Blackhawks 2026 Prospect Showcase games are "really big" for Ty Henry and Paul Ludwinski

The Chicago Blackhawks prospect games are starting, as they face the St. Louis Blues prospects on Sept. 14 and 15.

A lot of eyeballs will be on prospects, including Sacha Boisvert, Marek Vanacker, A.J. Spellacy, Ryan Roobroeck, and Adam Gajan.

But there are also a lot of underrated players in the showcase. Two more names that are worth watching are defenseman Ty Henry and forward Paul Ludwinski.

Henry and Ludwinski returned from injuries

Ludwinski was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2022 (second round), while Henry was a sixth-round pick in 2024. But what they both have in common is that their seasons were halted by injuries.

Henry missed all of last season with the Erie Otters of the OHL after suffering an injury at the Blackhawks prospect camp last year. Meanwhile, Ludwinski only got to play in three games with the Rockford IceHogs last year because of a season-ending knee injury.

But both of them showed up to the Blackhawks prospect showcase healthy and ready to make up for lost time.

Henry's recovery

With Henry, missing a whole season is a tough thing to go through, but he took some positives away from it, saying, "Yeah, obviously it's really tough. Like you miss a whole year of hockey, and that's what you love to do. That's what I love to do is play the sport. But I feel like I learned a lot. I think it was a really good learning experience. Like my body; I lowered my body fat from 16 to 9 percent. I learned how to eat properly. Just worked on those little habits there that I was lacking before. A little bit more maturity. So, I got way more mature throughout that process for sure."

The prospect showcase is also a good opportunity for the players to make a new impression.

Rockford IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale said about his impression of Henry from the practices, "I was actually on the ice when he got injured last year. So I've seen him for a couple years. Yeah, he's very athletic. He's a good skater, mobile. Like I said the first day, he needs experience. He missed most of the year last year, maybe all of it..."

Henry explained his game style, "I'm a puck-moving defenseman. My focus is the d-zone. Make sure I'm physical, and I have really good skating. So I use my feet to move the puck up and join the rush as the play goes on."

He is excited to return to Erie next season, saying he had a good summer with no restrictions.

Ludwinski's recovery

With Ludwinski, Nightingale explained what he's seen from him,

"For having the setback last year early in the season, he stayed in rehab, and he was skating before our season ended. You know, light skating, but he's worked hard. He's a character guy. Like in the locker room, we miss him, but he's a priority for us. We know it's not easy, like that first stretch of time coming back from an ACL injury, but he's worked hard. I thought he looked good today. It's going to be a process, though. That just doesn't go away. You know, the ACL usually takes a good year until you're not dealing with the soreness and whatnot. But he's put himself in a good position, and we have high hopes this year that he can have an impact and take a step."

Ludwinski had two points in three games before the injury and was in his second full season in Rockford. He is happy to be back, "It was a tough year last year. I thought I had a good offseason, came in, had a good camp. I had a really good start to my year. And it's tough. Stuff happens that you can't control, but I made the most of it and look forward to this day every day in my rehab. So it's good to be back out there with everyone on the ice, and it feels really good to be not (lagging) behind, but be right up to step with those guys out there."

He also talked about the importance of the practices ahead of the prospect games, "I think it's huge. Just to get the flow and the pace of things. I mean, I've been doing scrimmages, but it's never the same as a real game and that real game competition. So I think I'm very grateful the Blackhawks let me participate in this rookie camp, and it should be a fun two games against St. Louis."

He will be playing third line center with Marcus Joughin and Noah Aboflan.

These two prospect games will mean a lot to both Henry and Ludwinski, and as Nightingale described, "You can't replace experience in playing games. I know it's been a year (for Henry). So him and (with) like Ludwinski, I think these games are really big for them."

Look for both Ludwinski and Henry to bring energy throughout the games.

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