Landon Slaggert kicked off the first batch of honorable mentions. Now, it’s the second batch we’ll look at is headlined by Sam Savoie. The rugged forward who spent most of the season recovering from a broken leg posted 22 points in 21 games, with 10 of them being goals. In 10 playoff games, he added four goals on five points. Savoie who is a bit of grit along with scoring is one of the most compelling Blackhawks prospects to watch. A full season with more production not stymied by injury likely lands him higher in the list.
Now onto the rest of the best to close out CHN’s Blackhawks prospects ranking with Sam Savoie leading the way.
Sam Savoie
He’s one who projects to be one of the rough and tumble forwards in the mold of an Andrew Shaw or Tyler Bertuzzi is a must-watch next season as he arrives in Rockford. Often seen on crutches following Blackhawks games, Savoie had the unique opportunity to watch games as he rehabbed. Once he got onto the ice, he didn’t miss a beat.
Blackhawks Director of Player Development Mark Eaton saw the positive that emerged out of what was a brutal situation at first. But it was a testament to Sam Savoie and his resolve.
“Obviously the year the way it started was gruesome–you never want to see that,” Eaton said. “But it was a great testament to him how he turned that year into a positive, and he talks about it, the experience of being around NHL players on a daily basis. You see the maturation and his personality, his approach to being more of a pro just from the start of last year to the end of it, being around pros. Being surrounded by them, he was able to absorb a lot of the habits that it takes that we talk a lot about being a successful pro, and he took that into the end of his season and he’s an obvious leader in that room over there for this week.”
Marek Vanacker
There’s some debate her amongst the three of us on whether Vanacker should be here already–but the numbers don’t lie. The Blackhawks traded up to snag Vanacker in the first round and they grabbed a kid who had 82 points in just 68 games. 36 of those found the back of the net. In the mold of a typical Blackhawks prospect, he too, is limited by injury until at least December. But the skill set is there and the Hawks may have another high end scorer and skater in the pipeline who would complement a lot of the talent on the way.
“With Marek, I think you watch his game and he plays so hard,” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said. “He gets his nose into every battle, he’s not afraid, scores greasy goals. And I believe his game is extremely translatable to the pro level. I think he could play that way at any level, and have an impact.”
Colton Dach
Noticing a trend yet? Like Savoie and Vanacker, Dach was a victim of injury but was very impactful when on the ice. In 48 regular season games, Dach had 11 goals and 27 points but held off the score sheet in the playoffs. Dach is a physical forward with soft hands and continues to get better with each game as he did in juniors. The biggest struggle? Avoiding that pesky injury bug.
But if he puts together a full season, he’s likely making an appearance with the big club.
Roman Kantserov
At 19, Kantserov got extensive time in the KHL and put up 15 points (8-7). A step below in the MHL? Way over a point-per-game with 54 in 47 games–which included an even split of 27 goals and assists. More impressive? On the KHL champion Magnitogorsk squad, he put up 13 points (4-9) in 23 games, providing invaluable experience for a young player. The Athletic’s Scott Powers sat down with Kantserov back in May following the Gagarin Cup win and it was a reassuring read to Hawks fans nervous that he won’t make it to the NHL because of his two-year extension. If he follows up with a stronger season next year, it’s likely he cracks CHN’s Top Ten list in 2025.
