How the Blackhawks can take advantage of the AHL/CHL rule change

For years, there was an agreement between the National Hockey League and the teams of the Canadian Hockey League forbidding any drafted CHL player under the age of 20 from playing in the American Hockey League. Any teenage prospect had to play for either their respective CHL team or in the NHL; they could not play for an AHL affiliate under they turned 20.

While this rule was frustrating at times, it was easy to understand why it was implemented. The CHL didn’t want to lose all their top talented players earlier than they wanted to. While those junior leagues are there to develop young players, the teams still need to make money to operate. The chance to see future NHL stars play in juniors sells tickets.

This rule put the Chicago Blackhawks in a challenging situation for the 2023-24 season. The two options for 19-year-old defenseman Kevin Korchinski were either a third season in the Western Hockey League or to play in the NHL. The front office elected to keep him in Chicago for the whole season. Some may argue that the decision stunted his development, while others feel he wouldn’t have grown much playing in the WHL again.

The newest collective bargaining agreement between the league and players included a change to this rule. It isn’t going away completely, but teams can now loan one 19-year-old player to their AHL affiliate, while 18-year-olds remain ineligible. PuckPedia reported earlier this week that there is an effort being made to put this new rule into effect for this season and not wait until 2026-27.

If the Blackhawks can be afforded this luxury this season, would they use it? First off, there are only a handful of 19-year-old CHL players in the system, and only two of them could realistically benefit from playing with the Rockford IceHogs this season instead of juniors.

A.J. Spellacy Looking to Turn Heads Again

A.J. Spellacy was the darling of training camp last fall. The 2024 third-round draft pick played in half of the preseason games and remained in camp until the last round of cuts. His performance last year has fans excited about what he’ll do this fall. With this new rule, the Blackhawks could decide to keep him close in Rockford instead of another Ontario Hockey League season with the Windsor Spitfires.

Now, you might be thinking the Blackhawks have a slew of young prospects pushing for an NHL spot this season, which makes Spellacy a long shot. You’re not wrong, but he is a bit of a unicorn among the prospect pool. His rare combination of size, elite speed, and physicality separates him from many of his fellow prospects. He offers something to Jeff Blashill’s lineup that few can right now.

Spellacy’s success came in spurts for Windsor last season. He finished with 18 goals and 37 points in 62 games. An injury limited him during the OHL playoffs, but his speed and physical ability were constant throughout the year. Because of his inconsistency last year, it logically makes more sense for him to head back to the OHL for another year.

Marek Vanacker Could Need a New Challenge

The Blackhawks traded back into the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft to select Marek Vanacker with the 27th overall pick. He was coming off a great draft season where he scored 36 goals and 82 points for the Brantford Bulldogs in 68 OHL games.

Offseason shoulder surgery delayed the start of his post-draft season. Vanacker returned to the ice in late November and needed a couple of games to get his legs under him. He finished the regular season with 24 goals and 42 points in 45 games. While fellow Blackhawks prospect was getting all the glory for his 70-goal season, Vanacker quietly went on with his business. He excelled in the OHL playoffs, with six goals and 11 points in 11 outings.

Vanacker will add a little bit of size and a heavy playing style to the Blackhawks' lineup when he gets to the NHL. If he impresses during training camp, he could convince the front office to start the season in Rockford instead of Brantford. However, he was a long-term project when drafted in 2024, and rushing him to the professional level is not needed, unless he shows he is ready for it. Being one of the top players for the Bulldogs this season could be more beneficial than a bottom-six AHL role.

Realistically, both Spellacy and Vanacker will be better heading back to the OHL this season. However, we know the Blackhawks love to have control over their prospects’ development, as we’ve seen with Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov. Having the option to send one of these two to Rockford if they look ready is a good thing to have, but not a necessity at this point in their development.