Blackhawks prospect rankings: Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov hold top spots at midseason

For the first time in general manager Kyle Davidson's tenure, the Blackhawks' prospect pool has gotten slightly smaller over the last half-season.

That's because Artyom Levshunov, Oliver Moore, Nick Lardis, Ryan Greene and Colton Dach — all of whom were included in the July 2025 rankings — have since graduated into NHL players.

The Hawks still have a deep and talented pool, though, with more draft picks on the way. These rankings, as always, are determined partially by upside and partially by NHL readiness.

1. Anton Frondell, forward, age 18

Frondell was named "best forward" of the 2026 world junior championships after leading Sweden to a gold medal with eight points (five goals) in seven games. The No. 3 overall pick found holes in defenses to use his raw offensive skills, including a rocketing one-timer.

His play in the Swedish league has been less consistent — partly due to ice-time fluctuations — but the Hawks have urged him to believe in himself and not defer to veteran teammates.

He could make his NHL debut late this season if Djurgarden, his Swedish club, doesn't make a deep playoff run. Their regular season ends March 14, and they sit eighth in the 14-team league.

2. Roman Kantserov, forward, age 21

Frondell holds the top ranking due to pedigree, age and size — he's 6-1 while Kantserov is 5-9 — but no Hawks prospect has impressed more this season than Kantserov.

The 2023 second-round pick leads the KHL with 28 goals in 46 games, and he ranks fourth with 51 points. After elevating his stock last season, he has now blasted through the roof, and he's expected to jump over to Chicago next season.

His production exceeds that of Kirill Kaprizov, Artemi Panarin and Ivan Demidov in their final KHL seasons. Projecting him to be a Kaprizov clone would be unreasonable, but projecting him to be a top-six NHL scorer wouldn't be.

3. Sam Rinzel, defenseman, age 21

It turned out Rinzel wasn't quite ready to handle top-four NHL duties this season, and the Hawks demoted him to Rockford for a confidence reset in early December.

He now has nine points in 17 AHL games compared to eight points in 28 NHL games. He hasn't been dominant in all three zones, though. The Hawks have been reminded the hard way a few times now that defensemen take longer to develop than forwards.

4. Marek Vanacker, forward, age 19

Vanacker has bounced back from an injury-hampered 2024-25 season with a stellar 2025-26, leading the OHL in goals with 33 in 38 games.

He plays a scrappy game predicated on hunting down pucks, winning battles and burying scoring chances around the net. He will turn pro next season.

5. Sacha Boisvert, forward, age 19

Boisvert's transfer to Boston University hasn't gone smoothly after his excellent freshman year at North Dakota. A shoulder injury hampered him throughout the first half.

He's now healthy but suspended because of a crazy fight last weekend, which did demonstrate his toughness (and boxing background). It's unclear if he will turn pro this spring or return for his junior year.

6. Vaclav Nestrasil, forward, age 18

Nestrasil, like fellow 2025 first-round pick Mason West, was initially described as a raw prospect on a longer track to pro readiness. He originally wasn't going to even start college until next fall.

He's accelerating his timeline, though. He has averaged nearly one point per game as a UMass freshman (22 in 23), impressed on Czechia's world-juniors team (eight in seven) and added weight onto his 6-5 frame. He will need at least one more year in college.

7. Drew Commesso, goalie, age 23

Commesso continues to do his thing in Rockford — he has a .902 save percentage in 21 games — while awaiting a genuine NHL opportunity. His 36-save shutout in spot duty Jan. 10 against the Predators opened eyes.

8. Kevin Korchinski, defenseman, age 21

Indeed, Korchinski is still only 21 years old — just four days older than Rinzel.

So even though it feels like Korchinski's development has flat-lined — his defensive issues and lack of strength were exposed again during his recent two-game NHL stint — there's good reason for the Hawks to remain patient. There's still a good chance he breaks through eventually. His mindset has matured, too.

9. AJ Spellacy, forward, age 19

Spellacy never contributes much offense, but he understands his job: to wear down opponents with hard-nosed physicality. On a disappointing U.S. world juniors team, he performed those duties well. He could compete for a fourth-line NHL role next season.

10. Ethan Del Mastro, defenseman, age 23

Del Mastro hasn't yet re-discovered the NHL role or success he found late last season, and his path to an NHL role has been muddied by Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier's developmental leaps.

11. John Mustard, forward, age 19

Mustard's growth at Providence during his sophomore season, which he began on a nine-game point streak, has excited Hawks assistant GM Mark Eaton. Mustard now has 18 points in 23 games, compared to 20 in 37 last season. He's an elite skater who's learning how to make the most of his speed.

12. Jack Pridham, forward, age 20

Pridham and Mustard are both speedy forwards taken in the 2024 third round, separated only by where they play. Pridham ranks second in the OHL with 30 goals.

13. Mason West, forward, age 18

If these rankings were determined solely by upside, West would slot in higher. The 2025 first-round pick, whose fame exploded following his storybook run to a 2025 Minnesota high-school football championship, remains very raw by hockey standards, though.

His USHL season with Fargo has started somewhat slowly: eight points in 14 games.

14. Samuel Savoie, forward, age 21

Savoie has upped his production from his first to second AHL seasons. But if he eventually reaches the NHL, he will fill a pest role predicated more on annoying than scoring. Consistency is the key for him.

15. Gavin Hayes, forward, age 21

Hayes has also improved this season in Rockford (15 points in his last 28 games) after a disappointing first AHL season. If he reaches the NHL, it will be as a scorer, so his stats matter.

16. Nathan Behm, forward, age 18

Behm, a third-round pick last summer, ranks ninth in the WHL with 58 points in 42 games. The Hawks will learn more about him next season at Arizona State.

"You may not notice him for 18 minutes in a game, but in the 30 seconds that you do notice him, he’s got two or three points," Eaton said.

17. Adam Gajan, goalie, age 21

Gajan has enjoyed a bounce-back season as a Minnesota-Duluth sophomore. His .907 save percentage is much better than his .885 mark last season.

18. Aidan Thompson, forward, age 23

Coming off a prolific tenure at the University of Denver, Thompson has somewhat underwhelmed as an AHL rookie with 11 points in 26 games. He returned Friday from an injury that cost him a month of action.

Others to follow: Stan Berezhnoy, Taige Harding, Jiri Felcman, Julius Sumpf