Blackhawks prospects to watch entering the preseason

Last summer, AJ Spellacy entered the Chicago Blackhawks training camp looking to make a name for himself.

The Blackhawks had drafted Spellacy in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and he looked to be years away from making any real impact on an NHL roster.

The then 18-year-old had been drafted just a few months prior, but he quickly impressed Blackhawks fans at training camp, even sticking around for a few preseason games with the team.

Spellacy was last year's standout star, and it will be interesting to see what he does this summer, signed to an entry-level contract. Outside of Spellacy, there are a number of other top prospects who fans should keep an eye on entering the month of September.

The Blackhawks enter training camp ready to check in on a number of prospects.

While these two players technically already made their NHL debut, Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore are two players to definitely watch in the preseason. Rinzel and Moore enter training camp in a similar spot as Frank Nazar last summer, and Nazar ended up starting last year in Rockford as a result. If they turn enough heads in the preseason, Rinzel and Moore could skip over the AHL.

Drew Commesso is a big name to watch this month. The Blackhawks netminder might have been drafted before Kyle Davidson took over, but the Blackhawks still have high hopes for the 23-year-old goalie. Commesso has some players on the depth chart ahead of him and needs to make his mark this month.

The Blackhawks drafted Nick Lardis in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft and after putting up an impressive 71 goals in 65 games last season with the Brantford Bulldogs, Lardis is ready to turn pro.

Lardis is entering training camp competing for a spot in the NHL, while he might need some time in Rockford first, training camp will give the young goal scorer an opportunity to show he belongs in the NHL.

For some teams, training camp is about building chemistry and just getting back into the swing of things before the regular season. For the Blackhawks, this time is about building an identity and checking in on the franchise's many players within the organization. It all starts in just a couple of weeks.

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