There’s a different vibe surrounding the Chicago Blackhawks as we hit the 23-game mark of the 2025-26 season. Instead of praying not to be last in the standings, the standards have been significantly raised. Sure, it’s a process and it might be some time before these Blackhawks can be a contending team. But this is a much better group than they’ve been in recent past.
The next step in the rebuild is officially upon us. This team is faster, more talented and more competitive. There is hope; and an expectation quite frankly, that there is nowhere to go but up. And if you’re not committed to that for yourself and your teammates, then you might as well go elsewhere.
Related – Wild Stay Hot With 4-3 Overtime Win Over Blackhawks
It’s an exciting time right now in Chicago when it comes to hockey. American Thanksgiving is a time to recount what we’re thankful for. So on this Thanksgiving day, let’s look at 10 things the Blackhawks and their fans can be thankful for.
The Cornerstones: Bedard & Nazar
The Blackhawks have Connor Bedard in the fold for his third season now. The 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick came as advertised in his rookie campaign, and then endured a bit of a sophomore slump in his second NHL season. But that’s a thing of the past now. Bedard put in the work in the offseason and came into the 2025-26 campaign stronger, faster and even more determined to be one of the best hockey players in the world.
Connor Bedard is the current face of the franchise for the Chicago Blackhawks. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
So far, so good for the 20-year-old. At the time of this writing, Bedard is tied for third place in the league in goals (13) and points (31), and he’s tied for fourth in assists (18). He’s currently leading the Blackhawks in all categories and serves as the top-line center on the team. He also vastly improved his defensive game. Oh, and he boasts two hat tricks on the season so far.
Frank Nazar is Bedard’s partner in crime, lining up as the team’s second line center. Nazar got a taste of the NHL with three games at the end of the 2023-24 season, scoring his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot. He suited up for 53 games last season, and his 12 goals and 26 points merited a seven-year contract extension to the tune of $6.59 million annually.
Frank Nazar is an up-and-coming cornerstone player for the Chicago Blackhawks. (Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
The 21-year-old’s strong two-way play and stellar compete level deserves attention. He’s a natural playmaker and his charisma both on and off the ice is contagious. These two elite forwards have cemented themselves as future faces of the franchise.
Energy & Talent of the Youth at Forward
Bedard and Nazar might be leading the way, but there is no shortage of talented young players alongside them. A plethora of young prospects have graduated to the NHL, and these kids are bringing their talent and energy along with them.
On the forward side, 22-year-old Colton Dach is establishing himself as a power forward on the team. His 88 hits is third in the NHL. At 6-foot-4, he’s brings a physical edge to every game.
Ryan Greene, also 22, started the season with the Blackhawks due to injury, but has performed so well it looks like he’s going to stick up with the big club. He can play center or wing, and has improved his ability to win puck battles. He’s currently playing on the top line alongside Bedard and Andre Burakovsky, and doesn’t look at all out of place.
Ryan Greene is making the most of his opportunity on the top line with Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)
20-year-old Oliver Moore started the season with the Rockford IceHogs, but six goals and nine points in nine games played warranted him being the first call up when an injury made a spot available. Moore is known for his speed and smarts, and he already boasts two goals and five points in 11 games played (this includes the Wild game, but add any production).
Ever-Improving Defense
Let’s move on to the defensive side of things. The Blackhawk’s defense is definitely a work in progress, but the good news is the building blocks are there. The defensive corps is improving incrementally, which is promising.
Now in his fourth full season with the Blackhawks, Alex Vlasic is considered an elite shutdown defenseman around the league. He’s also thought of as a core player for the franchise, along with Bedard and Nazar. Wyatt Kaiser, after re-signing with the Blackhawks on the eve of training camp, has been a pleasant surprise this year. A few seasons of inconsistent play seem to be a thing of the past. The 23-year-old has emerged as one of the most consistent and reliable blueliners on the team.
Wyatt Kaiser has been a pleasant surprise on the blue line for the Chicago Blackhawks this season. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The presence of Vlasic and Kaiser, along with veterans Connor Murphy and Matt Grzelcyk, has given the younger defensemen the support and protection they need to develop “on the fly” in the NHL. Seventh-round draft pick Louis Crevier’s surprisingly solid play has also warranted head coach Jeff Blashill to deploy a rather unorthodox seven defensemen in most contests.
All this combined has given 20-year-old Artyom Levshunov and 21-year-old Sam Rinzel the footing they need to learn and grow, while being relatively protected. Levshunov can do phenomenal things when he’s on, but has a propensity to do rather ill-advised things when he’s off. Rinzel, for his part, looks like one of the best all-around defensemen when he’s in his groove. He’s been going through a bit of a slump lately, but the potential is certainly there.
Veteran Supporting Cast
We already mentioned Murphy (an alternate captain) and Grzelcyk above, who are reliable and experienced veteran defensemen for the Blackhawks. Nick Foligno serves as Chicago’s captain and Jason Dickinson rounds out the alternate captain group. All these players do their part to be leaders and mentors both on and off the ice. They also understand that the youngsters are the future of the team, and support them wholeheartedly.
