Four Blackhawks Prospects Taking Home Gold After Big Performances On International Stage

While it’s been a tough season for the Blackhawks on the NHL level, the team took solace in the fact that six of their prospects took part in this year’s IIHF World Junior Championships on two teams. While Martin Misiak and Adam Gajan were bounced from the tournament on Tuesday after excellent showings, an impressive four Chicago prospects were able to help guide Team USA to a championship, defeating Sweden 6-2.

The Blackhawks prospect with the most success for Team USA, as expected, was Frank Nazar III. The 13th-overall pick of the Blackhawks in 2022 is the top prospect in his team’s pipeline and should get some run at the United Center next season. Before then, though, his offensive game was a force to be reckoned with. He picked up eight assists with an outstanding plus-minus of +9. Nazar also won more than half of his faceoffs against some of the best young talent in the world in that department, and he may be able to contribute at the dot for a Blackhawks team that desperately needs help winning draws.

Oliver Moore, Chicago’s 19th-overall pick this summer, didn’t have quite the same success in the scoring column as Nazar, but he certainly put the world on notice. Known for his stellar skating ability, Moore was a highlight-reel player all tournament, winning races to pucks that none of his teammates could. When he gets to Chicago, he’ll undoubtedly get his team many more possessions, translating to more high-quality scoring chances.

Sam Rinzel was a staple of Team USA’s defense throughout the tournament, where he was stout and didn’t allow the opposition many quality looks. He was far from perfect and made a few plays that could be chalked up to inexperience. However, the young blueliner was tremendous overall and a great asset to his squad during the tournament.

Gavin Hayes didn’t have his best tournament - he began on the fourth line but was eventually bumped down as his team’s extra skater when Moore clawed his way into the lineup. While Team USA’s 13th attacker was receiving solid minutes at the beginning of the tournament, Hayes wasn’t able to get on the ice in either of the last two games. Despite the limited ice time, the young skater finished sixth in penalty minutes, the most on Team USA. Nevertheless, he’ll return to his Flint Firebirds in the OHL a champion, where he’ll hope to resume an excellent scoring season.

The importance of the championship experience for these four young players can’t be understated. With their impressive showings, all four proved the lights weren’t too bright, and they were comfortable on a huge stage. Will their tremendous talent help Chicago win a few championships of their own in the coming years?

Having four prospects get regular minutes on the best team in the tournament is a great sign of the Blackhawks’ strong pipeline. Nazar, Moore, Rinzel, and Hayes aren’t far from making their NHL debuts, and we could see some of them (especially Nazar) as early as next season. That’s good news for a team building its prospect pool through the draft and means GM Kyle Davidson and his staff are having at least some success in beginning to build a winner. These young Blackhawks will be in Chicago soon, hungry to win more championships than just this one.