In the coming week, Chicago Hockey Now will rank out the honorable mentions and top ten prospects in the Chicago Blackhawks system. This year instead of ranking out just the top ten, we plan on expanding with our honorable mentions followed by a cluster of prospects throughout the week.

Here’s a look back at how we ranked things out and which prospects have graduated.

Blackhawks Have Three Prospects Graduate from the Pool

Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, and Lukas Reichel are now all off the list, all graduated while getting their first season with the Blackhawks under their belts. Bedard and Korchinski were mainstays in the lineup while Reichel spent a stint in Rockford to bring back confidence and bring back that confidence.

Reichel may have signed an extension but there’s certainly quite a bit riding on what should be a jump for the club in 2024-25.

“You have to come in and make this team–nothing is given,” general manager Kyle Davidson said at development camp.  “This is the NHL and we’re going to use the players that give us the best opportunity to push this thing forward and make positive strides. It’s up to the players to show up and make sure that they put their name on a roster spot, whether they’re a rookie, young in their career or a veteran that has a ton of experience in the league.”

But those three out and about now shows just how even the rankings aren’t always as great as they seem. One glaring oversight on my part was Alex Vlasic, who turned out to be one of the biggest hits for the Blackhawks. The 2020 second-round pick is now a top four defenseman in Chicago and inked a six-year deal that will see him hit free agency at 29. The hope of course being he solidifies himself as that top four guy and remains.

Korchinski, Like Reichel, Will Have To Solidify His Standing

Bedard was what everyone expected and while Korchinski had his share of ups and downs, this season will see him have more dependable, skilled, and hopefully, consistent pairing partner. But like Reichel, nothing will be handed out.

“We’ve created some competition around roles, that’s what we wanted to do after the season, so him, much like anyone else, he has to come in and take a spot,” Davidson said.  “Young guys will have to be convincing in doing so.”

Message received. So as CHN reshuffles the deck and ranks out, the criteria will be a blend of readiness and potential. The rankings are a mixture of the staff’s individual choices as points were assigned by ranking spot. So while the rankings are a glimpse of what could be, it’s a reminder that not everything will go as expected, but in addition, remembering that not everyone on the exhaustive list will make it.

Despite those reminders, the future is bright for Chicago. More on that as we go through the week.