Veteran forward Nick Foligno currently serves as the team captain for the Chicago Blackhawks. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
We’d be remiss if we didn’t also mention Tyler Bertuzzi, who’s having an excellent start to the 2025-26 campaign. His 12 goals and 19 points are both second place only to Bedard. Andre Burakovsky has built up some great rapport with Bedard on the top line. Teuvo Teravainen is an under-the-radar solid all-around player. Ilya Mikheyev is pretty darn close to being the perfect penalty killer. And we can’t forget about the fierce and feisty Ryan Donato.
Related – Teuvo Teravainen Comes Full Circle With Blackhawks’ Young Group
The kids are the future, but they can’t get to where they need to be on their own. The Blackhawks have a great veteran group to lead the way.
Strong Special Teams
Winning the special teams battle can often-times be the difference between winning and losing, and the Blackhawks are benefitting from a good showing in both areas. At the time of this writing, they ranked 12th in the league with a 22.7% conversion rate on the power play. But this was also after not converting on four tries against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Before that they were sixth in the league, with a 24.2% conversion rate. Scoring leaders on the man advantage include Bertuzzi, Bedard and Teravainen.
Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Tyler Bertuzzi currently leads the team with 6 power play goals. (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)
On the penalty kill, the Blackhawks currently weigh in with an 83.1% success rate, which ranks ninth in the league. The biggest contributors on the PK include Vlasic, Murphy and the above-mentioned Mikheyev.
The Blackhawks have a lot of weapons on both the power play and the penalty kill, and this should be a positive for them moving forward.
Great Goaltending
Spencer Knight is definitely the Blackhawks’ No. 1 netminder, having suited up for 16 of the Blackhawks’ 23 games so far. He also ranks as one of league’s top goaltenders. His .920 save percentage is currently 10th in the league, while his 2.47 goals against average is 22nd. This is all while facing 500 shots against, which is fifth most in the league. The Blackhawks wouldn’t be in a lot of games if it weren’t for Knight’s stellar play. He’s also considered one of the new faces of the franchise.
Spencer Knight with the Chicago Blackhawks. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
Soderblom, for his part, has a .881 SV% and a 3.46 GAA in seven games played. But keep in mind this includes a 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 21. It was a tough contest where nobody was at their best. All in all, Sodey has been pulling his weight as a solid backup option.
Talented Prospects Waiting in the Wings
While numerous prospects have graduated to the NHL level this season, there’s still no shortage of talented players on the cusp of making it to the big leagues. At the AHL level, forward Nick Lardis and defenseman Kevin Korchinski are the hot prospects for the Rockford IceHogs right now. Lardis leads all rookies with nine goals in 18 games played, and Korchinski’s 14 points is tied for third place in the league among defensemen.
KORCH 👏 KORCH 👏 KORCH 👏 https://t.co/wuhjUYyXaN pic.twitter.com/1kppBOChy9
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) November 27, 2025
Some other hot prospects to watch include Marek Vanacker of the Brantford Bulldogs (please see video below), Roman Kanterov (19 goals and 33 points in 30 games played in the KHL), and Mason West, who just became a high school football champion on top of being a top hockey prospect.
Vanacker buries off the wing😎#BFD | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/gKGcCGBlih
— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) November 21, 2025
A Smart Coaching Staff
Let’s face it; this is the first time in a long time that we’ve felt confident in the Blackhawks’ coaching staff. Blashill and company has given the player’s consistent messaging, and they are responding in kind. Some buzz phrases include; winning habits, showing up every day and good defense leads to offense.
Jeff Blashill and his coaching staff are putting the players in the best positions to succeed. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Blashill and company seem to be pushing all the right buttons, and we’re seeing improvements out of pretty much every player on the roster. The coaching staff appears knowledgeable, proficient, and is putting each player in positions to succeed. It’s refreshing.
Blackhawks Giving Back
We’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the good that comes from the platform these players have, and how they can use it to their advantage. Connor Murphy recently got a few of his teammates together to support first responders in Chicago. Said Murphy,
First responders have always been close to my heart. I have family who are police officers, firefighters and nurses – including my wife – so I’ve seen firsthand the sacrifices they make,” said Murphy. “Here in Chicago, the dedication of our first responders is inspiring, and these visits give me a chance to meet incredible people and thank them personally. I’ve kept this going because building these relationships matters. The pride and energy they bring to the city fuels us as players, and it’s important to show that same support back to them.
Blackhawks Are Fun to Watch
There’s no denying that all the above things combined have make this Blackhawks’ 2025-26 team really fun to watch this season. There’s cornerstone talent in Bedard, Nazar, Vlasic, Knight. There’s complementary talent in Rinzel, Levshunov, Moore and Greene. There’s veteran support and there are prospects waiting in the wings.
Related – Blackhawks’ Bedard & Nazar Embracing Roles as Leaders
This team is competitive, and they have a drive to improve and win. Plus, you can see the players having fun together. It’s a recipe for success, and gives us plenty of reasons to be thankful in this holiday season.
