Landon Slaggert is just 21 years old. But sometimes the way he answers makes you thinks he’s a veteran of many professional seasons. Look no further than what he said during locker clean out day, the finale to what was a whirlwind month for the former Notre Dame captain. When asked if he’d been watching the Blackhawks while finishing his senior season out, Slaggert answered with a bit of wisdom.

” I was definitely trying to be where my feet were at, and be present at Notre Dame, finish up what I started there,” Slaggert said.  “But you definitely look to the future a little bit see the prospects coming up–the future is bright.”

Bright indeed as Slaggert is one of many Blackhawks prospects clocking in with the honorable mentions. Slaggert is the first of a handful we’ll look at today before closing out of rankings with our final piece tomorrow.

Landon Slaggert

Slaggert appeared in 16 games with four points and a goal. He appeared stronger with each game and staked a spot as a tenacious, speedy forward who would do the little things asked of him. He could follow in a long line of Blackhawks prospects who played a chunk of games before heading to fine tune in Rockford prior to a final stay in Chicago. The intangibles are there, as well as being another character guy in the locker room. Kyle Davidson has said the roster spots will go to the best players this fall–and don’t count Landon Slaggert out.

Nolan Allan

Allan was one of the lynchpins of a strong blue line in Rockford, and his injury late in the season damaged a long playoff chance. Allan’s growth saw him play a similar role to that of Ethan Del Mastro–which was in as many situations as possible on the ice. The 2022 first-round pick continues his steady climb and was pushing up on the top ten list but ultimately was good enough for the honorable mentions. In 60 games, he had 17 points which included five goals.

Adam Gajan

This is an interesting one as he was included on one top ten list but not the others. Gajan continues to be strong prospect in the system, but his numbers left a little to be desired in the regular season. A sub .900 save percentage can be alarming, especially on a team that finished third in the division. Among the qualified goalies in the league, Gajan slotted in 12th out of the 23 names. A cause for concern–not yet. His playoff numbers were stronger and he’s off to Minnesota-Duluth in the fall. Goalies take time to develop and there’s still quite a bit of upside for Gajan. Next season in the college ranks will provide an even clearer picture of how Gajan’s development is tracking.