With that being said, here is a quick look at how the top prospects are performing in their respective leagues.

Lukas Reichel

The Rockford IceHog netted a hat trick on Nov. 7 against the Manitoba Moose and continues to impress in the early season in the AHL. The German-born forward has produced six goals and nine points in 10 games. As a 19-year-old learning the professional game on this side of the pond, there should be no rush in his development. With Stan Bowman gone, he will likely play big minutes against men in the AHL and see a “cup of coffee” toward the end of the Blackhawks’ season.

Evan Barratt

The 22-year-old center has found his way into seven games for the IceHogs this season, netting one goal and two assists. The Bristol, Pennsylvania, native brings an energy to his game that a bottom line in the NHL would like to see. Barratt’s overall skills will not “wow” anyone, but he could be a call-up over Reese Johnson moving forward this season for the Blackhawks.

Colton Dach

The 18-year-old brother of Blackhawks’ forward Kirby Dach has produced since being moved to the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. Dach is pacing the Rockets at a point per game and has six goals in 11 games. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he should be able to find some space for himself and continue to use his shooting skills to impress in the WHL.

Josiah Slavin

Slavin continues to impress in Rockford this season and has been a wild-card favorite of this author since watching him skate in the USHL for the Chicago Steel. The Erie, Colorado, native and younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes standout blue liner Jaccob Slavin has three goals and four assists for the IceHogs and continues to show he can use his 6-foot-3 frame to his advantage all over the ice. Slavin should be a call-up this season or next if the 22-year-old continues to show he can be effective in all areas of the ice.

Nolan Allan

With no first-round pick last season because of the Seth Jones trade, Bowman reached for the 18-year-old stay-at-home defenseman has been a steady rock this season for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League. Allan is not expected to find himself on the scoresheet much, but needs to continue to hone is skills in the defensive end as a suffocating defenseman that is difficult to play against.

Nicolas Beaudin

The shine is starting to wear off on the defenseman, as Beaudin has struggled in six games in Rockford this season and looked over-matched in his time playing against NHL-caliber players. The former first-round pick in 2018 needs to show he can play defense against the best in the world and not just rely on his offensive talents he showed at a young age. Fans should not be surprised if he gets passed up on the next call-up to the NHL.

Ian Mitchell

Much like Beaudin, Mitchell needs to continue to show he can play against the top players in the world. In eight games in Rockford, Mitchell is a -5 and continues to look indecisive on his reads and plays defensively. In the NHL for 42 games already, one would hope that former bench boss Jeremy Colliton was not developing the the 174-pound defenseman, but the shine is wearing off on Mitchell, too.

Drew Commesso

The Norwell, Massachusetts, native is off to a 4–5–1 start for the Terriers of Boston University. The 6-foot-2 goaltender has taken the brunt off the struggles of the team early on with his 3.17 goals against average and .891 save percentage. The 19-year-old has time to turn the early season struggles around and help his team make a push in the Hockey East.

The post Chicago Blackhawks November prospect report appeared first on The Rink.

During the five-day event, the Blackhawks’ prospects were able to scrimmage the Wild prospects  twice and practiced three times.

Among the notable Blackhawks prospects participating were Nolan Allan, Evan Barratt, Colton Dach, Mike Hardman, Alec Regula and Lukas Reichel.

On Friday night, the Blackhawks fell to the Wild 3–2 in regulation. In game two on Sunday, the Blackhawks also fell to the Wild, losing 4–3 in a shootout. On Sunday, the Blackhawks got goals from Andrei Altybarmakyan, Barratt and Michel Teply. The Teply goal was assisted by Reichel.

Lukas Reichel sets up Michal Teplý for a goal to put the Blackhawks ahead 3-2. pic.twitter.com/1NAj52n5Fn

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 19, 2021

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Winners of the showcase

Lukas Reichel

Despite not winning either of the two games, it appears Reichel was the overall winner. Despite being drafted as winger, Reichel looked comfortable at the center position having played there in Germany. His skill and playmaking stood out among the prospects featured in the scrimmages. Despite being a relative long shot to make the NHL club—though he could at least earn a brief look—Reichel has entered the conversation of a possible NHL debut this season.

Rockford IceHogs coach Derek King on Lukas Reichel: “He’s a player. It was fun to watch him. … This kid, just his skill level is just that much higher than a lot of our draft picks or a lot of free agents or a lot of kids I’ve seen around the organization.”

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 20, 2021

Alec Regula

Regula, a defenseman, acquired in the Brendan Perlini trade with Detroit, spent the majority of last season in Rockford. After a short three-game stint with the Blackhawks, it appears Regula worked hard in the offseason to smooth out some of his rough edges. Current IceHogs head coach Derek King had glowing remarks for how Regula played over the weekend.

King on Alec Regula: “Probably one of the best players on the ice every game, the two games he played. He controlled the play. His skating has improved. His thought process is a lot quicker. His shot has improved. He just looked really good.”

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 20, 2021

Regula figures to be in the mix for a bottom-pairing defensive spot when the NHL season opens.

Other notables

Barratt had a solid two-game showing with his physical play and some scoring touch. It will be interesting to see if his game continues to develop this season, very likely in Rockford.

Arvid Soderblom was the goalie in net on Friday. He appears to be a development prospect after signing a two-year contract with the Blackhawks following a productive career in Sweden. The 6-foot-3 goalie figures to be in mix between Rockford and the Indy Fuel for ice time.

With training camp starting on Thursday, stay tuned to The Rink for all your Blackhawks news.

