier is 6-foot-8). I think his skating has probably improved. I can’t say that for certain, but we’ve done some drills to put D in tough spots, and his skating has actually been really good. So at that point you’re kind of a really good defender. If you have good body position, good sticks, but he’s done a good job of that.
In December, after Blashill had a larger sample size of Crevier’s play in an elevated role, he expanded,
He’s somebody coming to the year we didn’t know what step he’d take. I think he’s taking a really big step. Playing against him last year, I saw this really, really big guy who seemed to move pretty well. And I think his movement’s gotten better and better. To your point with big players, a lot of times the fluidity in which they move gets better as they get a little bit older. And I think that’s certainly been the case with him.
And so he’s 6-foot-8. His feet are really good for that size. He’s smart defensively, and I think what he’s done is he’s gained poise with the puck. I think he’s realized that he has an extra split second because of the size of his body, to make sure that he makes the right play with the puck as much as possible. And that right play might still be a hard play, but it’s allowed him that extra split second to go tape-to-tape, and now you become a really important player.
Crevier has gained a lot of confidence by being put in roles that cater to his strengths, and that’s shown in his recent contributions to the team.
A Confident Crevier Translates to More Production
Crevier was scratched for the very first game of this season, when the Blackhawks only utilized six defensemen before switching to the seven-defenseman deployment. But he’s played in all 42 games since, which was certainly not expected at the beginning of the campaign.
We already know the Quebec native excels on the penalty kill, of which he ranks sixth on the team in ice time (83:30 minutes). As a matter of fact, he boasts a shorthanded goal (one of just three so far on the team), scored on Dec. 10 against the New York Rangers.
that's Alex Vlasic's most punchable player, thank you very much????↕️ pic.twitter.com/4tF61ltIt0
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 11, 2025
Crevier’s 63 hits ranks second on the team and his 36 blocked shots ranks fifth. By the eye test alone, you can see the young blueliner being more and more physical and aggressive in his defensive zone coverage, as Blashill alluded to above. He’s also on the top end of the team in plus/minus ratio, with a plus-2. But besides his contributions as a defensive defenseman, he’s learning he can contribute offensively as well.
In his 42 games played so far, Crevier boasts four goals, 10 assists and 14 points. His goal-count is tied with Wyatt Kaiser for first on the team among defensemen. His 10 helpers is tied for second among defensemen with Matt Grzelcyk, and his 14 points is also second among defensemen (Levshunov being first in the last two categories).
Another strength of Crevier’s is that he can really rip a shot when he sets his mind to it. He leads the team with the hardest shot, calculated at over 102 miles per hour. The 24-year-old has become more and more confident in his heavy shot from the point as the campaign progresses. Blashill has encouraged the defensemen to be more involved in offense and joining the rush, and Crevier hasn’t hesitated. His 62 shots on goal leads all blueliners. Said Blashill,
When it (the puck) goes to Crevs, you pretty much know what’s coming, and it’s coming hard and fast. If I had his shot, I’d shoot too. He’s got a bomb. It’s a weapon, for sure, and it’s a way for him, without maybe a lot of offensive savviness, to be a very good offensive player. But I think that predictability is important. We’ve talked about different areas of the game to be predictable in the O-zone, and that’s one of them. When it goes low to high, that first look being that shot. And for him, he’s done a really good job with it.
Louie’s shot is the best weapon of the group back there. 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!
Blashill actually recently utilized Crevier and his shot in the shootout against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 3 (he missed). But he didn’t miss against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 7. He raced in from the blue line to clean up a rebound even faster than teammate Jason Dickinson.
Louis Crevier converts the extra point for Chicago for his 4th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/HUaIFa2nlt
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 8, 2026
Said a smiling Dickinson after the game, “He’s got a little bit of a reach advantage. I was a little shocked to see him down there. Get back to the blue line, you’re a defensive defenseman!”
Well, confidence can affect you in crazy ways. Crevier certainly does seem to be finding his way. It’s easy to forget his humble roots as a seventh-round pick. This young blueliner has certainly had an impressive campaign so far, being at the right place at the right time (both figuratively and literally).
Related – Notable Blackhawks’ Player Stats Midway Through the 2025-26 Season
Can Crevier keep up the good work? How will his role change, for better or for worse, as other young defensive prospects become NHL-ready? Only time will tell. But for now, Crevier is making a huge impact with the Blackhawks, and he’s clearly running with his opportunity.
