Blackhawks all-time American team

There are two special anniversaries being celebrated this year, 100 years of the Chicago Blackhawks and 250 years of the United States. With that in mind, and today being the 4th of July, we are going to build the ultimate All-American team of the best U.S.-born players in Blackhawks history.

Forwards

1st Line: Brandon Saad-Jeremy Roenick-Patrick Kane

This was a fairly easy line to put together. You have a Hall of Famer centering a future Hall of Famer and a two-time Stanley Cup Champion. Kane is the driver of this line. He’s not only the best American-born Blackhawk of all time, but he’s arguably the best American-born player in NHL history. He’d have plenty of room on the ice to go full “Showtime” with Roenick and Saad out there. This trio combined for 857 goals and 2,062 points in their Blackhawks careers, so there is quite the scoring punch on the top line.

2nd Line: Curt Fraser-Cully Dahlstrom-Tony Amonte

Amonte is the star on this line. He was the best player in the post-Roenick era of the late 90s and early 00s. In his nine seasons, the talented winger scored 268 goals and 541 points. Fraser spent six seasons with the Blackhawks, scoring 94 goals and 214 points before being traded to the Minnesota North Stars for Dirk Graham. Dahlstrom is the least known of the three. He was the first American-born player to win the Calder Trophy, doing so in 1938, helping the Blackhawks win their second Stanley Cup.

3rd Line: Doc Romnes-Brian Noonan-Alex DeBrincat

DeBrincat headlines the third line. He fell to the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and never spent a day in the AHL. He scored 160 goals and 307 points in his 368 games with the team, including two 41-goal seasons. Noonan was a ninth-round pick in 1983 and made his NHL debut four years later. He played 327 games for the Blackhawks, scoring 63 goals and 148 points before he was a part of the New York Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup championship. Elwin “Doc” Romnes won Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 1934 and 1938 and won the Lady Bing Trophy in 1935.

4th Line: Wayne Presley-Frank Nazar-Eddie Olczyk

Nazar is still very early in his career, but his .55 points-point-per game average through the first 122 games gets him on the team. He’s a big part of the Blackhawks current rebuild and could move up this lineup over the next few years. Olcyzk knows something about being a young Blackhawk with high expectations. He held all the team records for a player under 20 until Connor Bedard showed up. There was plenty of competition for the 12th forward spot on the roster, but Presley won out. He was selected seven rounds ahead of Noonan in 1983. He scored a career-high 32 goals in 1986-87 and was an excellent penalty killer.

Defense

1st Pairing: Gary Suter-Chris Chelios

The best part of our All-American top pairing is that we saw these two together for five seasons in the 90s. They both played at the University of Wisconsin before the NHL, but not at the same time. They became teammates in Chicago in 1994 when Suter was acquired from the Hartford Whalers. He scored 20 goals and 67 points during the 1995-96 season. If Kane isn’t the greatest American-born player in league history, then it’s Chelios. He was one of the greatest defensemen to ever play the game, with the perfect combination of skill, toughness, and endurance.

2nd pairing: Eric Weinrich-Seth Jones

Weinrich was another blueliner who seemingly played forever. He played 356 of his 1,157 career games with the Blackhawks, as a teammate of Suter and Chelios. He was a steady defender who could chip in with a bit of offense and physicality. While Jones never lived up to the high expectations that came with his big contract, he was still a very good player during his 259 games with the Blackhawks. He had a career-high 46 assists in his first season and 12 goals the following season, but never won over the fanbase.

3rd pairing: Keith Carney-Connor Murphy

Carney helped prove that the 90s were a great time for American defensemen in Chicago. He was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in 1993 and played 271 games over the next five seasons. He returned to the organization in 2009 as a scout and got a Stanley Cup ring in 2010. Murphy was acquired for Niklas Hjalmarsson in 2017, giving him the tough job of winning over a fanbase after being traded for a beloved three-time Cup winner. He remained with the team until last March’s trade deadline, bringing a responsible defensive game every night, while not being afraid to mix it up with opponents.

Goaltenders

Spencer Knight & Mike Karakas

Knight has only been with the Blackhawks for a season and a half, but he’s already earned the No. 1 spot in the crease. He’s made 70 starts since arriving in March of 2025, posting a .903 save percentage (SV%) and 2.83 goals-against average (GAA) behind a young defense that struggles mightily at times. Karakas is not a household name when it comes to great Blackhawks goaltenders, but he was an important part of some of the franchise’s early success. He was the first American-born and trained goaltender to play in the NHL. He was in the crease for the Blackhawks’ 1938 Stanley Cup championship. He wore a steel-toed boot during the Final after breaking his foot in the previous round. He was a charter member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

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