Another Blackhawks prospect joins the Lightning

Jack Pridham had a fantastic year in the Ontario Hockey League, but neither he nor the Chicago Blackhawks felt he had an easy path to the National Hockey League in their system. Today, his rights were traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2027 third-round pick.

Writing Was on the Wall

Last week, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reported that if Pridham didn’t sign with the Blackhawks or commit to a college by today, he would re-enter the draft. He was originally committed to Boston University last season, but decided to play another year with the Kitchener Rangers instead, likely hoping to get an entry-level contract at some point.

Instead of losing Pridham for nothing, general manager Kyle Davidson traded him to the Lightning for their third-round pick in next year's draft. He was originally taken with a third-round pick in 2024, so he got the exact same value for him. According to the Lightning’s announcement, Pridham is committed to play in the NCAA next season, with the school expected to be announced in the coming days. So, they will retain his draft rights for two more seasons.

An Easier Path to the NHL

Pridham finished second in the OHL with 46 goals, one behind Blackhawks’ 2023 first-round pick Marek Vanacker. He added two goals and 17 points to help Kitchener win the OHL championship. He then led the Rangers to the Memorial Cup with five goals and nine points in four games.

Obviously, Pridham is a talented player, but he would have had a tough road to get to the NHL with all the young forwards in the Blackhawks system. Yes, he had big numbers in the OHL this past season, but you’d expect to see that out of a 20-year-old playing against teenagers.

When you look at the current NHL roster with Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Nick Lardis, Anton Frondell, and Roman Kantserov, he wasn’t playing in the NHL this season. Then add in the crop of forwards still developing, like Vanacker, Sacha Boisvert, Mason West, Vlaclav Nestrasil, A.J. Spellacy, and Nathan Behm.

In April, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Pridham as the Blackhawks’ 13th-best prospect and 10th among forwards. He might become an effective NHL player, or he could be a tweener, as we saw with Brandon Pirri or Jeremy Morin. Only time will tell. But the success of the Blackhawks’ rebuild did not hinge on Pridham becoming a star.

Pridham will have a better opportunity in the NHL in the Lightning’s system, which lacks a lot of high-end talent. Dominic James passed up signing with the Blackhawks last year to join Tampa, and he played significant time in the NHL this season. You can’t fault Pridham for wanting to have a shot elsewhere, and the Blackhawks got what they used to draft him in return.

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