The Chicago Blackhawks are back in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase again this year, which takes place in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 13th and 14th. While the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild were quick to release their rosters last week, the Blackhawks waited until Monday morning to announce who will be suiting up this weekend.
The roster was certainly worth the wait, as the Blackhawks have a stacked group of prospects set to hit the ice. Rockford IceHogs’ head coach Jared Nightingale and his staff will oversee the team’s practices and games for the Showcase.
As a reminder, the Blackhawks’ first matchup against the St. Louis Blues is scheduled for Saturday, September 13th, at 6 pm CT, and then they face the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, September 14th, at 3 pm CT. All scrimmages will be streamed on Blackhawks.com and the Blackhawks app.
There will also be practice sessions held at Fifth Third Arena this week that are free and open to the public. Practices are scheduled on Wednesday (11 am), Thursday (10 am), Friday (10 am), and Saturday (9:10 am) before the prospects depart for Minnesota. All practice times and locations are subject to change.
Now, let’s get into the good stuff!
Top Prospects To Watch
Artyom Levshunov
Artyom Levshunov, the 2nd pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, recorded six assists in 18 NHL games with the Blackhawks at the end of the 2024-25 season. The 6-foot-2 right-handed defenseman put together a solid first professional campaign, and there’s a decent chance he’ll crack the opening night lineup for the Blackhawks come October 7th. Levshunov should be ready to roll in Minnesota as one of the top prospects participating.
Sam Rinzel
Another big, right-handed defenseman in 2022 1st-round pick (No. 25 overall) Sam Rinzel joins Levshunov on the blue line for the Showcase. Rinzel appeared in nine games for the Blackhawks late last year and already looked capable of filling a top-four role, registering five assists and generating numerous scoring opportunities. At 6-foot-4, Rinzel is another big body on the back end, and I think he’s ready to be a full-time NHLer this season. We’ll see how he fares this weekend, but I’m expecting him and his smooth skating ability to be on full display.
Oliver Moore
Oliver Moore was teammates with Rinzel at the University of Minnesota for the past two seasons, and it’s fitting they both jumped onto the NHL scene together when their sophomore years came to a close in March. Moore, the 19th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, also suited up in nine games with the Blackhawks, recording four assists while mostly playing in a third-line role. From a numbers perspective, it could be tricky for Moore to make the NHL roster out of training camp, but a sharp showing in St. Paul would get him off to a great start.
Nick Lardis
One of the more fascinating prospects in the Blackhawks’ deep pipeline, Nick Lardis potted a jaw-dropping 71 goals in 65 games for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL last year. Yes, you read that correctly. The 2023 3rd-round pick (No. 67 overall) became the first player since John Tavares in 2006-07 to score 70 goals in an OHL season, and he’s now making the jump to pro hockey. Unfortunately, Lardis’ stellar season and Brantford’s bid for an OHL championship came to a crash when he suffered an injury during the postseason, but he’s now fully healed and ready to return this weekend.
Ryan Greene
A second-round pick (No. 57 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, Ryan Greene posted three consecutive 30-plus point seasons with Boston University before inking his entry-level deal in the spring. Greene appeared in two NHL games with the Blackhawks to cap off last season and will be gunning for a full-time roster spot in the bottom six during training camp. Similar to Moore’s situation, there might not be enough room to keep Greene in the NHL from the jump, but he’ll likely get in big-league games at some point.
Marek Vanacker
Marek Vanacker was selected 27th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft and has played alongside Lardis in the OHL with Brantford for the past two seasons. After undergoing shoulder surgery last summer, Vanacker was limited to only 45 regular-season games in 2024-25, where he put up a modest 42 points (24G, 18A). Although, there’s certainly reason to believe he’ll bounce back in a major way with the Bulldogs this year, as he’s set to return to the team with Seattle Kraken 2025 top draft choice Jake O’Brien.
AJ Spellacy
With an impressive performance throughout Blackhawks’ training camp and preseason last fall, 2024 3rd-round pick (No. 72 overall) AJ Spellacy stuck around for a lot longer than anyone expected as a newly-drafted prospect. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound former Ohio high school football stud ultimately was sent back to the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, and he’ll probably be back there again for this season because he’s still only 19. But with his size, speed, and athleticism, Spellacy is a unique prospect in the system with NHL upside.
Other notables on the Blackhawks’ Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase roster are Nathan Behm (F), Martin Misiak (F), Jack Pridham (F), Aidan Thompson (F), Taige Harding, (D), and Stanislav Berezhnoy (G).
Five prospects are non-NHL contract invites — Ryan Gagnier (F), Harrison Israels (F), Owen Robinson (F), Jeremie Bucheler (D), and Owen Flores (G).
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