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The deal for the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native carries an annual salary cap hit of $870,000 through the 2023–24 season.

Fans will get an early look at Allan wearing a Blackhawks sweater this weekend, as he begins his career playing in the 2021 Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase against the Minnesota Wild at TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Despite the new contract, Allan is expected to play this upcoming season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League, which he stated previously.

An 18-year-old defense-first rearguard, Allan is coming off a strong performance at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Junior Championships this past spring, where he registered a goal and an assist in seven games while helping Canada win the gold medal. In 2020–21, he played in 16 regular season games for Prince Albert, where he recorded two points (one goal, one assist). Allan registered career highs for games played (58), goals (two) and assists (six) during Prince Albert’s 2019–20 season.

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Here are the selections and analysis for each of Chicago’s eight selections:

Round 1, Pick 32: Nolan Allan, Defenseman, Prince Albert Raiders (FC Hockey Rank: 101)
Allan was an interesting draft choice at the end of the first round. The 6-foot-2 defender came as a surprise to most this early in the draft. He has a good combination of size and speed and plays a simple “stay-at-home” style. Allan’s ability to think the game is a plus, and he makes many simple plays out of his own zone. However, he brings almost zero production in the offensive zone and does not project much more offense at the NHL level. Allan probably could have been had in the late second round with better overall players on the board. As a first-round pick, he will get every opportunity to play his shutdown role in years to come.

Round 2, Pick 62: Colton Dach, Center, Saskatoon Blades (FC Hockey Rank: 95)
Dach should be a familiar name, as Colton is the younger brother to Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach. The younger Dach does bring much of the same size as his brother at 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds, but does not show the same top-end skills Kirby did in his draft year. Colton shows a straight-line threat on the ice, but needs to develop his playmaking skills in order to be effective at the pro level. With improved skating, he can be play a possession game and be difficult in the “tough” areas on the ice. In the year of the siblings for the Blackhawks, the Dachs might be a line we will be forced to see in the future. Let’s begin to figure out what we will call the Dach line in a few seasons.

Round 3, Pick 91: Taige Harding, Defense, Ft. McMurray Oil Barons (FC Hockey Rank: Not ranked)
Keeping with the size theme, Harding brings a 6-foot-7 frame to the Blackhawks’ selections. What is even more impressive is him tipping the scales at 236 pounds as a 19-year-old. Harding will be attending Providence College in the fall and will be one to keep an eye on for his development. At a part of the draft where draft boards can have players ranked all over the place, Harding was an intriguing pick for an overage prospect. Anything Chicago gets from Harding that turns into NHL games will be a plus. Personally, this seemed like an obvious pick that Chicago is choosing size over talent this early in the draft.

Round 4, Pick 105: Ethan Del Mastro, Defenseman, Mississauga Steelheads (FC Rank: 79)
Del Mastro was a great pick in the fourth round for Chicago. Another big defenseman at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, the Steelhead is a physical defenseman that shows enough skill in all three zones. Having missed this past season in the OHL due to the pandemic, the season before, Del Mastro showed he has the skating ability and range to be a disruptive force for opposing forwards. If there is a part of his game that needs improvement, it would be his skating ability. It is hard to say a fourth round selection is a sure-fire NHL player, but Del Mastro does show the ability to use his frame well and is a tough defender to play against. This might be the first pick where we see some true value, which is disappointing.

Round 4, Pick 108: Victor Stjernborg, Center, Vaxjo HC (FC Rank: 62)
To say Stjernborg is short at 5-foot-11 would be a disservice to him, but compared to the picks above, he does come up short. With that being said, this was another nice pick in the fourth round. The Swedish forward is a reliable forward that plays a highly responsible game. He makes great decisions and never seems to be out of position. As he continues to develop, his priorities will be on gaining strength and physicality. Stjernborg is the type of player that makes a NHL roster because he gets it between the ears. He does not have a ton of offensive upside, but does show a nice blend of smarts and skill. This could have been the best pick of the fourth round.

Round 6, Pick 172: Ilya Safonov, Center, Kazan Ak-Bars (FC Rank: 173)
Going back to his size theme, Bowman selected the 6-foot-4 Safonov out of the KHL. Safonov was passed over the last two drafts, but brings a combination of fight and size that you would look for later in the draft. The left-handed forward is a force to deal with in front of the net and in the corners and is a willing participant on every puck battle. Chicago cannot go wrong picking a center that is willing to do the dirty things you want from a pick in the sixth round.

Round 7, Pick 204: Connor Kelley, Defenseman, University of Minnesota-Duluth (FC Rank: Not ranked)
Kelley is a former U.S. National Team Development Program prospect that shows a very good skating ability; just do not expect much offense from the Maple Grove, Minnesota, native. Kelley is a defensive defenseman that did chip in three goals at UMD this past season. A seventh-round pick is always tough to predict. Anything Chicago can get out of him would be a plus, especially as an overage prospect in the draft.

Round 7, Pick 216: Jalen Luypen, Center, Edmonton Oil Kings (FC Rank: 189)
As far as last picks of your draft can go, Chicago did a great job with this pick. Again, it is hard to predict Luypen making the roster this late in the draft, but all things point to the Oil King alum making changes to his game that helped him improve. He is a hard-working character-type forward that comes with some grit. Luypen did chip in 16 goals in 23 games for Edmonton in the WHL this past season. If the organization can find a hard-working, sandpaper-type of player this late, one would be ecstatic.

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